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SIGN OF THE TIMES November 20 2008 Los Angeles
So we're all basically aware of the economic crisis our country is experiencing. Stores are closing, companies are going belly up, thousands of people are losing their jobs. In Los Angeles, where the juxtaposition of "The Hills" and "90210" (for lack of better examples) is evident, it may be easy to say that the problem hasn't hit home yet. But it has, and LA's cultural institutions are feeling the pinch, too. MOCA (The Museum of Contemporary Art) is in serious financial distress going into the new year. To stay afloat, they plan to hit up its donors--MOCA operates on very little government funding and largely on donations--or merge with another museum and share its art collection. The Geffen Contemporary space, MOCA's satellite location and the one that hosted Takashi Murakami's successful exhibit, will be closed for six months in order to cut costs and avoid a permanent shutdown.
This is sad news for me. I love MOCA and I've seen a bunch of exhibits there as a child and as an adult. This was the space that helped me fall in love with modern art and design. If you have nothing to do while in LA, go visit the museum. Right now, they've got a great display on conceptual California art. And if you still have nothing to do, go visit other cultural institutions that make this city what it is.
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