Museum of Contemporary Art Australia

The former MSB building is a six-storey, 17-bay light orange-brown stone structure in the Stripped Classicism style with Art Deco ornamentation. A slightly projecting central clock tower is complemented by three-bay pavilions projecting two bays at the ends of both elevations. Atop the roof is a modern penthouse with glass facing and a flat roof with wide eaves.[10] Two modern roofs, supported by circular metallic pillars, shelter the concrete deck in front of the ground-floor windows between the entrance and the pavilions. The one on the south side has tables and chairs serving the museum's restaurant.[11] On the west (rear) elevation, the space between the pavilions is filled in with a block of modern shop spaces in an irregularly alternating black and white pattern on the upper storeys similar to that on the museum's newer Mordant Wing.[12]

On the exterior the foundation level is one course of rusticated polished pink Rob Roy granite which also forms the surround of the main entrance on the east elevation and the auxiliary entrance on the south. The rest of the facade is smooth dressed orange sandstone,[10] which also forms the surround of the tertiary entrance on the north pavilion of the west facade.[13]

Fenestration takes the form of triple-paned double windows separated by a continuous stone muntin in a continous vertical recessed strip. On the south end of the building the windows on the first two storeys are also continuous. The recessed strips and muntins end in a broad plain frieze above the fifth storey separating similar but shorter windows on the sixth storey of the main block.[11]

On the central clock tower, the main entrance is a recessed pair of dark bronze doors topped by a sandstone frieze depicting sailors and dockworkers. Above it is a transom of three small four-paned windows with stone muntins. Atop the entryway is a bronze plaque with "Museum of Contemporary Art".[11]

Above the entrance the clock tower treatment consists of three more widely separated but otherwise similar windows rising from the third storey to the sixth and topped with a decorative pink granite facade depicting a propeller, wheel and anchor. A clock set against the sandstone is above. The tower is topped by a narrower stage, a square cupola and three flagpoles.[11]

The Mordant Wing on the MSB building's north end is roughly six storeys high as well, occupying the three-quarters of the remainder of the block not taken up by a local police station building. It is faced in smooth, mostly windowless panels of black, white and brown stone, made of blocks rectilinear in shape and irregular in size. On the north end is a basement delivery entrance.[14]

The main entrance to the museum is at the southeast corner of the wing, where it abuts the MSB building at a glass-faced stairwell. Sliding glass doors in a glass two-storey entryway open onto a wide stair to the main foyer. Above it is an unsupported projecting three-storey pavilion with strip windows. North of it a large downward-pointing arrow in the facade at ground level directs visitors to a poem carved in the concrete deck.[15]

On the west, the wing is similarly faced, with an alleyway leading to another service entrance between the wing and the MSB building. At street level is another, smaller entrance, with glass doors, accompanying the museum's gift shop to its south. The facade also overhangs this entrance, but to a lesser extent than its counterpart on the other facade.[16] On the roof is a cafe, partially open, with views of the bridge, opera house and harbour.[17]

When used as the MSB building the interior made extensive use of scagliola and terrazzo to imitate marble flooring and walls, a common technique at the time. A war memorial and associated artwork were also included.[10] These features remain in what was known as Wharfage Hall, the two-story lobby at the building's central entrance.[18] Today, adapted for use as a museum, much of the interior is now gallery space with plain white walls, concrete floor and high ceilings.[19][20][21]

Fisher Library

Madsen Building

The establishment of the MCA was mandated in the will of Australian expatriate artist JW Power (1881–1943), who had been the first Australian-born painter to experiment with Cubism.[25] Independently wealthy from his previous medical career, he bequeathed his personal fortune, mostly stock worth £A2 million, to his alma mater, the University of Sydney, with the express purpose of informing and educating Australians in the contemporary visual arts. He directed that it be used specifically for "museums and other places for the purpose ... of suitably housing the works purchased so as to bring the people of Australia in more direct touch with the latest art developments in other countries."[26]

The bequest was not made or disclosed to the public until Powell's wife's death in 1961; she also willed most of her husband's works to the university. At the time it was the largest monetary bequest ever made to any Australian university.[25] Four years later the university's senate voted to create the Power Institute of Fine Arts as a beginning of fulfilling Power's wishes.[26]

In December 1970 the University of Sydney also received the Seymour Bequest for the purposes of a performing arts centre, and sought to combine the two bequests into an arts complex that would include within it the Seymour Centre and the Power Institute facilities, including a home for the Power Gallery.[27][28] It was opened in 1975 as just a performing arts venue.[29]

This collection of artworks took the form of the 'Power Gallery of Contemporary Art', a travelling collection without a permanent address. Between John Power's death and the eventual establishment of the museum, the collection was mainly housed in the University of Sydney's Fisher Library during the 1970s. It was exhibited in the Madsen Building on campus between 1980 and 1989.[28]

MCA within the former MSB building, seen here prior to 2012 expansion

After the relocation of the Maritime Services Board (MSB) to larger premises in 1989, the building and site were donated by the Government of New South Wales to the Museum of Contemporary Art.[30] Funded by the University of Sydney and the Power Bequest, restoration and refurbishment of the building commenced in 1990 under the direction of Andrew Anderson of Peddle Thorp/John Holland Interiors and in November 1991 the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, officially opened.[31]

Those early years in the museum's own space were difficult. The university agreed to help fund the museum's initial costs but did not make any commitment to the long term, as it was expected that the museum would eventually become financially independent. To that end an admission fee was charged; it did not make up for the shortfall as the university began phasing out its support, and the local and national media began expressing concern for the museum's future.[3]

The building's former offices had been renovated into a more open space with movable walls to accommodate exhibition requirements, with some rooms left intact as archival spaces. The inadequacy of the renovated MSB building as a gallery space, including circulation and accessibility issues, prompted plans for further renovations.[3] In 1997, an international competition was launched for redesigns of the site.[32] The Japanese architectural studio SANAA won, but its plans were abandoned after site investigations revealed the archaeological remains of a colonial dockyard beneath the museum's car park.[1] Plans by Sauerbruch Hutton, winners of a 2000 competition, were also abandoned following public outcry over the proposed demolition of the MSB building.[1]

In 1999 the museum's board hired Elizabeth Ann Macgregor, a Scotswoman who had worked with the Arts Council of Great Britain and as director of the Ikon Gallery, a major contemporary art museum also housed in a repurposed heritage-listed building in Birmingham, as the MCA's director. To encourage more visitation, she eliminated the entrance fee. "As soon as we did that, it completely changed the atmosphere. People came in out of curiosity", she later told The New York Times.[3] In 2005, the museum's permanent collection was moved to storage offsite to create more exhibit space.[31]

The sixfold increase in annual visitation that ensued made problems with the museum's aging physical plant more apparent. "The elevators were well past their natural life, the stair circulation was not appropriate and there was no infrastructure to deal with disabled people", recalled Simon Mordant, a Sydney investment banker who then chaired the MCA board. "We started to burst at the seams." Some state officials, hoping to redevelop the site more commercially, urged the museum to move and tried to direct it to other locations, but Mordant and the museum management insisted on remaining, finding the current site to be a unique asset.[3] In 2002 McGregor had begun developing plans for an extension to the museum.[32]

The museum's George St entrance in The Rocks

In 2010 the museum closed for its long-desired extensions. They were built to a design by Sydney architect Sam Marshall, taking two forms: infill on the building's west facade, allowing shop space on the ground floor facing George Street, and the new Mordant Wing on the north. The latter was named after the board chairman and his wife, whose initial gift of $A10 million, followed by a later $A5 million, was the largest single financial contribution to it (the federal, state and city governments would combine for $A27 million).[31] Private benefactors donated the remaining A$7.5 million[33] of the building's total A$53 million cost.[3] It was constructed in a Cubist architectural style, appearing as a series of overlapping white, black, and brown boxes that contrasts with the Art Deco main building.[34]

A portion of the new wing opened with an exhibit of work by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer in December 2011;[3] the remainder was opened the following March.[1][35] The wing added 4,500 square metres (48,000 sq ft) in floor space,[32] including a café, sculpture terrace and two harbour-side function venues, nearly doubling the museum's available exhibit space and allowing additional revenue to keep the museum financially independent (Approximately 70 per cent of the museum's annual income is from a variety of sources such as exhibitions and events, sponsorship, donations and venue hire. The balance is made up through ongoing funding and support from the state government through Create NSW and the federal government through the Australia Council.[36]). The renovations additionally supplied the new National Centre for Creative Learning with multimedia and digital studios, as well as a 117-seat lecture theatre.[1] The dual entranceways of the new wing additionally connected George Street and Circular Quay for the first time.[33]

Marshall's primary inspiration for the new wing was the sculptures of Donald Judd. The volumes of the individual blocks vary to reflect the function of the space within them. Their colors are taken from those apparent in the vicinity: the bridge, expressway and various buildings in The Rocks, all visible from the museum. Marshall and the architects who reviewed and advised on his plans were mindful of modern additions to older museums that have not been seen as architecturally successful, such as Daniel Libeskind's addition to Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum, where the inclined walls precluded hanging paintings.[23]^: 28–30

The architecture of the Museum of Contemporary Art has drawn criticism and praise from both Australian and international commentators, mainly over the buildings' contrasting facades.[34][37]

In July 2020, Lorraine Tarabay took over the role of chairperson of the board from Mordant.[38]

The Ramingining collection, purchased in 1984–1985, comprises more than 250 works by over 80 Yolŋu artists.[41] The collection contains bark paintings, woven objects, sculpture and cultural objects such as spears and tools.[42][41] The collection was originally acquired by the University of Sydney for the Power Collection following the 1984 exhibition Objects and Representations from Ramingining, curated by Djon Mundine for the Power Gallery of Contemporary Art.[41][43]

In 1996, the Ramingining Collection was displayed at the MCA. The Native Born: Objects and Representations from Ramingining, Arnhem Land., its first exhibition, was curated by Djon Mundine.[41] Four years later, it was displayed in the entrance galleries in the Yolnu Science: Objects and Representations from Ramingining, Arnhem Land exhibition to coincide with the Olympics,[41] curated by Djon Mundine and Linda Michael.[41]

Formed by Diane Moon in 1990,[44] the Maningrida Collection contains 560 works from the Maningrida community in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory.[42] Ownership of the pieces belongs to the Maningrida people, with the collection subject to a unique cultural agreement between the museum and the community.[42] The collection includes sculpture, woven objects and bark paintings.[42] The museum works with Indigenous researchers, curators and artists and Maningrida Arts and Culture to document and research objects within the collection.[45] The cultural agreement between both parties is renegotiated regularly to ensure a positive relationship.[46]

In 2018, the MCA in association with Maningrida Arts and Culture held the John Mawurndjul: I am the old and new exhibition of works by John Mawurndjul.[46] More than 130,000 people attended;[46] it was additionally displayed at eight regional Australian galleries.[47] Two works by John Mawurndjul, Nawarramulmul (Shooting Star Spirit, 1988) and Ngalyod (Female Rainbow Serpent, 1988), were the first artworks acquired for the dedicated MCA collection in 1989.[47]

The Arnott's Collection was formed following the donation of 285 bark paintings by the Arnott family in 1993.[48] The collection featured in Djon Mundine's 2008 exhibition They are meditating: bark paintings from the MCA's Arnott's Collection.[49]

The Smorgon Collection was donated to the MCA in 1995 by philanthropists Loti and Victor Smorgon.[42] It contains 149 contemporary Australian works[42] from the 1980s and 1990s.[50] In 2012, a donation by Loti went to build a sculpture terrace on the museum's fourth level, subsequently named for her.[51]

Primavera: The Belinda Jackson Exhibit, Australia's longest running exhibition, has been staged annually since 1992 in honour of Edward and Cynthia Jackson's daughter Belinda, a jewellery maker.[52] It exhibits the work of Australian artists aged 35 or younger for several summer months.[53] Primavera provides the opportunity for artists not yet established to have their work displayed in a large institution.[54] The exhibition often utilises guest curators, although curatorial staff from the Museum of Contemporary Art have also worked on past Primaveras.[55] Each yearly exhibit is designed with a unique theme. In 2011, as a result of the museum renovations, the Primavera exhibit was held off-site. Artworks from the exhibition were displayed in various places around the museum and throughout The Rocks area of Sydney.[55]  

In 2015, a five-year collaborative project was announced between the Tate Galleries of Britain and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia for the mutual acquisition of contemporary Australian artworks.[56]  The project is aimed at increasing the reputation of Australian art internationally. Funded by a $2.75 million donation from the Qantas Foundation, the galleries have acquired 23 pieces by 16 major Australian artists, many of which have been displayed at both institutions.[57]  

The National is a series of biennial survey exhibitions featuring contemporary artists, run as a partnership between the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Carriageworks and the MCA and held across the three venues.[58][59] The National: New Australian Art exhibition was launched in 2017, designed to "reflect the diversity of cultural, political and social perspectives that preoccupy [Australian] artists". The National was designed in three iterations, with the later ones in 2019 and 2021, exhibiting the work of 150 Australian artists.[60]

The Bella program was established in 1993[62] by patrons Edward and Cynthia Jackson and the Jackson family.[63] The program season previously coincided with the Primavera exhibition, however the addition of the National Centre for Creative Learning and funding from private benefactors in 2012 allowed for the Bella program to be run year-round. Tailored for young people[64] the program focuses on issues of access to contemporary art for people with disabilities, and socially and financially disadvantaged individuals. The program offers sessions in the galleries and hands-on workshops.[63]

In 2011, the Bella program collaborated with Good Vibrations, a touring interactive art project for young people and adults with disabilities.[63] The caravan, designed by artists Bruce Odland and Michael Luck Schneider,[64] is fitted with technical devices that create sensory responses to sights, sounds and vibrations.[63]

The dedicated Bella Room was installed in the National Centre for Creative learning in 2012. Each year a new artist is commissioned to produce a work in the Bella Room concerned with a different type of disability.[64] The room offers a sensory environment in which students, led by artist educators, can interact with art.[62]

'GENEXT' has been held since 2005 as an public engagement program aimed at young people aged from 12 to 18, run by MCA's Youth Committee. GENEXT is an after-hours program that includes activities such as live music, discussions, and art workshops.[65] It is held four times annually, and included over 16,000 participants over the course of its first ten years of operation.[66]

In collaboration with the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Museum of Contemporary Art takes part in the Sydney Festival and the Biennale of Sydney, an event held partially online in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[67]

The annual MCA Zine Fair, first held in 2008, is organised in conjunction with the Sydney Writers' Festival. Held on the front lawn of the MCA, the free fair features over 50 stalls of new and established zine artists.[68]

In 2016, The Artful: Art and Dementia program was launched as a three-year research collaboration between the MCA, the Brain and Mind Centre, the University of Sydney and Dementia Australia with the goal of establishing a link between art and enhanced neuroplasticity.[69] The program continues annually.

The six-week program includes a tour of selected works throughout the museum, weekly two-hour creative art making sessions with trained artist-educators and an 'Artful at home' package containing materials for art making at home. The final week of the program is an exhibition session, in which participant's friends and family are invited to view their art.[69] In 2020, the program launched an online digital toolkit to enable offsite participation.[70]