Finally Arriving at the Station

Birds no longer fly through gaping holes in the Santa Monica Museum of Art’s new home at Bergamot Station. The building not only has four walls and a roof, the main floor of the 10,000-square-foot space has been divided into a vast gallery with movable dividers, a book shop, an education room, a storage area and an office for membership and development. Additional offices are on the mezzanine overlooking the gallery.

Nothing is finished, but the warehouse-like structure’s renovation--designed by the Los Angeles-based architecture firm of Narduli/Grinstein--is shaping up so well that the museum’s board of trustees has scheduled an invitational celebratory hard-hat tour of the facility at 4 p.m. today. With a month to go before the public opening on May 9, it appears that the museum will soon be back in operation.

That’s very good news for the museum’s staff and supporters because it’s happening a full year later than planned. Formerly located on Main Street, the museum closed its final exhibition there in April 1997, in anticipation of the move to Bergamot. But a legal battle over Bergamot’s governance delayed construction of the museum’s new facility, so the staff has been camping out in temporary quarters elsewhere in Santa Monica.

Bergamot Station--a complex of about 20 art galleries and related businesses developed by contemporary art dealer Wayne Blank, on industrial property owned by the City of Santa Monica--opened in 1994 and quickly became a destination for the art crowd. The project was partly financed by television producer and art collector Tom Patchett, who operates Track 16 gallery at Bergamot. But in 1996, Patchett sued Blank, the general partner, to dissolve their partnership, charging that he had misappropriated and commingled joint funds, and disregarded Patchett’s rights as a limited partner.

Last summer, a court ruling dissolved the partnership but did not find Blank guilty of the charges and directed Patchett and Blank to work out a new management arrangement. In September they agreed that Blank would buy Patchett’s interest in the complex for $1.5 million.

The protracted disagreement had little effect on galleries already established at Bergamot, but it stalled the development of an adjacent strip of property designated for the museum and additional galleries. But now the rusty, ramshackle buildings on that section of land have been transformed into neat enclosures that are being prepared for a new life.

Weary but pleased that the Santa Monica Museum of Art’s transformation is finally coming to fruition, director Thomas Rhoads and board president Didi Dunphy say the delay was not all bad. They needed time to chart their course and raise money--an effort that has yielded more than $600,000 of a $1-million goal, to pay off debts, establish a cash reserve, provide bridge funding for the transition period, refurbish the building and finance operations. And they claim that they never lost faith.

“Didi and I are probably two of the most stubborn people on the face of the earth,” Rhoads said. “We believed in what we were trying to do. We know the importance of this institution in advancing the careers of artists, and we know that this is a unique resource for Los Angeles. If you believe that, finally other people will come around, as they have.”

The new space will be christened on May 7 with a gala benefit featuring a dinner, a silent auction and performances by artist Karen Finley and Grammy-winning musician Beck Hansen. Two inaugural exhibitions are planned: Liza Lou’s monumental beaded environments, “Back Yard” and Kitchen,” and “Beck & Al Hansen: Playing With Matches,” a survey of mixed-media artworks that examines relationships between the work of Beck and his grandfather, Happenings/Fluxus artist Al Hansen.

Known for showing the work of emerging and mid-career artists, SMMA has helped to bridge the gap between Southern California’s major museums and commercial galleries. But by the art world’s definition, the Santa Monica Museum of Art is more art center than museum because it has no collection.

As the mission statement puts it, the institution is “an active laboratory that encourages artistic creativity and experimentation” as well as an exhibition hall. “Promoting the life of the imagination, highlighting the capacity of artists to redefine reality, taking risks, crossing boundaries, stimulating debate, provoking thought and celebrating creativity are core values.”

Defining SMMA in simpler terms, Rhoads said, “We are a kunsthalle, dedicated to a changing exhibition schedule. The resources that a traditional museum gives to its collection, we try to give directly to artists for projects here and programs for education.” The museum fulfills a regional niche by devoting 60% to 70% of its exhibitions to artists from Southern California, he said.

The museum was founded in 1985 by Abby Sher, the daughter of Sidney Sher, a shopping center developer in Orange County. Her inspiration began with a visit to artist Thomas Eatherton’s former studio space in a building constructed in 1908 to house an ice plant, which became the headquarters of Edgemar Farms, an egg processing company.

Abby Sher bought the building with the surrounding complex and developed the property as a mall, reserving the old egg building for the museum. The project--whose current tenants include Rockenwagner restaurant and a MOCA store--was conceived as an Italian piazza and designed by architect Frank O. Gehry. Sher--who still serves on the museum’s board of trustees--allowed the nonprofit corporation that runs the museum to use the 8,300-square-foot building rent-free for five years. After that, the museum had the option of purchasing the building for one-half its then-fair market value or renting it at a reduced rate.

The museum opened in 1988, with its space still unfinished, and launched a series of artists’ projects. It began with an installation by David Bunn featuring viewing devices that put the museum in geographic, aesthetic and historic context. As the program evolved, Meg Cranston built a 25-foot mountain of eggshells topped with meringue, alluding to the site’s former use, and May Sun created an installation based on untold stories about Los Angeles’ Chinatown.

By far the most provocative project in the series was “Visiting Hours” in 1992, in which the late performance artist Bob Flanagan struggled to reconcile his affliction with cystic fibrosis with his masochistic desires.

“That show was a risk that sort of put us on the map,” Rhoads said. “What was most amazing was that Bob had the uncanny ability to allow people to understand the choices he had made, both as an artist and as a person.”

Another hallmark of the museum’s program has been mid-career surveys for accomplished artists, such as Jeffrey Vallance, Kim Abeles, Karen Carson and Margaret Nielsen, who have been overlooked by larger museums. In addition, SMMA has presented smaller “Focus” shows of works by Jo Ann Callis, Charles Gaines and Roy Dowell, among many others.

In its former location, the museum’s program became a staple of Southern California’s cultural scene, but the rent-free period ended all too soon. “Without buying the space, it wasn’t affordable to remain there,” Rhoads said. The museum’s board of trustees seriously considered purchasing the building, but talks stopped before the price was established.

“We began negotiations to buy the space, but just as we began to move in that direction, Bergamot happened. The board decided they wanted to become the anchor tenant in an art center instead of purchasing the building in a more isolated environment. Given the combination of 20 galleries here, we thought Bergamot was a better marriage.” At Bergamot, the museum has a 20-year lease with five-year renewal options.

The decision was partly based on the potential for audience development. “In terms of the ‘90s economy and what’s happening at the federal level, there’s a real need for cultural institutions to be self-reliant,” he said. “Given the fact that we attracted 30,000 to 40,000 people a year at the former location and Bergamot attracts at least 150,000 a year, and people who come here presumably have an interest in art, it became very clear that the activity in this location will become the museum’s audience.”

Dunphy said that nonprofit institutions will have to depend more on membership and earned income in the future. The museum--which runs on an annual budget of about $600,000--has maintained a steady membership of 2,000, even during the year of down time, she said, but that is expected to grow. And the addition of a bookstore--the only one in Bergamot--should bring in much-needed revenue.

“This is a richer site for audience development, and that’s key to our basic survival issues,” Rhoads said.

“But it also works the other way,” Dunphy said. “When we are the anchor tenant here, we should be able to bring a lot to the arts community.”

Fund-raising has been their biggest challenge, Rhoads and Dunphy said. From its inception, the museum has been undercapitalized and most of the money raised has gone into programs. But while the building was being readied, the board of trustees also has undergone something of a transformation.

“Traditionally, we have had a working board,” said Dunphy, who is an artist. “We have interior designers, artists, attorneys, a CPA, professions all across the board, and much of their support has been in-kind services. In a sort of guerrilla fashion we have pulled together a lot of resources. But lately we have added a couple of family foundations and other interests, and we have gone out to the community for support.”

One vote of confidence has come from the City of Santa Monica, which has increased its past contribution of about $10,000 a year to $56,000 for each of the next three years. In addition, the National Endowment for the Arts has given the museum a $75,000 endowment challenge grant and the Getty Grant Program has awarded the museum a $15,000 grant to assess its program.

Daunting challenges remain, but the board can finally see the result of its work. At their last meeting, the trustees visited the museum’s new site. “I think they were actually rather floored to see that the effort has a physical manifestation,” Dunphy said.