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Bye Bye Beverly Hills: Broad Foundation Eyes SaMo for Museum
Will the SaMo City Council put their seal of approval on the Broad Foundation's proposal? (Photo by GarySe7en via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
It was just a year ago that wealthy philanthropist Eli Broad came to save the day at MOCA by offering the museum a much-needed bailout to help keep it on its feet. By summer, however, the Broad Foundation had begun to chatter publicly about future cultural endeavors, namely a museum of contemporary art of their own. At the time, "Broad said that the museum 'is going to happen' and that it's merely a matter of timing," reported the LA Times . Broad was enthused about having the space in 90210: "Our first choice is the Beverly Hills site." Well, it looks like Broad has bid BH bye, bye, bye, since the Santa Monica City Council is slated this week to discuss the very same proposed museum putting its foundation in their town. On the agenda is the recommendation that they:
consider a conceptual proposal by The Broad Foundations (The Broad Art Foundation and The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation) to finance and work with the City to establish a public museum of contemporary art in the Civic Center, probably through a development agreement or a disposition and development agreement, and direct staff to initiate negotiations with The Broad Foundations.
The new museum would ideally be situated between the Civic Auditorium and the County Courthouse, and the plan would be to not only keep Santa Monica on track with their "goals of promoting the arts and enhancing cultural opportunities in the Civic Center and the City," with a small public pricetag but would also find the Foundations footing most of the bill for the project. They are hoping to land "an internationally renowned architect," and create a "world-class public museum and art archive," operated by the Broad Foundation.
So Yea or Nay, SaMo: Is it time for the City to have a high-profile musuem?
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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