Yesterday’s NYT reported that Terence Riley, currently curator of architecture and design at MoMA, has accepted the position of director at the Miami Art Museum. Elisa Turner and Daniel Chang contributed to a Herald article announcing the matter. And many are blogging about it.
I don’t find it of much interest that MAM’s board hired a curator/architect/director to ensure that the Museum Park project will be done right, thus, assuring that Miami will have a very good public building. I could digress into the functionality of the the current MAM/Library/Historical Museum building and Cesar Pelli’s mistakes in the making(MPAC), but I’ll talk about it some other time. I don’t think Terence Riley will be Miami’s art/architectural savior, unless the position of MAM’s directorship and MAM grow to encompass the role of being the city’s steward on all things art and architecture. I would like to see like some aspect of that come true and everyone’s wish of Miami being on the international art agenda for more than one week per year. But the other Miami institutions will have something to say about that stewardship position; MoCa in North Miami and Miami Art Central in South Miami are doing great job culturally.
There might be a lot of PR that comes with the presence of Terence Riley in Miami; and MAM’s shows will probably get more inter/national coverage, much like MoCA. And the design and architecture ‘community’ might come to relevance and even prominence.
Terence Riley will not be a magic bullet for MAM. As long as their PR Department remains inert and their programming remains the same, MAM will continue to be a good instituion, but not a great one. Individuals do not make museums successful….the whole organism needs to be healthy and alot has to do with genetics…. collective karma and the mysterious “X” Factor. Interesting agendas, good promotion and ease of use do not happen with the arrival of one person or a New building.
Miami is, and will continue to be a fascinating city. It cannot be compared to,or expected to be like any other city in the world…and this is why it continues to be great.
Architecture, art, music “culture”. It is not made great by individuals, it is made over time and by groups of people working simultaneously and without regard for success…..
good point(s)!
there is an argument for success being made and visionary leaders ensuring that success. but i like claim for a ‘group of people working simultaneously’ today.