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| Arts |
Inartistic Revivals
David Ross
02/02/2004
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 | | The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston (Click image to enlarge) |
Of the five, only the Mori constitutes a new institution as well as a new building. Still, in each case, the architectural project and its ensuing space represent an organic response to the demands of the institution’s mission. Call it enlightened entrepreneurship, but each of these four museums will build not only its local economy, but also in scale to its ecological environment. As New Museum Director Lisa Phillips puts it, "[The New Museum] is more than just the building we will design, build and program. It is a community of committed men and women with power, financial capacity, and the desire to make a difference in as many ways as possible."
In our ongoing fascination with the economic impact of a new museum building, we seem to have neglected one other truism: Just as a house is not a home, a museum building is not a museum. A museum, to qualify, must first be an organic reflection of a community’s relationship to art, education and public service. After that requirement has been satisfied—and only then—can we begin to assess its viability as a tourist magnet. And if that need can be satisfied too, well then everyone will have won. | David Ross is the executive
director of the Beacon Cultural Project and serves on the board of numerous arts organizations. |
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