A Whole City

1980s Artists Exhibitions Ontario Street

Judy Freeman recalls a site-specific work by Charles Simonds in the MCA's Ontario Street building.

I'm currently the president of the North Side affiliate, and I have been for about 35 years, but it was just when the affiliate groups were starting, and it was recommended that I get involved in it, which I did, and I've been involved for a long time.

So my involvement not only was with enjoying the artists that were being shown, but the idea of also contributing a little bit of input into the MCA and their programming. And as far as physically, the one thing that I really remember—I mean, I remember several exhibits, but the Charles Simonds, I don't know if anybody's ever mentioned that, but there was a—he was an artist who worked with imaginary villages that he created that were in the brick of the old MCA on Ontario, which was I think it was like an old bakery. So there was a brick—there were brick walls in what then was the cafeteria, which was about the size of my bathroom, excuse the expression. But he builds a whole Inca city within the brickwork of the museum, and I just thought it was the coolest thing, because it was a site-specific work, and it was something that was just joyous, and you had to look really hard. And I just remember thinking like that was what a museum should be.

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