On November 20th, in momentous fanfare, the permanent home of the Museum of Modern Art, the David and Peggy Rockefeller Gallery Building, reopened for the first time since its extened facelift. The $425 million building project, designed by architect Yoshio Taniguchi, is built onto the existing structure, doubling the size of the previous building, allowing larger exhibition space for new media and ample storage capacity for the museum's reputable collection.
Entrance into this new architectural wonder carries a price tag of $20, upseting many potential patrons. Arguing that this new entrance fee further agrivates the class divide among art consumers, the organization FrEE MoMA has devoted itself to protesting MoMA's 60% fee increase on the grounds that the institution is ignoring standards of its own purpose, reducing the availability of the collection to those who can afford to see it.
Much of this criticism comes in speculation over the museum's fundrasing achievement - currently $750 million, with the goal of $858 million projected - to cover the future concerns of real estate cost, the endowment, and future fundraising. Generous donors include not just the trustees, patrons, local and state agencies, but corporate sponsors like Ford, Sony, IBM, Banana Republic, & J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. also who will either contribute capital to the project or offer services to the new facilities. Target will sponsor free admission for patrons on Fridays for the next four years as a part of "Target Free Friday Nights".
Links:
The Museum of Modern Art
FrEE MoMA!
Modern Art Notes
All images are courtesy of the MoMA
