May 20, 2005
D.C. May Avoid Being Blinded by Shiny Metal
There's more trouble at the Corcoran. OK there always seems to be trouble at the troubled art museum. But this is big. The Post reports that the cash-strapped and lackluster institution may be forced to scrap its plans to give the museum's New York Avenue facade some luster: Frank Gehry's shiny metal addition (seen here).
And then there's more trouble: It appears that David Levy, the president and director of the Corcoran, is being forced out, the Post reports. The chairman of the board of trustees and another trustee have asked Levy to resign, something Levy said he won't do. It seems that Levy's days are numbered.
Arts bloggers, or anyone else, what do you think? Is D.C. not getting a Gehry musuem that big of a deal or a sad day for those wanting more innovative architecture in our neoclassical city?
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I'm sure that the glitterless glitterati and boring blue shirts of DC (CPMC can you hear me) are estatic over this news...Heaven forbid we have any form of architectural stimulation above the brigthness of limestone...but this is really a shame. And not in a oh-shit-there-wont-be-a-fabulous-opening-party-vapid-Kelly Ann Collins sort of way...but in a real, dissapointing way. This was a great chance at a modern architectural achievement for the DC landscape that could sadly vanish...
Of course, this overlooks the fact that Gehry's design was fugly.
Have to agree with tht on this one--it was fugly. These Gehry designs are now trite.
Given the triteness of the Gehry design, the idea always seemed like a desperate grab to me--an idea of an institution not sure what to do with itself. I want the Corcoran to succeed, but you can't build a castle on a sand dune, which is what that institution is, right now.
I'm also wearing a blue shirt at the moment. From Banana, no less. I should kick my own ass, I suppose. But would also like to see better architecture in town. Such are the paradoxes of my existence...
I say, take the money you've got saved up for this origami design, plus the promised DC bucks, and have a local DC architecture competition - open to everyone - and then pick a winner and then hire an architect to take the winning design and build something unique and which will establish a new footprint upon the DC landscape without going through the financial agonies of Gehryfication.
If the design competition for the WTC is an indication (on a larger scale of course) of the level of interest, discussions, firebranding and arguing that will then occur (as any selection by committee is bound to create), then THAT will also be good for the Corcoran, for DC and for our art dialogue.
OPEN LETTER REGARDING MATTERS CONCERNING THE CORCORAN GALLERY OF ART
I suppose, if I wanted to, I could be really arrogant right now and chuckle and say I told you so.
I'll forgo the arrogance, as much as possible, withhold the chuckle and simply say...I told you so. And I have been telling you so. And I have been doing so for a very long time now. The enormous problems with the Corcoran Gallery of Art are documented and have been documented for some time on a project blog ANTI-OPTIONS 05 http://antioptions05.blogspot.com
I am very thankful that the Washington Post has finally - and it's been long overdue - put two real reporters on this story.
Perhaps, just perhaps, art critic Blake Gopnik's recent joke of an article about his fantasy vision of the Corcoran’s future finally embarrassed someone higher up the food chain of the Washington Post to get serious in the respected tradition of Watergate-style reporting that made the Washington Post famous. And they did and thank God for it.
I have devoted the last several months of my life to gathering and distributing to the appropriate parties public records that detail everything reported in the Washington Post, plus many other issues as well.
Public institutions that enjoy not for profit 501(c)3 tax status are not above the law and public accountability. Unfortunately, the time has come for the Corcoran Gallery of Art to be held fully accountable.
Hopefully, now that the major issues that have been known and circulated among a few have become front page news in the Washington Post, immediate actions will be exercised by all regulatory agencies that have jurisdiction over the Corcoran Gallery of Art to compel the organization to publicly account for its actions.
And more importantly, hopefully, now that that these real reporters from the Washington Post have sunk their fangs into this story, they will not let go until the Corcoran Gallery of Art truly reforms itself and once again becomes the respected institution that it should be.
There is no doubt in my mind where the story will go from here. Not for profits are under intense scrutiny in Congress. The IRS has rapidly ramped up its oversight over 501(c)3 organizations. A lot of dirty laundry will now be washed in public – and so it should be.
My hope all along has been for one major goal: That the Corcoran Gallery of Art should allow for the Washington Project for the Arts Corcoran Association (WPA/Corcoran) to become a truly legally independent organization with its own Board of Directors that are not accountable to or influenced in any way by the Board of Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art. I also strongly believe that the future success of the WPA/Corcoran is absolutely dependant on that organization becoming a true member organization in which the members have voting rights, including the right to elect the organization’s Board of Directors.
I am profoundly grateful to Mr. J.T. Kirkland of Thinking About Art for allowing me to post my deep concerns about matters of importance regarding the WPA/Corcoran Association and the Corcoran Gallery of Art that I initially discovered in response to the Board of Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art firing OPTIONS 05 curator Philip Barlow. I will also point out that a handful of art blogs, including F. Lennox Campello breaking the news of Philip Barlow being fired on this blog DC Art News, have been responsive to reporting on this story from day one. It should not go unnoticed by the public what an important role that certain DC art blogs played in bringing this issue to the public’s attention. Indeed, I am firmly convinced that had it not been for the art blogs staying on top of these concerns that the Washington Post might still be lagging in its reporting.
I publicly call upon Dr. David Levy to immediately resign his post with the Corcoran Gallery of Art. I further urge that the Board of Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art to immediately make public a full accounting of the financial transactions of the museum. I also urge the Board of Trustees to immediately separate itself from any control whatsoever over the affairs to the WPA/Corcoran Association.
Public confidence needs to be restored to both organizations. For now, it is in the hands of the Board of Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art to do the right thing. I respectfully ask them to do so.
Sincerely,
James W. Bailey
Experimental Photographer
Force Majeure Studios
agreed. the gehry stuff sure is shiny, but it's just not interesting anymore. i know squat about architecture, but it seems like gehry has plopped the same shimmering curved metal on dozens of institutions willing to shell out gobs of cash to make some headlines. Seemed like a desperate move by the corcoran.
Before you get all uppity about new architecture I think I should bring up that everyone is forgetting the Katzen center of American University. It's really nice and a welcome update to architecture in the D.C. Area. I took a tour of the facilities the other day and snagged some photos. It's going to be really nice.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/easement/sets/354553/
The Corcoran is a valued institution in DC. I have enjoyed many hours there, both as a student in the 70s and as a consumer of great art shows since. I trust that it will find a way to continue as such in the future, with our without Mr. Gehry's microwave wrap addition. And with or without Dr. Levy at the wheel.
I think instead of the Gehry they should make a giant football and have a NFL museum. All the hillbilly tourists would eat it up.
Gehry's boring and tres expensive. It's totally absurd that Gehry has been paid $17 million for sketches and models. I want hott architecture as much as the next guy, but that's absurd.
Ugh...thank goodness. Gehry's designs are so unoriginal with this "one approach fits all" idea. Time to call Rem Koolhaas.
i'm more of a fan of Santiago Calatrava's design for the Corcoran extension. check it: http://www.greekarchitects.gr/architect_pages/foreign/calatrava/53B.jpg
as a corcoran student i am totally for getting rid of the gehry design. it's been done before, and is a stale concept. it won't solve the corcoran's identity crisis.
as for rem koolhaas i totally agree. i loved what he did to the illinois institute of technology in chicago. brilliant. not only that, he and o.m.a/a.m.o. have a unique talent for solving identity crises.
and if not o.m.a., why not zaha hadid?