The Museum of Contemporary Art began as the Center for Contemporary art in a single gallery space in 1981. In 1996, the museum opened a new building, following the establishment of its permanent collection in 1995. The museum was directed by art historian and curator Bonnie Clearwater from 1993 until 2013. Clearwater considered MOCA an "education museum", and under her directorship the institution was awarded an IMLS National Medal for Museum and Library Service in 2012. MOCA has presented solo and survey exhibitions by artists including Bill Viola, Tracey Emin, Edouard Duval-Carrié, Virginia Overton, Purvis Young, and Wangechi Mutu, and many others. In 2008, the institution received a $5 million endowment from the Knight Exhibition Series, supporting exhibitions of work by emerging artists, the development of new public programs, enhanced school programs, and the presentation of lectures, performances, and film screenings. MOCA's Optic Nerve was recognized as an important forum for emerging artists working in film. Over 220 artists have been featured in this series, many of them publicly presenting their work for the first time. In Fall 2014, some members of the museum's board of trustees split and established a new arts organization, the Institute of Contemporary Art, in Miami's Design District. In a settlement, approximately 70% of MOCA's 700 works remained in MOCA's collection, and 200 pieces were to be held by the new organization. In January 2018, the City ofNorth Miami appointed Chana Budgazad Sheldon, previously executive director of the Miami alternative exhibition spaceLocust Projects, as MOCA's director.
Outreach
MOCA has several different outreach programs in and around Miami that help teach the community to use creative expression as a tool for better communication and empowerment. Women on the Rise! is a program centered around girls ages 12–18 who are served by social justice organizations, where they are encouraged to engage in conversations about body image, relationships, and culture while being exposed to the work of contemporary female artists, visiting exhibitions, and meeting noted women artists. Artcorps, is a newer outreach program, modeled after Women on the Rise!, aimed to serve teen and young adult males by engaging them in dialogues focused on social awareness and improving social and communication skills while exposing them to Contemporary Art. MOCA also works with mentally and physically challenged children, teens and adults through HeART to HeART. This program partners with Jewish Community Services of North Miami and the Miami-Date County Public Schools Exceptional Student Education program year-round, and consists of 90-minute workshops that include tours of MOCA and hands-on art projects that are designed to improve social, cognitive and motor skills. In addition to these three outreach programs, MOCA has partnered with Miami-Date County Public Schools to support in-school programs in museum and communications studies.
