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It's more than just a bake sale.Some 3,200 MOCA-philes have signed a petition against the proposed merger with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The petition has been delivered by the grassroots group, MOCA Mobilization, to MOCA's board. This is the same group that held a rally at the museum's Geffen Contemporary building on Nov. 23, which was attended by prominent LA … [Read more...] about MOCA Mobilization: 3,200 Signatories Oppose the Urge to Merge

Michael Govan [Michael Govan gives CultureGrrl his side of the story here.] The Los Angeles County Museum of Art calls its proposal for rescuing the financially moribund MOCA a "merger" and "partnership." It's more like a takeover bid, and not a particularly friendly one. MOCA's crisis received its first public airing almost a month ago, but LACMA dropped its bomb … [Read more...] about Raider of the Lost Museum: Takeover Bid by Govan for MOCA UPDATED

Barbara Pflaumer, press spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, has responded by e-mail to my queries about LACMA-MOCA.Here are my Q's and her A's, in full: Q: Does LACMA's proposal to MOCA involves a single board and a single director? If yes, does that mean the departure of [current MOCA director] Jeremy Strick?A: Combined board for the two museums with a … [Read more...] about My Q&A with LACMA About MOCA Proposal: Combined Board and a Contemporary “Art Leader” UPDATED

You thought you might know today how MOCA's board will address the museum's dire financial crisis?Think again.This just in from the MOCA board:In light of ongoing discussions with potential partners, the MOCA Board of Trustees convened today and will meet again on Thursday, Dec. 18. We are grateful for the generosity of the Broad Foundation and the interest and efforts of LACMA … [Read more...] about MOCA’s Poker Face: Board Meets Again Thursday

In a surprising (to say the least) development, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has posted on its website some general information about its proposed partnership with MOCA, which is still being pondered, as I write this, at a closed meeting of MOCA's board.What I like about the proposal is the plan to allocate space for MOCA's important but insufficiently displayed … [Read more...] about LACMA-MOCA: Can this Gizmo Work?

Charles James, "Dress, Evening," 1952, Silk. Gift of Mrs. R. A. Bernatschke, Brooklyn MuseumNOTE: This erroneous post was based on false assumptions, created by the lack of transparency in the museums' official announcement. A very belated corrective post, describing the systematic deaccessions of many items from Brooklyn's "transferred" collection, is here.Another financially … [Read more...] about Brooklyn Does It Right: Transferring, Not Selling, Its Costume Collection CORRECTED

Cookies to the Rescue!What did we mommies do when we wanted to show support for our children's school?We held a bake sale! (Baking's not one of my talents. I brought the soda.)So some inspired wags have timed a bit of pastry patronage to take place outside the financially starved LA MOCA right before today's crucial board meeting that may determine its fate. Trustees may want … [Read more...] about Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures: The MOCA Bake Sale

Richard Caton Woodville, "War News from Mexico," 1848A comment appended yesterday to LA Times art critic Christopher Knight's recent Culture Monster blog post on the National Academy deaccessions mentions that this month's disposals by the Academy weren't its first. But it doesn't identify the previously sold paintings. I know about (but have not yet written about) the most … [Read more...] about Prior National Academy Deaccession: “War News from Mexico”

It's official: The NY State Board of Regents' Cultural Education Committee this afternoon voted in favor of revised rules (described here), which would prohibit most museums and historical societies in the state from using deaccession proceeds to defray debts, operating expenses, and most capital expenses. The proposed revisions will go before the full board at its meeting … [Read more...] about NY State Regents Cultural Education Committee Votes for Stringent Deaccession Guidelines, UPDATED

Ford Bell, president of the American Association of MuseumsA forcefully worded letter sent Friday by Ford Bell, president of the American Association of Museums, to the NY State Board of Regents may well have been crucial in turning the tide against the Regents' now aborted proposal to allow museums and historical societies to sell collection objects to defray debts. (Christine … [Read more...] about AAM Lambasts Desperation Deaccessions: Text of Its Letter to NYS Board of Regents

"You helped focus everyone in the field on this," Dewey Blanton, head of media relations for the American Association of Museums, told me this morning about the decision of the NY State Board of Regent's Cultural Education Committee to withdraw its Emergency Amendment that would have allowed museums and historical societies to sell objects from their collections "for … [Read more...] about NYS Regents Reverse Course on Desperation Deaccessions

Renderings of the new Tyler School of ArtYou can hear me now, in a brief soundbite about the new Wolgin Prize in the Arts, to be awarded by Temple University's Tyler School of Art, which is moving next month to new digs (above) designed by Houston architect Carlos Jimenez:This is a prize with lots of money, but (as of today) no director, nominators or jurors. We are promised … [Read more...] about My WHYY Radio Podcast on the Richest Prize for Artists

Given the intense interest in this topic, I'm going to print in full the letter sent today by Carmine Branagan, director of the embattled National Academy, to museum directors who are members of the Association of Art Museum Directors, in which she asks AAMD to "rescind its public censure" and reconsider its deaccession rules. I should note that the views of the letter writer … [Read more...] about National Academy Counterattack: Text of Letter Sent Today to AAMD Members

This is an issue on which the AAMD, AAM and museums in New York State will surely want to take IMMEDIATE action, by e-mailing comments to David Palmquist, head of museum chartering for the NY State Board of Regents. (He will forward comments to the board):The NY State Board of Regents is primed to take action this Monday and Tuesday to approve an Emergency Amendment Relating to … [Read more...] about NYS Regents to Vote on Measure Permitting Desperation Deaccessions UPDATED

Jack WolginI got a heads-up yesterday from Temple University's Tyler School of Art about today's annnouncement of the astonishing new Jack Wolgin International Competition in the Fine Arts, which will award a whopping $150,000 annual prize to "a professional artist of international stature." The winner's work is to be shown at the art school's new facility on Temple's main … [Read more...] about My Commentary on Richest Artist’s Prize Ever, This Morning on Philadelphia Public Radio