De-mystifying Collectors’ Group Gifts the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

by A.Martinez

Every year, a group of collectors fund an acquisition for the MCA. Chicago Art Magazine sat down with Julie Rodriguez Widholm to see what goes on in the process choosing, discussing, gaining consensus for the piece for the MCA. It illustrates the relationship between collector and the MCA, a long-standing tradition that shapes the MCA.

Julie Rodriguez Widholm: Almost since the beginning of the MCA we’ve had a collector group called ‘The Collector’s Forum’, a kind of a social and educational group. And every year they would pull together funds to buy work for the museum’s collection. Also, four or five years ago, a smaller more discussion-based group called ‘Verge’ was formed with younger collectors and a lower budget acquisition. We found that over time that ‘The Collector’s Forum’ and ‘Verge’ were doing the same thing, so we essentially dismantled both of them and started from scratch to bring out the best of both groups, and created Emerge.”

The focus of Emerge is to concentrate on the MCA and their interests, their tag line is “bringing artists, curators and collectors together.” The group’s charter is to inform collectors, and the public, of the interests and happenings at the MCA.

JRW: “Probably about 75% of our collection are outright gifts of what people collect, so if we can inform our interested audience and donors what we want, they’ll go out and collect it.”

“My role with the group is their annual acquisition; in a series of four or five meetings we’re talking about specific artists and a specific budget range. We’re very deliberate in what we get. So I’m hoping they’ll better understand [our process], while also being able to learn about new artists and feel comfortable discussing them and proposing artists.”

Emerge is different from “The Collector’s Forum” due to the process of voting; Emerge is a back-and-forth vote between the curatorial department and this committee. In the past, it was hard to get some collector’s to consider the work of certain artists, and still, if something is too ‘out there” for most tastes, the voting goes to a different type of work. Whomever gets the  majority vote goes to the next round.

The process of Emerge ensures that the vote is informed on many levels of artistic knowledge and understanding. The overall process goes something like this:

JRW: “We’ll talk. And actually, I will bring their suggestions to my department and we will combine it with our wish list, and at the next meeting, the curatorial department will have whittle down to maybe ten or twelve [pieces]. Then the group gets to decide, among those ten or twelve, what the final three will be. The final three will be brought to the museum and we’ll install it at the annual meeting, which is in April or May. The whole membership votes on their favorite piece, and whichever work gets the most votes comes into the collection.”

Most of the process is kept private, between the curators and the collectors, it’s only after it’s been narrowed down to the final three that the decision be opened up to the public membership. Although, right before the works are voted on at the annual meeting in March, all three pieces on display for voters to see. But the rest of the process, although not public, isn’t just an exclusive group;

JRW: “Emerge is open to anybody. We’re really enthusiastic about new people joining.”

To find out more about donating to the MCA and becoming a part of Emerge click here – http://www.mcachicago.org/emerge/index.php?page=emerge

JRW has worked in “The Collector’s Forum” for the past four years, in which they’ve acquired pieces from such artists as: Thomas Houseago, Kota Ezawa, Carlos Amorales, and Abraham Cruzvillegas. The latter will be on view this summer at the MCA in Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art: Form, Balance, Joy

In March, Chicago Art Magazine will cover the public aspects of the process: from the presentation of last three pieces to final decision.