This article addresses some very important concerns we have here in Miami and its cultural future. With the opening of the De La Cruz collection’s new building arrives another private collection. We cannot turn back time however, if Miami Art Museum were to start over I’m sure their mission would be totally different from its beginning. We all want Miami Art Museum to be a successful institution, to view great art, to offer the community great programming, and us to have a cultural venue we can call home. I know I’ve expressed my concerns, and the concerns of some downtown Miami residents, about its place in the cultural life of S. Florida.
What’s the future for Miami’s public and private collections?:
“The aftershock of Terence Riley’s departure from his post as the director of the Miami Art Museum (MAM) at the end of October is still being felt in Miami’s art world, prompting soul-searching about how the city’s cultural scene will now evolve. Key figures, including Craig Robins, a trustee of MAM and local property developer, along with Bonnie Clearwater, the director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami (MoCA), say that they did not expect Riley to step down. The former chief had just unveiled the detailed plans for the museum’s $220m Herzog and de Meuron-designed new home to be built in downtown Bicentennial Park by 2013. ‘He saw the writing on the wall. It was either get out now or commit for another five years,’ says Robins. ‘Terry was brilliant but his strength does not lie in construction management,’ he added.
Riley, who will serve as a consultant to MAM, was reportedly frustrated by a spending squeeze imposed by Miami-Dade County earlier this year, which resulted in a $350,000 funding cut. The museum laid off eight members of staff and senior management saw their salaries cut by 5%….” read full article
(Via The Art Newspaper – RSS.)