‘DISORIENTING MOMENT’

KATHRYN KANJO, DAVID C. COPLEY DIRECTOR AND CEO, MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART SAN DIEGO

Art is a prism through which to experience a deeper sense of ourselves and the world around us.

Across the globe, museums are struggling with the quandary of whether to forgo their essential, public-facing mission: to welcome audiences. Yet, the same obligation that compels our charitable organizations to serve the community likewise demands that we take precautions to protect it. Last week, MCASD made the difficult decision to close its galleries, responding to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this disorienting moment, the loss of the arts encounter feels particularly acute due to the very experience it denies. The arts invite reflection, contemplation and inspiration even as they provoke, educate and complicate. Art is a prism through which to experience a deeper sense of ourselves and the world around us. The fullness of humanity comes forward through art. Museums are places where we can be alone together. They offer a social activity — visitors typically arrive with companions, families and friends, school groups and first dates — yet, the act of viewing is highly introspective and individual. These distinctive visitor experiences are not the only casualties during a closure. Closure resonates through less-visible aspects of museum operations, underscoring MCASD’S connection to both its region and its world.

Like its peers, MCASD employs a skilled team of arts and business professionals. With the temporary shutdown, we are mindful of the impact on the individual workers and creators, as well as the strain to our local economy. With income-generating events, admissions and fundraisers interrupted, institutions must re-examine their financial models to adjust to the current realities while protecting the vulnerable.

MCASD’S own educators regularly partner with San Diego school teachers to bring artsbased learning to classroom curriculum. This past Thursday, we had planned to showcase the creative efforts of more than 500 students from Chula Vista High School for Creative and Performing Arts and Hoover High School. Instead, we will craft a virtual tour of the canceled exhibition.

Our people have been affected, as have our objects. Due to the high caliber of MCASD’S collection, museums across the world want to display our art in their own spaces. MCASD boasts an expansive holdings by the celebrated artist Christo. Currently, Paris’ Pompidou Centre has borrowed MCASD’S “wrapped” portrait of Jeanne-claude, the artist’s collaborator and wife. In Madrid, MCASD’S sculpture by innovative video artist Bill Viola is on loan to the Fundación Telefónica. Stateside, museum exhibitions in Seattle and Chicago present MCASD’S paintings by younger artists Sadie Barnette and Christina Quarles, respectively. All four exhibitions are closed until further notice.

At this moment of social distancing, we are being kept apart for the common good. Art and cultural offerings can often be taken for granted or seen as a luxury. Perhaps this temporary separation from their transcendent effect will remind us of how essential they are. The arts are embedded in our well-being — our sense of self, the strength of our community, and the vitality of our interconnected world.

STACY KECK