I thought we might have been finished with museum closings for this economic cycle, but I guess not: While few people were paying attention, the Contemporary Museum in Baltimore ceased operation several days ago, in mid-exhibition and apparently with little warning.
Founded in 1989,  the Contemporary started out presenting exhibitions in temporary spaces and in partner institutions like the Baltimore Museum of Art, Maryland Historical Society, Peabody Conservatory and Walters Art Museum. Then, in 1999, it procured a space in downtown Baltimore near the Walters, focusing mainly on area artists.Â
A year ago, it started to mount a series of one-week-long solo exhibitions called “The Baltimore Liste.” As the Contemporary’s director, Sue Spaid, told a local publication called the Urbanite at that time, “We decided on the ‘Liste’ model from Berlin because it focuses on younger artists and galleries.â€Â
That month — May 2011 – the Urbanite wrote, “The Contemporary Museum is packed this particular Friday evening: the young and bohemian smoke cigarettes out front, while the inside buzzes with animated conversations as people enjoy snacks and beer, cameras flash, and artists make faux kiss noises. The gathering has all the attributes of a really great art party.” (The article has more on the Liste model, too.)
The Liste was set for a repeat performance this spring. But as a blog called BMoreArt recorded on May 22, visitors who went to the exhibition on the 19th (actually after May 16), were met by “a hand-written sign that said, ‘The Baltimore List has been de-listed until further notice.’ ” A day later came the official notice (right).
The Baltimore Sun caught up with the story last Friday, publishing an article which started out with the odd line that the Contemporary was having a hard time remaining contemporary — though that’s what Liste was all about. Then it quoted another museum director saying ‘There is a passionate base for contemporary art here now.”
Finally, the Sun went to the reason for the story, quoting Bodil Ottesen, the Contemporary’s board president, who said, “We are not shutting down. The museum is ceasing its programs for the time being.” She gave no prognosis, but the Sun noted that Spaid and four museum employees had been “let go.”
Last fall, the Contemporary moved out of its recent home and back into temporary spaces, but trustees have been trying to raise money to refurbish a former gallery spacea on N. Charles St. as its new home. That plan has been scrapped.
The one positive sign in this story is that the Contemporary had shut down before, in 2003, but staged a new exhibition within months in a temporary space and hired a new director the following year, the Sun says.
Let’s hope.
Photo Credits: Courtesy of Urbanite (top), of BMoreArt (bottom)