Model of MOCA building expansion by Charles Gwathmey, Gwathmey Siegel & Associates

The expansion of the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Joan Lehman Building will triple its current exhibition space in North Miami and offer the public ongoing access to its permanent collection. The expansion’s concept plan designed by world-renowned architect Charles Gwathmey, triples MOCA’s current exhibition space in North Miami and offers the public ongoing access to its permanent collection. The 24,000 square-foot expansion (20,000 square feet of new and 4,000 square feet of remodeled space) of MOCA’s current 23,000 square foot facility also will include such features as an education wing, expanded space to present concurrent exhibitions and public programs, new art storage facility, and enhanced public areas.

The Museum of Contemporary Art’s Joan Lehman Building opened in February 1996. Designed by Charles Gwathmey of Gwathmey Siegel & Associates, MOCA’s distinctive building and plaza has been heralded for its construction and functional design executed on a $3.75 million budget. Internationally recognized for innovative exhibitions and programs, the museum played a major role in catapulting Miami into the international art world. As the only major arts institution in North Miami-Dade County, MOCA is a cultural resource for the entire community, offering a wide range of innovative programs and performances that highlight the spirit of contemporary art. MOCA’s permanent collection reflects the most important developments in contemporary art.

MOCA Executive Director Bonnie Clearwater stated, “This expansion comes at a pivotal time for MOCA. We have literally outgrown our building. MOCA has an international profile and at the same time is an intimate place where the entire community feels welcome. In the planning for the museum’s expansion, our Board of Trustees, supporters, and staff felt that it was essential that the expansion not compromise MOCAs unique quality or its exhibitions and education programs, and that it would increase our programming to meet the goals of our mission.”

MOCA Chairman Irma Braman stated, “Charles Gwathmey has a tremendous understanding of MOCA’s history and vision, and is responsive to MOCA’s changing needs. His plan is flexible, allowing for the museum’s future growth as well as developments in contemporary art. MOCA’s permanent collection is a vital part of the museum and we are thrilled that we soon will be able to offer the public access to it year-round in North Miami and have an education wing that will serve thousands of children, teens and adults.”

North Miami Mayor Kevin A. Burns stated, “The Museum of Contemporary Art has built a reputation that is recognized throughout the world and we are proud to be the home of such a world-class art museum. We are committed to the arts and to fine architectural design in our city. On a local level, the Museum of Contemporary Art has played a vital role in North Miami’s downtown development in the past ten years. The museum expansion promises to be yet another catalyst for future development in North Miami.”

The museum has experienced enormous growth in major gifts to its permanent collection, its membership, and fundraising events, and has steadily increased public programming. In February 2007, MOCA received its single largest gift of artwork in its history from collectors Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz. The gift, which is being jointly shared with Tate, Great Britain’s premier museum, and includes the groundbreaking works, No Ghost Just A Shell, a multi-media project by 17 international artists originated by Pierre Huyghe and Philippe Parreno, and the monumental installation, Zero Hero by German artist John Bock.

COST AND FUNDING

The estimated cost of the project is between $17 and $18 million. Construction is expected to begin in Spring 2008 with an estimated completion date of 2010. The museum and its administrative offices will remain open during construction.

The expansion will be funded by a variety of public and private sources. MOCA will soon launch a capital and endowment campaign, which will include naming opportunities for the new building. Funding for the concept plan phase was generously provided by MOCA Board member Michael Collins and his wife Sandy.

NEW ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN PROVIDES

16,500 square feet of additional flexible gallery space, contiguous to both the lobby and existing gallery, presenting a new facade to the street that will bring the museum closer in line with the business and cultural corridor of NE 125th Street

4,600+ square foot second floor, multi-purpose space for performances, concerts, films, lectures, special events, and temporary exhibitions, that will enable MOCA to have a permanent facility in which to present these programs for the first time.

3,500 square foot, ground floor education wing, which will include classrooms and for studio art, art history, and museum studies. MOCA’s current administrative offices will be renovated to create this space.

4,300 square feet of additional state-of-the-art, climate controlled art storage space, and a separate workshop

1,500 square foot skylit reception area, connecting lobby to courtyard, creating a flexible indoor/outdoor space for receptions and events

Creation of an additional convenient entrance from parking lots via building’s existing courtyard

New sculpture roof terrace with a major exterior staircase connecting to the public plaza over a new reflecting pool that will provide seating area for the public and museum visitors

New lobby, restrooms, elevator, expanded gift shop, and grand stair accessing a second level

New second floor administrative offices and art research library

NEEDS AND SOLUTIONS

The expansion will make it possible for the public to have continuous access to MOCA’s permanent collection.

At present, MOCA can only exhibit a fraction of its permanent collection works intermittently in North Miami and in its temporary annex, MOCA at Goldman Warehouse in Wynwood. The current space constraint hinders MOCA from showcasing large-scale installation works that are a major focus of its permanent collection.

Among the pivotal gifts that have been made to MOCA’s collection are such large-scale installations as: Diorama, 1997, by Thomas Hirschhorn, gift of the Martin Z. Margulies Foundation; Cargo Cult, 2005 by Jose Bedia, purchased with funds provided by Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz and Diane and Robert Moss, Untitled (Pool), 1996, by Teresita Fernandez, gift of Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz, Ernesto Neto’s Un pe de Sonho, 1997, Gift of Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz, More Moor Morals and Morass, 1994, by Jason Rhoades, gift of Eileen and Peter Norton, Jennifer Steinkamp’s video projection installation, Smokescreen, 1995-2004, gift of the artist, Dara Friedman’s 16 mm film installation, Bim Bam, 1999, museum purchase with funds provided by Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz, and John Espinosa’s mixed media installation, Standing Still While Moving Across Land, gift of Mario Cader-Frech and Robert S. Wennett.

The expansion will enable MOCA to present multiple exhibitions.

Currently, the museum has to close to the public for up to two and a half weeks at a time during installation of exhibitions. The expansion will enable MOCA to have exhibitions continuously on view. Increased attendance will also benefit North Miami restaurants and businesses.

The expansion will provide a dedicated education wing with several classrooms that will be used for Museum Academy classes.

There is a growing need for the museum’s art education program in the North Miami area and MOCA has established a new partnership with Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The expansion will make MOCA’s resources available to an increased number of Miami-Dade County Public Schools students through partnership with MDCPS’s newly planned North Miami Museums Magnet Academy.

Under a proposed plan, North Miami Senior High, North Miami Middle School and William Jennings Bryant Elementary School will offer museum studies as an academy or school-wide theme. MOCA will create innovative programs for the public schools, including a museum studies program for high school students, programs at the elementary and middle school level, and training that will actively educate teachers on how they can utilize the resources of MOCA and other museums to enhance their curriculum.

The creation of an education wing will allow MOCA to expand its education programs for children and adults.

At present, MOCA offers a wide range of education programs, yet does not have permanent classroom or studio space. The museum currently utilizes its pavilion gallery, boardroom, and storage area for education programs. Current MOCA education programs include: Creative Arts for children, Junior Docents, MOCA’zine, and drawing classes for teens, the adult docent program, and the nationally-recognized Women on Rise! outreach program serving at-risk teenage girls. The expansion will enable MOCA to increase the number and breadth of its education programs for children and adults. Literacy is an important component of MOCA education programs, and the museum will be able to offer programs emphasizing writing and literacy, beneficial to speakers for whom English is a second language.

The expansion will provide a flexible space for presenting lectures, films, and performances.

The museum currently does not have a multi-purpose space in which to present these types of programs. The museum’s storage area or pavilion gallery is currently used for such events. Because of limited space, programs are often standing-room only. Expanded public programs will also increase the number of visitors to MOCA and North Miami.

The Museum of Contemporary Art is located at 770 NE 125th Street, North Miami. For additional information, please call 305.893.6211 or visit www.mocanomi.org

Museum of Contemporary Art
Museum Mission
The mission of the Museum of Contemporary Art is to make contemporary art accessible to diverse audiences--especially under-served populations--by exploring the art of our time and its relationship to a broader cultural context. The museum is particularly interested in providing a forum for young and emerging artists and in presenting and collecting the works by local as well as internationally recognized artists. The museum carries out this mission through exhibitions and acquiring works for its permanent collection as well as related symposia, publications, films, lectures, performances, and educational outreach activities, thereby providing a forum for dialogue about contemporary art in the community.

The Museum of Contemporary Art opened its Joan Lehman Building (770 NE 125th Street) in North Miami, Florida in February 1996. The museum was designed by the internationally acclaimed architect Charles Gwathmey of Gwathmey-Siegel, New York, who worked in conjunction with the Miami firm of Gelabert-Navia to create an exquisite space in which to experience art. The museum is a site for discovering new artists, contemplating our living cultural heritage, and is known for its provocative and innovative exhibitions and public and educational programming.

MOCA’s permanent collection reflects significant artistic developments in contemporary art by emerging and established artists from the U.S. and abroad. The museum acquires works through donations and also purchases works with funds donated specifically for acquiring art. MOCA has made the collection and exhibition of installation art, video and film a special focus of its permanent collection. In February 2007, MOCA and Tate, Great Britain, received a landmark donation from Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz of No Ghost Just A Shell, a multi-media collaboration of 17 international artists originated by Pierre Huyghe and Philippe Parreno, and Zero Hero, a monumental multi-media installation by John Bock. Other major works that have been donated to MOCA’s permanent collection include mixed media installations: Diorama, 1997, by Thomas Hirschhorn, gift of the Martin Z. Margulies Foundation; Cargo Cult, 2005 by Jose Bedia, purchased with funds provided by Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz and Diane and Robert Moss, Untitled (Pool), 1996, by Teresita Fernandez, gift of Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz, More Moor Morals and Morass, 1994, by Jason Rhoades, gift of Eileen and Peter Norton, Jennifer Steinkamp’s video projection installation, Smokescreen, 1995-2004, gift of the artist, John Baldessari’s Three Red Paintings, 1988 and Palm Trees, 1988, gifts of the Lannan Foundation, Louise Bourgeois’s untitled 2001 fabric sculpture, gift of Louise Bourgeois courtesy of Cheim & Read; Matthew Barney’s Cremaster 2: The Metamorphosis, 1999, C-Print, promised gift of Joan and Michael Salke; Guillermo Kuitca’s Untitled, 1993 painting on paper, promised gift of Barbara and Avram Jacobson, Roxy Paine’s Cocklebur, 2005, museum purchase with funds raised by Pop 10 and partial gift of the artist and James Cohan Gallery, and Christian Holstad’s House Training and Empty Trust, 2006, museum purchase with funds provided by Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz.

In December 2005, the Museum of Contemporary Art opened a satellite exhibition and art warehouse space, MOCA at Goldman Warehouse, in the Wynwood Arts and Entertainment District of Miami (404 NW 26th Street). This space was donated to MOCA through the year 2009 by Tony Goldman and Joey Goldman.