Brian Addison’s Long Beach Post article on the Museum of Latin American Art starts out sounding like a replay of MOCA’s troubles—and then keeps getting weirder.
“Interestingly enough, despite rave reviews and respect in both the critical and academic worlds of art, [dismissed curator Cecilia Fajardo-Hill's] exhibitions were strangely unattended compared to some of the more simple, straight-forward exhibitions—ultimately leading to the question of what the museum’s role to the public is.
“And like many other major museums—the Getty, LACMA, and, most recently, MOCA—MOLAA must reexamine itself. It is, after all, not a CIFO or a Broad Foundation, organizations which, while they open their doors to the public, ultimately have no interest in popular approval. Rather, these organizations strictly and entirely gear themselves towards artistic integrity. And MOLAA, as [spokesperson Susan] Golden pointed out, cannot play on that field …
“We’re not the Hammer, we’re not the Broad,” explained Golden. “We can’t just say, ‘Oh well,’ when the public doesn’t respond to our exhibitions—a luxury these other institutions have.
“Following a grant from the Irvine Foundation to do marketing research, MOLAA discovered an intriguing bit of fact: regardless of what curators like, regardless of what is “important,” the public has a desire to see a certain type of art at MOLAA—and that certain type of art happens to be figurative and colorful.
“While as an institution, we don’t want to be promoting erroneous stereotypes about Latin-America and Latin-American Art,” said Golden, “the fact of the matter is that one has to pay attention to what the public wants.”
Tags: Cecilia Fajardo-Hill, MOCA, MoLAA
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Egaads! What a tacky looking building. And the signage is even worse. (And “molah” is not the best sounding of acronyms.) Sad, too, because art associated with societies south of the U.S. already tends to be perceived as being, well, not too tasteful. Think of bullfighters on velvet and images of Mary or Jesus affixed to those tall glass candle holders. So that museum isn’t the best in helping dispel the stereotype.
Latin American art has for decades and more been better than its overrated norte americano distant cousins. Come one now, whose better than Rufino Tamayo, The latest junk has been contempt academic art, not real art at all. just the typical games toys and therapy of the museo/acaemic/gallery complex of commerce moving into new turf.
No one goes because it sucks lately, period. Glad she and the previous head are gone, bring in some blood with fire, some life, some passion, not sterilized anemia. Few great artists ever graduated from an art academy those who did took decades to get the pablum out of their systems.
Have some juevos for once art world and take someone outside of your gilded if drab walls. But yeah the building does look like a Del Taco. But needs more color but just in harmony like a Gauguin(Peruvian on mothers side and grew up there) in front and all rich earth tones in back . Enough sanitized death time for life and art that seeks the highest common denominator, not fashion for the decadent effete.
Fantastic!!!
Why the Costco looking signage?