MOCA And USC In Talks Of Potential Partnership
Comments (0)
(Creative Commons)
The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that discussions between MOCA and USC are currently underway. USC provost Elizabeth Garrett said that the partnership would “enhance the missions of both institutions” but that the joint venture was in a “preliminary” stage.
The news comes in the wake of MOCA’s financial and internal troubles that have plagued the museum in recent months.
In June of 2012, MOCA’s board of trustees voted to fire Paul Schimmel, MOCA’s chief curator of 22 years. The decision was attributed to tensions between Schimmel and MOCA Director Jeffrey Deitch, an art dealer brought in from New York in 2010.
Eli Broad, MOCA’s leading donor and life trustee, wrote to The Los Angeles Times dismissing speculation that Schimmel was fired. Broad said that Schimmel was “contemplating a change” and chose to leave his position as chief curator.
However, Broad’s relationship with MOCA is curious. His donation of $30 million to MOCA in 2008 saved the museum from going under.
But Broad’s own museum is set to open in 2014 with works from his own personal collection. The Broad Collection will be located in downtown on Grand Avenue, right across the street from MOCA.
What does USC have to gain?
The answer is money and reputation. In 2011, USC pledged to raise $6 billion by 2018 in its massive fundraising project titled The Campaign for the University of Southern California. Linking the two institutions may help bring in money for USC to reach its fundraising goals.
USC currently has six schools for the arts including the Roski School of Fine Arts. Roski’s dean of two years, Rochelle Steiner, worked in the contemporary art world for the past 15 years before coming to USC. Her expertise in contemporary art invites questions as to what role Steiner may have played in facilitating the conversation between MOCA and USC.
Steiner has publicly declared her goal of expanding USC’s standing in Los Angeles as a premier art school. She has also said that she hopes to build up USC’s standing within the artistic community in Los Angeles.
MOCA and USC’s partnership wouldn’t be the first between a museum and university in Los Angeles.
UCLA and the Hammer Museum finalized its partnership in 1994, and the university entered a 99-year operating agreement with the museum. Since then, the Hammer has seen a rise in attendance and an expansion of its budget to $16 million in 2011.
In comparison, MOCA – with four times the gallery space as the Hammer – had in 2011 a budget of $14.3 million.
In an ever-increasing technological world that continues to put science and engineering programs at the forefront of higher education goals, this potential partnership between MOCA and USC is a breath of fresh air.
If USC is serious about expanding its brand, then being linked with a world-renowned museum can increase the university's reputation within the art world.
But MOCA’s troubles can also put USC at risk. MOCA may have once been a pioneer in the contemporary art world, but the flurry of drama surrounding the museum has drawn criticism from critics, art lovers, and artists.
First, the partnership has to officially be announced. Then, only time will tell what impact the partnership will have.
