Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

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The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago was created as the result of a 1964 meeting of 30 critics, collectors and dealers at the home of critic Doris Lane Butler to bring the long-discussed idea of a museum of contemporary art to complement the city's Art Institute of Chicago, according to a grand opening story in Time.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,837470,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081215134250/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,837470,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 15, 2008 |title=Museums: Contemporary in Chicago |access-date=October 15, 2009 |date=November 3, 1967 |magazine=Time }} It opened in fall 1967 in a small space at 237 East Ontario Street that had for a time served as the corporate offices of Playboy Enterprises. Its first director was Jan van der Marck.{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/08/arts/design/08vandermarck.html |title=Jan van der Marck, Museum Administrator, Dies at 80 |access-date=July 22, 2011 |date=May 6, 2010 |work=New York Times |author=Grimes, William }} In 1970, he invited Wolf Vostell to make the Concrete Traffic sculpture in Chicago.Mercedes Vostell, Vostell – ein Leben lang, Siebenhaar Verlag, 2012, {{ISBN|978-3-936962-88-8}}.

Initially, the museum was conceived primarily as a space for temporary exhibitions, in the German kunsthalle model. However, in 1974, the museum began acquiring a permanent collection of contemporary art objects created after 1945.{{cite encyclopedia |author=Kirshner, Judith Russi |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/858.html |title=Museum of Contemporary Art |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Chicago |publisher=Chicago Historical Society |access-date=August 21, 2009 }} The MCA expanded into adjacent buildings to increase gallery space; and in 1977, following a fundraising drive for its 10th anniversary, a three-story neighboring townhouse was purchased, renovated, and connected to the museum. In 1978, Gordon Matta-Clark executed his final major project in the townhouse. In his work Circus Or The Caribbean Orange (1978), Matta-Clark made circle cuts in the walls and floors of the townhouse next-door to the first museum.{{cite web |url=http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=22966&int_modo=2 |title=Gordan Matta-Clark: You Are the Measure |access-date=June 13, 2011 |year=2008 |work=Artdaily }}

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In 1991, the museum's Board of Trustees contributed $37 million (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|37|1991|r=1}}}} million today) of the expected $55 million (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|55|1991|r=1}}}} million) construction costs for Chicago's first new museum building in 65 years.{{cite web |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CSTB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB37331CAA7AE5A&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420 |title=Trustees lead effort to build art museum |access-date=August 23, 2009 |date=January 30, 1991 |work=Chicago Sun-Times }} Six of the board members were central to the fundraising as major donors: Jerome Stone (chairman emeritus of Stone Container Corporation), Beatrice C. Mayer (daughter of Sara Lee Corporation founder Nathan Cummings) and family, Mrs. Edwin Lindy Bergman, the Neison Harris (president of Pittway Corporation) and Irving Harris families, and Thomas and Frances Dittmer (commodities).{{cite web |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CSTB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB37331AD0EB121&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420 |title=Donors cite need for new art museum |access-date=August 23, 2009 |date=January 29, 1991 |work=Chicago Sun-Times |author=Gillespie, Mary }} The Board of Trustees then weighed architectural proposals from six finalists: Emilio Ambasz of New York; Tadao Ando of Osaka, Japan; Josef Paul Kleihues of Berlin; Fumihiko Maki of Tokyo; Morphosis of Santa Monica, Calif.; and Christian de Portzamparc of Paris.{{cite web |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CSTB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB37331A6F45D82&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420 |title=Trustees endow success of a new art museum |access-date=August 23, 2009 |date=January 29, 1991 |work=Chicago Sun-Times |author=Gillespie, Mary }} According to Chicago Tribune Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Blair Kamin, the list of contenders was controversial because no Chicago-based architects were included as finalists despite the fact that prominent Chicago architects such as Helmut Jahn and Stanley Tigerman were among the 23 semi-finalists. In fact, none of the finalists had made any prior structures in Chicago. The selection process, which started with 209 contenders, was based on professional qualifications, recent projects, and the ability to work closely with the staff of the aspiring museum.{{cite web |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CTRB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0FFEFE0F22306E58&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420 |title=Museum Shuns City Architects |access-date=August 23, 2009 |date=January 29, 1991 |work=Chicago Tribune |author=Kamin, Blair }}

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In 1996, the MCA opened its current museum at 220 East Chicago Avenue, which was the site of a former National Guard Armory between Lake Michigan and Michigan Avenue from 1907 until it was demolished in 1993 to make way for the MCA.Eds. Grossman, James R., Keating, Ann Durkin, and Reiff, Janice L., 2004 Encyclopedia of Chicago, p. 39. The University of Chicago Press, {{ISBN|0-226-31015-9 }} The four-story {{convert|220000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} building designed by Josef Paul Kleihues, which was five times larger than its predecessor,{{cite web |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CTRB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB427AC874733E5&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420 |title=Bigger Not Better - 10 Years In Coming, The New MCA Shows More Of The Same Presentations |access-date=May 16, 2009 |date=June 30, 1996 |work=Chicago Tribune |author=Artner, Alan G. }} made the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago the largest institution devoted to contemporary art in the world.{{cite web |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CSTB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB422DAD97137B7&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420 |title=Wonder walls - New museum, fascinating shows mark year in art |access-date=May 16, 2009 |date=December 29, 1996 |work=Chicago Sun-Times |author=Holg, Garrett }} The physical structure is said to reference the modernism of Mies van der Rohe as well as the tradition of Chicago architecture. The museum opened at its current location June 21–22, 1996, with a 24-hour event that drew more than 25,000 visitors.{{cite web |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/information/history.php?page=ihist |title=History of the MCA |access-date=July 22, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725013043/http://www.mcachicago.org/information/history.php?page=ihist |archive-date=July 25, 2011 }}

In its first year of operation, the museum hosted the exhibitions, Pictures To Be Read/Poetry To Be Seen, Claes Oldenburg: Projects for Monuments, and Dan Flavin: Pink and Gold, which was the artist's first solo show. In 1969, the museum served as the site of Christo's first building wrap in the United States. It was wrapped in more than {{convert|8000|sqft}} of tarpaulin and rope.{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f9E1isgD_EcC&q=Josef%20Paul%20Kleihues%20%22Museum%20of%20Contemporary%20Art%22%20Chicago&pg=PA142 |title=Why architecture matters: lessons from Chicago |chapter=A Fumbled Chance At Greatness:The Museum of Contemporary Art Tries but Fails To Extend Chicago's History of Design Triumphs |pages=142–145 |author=Kamin, Blair |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-226-42321-0 |publisher=University of Chicago Press }} The following year, it hosted one-person shows for Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, and Andy Warhol.

The MCA has also played host to the first American and solo exhibitions of prominent artists, such as Frida Kahlo, in 1978.{{cite web |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/information/history.php?page=ihist |title=History of the MCA |access-date=February 6, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725013043/http://www.mcachicago.org/information/history.php?page=ihist |archive-date=July 25, 2011 }} Other exhibition highlights include the first solo museum shows of Dan Flavin,{{Cite news |last=Grimes |first=William |date=May 8, 2010 |title=Jan van der Marck, Museum Administrator, Dies at 80 (Published 2010) |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/08/arts/design/08vandermarck.html |access-date=January 30, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 }}His first solo show was at the Judson Gallery, New York, in 1961. ([http://www.diacenter.org/exhibs_b/flavin/ Diacenter.org] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204061045/http://www.diacenter.org/exhibs_b/flavin/ |date=February 4, 2007}}) in 1967, and Jeff Koons,His first solo exhibition was a 1980 window installation at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York in 1988. In 1989, the MCA hosted Robert Mapplethorpe, The Perfect Moment, a traveling exhibition organized by the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia.{{cite web |author=Museum of Contemporary Art Website |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/information/history.php?page=ihist |title=History of the MCA |access-date=December 21, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725013043/http://www.mcachicago.org/information/history.php?page=ihist |archive-date=July 25, 2011 }} Additional highlights of exhibitions organized or co-organized by the MCA include:

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Enrico Baj (1971)
• Chuck Close (1972)
• Lee Bontecou (1972)
• Richard Artschwager (1973)
• Thomas Kovachevich (1973)
• Robert Irwin (1975)
• Frida Kahlo (1978)
• Vito Acconci (1980)
• Magdalena Abakanowicz (1982)
• Lorna Simpson (1992)
• Beverly Semmes (1995)
• Mona Hatoum (1997)
• Tom Friedman (2000)
• Gary Simmons (2002)
• John Currin (2003)
• Rudolf Stingel (2007)
• David Bowie (2014)
• Doris Salcedo (2015)
• Kerry James Marshall (2016)
• Takashi Murakami (2017)
• Virgil Abloh (2019)
• Nick Cave (2022){{div col end}}

In 2006, the MCA was the only American museum to host Bruce Mau's Massive Change exhibit, which concerned the social, economic, and political effects of design. Additional 2006 exhibitions featured photographers Catherine Opie and Wolfgang Tillmans as well as Chicago-based cartoonist Chris Ware. The 2008 Koons retrospective broke the attendance record with 86,584 visitors for the May 31 – show of September 21, 2008.{{cite journal |last=Conrad |first=Marissa |date=December 2008 |title=The Innovator |journal=Chicago Social |pages=140 |location=Chicago, Illinois }}{{cite web |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/exh_detail.php?id=178 |title=Jeff Koons |access-date=January 13, 2009 |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105052821/http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/exh_detail.php?id=178 |archive-date=January 5, 2009 }} This was the culminating exhibit of the 2008 fiscal year,{{cite web |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/annual_2008/exh_list.html |title=Museum of Contemporary Art Annual Report Fiscal Year 2008:2008 Exhibition list |access-date=September 16, 2009 |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125163631/http://mcachicago.org/annual_2008/exh_list.html |archive-date=November 25, 2010 }} which celebrated the 40th anniversary of the museum.

In 2009, the MCA presented Jeremy Deller's exhibition It Is What It Is: Conversations About Iraq. The exhibition was organized by the New Museum, and it was a new commission by the New Museum, New York; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; and the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles.{{cite web |publisher=The New Museum and Creative Time for the Three M Project |url=http://www.conversationsaboutiraq.org/description.php |title=It Is What It Is: Conversations About Iraq |access-date=July 22, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430175715/http://www.conversationsaboutiraq.org/description.php |archive-date=April 30, 2011 }}

Co-organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Wexner Center for the Arts, the MCA presented Luc Tuymans from October 2010 – January 2011.{{cite web |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/exh_detail.php?id=221&syear=2010 |title=Luc Tuymans |access-date=July 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511112451/http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/exh_detail.php?id=221 |archive-date=May 11, 2011 |url-status=dead }} Susan Philipsz: We Shall Be All was presented at the MCA February – June 2011. The Turner Prize-winning artist's sound exhibition featured protest songs and drew from Chicago's labor history.{{cite web |url=http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/February-2011/Susan-Philipsz-We-Shall-Be-All-Opens-at-MCA/ |title=Susan Philipsz's 'We Shall Be All' Opens at MCA |access-date=July 22, 2011 |date=February 1, 2011 |work=Chicago Magazine |author=Wolff, Rachel }} The exhibition Eiko & Koma: Time is Not Even, Space is Not Empty was the first series of stage performances and a gallery exhibition presented at the MCA. The Japanese-born choreographers and dance artists performed and exhibited from June – November 2011.{{cite web |publisher=Eiko & Koma |url=http://www.eikoandkoma.org/index.php?p=ek&id=3262. |title=Eiko & Koma Open Live Exhibition |access-date=July 22, 2011 }}

In 2014, the MCA was the only US venue to mount the David Bowie Is... exhibition, which broke previous attendance records for the museum.{{Cite news |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-david-bowie-is-attendance-mca-chicago-column.html |title='David Bowie Is' sets MCA attendance record |last=Borrelli |first=Christopher |work=chicagotribune.com |access-date=March 1, 2018 |language=en-US }} To date, the most attended exhibition is the 2017 Takashi Murakami: The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg exhibit, which broke the David Bowie Is... record set in 2014 with over 193,000 attendees.{{cite web |url=https://www.timeout.com/chicago/blog/takashi-murakami-exhibition-broke-the-mcas-attendance-record-092017 |title=Takashi Murakami Exhibition Broke the MCA's Attendance Record |date=September 2017 |work=TimeOut Chicago |access-date=December 15, 2017 }}

Following David Bowie Is..., the MCA debuted the critically acclaimed exhibition Kerry James Marshall: Mastry in 2016. Mastry later traveled to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art.{{Cite web |url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-kerry-james-marshall-20170307-htmlstory.html |title=For Kerry James Marshall, the mission is clear: Bring portraits of black life into very white art museums |last=Isenberg |first=Barbara |website=Los Angeles Times |date=March 7, 2017 |access-date=March 13, 2018 }} In 2017, the MCA curated a show by the Japanese artist Takashi Murakami which set attendance records, and in 2019, the museum launched a mid-career retrospective for the work of the American designer Virgil Abloh, a sometime collaborator of Murakami's.{{Cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/museums/ct-ae-virgil-abloh-mca-ttd-0609-story.html |title=Virgil Abloh's journey — from T-shirts to Kanye West to Louis Vuitton — now stops at the MCA for an exhibit devoted to the Rockford artist |last=Johnson |first=Steve |date=June 5, 2019 |work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=June 23, 2019 }}

In 2020, the MCA opened Duro Olowu:Seeing Chicago, a curated exhibition by Duro Olowu of over 350 artworks from Chicago which marked the first time the museum had hired a guest art curator.{{cite web |last1=Fallon |first1=James |last2=Larson |first2=Kristin |title=Designer Duro Olowu Sees Chicago Through Art |url=https://wwd.com/eye/lifestyle/designer-duro-olowu-chicago-museum-contemporary-art-1203519732/ |website=WWD |access-date=April 23, 2020 |language=en |date=February 28, 2020 }}

In 2022, the MCA presented Nick Cave: Forothermore, the Chicago artist’s first career-spanning retrospective.{{Cite web |last=Belmont |first=Sarah |date=May 16, 2022 |title=Nick Cave's Maximalist Art That Speaks to Today's Most Pressing Issues Takes Center Stage at the Artist's First Career Retrospective |url=https://www.artnews.com/art-news/artists/nick-cave-mca-chicago-retrospective-1234628656/ |access-date=March 17, 2023 |website=ARTnews.com |language=en-US }}

After a 10-year run, the exhibition series UBS 12x12: New Artists/New Work is moving from the second floor to the third floor, into a larger gallery space and will change its name to Chicago Works. The exhibition series will still feature Chicago-area artists. Rather than each artist being displayed for one month, each exhibition in the series will now be displayed for three months.{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2011/06/10/mca-20/ |author=Viera, Lauren |date=June 10, 2011 |access-date=August 5, 2011 |work=Chicago Tribune |title=MCA 2.0 }}

Starting in 2002, the MCA began commissioning artists and architects to design and construct public art for the front plaza. The goal of the program is to link the museum to its neighboring community by extending its programmatic, educational, and outreach functions. While artists have been exhibited intermittently on the MCA plaza since 2002, the summer 2011 plaza exhibit showcasing four works by Miami-based sculptor Mark Handforth marks a revitalization of the plaza project.{{cite web |url=http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/galleries/6395050-421/museum-of-contemporary-art-hopes-artist-can-liven-up-the-building.html |title=Museum of Contemporary Art hopes artist can liven up the building |access-date=July 22, 2011 |date=July 7, 2011 |work=Chicago Sun-Times |author=Thomas, Mike |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121143325/http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/galleries/6395050-421/museum-of-contemporary-art-hopes-artist-can-liven-up-the-building.html |archive-date=January 21, 2012 |url-status=dead }}

From October through May, the MCA hosts monthly Family Days, which feature artistic activities for all ages.{{cite web |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/education/fam_days.php?page=fdays |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago |title=Family Days |access-date=August 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924134113/http://mcachicago.org/education/fam_days.php?page=fdays |archive-date=September 24, 2011 |url-status=dead }} Each summer, the museum hosts Tuesdays on the Terrace, a jazz performance series, and a Farmers Market on the MCA plaza on Tuesdays from June through October.{{cite web |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/programs/gen_events.php?page=genev |title=Events and Activities |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago |access-date=August 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728142626/http://www.mcachicago.org/programs/gen_events.php?page=genev |archive-date=July 28, 2011 |url-status=dead }} Year round, the MCA offers a Tuesday evening series, In Progress, that explores the creative process, in addition to a Friday evening series led by local artists in the museum's public engagement space, the Commons.{{Cite web |url=https://mcachicago.org/Calendar |title=Calendar |website=MCA |language=en |access-date=April 23, 2018 }}

The MCA Stage has featured local, national, and international theater, dance, music, multimedia, and film performances. It is known as the "most active interdisciplinary arts presenter in Chicago" and partners with local community organizations for the co-presentations of performing arts.{{cite web |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/media_uploads/releases/c2dbc11-12%20MCA%20Stage%20RELEASE.pdf |title=2011-2012 MCA Stage Season |work=Press Release |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago |date=May 19, 2011 |access-date=July 7, 2011}}{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Notable MCA Stage appearances include performances by Mikhail Baryshnikov, eighth blackbird, Peter Brook, Marie Chouinard, Merce Cunningham, Philip Glass, Martha Graham, Akram Khan, Taylor Mac, and Twyla Tharp.{{cite web |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/performances/past.php |title=Past Performances |access-date=July 22, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110915190127/http://mcachicago.org/performances/past.php |archive-date=September 15, 2011 }}

In September 2022, the MCA Stage hosted the first annual Chicago Performs, a two-day festival of experimental dance, music, and theater that included admission to the museum and other related programs.{{Cite web |last=Hoyer |first=Sharon |date=September 7, 2022 |title=The Necessity of Joy: Chicago Performs Debuts at the MCA {{!}} Newcity Stage |url=https://www.newcitystage.com/2022/09/07/the-necessity-of-joy-chicago-performs-debuts-at-the-mca/ |access-date=March 20, 2023 |language=en-US }} The festival spotlighted three local artists whose multi-disciplinary performance pieces were shown within the museum in a series of ticketed and non-ticketed performances.{{Cite web |title=Chicago Performs {{!}} Art in Chicago |url=https://www.timeout.com/chicago/art/chicago-performs |access-date=March 20, 2023 |website=Time Out Chicago |date=September 12, 2022 |language=en-US }}

Every spring, MCA presents an annual suite of live, digital, and durational performance works in its On Stage series.{{Cite web |last=George |first=Doug |title=MCA brings back 'On Stage' performances, including a dance work with barbed wire |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/museums/ct-ent-mca-stage-season-20211201-pfatfhfnvvaf5a7waxscikhfum-story.html |access-date=March 20, 2023 |website=Chicago Tribune |date=December 2021 }} Both Chicago Performs and On Stage are yearly programs at the Museum.{{Cite web |last=Paige |first=Jameson |title=The MCA Chicago's Inaugural Chicago Performs Debuts Local Performance Art |url=https://www.culturedmag.com/article/2022/07/27/the-mca-chicagos-inaugural-chicago-performs-debuts-local-performance-art |access-date=March 20, 2023 |website=www.culturedmag.com |language=en }}

The five-story limestone and cast-aluminum structure was designed by Berlin architect Josef Paul Kleihues. The building, which opened in 1996, contains {{convert|45000|sqft|m2|-2}} of gallery space (seven times the space of the old museum), a theater, studio-classrooms, an education center, a museum store, a restaurant-café, and a sculpture garden.{{cite web |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/information/bldg.php?page=ibuild |title=The Building |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago |access-date=August 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320013801/http://www.mcachicago.org/information/bldg.php?page=ibuild |archive-date=March 20, 2012 |url-status=dead }} The MCA building was Kleihues's first American structure. Its construction cost US$46.5 million (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|46.5|1996|r=1}}}} million today).{{cite web |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CTRB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB427ACA5EF16B2&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420 |title=Plants Act As Colorful 'Gallery' Walls For Sculpture In New MCA Garden |access-date=May 16, 2009 |date=June 30, 1996 |work=Chicago Tribune |author=Rodkin, Dennis }} The sculpture garden, which is {{convert|34000|sqft|m2}},{{cite web |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:ADHB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0ED0277EB4D714D3&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420 |title='Noble and modest' - That was the architect's vision for the new Museum of Contemporary- Art . Even by his own modest account, he has succeeded |access-date=May 16, 2009 |date=July 1, 1996 |work=Daily Herald |author=Bianchi, Laura }} includes a sculptural installation by Sol LeWitt and sculptures by George Rickey and Jane Highstein. The floor plan of both the building and the sculpture garden is a square, on which the proportions of the building is based.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yd6jhiw_ByAC&q=josef+paul+kleihues+acropolis&pg=PA81 |author=Naredi-Rainer, Paul von |access-date=August 5, 2011 |title=A Design Manual: Museum Buildings |year=2004 |publisher=Birkhäuser |isbn=9783764365806 }}

The building's main entrance, which is accessed by scaling 32 steps, uses both symmetry and transparency as themes for its large central glass walls that compose the majority of both the east and west façades of the building. Two additional entrances—into the education center and into the museum store—are located on either side of the main staircase. The monumental staircase with projecting bays and plinths that may be used as the base for sculpture is reminiscent of the Propylaia of the Acropolis of Athens. The main level entry hall has an adjacent {{convert|55|ft|m|1|adj=on}} atrium that connects it to a restaurant in the rear of the building. Two galleries for temporary exhibitions flank the atrium. The stairwell in the northwest corner is often cited as the buildings most interesting and dynamic artistic feature. The elevated views of Lake Michigan are considered to be a rewarding feature of the building. The building's {{convert|56|ft|m|1|adj=on}} glass facade sits atop {{convert|16|ft|m|1}} of Indiana limestone.{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VVJD-cyLovwC&q=Josef%20Paul%20Kleihues%20%22Museum%20of%20Contemporary%20Art%22%20Chicago&pg=PA47 |title=Pocket guide to Chicago architecture |page=47 |author=McBrien, Judith Paine |isbn=978-0-393-73155-2 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |chapter=Museum of Contemporary Art |year=2004 }} The building is known for its hand-cast aluminum panels adjoined to the facade with stainless steel buttons. The building has two two-story gallery spaces and a smaller one-story gallery space on the second floor. The third floor has a gallery and exhibition space in its northwest section, and the fourth floor has two large galleries, an exhibition space on the west side of the building, and a gallery in the southwest section.

The museum has a 296-seat multi-use theater with a proscenium-layout stage. The seats are laid out in 14 rows with two side aisles. The stage is {{convert|52|x|34|ft|m}} and elevated {{convert|36|in|m}} above the floor level of the first row of seats. The house has a 12 degree incline. The stage has three curtains and four catwalks.{{cite web |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/tech/ |title=Technical Overview |access-date=September 17, 2009 |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090826152219/http://www.mcachicago.org/tech/ |archive-date=August 26, 2009 }} For its 50th anniversary in 2017, the museum unveiled a $16 million renovation by architects Johnston Marklee, which redesigned {{convert|12000|sqft}} within the existing footprint of the original Joseph Paul Kleihues design.{{Cite news |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/museums/ct-ae-museum-of-contemporary-art-review-kamin-0907-20170907-column.html |title=MCA's sensitive $16M renovation reflects how audiences interact with art, and each other |last=Kamin |first=Blair |work=chicagotribune.com |access-date=February 15, 2018 |language=en-US }}

In 2017, the MCA commissioned architects Johnston Marklee to redesign select public spaces of the museum to create three major offerings: Marisol, the ground-floor destination restaurant with an immersive art environment by international artist Chris Ofili; a social engagement space called the Commons on the second floor with an installation by Pedro y Juana; and a new third floor with classrooms and a flexible meeting space that puts learning at the very center of the museum. This major $16-million renovation converted {{convert|12000|sqft}} of interior space and coincided with the MCA's 50th anniversary.{{Cite news |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/museums/ct-ae-museum-of-contemporary-art-review-kamin-0907-20170907-column.html |title=MCA's sensitive $16M renovation reflects how audiences interact with art, and each other |last=Kamin |first=Blair |work=chicagotribune.com |access-date=April 19, 2018 |language=en-US }}

Complaining that the structure has a more fortress-like exterior than the museum's earlier home, Kamin viewed the architectural attempt as a fumbled work. However, he considered the interior to be serene and contemplative in a manner that complements the contemporary art and compact and organized in a manner that is an improvement on the more traditional mazelike museums. Comparing the building to the Sullivan Center and the Art Institute of Chicago Building, Kamin describes the museum as an homage to two of Chicago's architectural influences: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Louis Sullivan. Other critics also note the presence of Mies van der Rohe's spirit in the architecture.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nf4qm1thuzYC&q=Josef%20Paul%20Kleihues%20%22Museum%20of%20Contemporary%20Art%22%20Chicago&pg=RA5-PA224 |title=The architecture traveler: a guide to 250 key 20th century American buildings |publisher=W.W. Norton & Company |isbn=978-0-393-73050-0 |page=224 |author=LeBlanc, Sydney |year=2000 }}

Chicago-based architect Douglas Garofalo has described the building as stark, intimidating and "incongruous with contemporary sensibilities".{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ni4H4CLQt3gC&q=Josef+Paul+Kleihues+%22Museum+of+Contemporary+Art%22+Chicago&pg=PA9 |title=Between the museum and the city |access-date=October 18, 2009 |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-933856-82-0 |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago |author=Garofalo, Douglas |pages=11–18 }} The interior atrium, which the architect claims links the city to the lake is part of a transcendent space that benefits from the sunlight that enters through the high glass walls. The building is said to be designed to separate the art from other distracting services and functions of the venue. Kamin was also pleased with the separate entrances on the main floor for the museum store and accessibility entrances.

MCA’s mission statement describes itself as “an innovative and compelling center of contemporary art where the public can experience the work and ideas of living artists, and understand the historical, social, and cultural context of the art of our time.{{Cite web |title=MCA - Vision and Mission |url=https://mcachicago.org/about/mission |access-date=2023-02-06 |website=mcachicago.org }}” In keeping with the museum’s vision of a creative and diverse future, MCA is a leader in collecting works by historically underrepresented artists “with rates more than twice the national average for the work of women (25 percent of acquisitions), four times the national average for Black American artists (almost 10 percent), and seven times the national average for the work of Black American female artists (3.6 percent).”{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Melissa |date=December 21, 2022 |title='It Takes Two Villages': How the MCA Chicago Transformed Its Collection at Unprecedented Speed to Better Reflect Its Audience |url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/it-takes-two-villages-how-the-mca-chicago-transformed-its-collection-2232738 |access-date=February 6, 2023 |website=Artnet News |language=en-US }}

Announced by the Chicago Tribune in June 2011, the MCA initiated the process of reinventing its identity with new curators, a new floor plan, and a new vision. MCA Director Madeleine Grynsztejn stated the museum sought to be 50/50 artist-activated/audience-engaged. The main floor's north and south galleries present exhibitions showcasing the museum's permanent collection and work by post-emerging contemporary artists. The third floor is for the Chicago Works series. The fourth floor has gallery spaces for the MCA Screen and MCA DNA series, while the main barrel-vaulted galleries is for special exhibitions.{{cite web |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/art/ct-ae-0612-mca-main-20110610,0,6577602.story?page=1 |author=Viera, Lauren |work=Chicago Tribune |title=MCA 2.0 |date=June 10, 2011 |access-date=August 5, 2011 }}

The museum's collection consists of about 2,700 objects, as well as more than 3,000 artist's books. The collection includes works of art from 1945 to the present.{{cite web |author=Museum of Contemporary Art Website |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/collection.php |title=MCA Collection Highlights |access-date=May 16, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504032628/http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/collection.php |archive-date=May 4, 2009 }}

Former MCA Chief Curator Elizabeth A. T. Smith provided a narrative of the museum's collection.{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0016CHHA2 |title=Life Death Love Hate Pleasure Pain: Selected Works from the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago |access-date=May 16, 2009 |year=2003 |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago |author=Smith, Elizabeth }} She says the collection has examples of late surrealism, pop art, minimalism, and conceptual art from the 1940s through the 1970s; work from the 1980s that can be grouped under postmodernism; and painting, sculpture, photography, video, installation, and related media current artists explore.{{cite web |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/interviews/ldlhpp.html |title=Life Death Love Hate Pleasure Pain: Selected Works from the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago |access-date=May 16, 2009 |year=2005 |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081025042923/http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/interviews/ldlhpp.html |archive-date=October 25, 2008 }}

• Study for a Portrait, 1949, by Francis Bacon
• Les merveilles de la nature (The Wonders of Nature), 1953, René Magritte{{cite web |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/collection.php?artname=Magritte,%20Ren%E9&page=sele |title=Magritte, René |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art |access-date=August 5, 2011}}{{Dead link|date=September 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• Polychrome and Horizontal Bluebird, 1954, by Alexander Calder
• In Memory of My Feelings - Frank O'Hara, 1961, by Jasper Johns
• Retroactive II, 1963, by Robert Rauschenberg
• Jackie Frieze, 1964, by Andy Warhol{{cite web |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/collection.php?artname=Warhol,%20Andy&page=sele |title=Warhol, Andy |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art |access-date=August 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101228160114/http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/collection.php?artname=Warhol,%20Andy&page=sele |archive-date=December 28, 2010 |url-status=dead }}
• Untitled, 1970, Donald Judd
• Untitled Film Still, #14, 1978, by Cindy Sherman{{cite web |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/collection.php?artname=Sherman,%20Cindy&page=sele |title=Sherman, Cindy |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art |access-date=August 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101228160551/http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/collection.php?artname=Sherman,%20Cindy&page=sele |archive-date=December 28, 2010 |url-status=dead }}
• Farmer's Dream, 1980, by Richard Hunt
• Rabbit, 1986, by Jeff Koons{{cite web |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/collection.php?artname=Koons,%20Jeff&page=sele |title=Koons, Jeff |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art |access-date=August 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101228144553/http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/collection.php?artname=Koons,%20Jeff&page=sele |archive-date=December 28, 2010 |url-status=dead }}
• Cindy, 1988, by Chuck Close{{cite web |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/work_detail.php?id=27&artname=&page= |title=Close, Chuck |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art |access-date=February 5, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927222651/http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/work_detail.php?id=27&artname=&page= |archive-date=September 27, 2007 }}
• Presenting Negro Scenes Drawn Upon My Passage through the South and Reconfigured for the Benefit of Enlightened Audiences Wherever Such May Be Found, By Myself, Missus K.E.B. Walker, Colored, 1997, by Kara Walker{{cite web |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/collection.php?artname=Walker,%20Kara&page=sele |title=Walker, Kara |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art |access-date=August 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101228153024/http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/collection.php?artname=Walker,%20Kara&page=sele |archive-date=December 28, 2010 |url-status=dead }}Smith, Elizabeth. Life Death Love Hate Pleasure Pain: Selected works from the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago: 2003.

During the 2008 fiscal year, the MCA celebrated its 40th anniversary, which inspired gifts of works by artists such as Dan Flavin, Alfredo Jaar, and Thomas Ruff. Additionally, the museum expanded its collection by acquiring the work of some of the artists it presented during its anniversary celebration such as Carlos Amorales, Tony Oursler, and Adam Pendleton.{{cite web |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/annual_2008/curatorial.html |title=Museum of Contemporary Art Annual Report Fiscal Year 2008:Curatorial Report |access-date=September 16, 2009 |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809132734/http://www.mcachicago.org/annual_2008/curatorial.html |archive-date=August 9, 2011 }} In 2022, collector and entrepreneur Dimitris Daskalopoulos gifted to the MCA Chicago 100 works from the D.Daskalopoulos Collection. The Museum acquired joint ownership of the pieces with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.{{Cite web |date=April 13, 2022 |title=Daskalopoulos's great giveaway: Greek collector donates 350 works to Tate, Guggenheim, MCA Chicago and EMST in Athens |url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/04/13/daskalopouloss-great-giveawaygreek-collector-donates-350-works-to-tate-guggenheim-mca-chicago-and-emst-in-athens |access-date=November 9, 2022 |website=The Art Newspaper - International art news and events }}

The board of trustees is composed of 6 officers, 16 life trustees, and more than 46 trustees. The current board chair is Cari B. Sacks.{{Cite web |last=George |first=Doug |date=July 13, 2021 |title=MCA Chicago elects Cari Sacks as new board chair |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/museums/ct-ent-mca-chicago-new-board-chair-20210713-ky4p3kaldfhcjiqosfgwtz22fu-story.html |access-date=March 17, 2023 |website=Chicago Tribune }}

• 1998–2008: Robert Fitzpatrick
• 2008–present: Madeleine Grynsztejn{{cite web |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/annual_2008/director.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125104810/http://mcachicago.org/annual_2008/director.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 25, 2010 |title=Museum of Contemporary Art Annual Report Fiscal Year 2008:Letter From The Director |access-date=September 16, 2009 |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago }}

The museum has a director, who oversees the MCA's staff of about 100. The museum operates with three programming departments: Curatorial, Performance, and Learning and Public Programs. The curatorial staff consists of James W. Alsdorf Chief Curator René Morales,{{Cite web |last=Vire |first=Kris |date=January 27, 2022 |title=The MCA Gets a Fresh Set of Eyes |url=https://www.chicagomag.com/chicago-magazine/february-2022/the-mca-gets-a-fresh-set-of-eyes/ |access-date=March 17, 2023 |website=Chicago Magazine |language=en-US }} Manilow Senior Curator Jamillah James,{{Cite web |last=Warnecke |first=Lauren |date=November 17, 2021 |title=MCA announces new top curators to lead the museum |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/museums/ct-ent-curator-appointments-2021-20211117-dt4n5rqyijhilknugq44mdkoga-story.html |access-date=March 17, 2023 |website=Chicago Tribune }} Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator Carla Acevedo Yates,{{Cite web |last=Selvin |first=Claire |date=May 28, 2019 |title=MCA Chicago Hires Carla Acevedo-Yates as Curator |url=https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/mca-chicago-carla-acevedo-yates-curator-12651/ |access-date=March 17, 2023 |website=ARTnews.com |language=en-US }} Curator of Performance Tara Aisha Willis,{{Cite web |last=Greene |first=Morgan |date=October 12, 2017 |title=Meet Tara Aisha Willis, a well-timed new curator for the MCA Stage |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/ct-ent-tara-willis-mca-curator-20171011-story.html |access-date=March 17, 2023 |website=Chicago Tribune }} Pamela Alper Associate Curator Bana Kattan,{{Cite web |last=Sosan |first=Bolaji |date=November 23, 2021 |title=MCA Chicago Appoints René Morales and Jamillah James |url=https://www.socialifechicago.com/mca-chicago-appoints-new-key-leaders-to-curatorial-team/ |access-date=March 17, 2023 |website=SociaLifeChicago {{!}} The Best of Chicago Society, Fashion, Luxury Lifestyle, Travel |language=en-US }} and Assistant Curator Jadine Collingwood.{{Cite web |title=The MCA Gets a Fresh Set of Eyes |url=https://www.chicagomag.com/chicago-magazine/february-2022/the-mca-gets-a-fresh-set-of-eyes/ |access-date=March 17, 2023 |website=Chicago Magazine |language=en-US }}

The museum is closed Mondays and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays through Sundays, with extended hours of operation on Tuesdays until 9 p.m.{{Cite web |title=Visit |url=https://visit.mcachicago.org/ |access-date=March 17, 2023 |website=MCA Chicago |language=en }} While the museum has no mandatory admission charge, suggested admission is $15 for adults and $8 for students, teachers and seniors. Admission is free for MCA members, members of the military and all youth, 18 and under. It currently provides free admission to Illinois residents every Tuesday.{{cite web |url=https://mcachicago.org/Visit |title=General Visitor Information |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121231115/https://mcachicago.org/Visit |archive-date=November 21, 2018 |url-status=dead |access-date=January 8, 2019 }} During the summers, the museum provides free outdoor Tuesday Jazz concerts.{{cite web |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/programs/event_detail.php?id=22&page=genev |title=Tuesdays on the Terrace |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art |access-date=September 17, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090629235137/http://www.mcachicago.org/programs/event_detail.php?id=22&page=genev |archive-date=June 29, 2009 }} In addition to art exhibits, the museum offers dance, theater, music, and multidisciplinary arts. The programming includes primary projects and festivals of a broad spectrum of artists presented in performance, discussion, and workshop formats.{{cite web |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/annual_2008/performance.html |title=Museum of Contemporary Art Annual Report Fiscal Year 2008:Performance Report |access-date=September 17, 2009 |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125104635/http://mcachicago.org/annual_2008/performance.html |archive-date=November 25, 2010 }}

The museum operates as a tax-exempt non-profit organization, and its exhibitions, programming, and operations are member-supported and privately funded.{{cite web |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/information/about.php?page=abt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060930233809/http://www.mcachicago.org/information/about.php?page=abt |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 30, 2006 |title=About the MCA |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art |access-date=September 17, 2009 }}

In 2020, the museum's endowment was at $127 million.Steve Johnson and Howard Reich (July 23, 2020), [https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-ent-arts-institutions-endowment-spending-covid-19-0726-20200723-cru5ceu74neo7p2xqo25vbs7la-story.html As the Art Institute, CSO, others work to find a way through the financial struggle, their locked away piggy banks remain mostly off limits] Chicago Tribune. In 2009, it reported $17.5 million in both operating income, 50% of which came from contributions, and operating expenses.{{cite web |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/annual_2009/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125062509/http://mcachicago.org/annual_2009/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 25, 2010 |title=Museum of Contemporary Art Annual Report Fiscal Year 2009:Financial Information |access-date=July 22, 2011 |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago }} Contributions were received from individuals, corporations, foundations, government entities, and fundraising.{{cite web |url=http://www.mcachicago.org/annual_2008/donors.html |title=Museum of Contemporary Art Annual Report Fiscal Year 2008:A Year of Support |access-date=September 17, 2009 |publisher=Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125104519/http://mcachicago.org/annual_2008/donors.html |archive-date=November 25, 2010 }} In 2016, the museum reported $23 million in both operating income and operating expenses. 60.3% came from contributions.{{Cite web |url=https://mcachicago.org/Publications/Annual-Reports |title=Annual Reports |website=MCA |language=en |access-date=April 18, 2018 }}

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