Awesome original artwork by the fabulous Molly Kiely for Poetrylandia, Issue 4 publishing in October.

Thanks Muna.

Oh, and there’s still time to join the Wapshott Press Book Club. Next book is Storylandia 32, Drunk on Time, which received a nice review at Cultural Weekley.

“Only an outsider like Swiss architect Peter Zumthor would propose something like this. His voyeuristic vision is supported and championed by Govan, who hails from Massachusetts and moved to L.A. only once he was appointed LACMA director in 2006. The two have worked closely on this $750 million project that destroys four buildings on the Miracle Mile campus. One is already down.” ~snip~ “The Zumthor/Govan plan was eventually approved by the museum’s board in 2013. Govan then started seeking approvals from lawmakers in 2015. The County Board of Supervisors approved the plans unanimously in April 2019, followed by unanimous approval by the City Council in December 2019. The approvals include $117.5 million in taxpayer funding and $300 million in county bonds. Pushback has been both pragmatic and philosophical as two different opposition groups formed: Save LACMA and the Citizens Brigade to Save LACMA. Though each group takes their own distinct stances against the Zumthor/Govan redesign, they find a shared grievance in the loss of exhibition space — from 170,000 square feet down to 109,000, a 36% decrease. These two groups are not alone: the Ahmanson Foundation, which has gifted $130 million worth of European art to LACMA, announced that it would cease gifting due to lack of gallery space in this new design. How can we pay homage to the additional 27,000 pieces of art that Govan has helped the museum acquire during his tenure if much of it will sit in storage due to a lack of space?”
What Will Los Angeles Lose as LACMA’s Michael Govan Tries to Make His Mark?, by Rachel Reyes, Los Angeleno, 13 August 2020

I suppose LACMA will be the Red Car of Los Angeles art. Or something equally sad.
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