Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland readies new building for public debut

Posted October 02, 2012 in Articles

Author: Steven Litt

The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, which opened in a tiny storefront on Euclid Avenue in University Circle 44 years ago and then left in search of more space, has finally come back to its roots.

On Monday, the museum showed off its striking new building at Euclid and Mayfield Road in University Circle to members of the media.

The $27.3 million, 34,000-square-foot structure is a seductively mysterious four-story gemstone sheathed in reflective panels of black stainless steel. It was designed by architect Farshid Moussavi of London, a native of Iran and an up-and-coming international star. The building is both her first museum and her first assignment in the United States.

Those factors will make the MOCA building news nationally and around the world. More to the point for Cleveland, the new MOCA symbolizes the view that the arts are a critical investment in a city on the mend after decades of struggling with population loss and poverty.

"I think it's the new Cleveland," said Stewart Kohl, president of MOCA's board of trustees. "MOCA will be a kind of draw that we really haven't had."

Look for a series of stories on cleveland.com/arts and in a special section of The Plain Dealer on Sunday that will take you through the four decades of MOCA's history -- including close encounters with Andy Warhol, Julian Schnabel and Christo -- offer a close look at the space inside and out through photos and videos, and introduce you to the players who made this exciting project happen.

Original Article: http://www.cleveland.com/arts/index.ssf/2012/10/museum_of_contemporary_art_cle_8.html