I didn’t think it was possible, but I discovered a “journalist” who is a bigger idiot than the Miami Herald’s Fabiola Santiago.
The opening sentence of artnet.com reporter Sarah Cascone’s article, ICA Miami Will Open with Pedro Reyes and Andra Ursuta, is seriously WTF? cringe-worthy. Cascone writes, “The Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA Miami), heir to the late Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami…”
Wait, what?
“Heir to the LATE Museum of Contemporary Art?”
Late as in DEAD?
WTF?
Ms. Cascone obviously never got the memo – or read the Press Release, because as we all know, MOCA is anything but dead.
If you’ve been following this story, you already know that the sore losers, formerly known as the MOCA board of trustees, have caused nothing but trouble for the City of North Miami and its museum since late last year.
Deciding they were too good for the likes of all y’all, they tried to sneak outta town by secretly negotiating a merger with the Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach, and take MOCA’s permanent art collection with them. When the city fought back, the trustees filed a lawsuit. North Miami counter-sued and the rest, as they say, is history. Settlement talks are still ongoing.
In the meantime, the former MOCA trustees have pulled all kinds of childish stunts in an attempt to discredit the Museum of Contemporary Art and its host city. For starters, they somehow convinced the James L. Knight Foundation to withdraw a five million dollar grant and transfer the funds to The Miami Foundation.
Gee, I wonder if that move had anything to do with former trustee Ray Ellen Yarkin’s seat on one of the Knight Foundation’s boards.
Just saying.
Then for good measure, the trustees’ Boy Wonder, Alex Gartenfeld, tried to shut down the museum’s 2014 Annual FLASC Symposium held on June 13, 2014 by sending out a letter to FLASC Participants encouraging them not to bother coming.
To make matters even worse, the trustees then hijacked the MOCA website and used it to advertise their new venture.
That website is back up and running, but with the caveat that “MOCA GALLERIES ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED FOR RE-INSTALLATION.”
They wish!
As hard as the former board of trustees tried, they could not shut MOCA down. Not only is the museum still in business, but its awesome new website, mymoca.org, is fully up and running. Bookmark it!
I love the image that pops up when you click the link:
No subtlety there!
Under the leadership of Executive Director Babacar M’Bow, MOCA opened its fall season on September 25, 2014 with a reception, which I’m told was a rousing success.
Despite artnet.com reporter Sarah Cascone’s claim to the contrary, North Miami’s Museum of Contemporary Art is very much alive. I would have loved to post a scathing comment on her article, blasting her for her inaccuracy, but there is no comment section. How convenient!
And so, I’m blogging it.
I’m also tweeting it.
And posting a copy @sarahecascone.
Just in case she doesn’t know she’s an idiot.
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
One act of idiocy does not entitle anybody to take that status away from Santiago. Please try to maintain proper standards!
That may have been Sarah Cascone’s “one act of idiocy,” but apparently she’s not the only faux reporter at artnet.com. Witness an article posted August 6, 2014, which opens with, “The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in North Miami is no more.”
Oh, really?
Sarah linked that article at the end of hers, leading me to believe that at artnet.com, there is no journalistic integrity whatsoever.
At least, no fact checkers.
Hey! If Fabi ever needs a job, she’ll fit right in there.
Stephanie. You may want to check out another “blunder”. Ann Tschida posted a good review of the new MOCA exhibit on the Knight Foundation Website. Apparently, somebody over there does not know that MOCA’s Knight endowment was pulled as well as a Knight Challenge Grant for a Nigerian Film Festival. So now they love us? Where’s the money? For the article go to the link below:
http://www.knightarts.org/community/miami/moca-unveils-new-face
Adrienne, I saw that article last night and thought it was so ironic. All of a sudden they are so enamored of MOCA. Where were they during the summer when the battle was raging? MOCA could have used some support then. I smell hypocrisy.