The Santa Monica Museum of Art will soon be the transit gateway to our vibrant city. The coming of the new Metro Expo Line at Bergamot Station from Downtown Los Angeles, and ultimately to the ocean, has officially begun. It is scheduled to open in 2016. There is now a hulking new overpass on Cloverfield and Olympic Blvds., and today (January 22, 2013) we witnessed the demolition of Track 16—a bittersweet goodbye to this local icon. We watched with awe as the giant claw of the excavator ferociously devoured the building.
Shozo Shimamoto, one of the extraordinary artists in Paul Schimmel’s seminal exhibition at MOCA titled, Destroy the Picture: Painting the Void, 1949-1962, said:
"The thrill and excitement that destruction invokes is common to us all. Despite our refusal to empathize with destruction, we must consider it as a constructive site in order to move forward."
Shimamoto’s poignant words will inspire and sustain SMMoA as we look forward to the coming months of transformation. Change is not always easy, but it is essential to progress and evolution.
Please visit SMMoA to see our dazzling new exhibitions:
Abundance and Devotion: The Art of Miriam Wosk
Project Room 1:
Peter Shire: Tea for Two Hundred
Project Room 2:
Samira Yamin: We Will Not Fail
And, please visit SMMoA to watch as a new phase of growth and creativity comes to life in Santa Monica. As the months progress, we will work with artists and other visionaries to reimagine and reinvigorate the process of demolition and construction.
Looking further ahead, we are exhilarated by the opportunity to build a new home for SMMoA as part of the redevelopment of Bergamot Station Art Center. The City of Santa Monica has named the Museum in its plans for the Center and has committed to maintain Bergamot Station as a prominent arts destination. As the City reimagines the surrounding neighborhood, we envision SMMoA’s essential role—both close to home and far beyond—as an intrepid leader in contemporary art and culture.
Elsa Longhauser
Executive Director
