Tag Archives: Museum of Contemporary Art

Museum of Contemporary Art thinks outside the box, and onto the plaza

Museum of Contemporary Art in ChicagoArt isn’t meant to be kept inside the box, or on the canvas for that matter. At Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, the curators try to put their chosen pieces in context, as much as the sculptures, video, balloon art, and other abstract expressions can be.

The abstract space constantly evolves as new pieces come in and out of the Streeterville location on a regular basis. But one thing is a constant at the MCA: abstract art that helps you look at the world in a very different light. Whether its an art project out on the plaza, or a display inside one of the U.S.’s biggest modern art museums, the Museum of Contemporary Art knows how to push boundaries.

Admission is $12, except on Tuesdays, when it’s free for Illinois residents. MCA is closed on Mondays.

MCA Director Madeleine Grynsztejn Loves Lincoln Park

When she’s not running the show at one of the nation’s largest contemporary art museums, Museum of Contemporary Art Director Madeleine Grynsztejn can be seen at Lincoln Park. This area, which is also one of the coolest Chicago neighborhoods of which she is also a resident, is Madeleine’s go-to place for some R & R. “I really like to go there and unwind and walk around the lake and take a look at the city from there,” Madeleine told citybuzz.

Apart from spectacular skyline views, the park boasts an impressive resume of Picture 13renowned artists and architects that have made the it one of Chicago’s most treasured places, like sculptor Augustus-Saint Gaudens, landscape designers Ossian Cole Simonds and Alfred Caldwell, and architects Joseph Lyman Silsbee and Dwight H. Perkins. You don’t need to be a director of an art museum to appreciate the beauty of their work.

A trip to this peaceful, shoreline park would not be complete without visiting the zoo. “I love the Lincoln Park Zoo,” Madeleine said, and millions of visitors each year agree. The free, family oriented experience is absolutely breathtaking in both the beautiful animals (lions to swans) and incredible layout.

A getaway to Chicago would not be complete without a trip to the breathtaking Lincoln Park and uber-hip neighborhood.

*** Madeleine Grynsztejn is the Pritzker Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art and is also a resident of the Lincoln Park neighborhood in Chicago.

Discover Classics and Newbies at MOCA North Miami

After more than a decade of showcasing the icons of contemporary art as well as displaying exhibitions by up and comers, the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami’s yearly exhibition schedMoca Exterior 1ule continues to feature innovative shows. The museum’s permanent collection is a representation of installations like “Paradise Lights” by Jack Pierson, a neon sculpture that adorns MOCA’s exterior walls and is a piece to admire at the Museum’s many special events.

Among the other collection pieces are mixed media works, oil on canvas, digital media and photographs by contemporary artists Nan Jume Paik, Jose Bedia and Enoc Perez. Programming is a major focus here too, with the museum open late on Wednesdays for MOCA by Moonlight and plenty of art classes and lectures on the weekends.

Welcome to the New and Improved MOCA

Only in Hollywood can a museum bring out so many A-listers. Art lovers Brangelina, Lady Gaga, and members of the Bolshoi Ballet were part of an eclectic mix to honor the new Museum of Contemporary Art.

The MOCA is the only museum in Los Angeles devoted solely to contemporary art. It houses nearly 6000 pieces (and growing!) from all mediums of art produced after 1939. The museum is actually in three facilities: MOCA Grand Avenue, The Geffen Observatory at MOCA, and MOCA Pacific Design Center. The collection is so impressive that it’s regarded as one of the most important collections in showcasing the post-war world.

And as you can see, it is a favorite for many of Los Angeles’ most elite artists.

You Gotta Hear It to Believe It: Jim Green

In a city known for its idiosyncratic tastes in art—including not just one but two giant blue animal sculptures—local visionary Jim Green fits right in, notPicture 9 least for the fact that you can’t actually see his work. What you can do is hear it: take a ride (or two) on his Laughing Escalator at the Colorado Convention Center; wash your hands in his Singing Sinks at the Denver Art Museum; pace the intersection of 15th and Curtis until you hear the whistles and hoofbeats of his Soundwalk rising up from the pavement grates.

Green’s recorded installations defamiliarize the mundane environment through which we usually move so thoughtlessly, startling us into laughter—and his exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, continuing through January 3, 2010, is no different, centering as it does on whoopee cushions.