Courtesy Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

It appears as if the Hirshhorn Museum’s large, temporary, inflatable special event “bubble” needs a cash infusion to become a reality.

Development of the “seasonal pavilion” membrane — which has already won a progressive architecture award for “its playful and vibrant nature” and was scheduled to open sometime in late 2012 — has hit a financial snag, reports Tyler Green at Modern Art Notes:

The Hirshhorn’s reluctance to remain publicly committed to its timeline indicates there may be problems — or at least delays — in realizing director Richard Koshalek’s signature project. Since the Bubble was announced in late 2009, only one donor has come forward: Bloomberg, LP, which pledged $1 million in September, 2010. (At the time a museum spokesperson told MAN that there was a second gift in-hand, but the museum has never publicly detailed that gift. In July 2010, Smithsonian secretary G. Wayne Clough told MAN that the Smithsonian would not be contributing funds toward the project.)

[…]

Hirshhorn spokesperson Erin Eisele refused to say whether the board discussed the Bubble project, whether a capital campaign for the Bubble was officially underway, whether updated costs were presented to the board. “[We’re] working diligently in moving forward with the Bubble project,” Eisele said in an email. Asked several times whether the museum was standing by its previously discussed “late 2012″ timeline, Eisele refused comment.

Considering that the space — which has received the thumbs up from the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission — was primarily designed to host short-term events between May and October, it appears as if it’ll be at least 2013 until we’ll see it realized.