Make MoCA part of the community

As a former director of San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), this letter on Bangkok’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) caught my attention. Though the letter writer admires the museum, I was surprised to see the remark: “MoCA might have something to offer well-off Bangkokians and tourists, but is an anomaly of the socio-economic condition of Thailand”. 

I trawled the Net for more information on the museum and found its website an unintelligible mess. I also learned through reviews that though there is a lot of enthusiasm for exhibitions, very few individuals visit the gallery. 

As someone who has been a curator and museum director, I know that educating the public is almost as important as putting together collections. I suspect MoCA is not trying hard enough to show the public that Bangkok has more to offer than just shopping malls. 

Back in 1968, as a new employee of SFMOMA, I was handed the responsibility of creating a tour guide programme for students. I realised that visiting school groups should have an enjoyable experience, in which the guide involves the children in a discussion of the piece of art they are looking at. 

So, I held art-making events and also tried to get artists involved in the process of reaching a larger audience. The events were well-received, especially by parents who wanted their children to have a well-rounded education. On one occasion, 800 children and their parents appeared on a Saturday to make “play-dough” sculpture overseen by artist Ruth Asawa. 

At SFMOMA, the guides came from the community. In order to create a similar programme in Bangkok – where volunteerism is relatively unknown – I would suggest that MoCA establish an internship programme for art students in order to introduce them to the inner workings of a museum. Also, they will get a chance to educate younger people. 

There is no reason for MoCA to not be more successful in attracting more visitors. As for the “well-off Bangkokians” referred to in the letter – they could help put the museum on the map. 

Being a private museum, MoCA should have a board of trustees, collectors and, if there’s a membership programme, then members who are involved in raising an interest in the museum. 

Everybody needs to be involved to help MoCA become part of the community so it is accessible to all – rich and poor alike. 

Robert Whyte