To the editor or, well, anyone else who stumbles upon this:
So, here I am, rambling about Michael Govan – the big boss guy over at this sprawling art playground known as LACMA. Seriously, 20 acres of art smack in the middle of L.A. Since 2006, Govan’s been kind of like the Willy Wonka of art over there. I mean, he turned that place into this happening spot even in a city that’s still figuring out where its center is. Just the other day – or maybe a few weeks now, honestly, time’s weird – folks got this sneak peek of the David Geffen Galleries. Three days straight of artsy eye candy. After a year that felt like a wild rollercoaster, seeing everyone out there just vibing was… refreshing, you know?
But, oh boy, enter Christopher Knight, our neighborhood art critic. His reviews have more gripes than that time my neighbor couldn’t figure out how to open a jar of pickles. So, Knight throws around this number – $720 million for the building, and then, bam, someone whispers to him it’s more like $835 million. I mean, who hasn’t had a remodel run over budget? Just try building something that huge with, like, tar pits and the Earth doing its shaky-shake beneath you.
Now Knight’s going off about “limitless concrete” being boring. I’m sitting here like, have you ever looked at a blank canvas? Kinda boring till you splash some color on it, right? And then the whole about-face into a tourist trap. But, really, can’t it be both a local gem and a tourist hotspot?
Oh, then there’s this “non-hierarchical” design gripe. Can’t every story just be on its own level? Seems Knight’s not into it. But whatever, to each their own taste in building floors, I guess.
And then, the future prediction game. Knight’s like, “My crystal ball’s busted, but I think this place will draw a crowd.” Same here, buddy! LACMA’s been packing them in for ages, and if the world doesn’t implode, it’ll keep doing so.
Carlos Valdez Lozano, L.A. resident. Back in the day, I was all about reporting and editing at the L.A. Times. Ah, the memories.
