LACMA vs MOCA: pharoahs and psychodelics

I absolutely love LA.

There's always someone to meet, somewhere to go, something happening to do that's fun, interesting, and entertaining. After all, LA is home to Hollywood - the land where stars are born. More importantly, it's a cultural mecca of diversity and richness. One that's home to four generations of my family.

So Culture, Art and Multiculturalism are all important parts of who I am.

During my time in Michigan, I longed for such things to do, places to go, people to meet. I worked at a local museum and signed up for a Museum Studies course to fill my need for art, culture and diversity. It was also a great way for me to visit Chicago, where I met and learned from the expert experiences of the following people:

• Director of Conservatories@ Garfield Park Conservatory
• Head of Exhibits, Exhibit Designer, Curator, Exhibit Developers, Copywriter@ Chicago Historical Society
• Head of Evaluation, Exhibit Developer@ Shedd Aquarium
• Art Educator@ Art Institute of Chicago
• Head of Exhibit Development, Exhibit Developers, Chief Conservator, Production Supervisor, Graphic Designer@ Field Museum

It was also during this time when I learned about the four criteria in judging Museum Excellence in Exhibitions from a Visitor-Experience Perspective:

1. Being comfortable
2. Being engaging
3. Being reinforcing
4. Being meaningful

So in thinking about the many cultural venues here in Los Angeles that I've recently visited, I am reminded of these four talking points.

Last November, I caught one of the last extended viewings of the Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharoahs exhibit - a very huge and highly publicized event. Lucky for me, my family has a membership to LACMA, and I was able to get a small discount on tickets and headphones as well as a way to bypass the long line at the will-call window.

Friends and family viewed this exhibit, and voiced opinions of disappointment. They all thought they'd see the mummified pharoah, and were disappointed when there was no encased mummy - only photos and a video of it. Knowing this already, I wanted to visit and judge the exhibit myself.

I chose a 9pm time with a girlfriend of mine, thinking that this time might yield less of a crowd. Boy, was I wrong. There was a huge line at the will-call window and another line outside the exhibit housed in an oversized tent. Like Disneyland, we zigzagged our way to the entrance with much excitement and anticipation. Room after room was filled to capacity (if not more), and it was difficult to remain focused on the displayed artifacts. Overall though, It was great to see so many people visiting the museum, talking about Ancient Egypt, and taking in this fabulous cultural experience.

And although the Excellent Judges Assessment Tool is a bit more involved, here's my personal breakdown:

1. Being comfortable: -- with missed opportunities and being counterproductive
2. Being engaging: + with mostly good aspects
3. Being reinforcing: + with mostly good aspects
4. Being meaningful: + with mostly good aspects

My favorite display within the exhibit was a fully intact royal chair with a woven seat and detailed carvings. Over thousands of years old, it was absolutely amazing to see something so beautiful - a truly rare treasure. Absolutely amazing.

Following the King Tut Exhibit, I conveniently exited into the exhibit gift store - which was again, very Disneyland-esque. And just like Disneyland, I browsed through the postcards, the books on Ancient Egypt, and set my eyes on the very distinct See's Candies writing on shiny gold boxes with King Tut's image sitting atop the counter. I picked one up and shared my treasured finds with family and friends. Those chocolate truffles didn't last during the holiday season, and were a sweet treat to have after the exhibit.


sneak-a-photo taken from good friend JC of Ann Veronica Janssens' Donut

That's the great thing about LA. There are always great exhibits and cultural finds around the city, and I'm never bored. Just the other weekend, MS and I headed to Downtown LA to check out another highly marketed and publicized exhibit that hit LA a few months ago - Ecstasy: in and about altered states at the MoCA Geffen Contemporary.

I had a handful of free tickets to MoCA, thanks to Mom. (Normally, it's $8/ticket - much more affordable than the $22/ticket for King Tut.) At MoCA, there was no wait time to get inside. No long wait times inside. And lots of open space. Enough space to feel autonomous and free to choose which parts of the exhibit to view.

As soon as MS and I headed toward the stairs on the left of the ticket counter, we were greeted by an entrancing and beautiful LSD glass fountain. The pitter patter of what I thought was water (but really LSD in the liquid state) lulled us to enter. And we found that Ecstasy was made up of a variety of rooms, interactive art, and mysterious exhibits that challenged perceptions, ultimately altering the various states of mind, time and space.

The museum space was crowded with many art patrons, but still had areas to rest and enjoy the experience. And besides this somewhat negative point, I still give Ecstasy a ++ with consistently good aspects throughout the exhibit. My favorite pieces of the afternoon included the above pictured room with pulsing concentric circles as well as Erwin Redl's Matrix II. Within the darkened space and green hues of LEDs floating in a 3D grid, I was transported to another dimension, another galaxy.

Definitely worth the visit, Ecstasy is a must do! (But beware, some of the content and images may not be good for young children.)


Image taken from the NYFA website

LACMA vs MoCA: both fabulous LA museums. Since King Tut has left and is on his way to Chicago's Field Museum, I'd put my money on visiting MoCA's current Ecstasy exhibit. Runs until February 20, 2006. There's also the Patina restaurant sisters with LACMA's Pentimento and MoCA's Patinette. Will definitely have to check them out the next time I visit MoCA in Downtown and LACMA on Wilshire.

los angeles contemporary museum of art
street: 5905 wilshire blvd, los angeles ca 90036
web: www.lacma.org

museum of contemporary art: geffen contemporary
street: 52 north central ave, los angeles, ca 90013
web: www.moca.org
hours: M. 11a-5p | closed T-W | Th. 11a-8p (5-8p FREE!) | F. 11a-5p | Sa-Su. 11a-6p