Program areas at Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland
Moca moved into its new home in Cleveland's university circle uptown district in august, 2012. The new moca opened to the public the first weekend of october, 2012. Moca, 11 years old and northeast Ohio's only Contemporary Art Museum, has received critical international, national and regional praise for the building's architecture and the diverse exhibitions and programs animating the space, with the greater Cleveland community embracing both the building and program. Moca's home is 10,000 feet larger than the former rented facility, and was specifically designed to meet its programmatic, educational, and back-of-house needs; located in the midst of a vibrant neighborhood among cultural institutions, universities, restaurants and retail; and positioned in close proximity to many area schools and established and new housing. This provides additional space for visitor amenities and professional workspace and storage. The new building has professional workshops, Art storage, a multi-purpose room for multi-arts programming, a Museum store, ample office space, and wonderful galleries. The new moca is an architectural focal point and cultural anchor of the newer uptown district. Summarized below is moca's 2022 progress against 3 goals centered around: public benefit, artistic and cultural vibrancy, and organizational capacity. 2022 public benefit goals progress: mid-term: exhibitions have been especially collaborative and community-minded. "sharing" starts early, identifying potential challenges and opportunities with our education and engagement committee. Exhibitions and projects provided direct support to 186 artists this year (88 in 2021). We are now wage certified to ensure and champion equity. We sought supported artists who work in partnership--e.g. Recent show by dexter davis and robert banks created a film production opportunity to teach area teens and university students new approaches to film, painting, and building an artist's portfolio and resilience. Artists and audiences describe uniquely deep interactions, broad representation via featured local artists, and layered support and belonging. An early attendance estimate is more than 24,000 people served directly (gallery and program visitors, offsite and delivery offerings, intensive web programs), and more than 62,000 indirectly (casual web use). Onsite visits increased greatly: 18,470 compared to 4,000 in 21. Year-end: over 2022, we heard that moca's expanded engagement and leadership methods were tangible through intensified group-think and partnerships that hold weight from planning, to program execution, through reflection/refinement. New visitors are surprised by interactive approaches that prioritize what they think and value, while relating to artists' backgrounds, themes and ways of working. Return visitors remark on moca's visible investment in local artists and communities, and role as introduction-maker to artists working internationally. Artist visibility and support increases via intensive residencies and programs that connect them to resources, onsite studios, marketing and community workshops. Integrated models ensure longevity and value. E.g: erykah townsend's moca artist residency supported her bitter sweet show at spaces, and amber ford's audience responsive activities and workshops led to her current exhibition at moca. Audiences grow, diversify and regularly ask for artists by name. 2022 artistice and cultural vibrancy goals progress: mid-term: during our spring season, we featured an astounding 8 exhibitions and artist projects, some created through 2 intensive artist residencies and an institutional residency hosting the Museum of creative human Art. Another show featured biannual toby's prize recipient (posthumously funded by moca emeritus board member toby devan lewis) puppies puppies/jade kuriki olivo, a performance and installation artist. She shared her prize with 2 additional artists who created concurrent solo exhibitions (jerome ab's large-scale movement video/soundscape and j.j. adams' multimedia show), all exploring experiences of duality, marginalization, and resistance as poc. of the 186 artists we supported over fy22, 50% are local and 50% are from marginalized communities (black, poc, indigenous, lgtbq, disabled). Audiences describe moca's recent exhibitions and programs as uniquely collaborative, community-focused, supportive of artists who might otherwise go underrecognized, and therefore broadly welcoming and resonant.year-end: in addition to residencies, moca also acted as a main partner for citywide Contemporary Art triennial, front international during summer/fall 2022. Animated by artist rene green's contact, moca acted as a "spatial, sonic and cinematic laboratory" between the clevelandbornartistnowmitprofessor and 18 other artists. The show sparked dialogue between featured artists and community members invited to interact with select works. Contact also inspired programs including a film series with cwru; artist talks with green; full-day social impact workshop with gabriel kahan; story-telling with renee's brother, derrick green (lead singer of sepultura); and a teen program to build artist bios and statements, led by bobbi reagins, moca community engagement & education coordinator and former teen alumna. This vibrancy and improved, long-lead planning influenced media coverage, moving away from old stories regarding leadership changes toward moca's vibrant present and future. 2022 organizational capacity goals progress: mid-term: challenge, change and promise seem pervasive in today's post-pandemic world. This of course effects moca's operations. While redoubling around crucial facets of our mission - supporting artists and serving community - and evolving our leadership structure (away from overdependence on fewer supporters, majority white, toward broader ownership representing our city's make-up), we also work hard to strengthen finances and capacity. Incredibly lean, our team has maintained relationships and earned continued and new donor investment. While we expect our fy22 budget to show a $600k deficit (most loss due to covid; little fy22 recovery funds available), we maintain cash flow via a board-approved $500k transfer of unrestricted endowment funds and painstaking expense management (14% less than fy21). Over 2023, with gund foundation support, moca is engaging carter global in a strategic visioning project to align new leadership around an updated mission and strategic framework for advancing and sustaining our work.year-end: while reports reflect that our sector's recovery will take time, and moca's fy22 budget reflected an anticipated ($535k) deficit, in 2023, we track and maintain cash flow via painstaking expense management; integrated accounting and development software to maximize efficiency and reporting; utilize temporary financing options including an increased credit line; seek pandemic recovery funding (recently received more than $500k from the employee tax retention credit and awaiting 2023 Ohio arpa application); continue to build new individual donor relationships while deepening long-standing ones; and adapt our benefit model to create multiple revenue streams. We also research approaches to leverage a recent $1m legacy donor gift to ensure sustainability, and implement strategic visioning and business operations assessments to strengthen existing and engage new revenue streams. Since our 2019 executive leadership transition, staff and board dialogue, meetings, and planning center more around shared values, care and trust.