Finishing School Presents Finding Joy,
The Collective’s Final Engagement Party Event at MOCA
Thursday, December 4, 7–10pm
MOCA Grand Avenue,
Sculpture Plaza
250 South Grand Avenue,
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Intrigued by the military term “finding joy” (referring to the successful establishment of radio contact on the battlefield), Finishing School leads a workshop in which participants build small DIY radios that will be used to detect prerecorded transmissions located throughout the museum. To generate audio content prior to the event, Finishing School will interview members of the MOCA community about what brings them joy. The public is also welcome to share their thoughts by phone; to participate, please call the Finding Joy Hotline at 213/455-2926 and follow the instructions. Hors d’oeuvres and cash bar will be available. This event is FREE and open to the public. No reservations are required.
Finishing School
Formed in late 2001, Finishing School is a collective identity that explores art, design, and technology through interventions that combine praxis, play, and activism. Finishing School attempts to demystify the experience of cultural production and engage viewers through various participatory models. Past projects have included Public Interaction Objects (2006), a series of low-tech participatory objects including meet/greet, a semi-autonomous drone designed to move through public spaces and greet individuals with multilingual salutations; The Patriot Library (2003), a working library that provides access to books, periodicals, and other media considered “dangerous” by the United States government; and Saturday School (2001), a temporary, nomadic teaching institution offering multidisciplinary classes that dissect, question, and illuminate various aspects of everyday life.
Engagement Party
Launched in October 2008, MOCA’s Engagement Party offers emerging Los Angeles–based artist collectives three-month residencies during which they present public programs at MOCA Grand Avenue on the first Thursday of each month from 7 to 10pm. Collectives may employ any medium, discipline, or strategy during their residency, resulting in programs that may include performances, workshops, screenings, lectures, or any other activity emerging from the group’s particular focus. By providing a platform for artist collectives who operate through multi-disciplinary, non-object based practices, MOCA intends to address the significant role of these practices in the contemporary cultural landscape and challenge the conventions of a collecting institution.
Engagement Party is made possible by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation. For further information, please visit www.moca.org/party or contact 213/621-1745 or education@moca.org.
Parking for MOCA Grand Avenue
Parking is recommended at the Walt Disney Concert Hall garage; $8 flat rate after 4pm. California Plaza parking garage is also available; use the entrance nearest the Omni Hotel on Olive Street.
MOCA Hours and Admission
MOCA Grand Avenue is open 11am to 5pm on Monday and Friday; 11am to 8pm on Thursday; 11am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday; and closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. General admission is free for MOCA members, children under 12, and everyone on Thursdays from 5pm to 8pm, courtesy of Wells Fargo. MOCA Pacific Design Center is open 11am to 5pm Tuesday through Friday; 11am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday; and closed on Monday. Admission to MOCA Pacific Design Center is always free. The Geffen Contemporary is open whenever there are appropriate exhibitions for that space. For 24-hour information on current exhibitions, education programs, and special events, call 213/626-6222 or access MOCA online at moca.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Elizabeth Hinckley
Tel 310/854-8199
ehinckley@rogersandcowan.com
Lyn Winter
Tel 213/633-5390
lwinter@moca.org
