Bookstore - thankfully above ground - features a great selection of every kind of esoteric art magazine and nifty toys.I appreciate that I could use my phone for more information, but what I heard was art speak. I learn tidbits of information about the artist and/or the artwork. Whenever I go to a museum, I love reading wall labels. So, as I checked out the exhibitions, I wondered who is acquiring the art - and why. I know MOCA has been embroiled in more than a few administrative scandals. I thought the art might cheer me up, but it didn’t.
I now hate being underground, especially in Los Angeles! I have experienced one too many earthquakes. Are they trying to protect the art or save money? And the spaces are low-ceilinged, cave-like. When youu look at a photograph of MOCA, what you don’t realize is that all the galleries are below street level.Īs soon as I descended the stairs to the entrance, I felt uncomfortable. So now they're still independent.but for how long is anyone's guess. However, MOMA met a $100 million endowment funding goal when Dietsch departed and new leadership took over. The county-funded museum tried to move forward with the idea. Months of uncertainty lead to MOCA offering a merger with frenemy LACMA. This was Dietsch's first experience with museum work, and his 'run it like a business' style soured MOCA's relation with longtime curator Paul Schimmel.Īfter Schimmel's exit (either forced or voluntary depending on the source), artists like John Baldessari and Ed Ruscha quit the MOCA's board in protest. Drama ensued after art collector Eli Broad injected $30 million into the museum, followed by a turnover in leadership with New York art gallery guru Jeffrey Dietsch taking the helm. After donors derailed the gravy train, MOCA was forced to dip into its savings and even borrow against restricted funds to make ends meet for daily operations. The museum's annual operating budget of $20 million is 80% philanthropy from private individuals. The 2008 economic downturn almost killed MOCA Los Angeles. Now, this Little Tokyo warehouse is a semi-subterranean lair for all your contemporary art needs and wants. The kind of place where people named Vince or Hank grow mustaches and spill coffee on themselves (i.e., not the kind of place you want to be). Before housing some of the best contemporary art this side of the Mississippi, the space was a basic retail spot, and then storage for LAPD squad cars. Fixture in the "object that's around that we don't think about" sense rather than something cherished. The building itself has been a fixture in LA for decades. If you aren't down with the patriarchy, then MOCA might just be the place for you. The museum also makes it priority to bridge the gap between female and male voices in museums.
#MOCA MUSEUM LA HOW TO#
MOCA put on the first major exhibition of graffiti and street art when everyone else was scratching their heads about how to talk about the subject. Especially if you like your art collections to push boundaries. If you're looking for art from before World War II, go somewhere else. MOCA was the OG contemporary art museum in Los Angeles. Progressive museum that can barely stay solvent, with a lot of 'firsts' to its credit.
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