Where was Jeremy Strick when MOCA backers rallied?

Several of the 450 or so supporters of the financially threatened Museum of Contemporary Art who rallied Sunday afternoon at its Geffen Contemporary may have wondered why museum director Jeremy Strick, wasn't on hand.

According to a spokeswoman, Strick had personal business and fundraising meetings during the afternoon, followed by a 5 p.m. memorial for artist Robert Rauschenberg. Paul Schimmel, MOCA's chief curator, attended the hastily called rally, although he didn't address the gathering and also was seen at the memorial service.

The Rauschenberg remembrance at the Aratani Japan America Theatre in Little Tokyo included recollections of the artist's lighter side.

Artist Ed Ruscha told the audience that Rauschenberg had "a world-class laugh," then tried to imitate it. "If the work didn’t get you, the cackle would, and most of the time, both would,” Ruscha said.

Choreographer Merce Cunningham contributed to the memorial via videotape. He said that Rauschenberg, who died in May at 82, was not easily impressed. Upon learning that someone had invented the electric toothbrush, Cunningham recalled, the artist's response was: "What’s so great about that? You still have to hold it.”

-- Mike Boehm and Suzanne Muchnic

Top photo: Jeremy Strick. Credit: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times; Bottom photo: Robert Rauschenberg enjoying gala for his 2006 retrospective at MOCA. Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Diana]

Yes we had quite a turn-out and neither the director nor the board had any response. Kind of shocking but maybe not?
I'm glad showing up for a dead artist was more important to Ed Ruscha than showing up for the living ones.

[Donald Frazell]

What living artists? You mean those children milling about in front of the Geffen? And childhood knows no age, most never grow up, expecialy in hte Neverland of academic contemporary art. maybe Michael jackson will fly in ot save you, without a plane of course. Searching for new little boys. Plenty of them in art.

Rushca is grossly overrated, and as wiht many of his age, just happy to be rich adn partying all the time. he doesnt care. Why should he?

Art is dead, time for it to be reborn. Time to be serious about life, about humanity, searching to find forms that define who we are, to search for god, to create works instill passion adn purpose in others, tThat is an artists job, he has one, just like bakers, and soldiers, and candlestick makers. Time to grow up.

At least you posted a first name, but too scared to take a stand and reveal yourself, and so not to be taken seriously, that character thing again.

Imperial Clothing Art collegia delenda est

[FrazellisFrazzled]

Dude, you've been eating too many shrooms! I checked out your "art" and it's no wonder you're so bitter. Your work is pedantic, derivative, boring, and there's no way in the world a museum like MOCA would ever touch it. You can go back to sniffing your paint thinner now and writing incoherent diatribes. You have no future, so all you do is complain.

[Diana]

Wow this frazell guy needs to get a job. He claimed he and his wife were coming to MOCA - during the artist demonstration of support for the museum - to get signatures on a petition to close down the museum. He didn't show. Scared of the the big bad children Donald??
GUESS WHO I AM!!