MOCA, Downtown Los Angeles.

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) is a museum located in Los Angeles, California. MOCA has three locations. Its original "temporary" space, now known as the Geffen Contemporary, is in the Little Tokyo district. The Pacific Design Center is in West Hollywood. And the museum's main branch is located on Grand Avenue in downtown across the street from the newer Walt Disney Concert Hall. Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. ... Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. ... The Bunker Hill district of Downtown Los Angeles as seen from USC, which makes up most of Downtowns skyline. ... The National Gallery in London, a famous museum. ... Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government Country State County United States California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... ... The Bunker Hill district of Downtown Los Angeles as seen from USC, which makes up most of Downtowns skyline. ... Walt Disney Concert Hall, LA Another view Walt Disney Concert Hall at night The Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles, California is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center. ...

The museum's exhibits are usually made up of pieces created after World War II.

Origins

MOCA was founded in 1974 by a group of individuals.

In 1979, at a political fundraising event at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, Councilman Joel Wachs, and local philanthropist Marcia Simon Weisman happened to be sitting at the same table. Throughout the evening, Weisman passionately discussed the city’s need for a contemporary art museum. Over the following weeks, the conversation led to the development of the Mayor’s Museum Advisory Committee, led by William A. Norris, whose purpose was to create a museum from scratch: finding funding, trustees, directors, curators, a gallery, and (most importantly) an art collection. The Beverly Hills Hotel is a hotel on Sunset Blvd in Beverly Hills, CA. It was opened on May 12, 1912 and started by Margaret J. Anderson and her son, Stanley S. Anderson. ... Mayor Tom Bradley of Los Angeles, 1973-1993 Thomas (Tom) Bradley (December 29, 1917 – September 29, 1998) was the mayor of Los Angeles, California from 1973 to 1993 (five terms) and the first African American mayor of that city. ... Joel Wachs served as Los Angeles City Councilman for the 2nd district. ...

In 1980, the fledgling Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, was still operating out of an office on Boyd Street. The city’s most prominent philanthropists and collectors were being assembled into a Board of Trustees and were given the challenge of raising $10 million in their first year. A working staff were being brought together; Richard Koshalek arrived as chief curator; relationships were being made with artists and galleries; and negotiations began to secure artwork and an exhibition space.

Locations

MOCA Grand Avenue

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in downtown Los Angeles is home to almost 5,000 artworks created since 1940, including masterpieces by classic contemporary artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, Diane Arbus, and Andy Warhol, and inspiring new works by emerging and mid-career artists from Southern California and around the world.

Since the museum’s inception in 1979, MOCA’s visionary programming has been defined by a multi-disciplinary approach to contemporary art. With cutting-edge exhibitions, and popular evening events, MOCA is the place to experience where contemporary art began and where it’s going, who’s new on the international scene, and who is making history. In 1986, the celebrated Japanese architect Arata Isozaki completed the sandstone building to international critical and public acclaim, marking one of the most dramatic achievements in the contemporary art world and heralding a new cultural era in Los Angeles.

As the Los Angeles Times declared “There isn’t a city in America—not New York, not Chicago, not Houston, not San Francisco—where a more impressive museum collection of contemporary art can be seen.”

The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA

While MOCA Grand Avenue, designed by celebrated Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, was under construction, the museum opened an interim exhibition space called the "Temporary Contemporary" in the fall of 1983. Constructed in the 1940s as a hardware store and subsequently used as a city warehouse and police car garage, the "TC," as it became informally known, was initially leased from the city for five years for $1 a year.

Subtly renovated by renowned California architect Frank Gehry, the TC immediately captivated critics and museum patrons alike with its accessibility, informality and lack of pretension. Writing in The New York Times, John Russell referred to it as "a prince among spaces," and William Wilson of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it "instantly had the hospitable aura of a people's museum." These two appraisals have been amply borne out in the ensuing years.

Due to the popularity and extraordinary suitability of the building for exhibiting contemporary art, the museum's board requested that the City of Los Angeles extend MOCA's lease on the facility for 50 years, until 2038. That request was granted in early 1986, and in 1996 the city extended the lease even further. Also in 1996, MOCA received a $5-million gift from The David Geffen Foundation in support of the museum's endowment drive, and in recognition of this extraordinary gift, the Temporary Contemporary was renamed The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA.

The site is the largest of the three MOCA locations and most is ideally suited to large-scale sculptural works and installations.

MOCA at The Pacific Design Center

In 2000, MOCA opened a 3,000 square ft. exhibition space at the Pacific Design Center to present new work by emerging and established artists as well as ancillary programs based upon its major exhibitions and renowned permanent collection. MOCA also utilizes the 384-seat PDC auditorium for a range of public programs.

The Pacific Design Center, a 1.2 million square foot landmark building designed by Cesar Pelli & Associates in West Hollywood, features over 150 showrooms of the finest traditional and contemporary furnishings. MOCA at the Pacific Design Center is located at 8687 Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood.

Programs

First Sundays Are For Families

On the first Sunday of each month from 1pm to 3:30pm, For Families workshops typically begin with an interactive, discussion-based "spotlight" tour, highlighting selected works from a current exhibition. Next, families work collaboratively to create art in response to the work they've seen.

Designed and taught by artists, these innovative, process-oriented workshops extend the gallery experience and frequently include special activties such as musical performance, movement, and other multidisciplinary approaches to works on view. The program is offered in English and Spanish.

Big Family Day is an annual spring culminating event for all of MOCA's school and community partnership programs. Featuring student docents, entertainment, music, artmaking and a student art exhibition, this event usually attracts about 500 participants, including MOCA members, their families, and the community at large.

First Sundays are For Families events are held at Grand Avenue unless otherwise stated in the bimonthly calendar or on the website.

Teens of Contemporary Art (TOCA)

Teens of Contemporary Art is an open gathering of high school students interested in learning more about contemporary art with their peers. The group meets each month for exhibition explorations, art workshops, discussions about contemporary art, and events planning. An advisory council of teens identifies the topics and issues addressed at the monthly sessions. All TOCA participants get free admission to the museum.

TOCA events are the second Sunday of every month.

MOCAmaniacs

Started in 2000, MOCAmaniacs is a week-long day camp that brings art to kids aged 9-14. The camp fee is $275 for non-members and $250 for members. There are three week-long sessions and each session revolves around a single theme, usually inspired by the current artist on exhibition. Each day is filled with activities: doing some form of artwork, visiting the galleries, or taking a field trip to another artist or building. At the end of the week, a show is put on, and parents are invited to see the artwork that the campers have created.

It was later spun off into a short-lived group for teens aged 15-18, who pay a similar fee for a smaller group and a more mature session. It began in 2002 and finished its last session in 2004. The teen version was discontinued because there were too many resources for too few campers; its last session only had eight teeangers, compared to 25-30 kids in the main art camp.

MOCA Apprenticeship Program (MAP)

Each year the MOCA Apprenticeship Program (MAP) creates a supportive artistic community for a small, diverse group of high school students. During this nine-month internship program, apprentices meet weekly with MOCA staff and guest artists, undertake individual and self-directed projects throughout the museum and discover more about contemporary art, MOCA, and their own professional future. Apprentices are considered staff and are paid an hourly wage. MAP participation is available by application only. Applications are available and due in the spring of each year.

Getting to MOCA

Directions & Parking for MOCA Grand Avenue:

On weekends, park at the California Plaza parking lot for an $8 flat rate.

On weekdays the most affordable parking for MOCA Grand Avenue is located at the 5 Star lot on the corner of Hope Street and Kosciuszko Way.

FROM WEST LOS ANGELES 1. Take the Santa Monica Freeway (10) East to the Harbor Freeway (110) North. 2. Exit on 4th Street. 3. Turn left on Lower Grand. 4. Turn left on Kosciusko. 5. Enter the 5 Star parking lot to your right.

FROM HOLLYWOOD AND THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY 1. Take the (101) Freeway South. 2. Exit on Temple Street and turn left. 3. Turn right on Grand Avenue. 4. Turn right on 3rd Street. 5. Turn right on Hope Street. 6. Turn right on Kosciusko. 7. Enter the 5 Star parking lot to your left.

FROM PASADENA 1. Take the Pasadena Freeway (110) South. 2. Exit on 4th Street. Stay in far left lane. 3. Turn left on Lower Grand. 4. Turn left on Kosciusko. 5. Enter the 5 Star parking lot to your right.

FROM SAN BERNADINO 1. Take the San Bernadino Freeway (10) West to the Hollywood Freeway (101) North. 2. Exit on Grand Avenue and turn right. 3. Turn right on 3rd Street. 4. Turn right on Hope Street. 5. Turn right on Kosciusko. 6. Enter the 5 Star parking lot to your left.

Directions & Parking for The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA: Parking is recommended on the corner of 1st Street and Central Avenue.

FROM WEST LOS ANGELES 1. Take the Santa Monica (10) Freeway East to the Harbor (110) Freeway North. 2. Exit on 4th Street. 3. Turn left on Olive Street. 4. Turn right on 1st Street. 5. Proceed east on 1st Street to Central Avenue.

FROM HOLLYWOOD AND THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY 1. Exit at Alameda, turn right. 2. Make a left turn onto Alameda Street. 3. Turn right onto 1st. 4. Proceed to Central Avenue.

FROM PASADENA 1. Take the Pasadena (110) Freeway South. 2. Exit at 4th Street, which travels one-way heading east. 3. Turn left on Olive Street. 4. Turn right on 1st Street. Proceed east on 1st Street to Central Avenue.

FROM SAN BERNARDINO 1. Take the San Bernardino (10) Freeway West to the Hollywood (101) Freeway North. 2. Exit at Alameda Street. 3. Take Alameda Street south to 1st Street. 4. Turn right on 1st Street. 5. Proceed east on 1st Street to Central Avenue.

Directions & Parking for MOCA at the Pacific Design Center: Parking is recommended in the lot for the Pacific Design Center; located on Melrose Avenue just east of San Vicente Boulevard. First 20 minutes are free, $10 maximum on weekdays; $6 flat rate after 5pm and on weekends.

From West Los Angeles: 1. Take the Santa Monica (10) Freeway East. 2. Exit on Robertson Boulevard and go north. 3. Turn right on Melrose Avenue. 4. Turn left at San Vicente Boulevard.

From the San Fernando Valley: 1. Take the Hollywood (101) Freeway South. 2. Exit west on Melrose Avenue. 3. Turn right on San Vicente Boulevard.

External links

• MOCA Official Website