UCI and OCMA Take Steps Towards Merger

News Summary

The University of California, Irvine and the Orange County Museum of Art have signed a nonbinding letter of intent for a potential merger. This move aims to integrate OCMA under UCI’s control and enhance cultural and educational offerings in the community. With OCMA’s new building opening in 2022 and the upcoming California Biennial, both institutions are exploring the logistics of the merger, which could be voted on by the Board of Regents in the fall.

Irvine, California – The University of California, Irvine (UCI) and the Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) have taken a significant step towards a potential merger by signing a nonbinding letter of intent. This merger, if approved by the University of California Board of Regents in the fall, would place OCMA under UCI’s control, integrating it with UC Irvine’s Langson Institute and Museum of California Art.

This announcement comes in the wake of OCMA’s CEO, Heidi Zuckerman, announcing her decision to step down in December. As both institutions embark on this endeavor, the Orange County Museum of Art is gearing up to launch its 2025 California Biennial, titled “Desperate, Scared, But Social,” just a week after the merger announcement. According to OCMA board chair David Emmes, the partnership aims to enhance their mission and broaden educational opportunities, positioning the museum as a cultural cornerstone for the community.

The new OCMA building, which was designed by the architecture firm Morphosis, opened its doors in October 2022. The structure cost approximately $93 million and encompasses 53,000 square feet. Following its grand opening, the museum attracted over 10,000 visitors within the first 24 hours, and thanks to a generous donation from Lugano Diamonds, it will offer free admission for the first ten years. However, some architectural critics have remarked that the new building appears to be unfinished.

OCMA boasts a contemporary collection that encompasses a wider range of artworks compared to UCI’s more focused collection on California art, including pieces from the early 20th-century California Impressionist movement. Should the merger occur, UCI would scrap its current plans to construct a new museum on campus, merging these efforts into the OCMA framework.

Currently, UC Irvine is in the early phases of conducting a search for a director for its museum. However, with the prospect of a merger, the parameters of this search may soon change. Notably, OCMA has not yet initiated a search for a new CEO, but it may combine efforts with UCI’s director search should the merger move forward.

Additionally, the merger would lead to the addition of the Buck Collection to OCMA’s holdings. This significant collection comprises over 3,200 works from renowned California artists, donated to UCI in 2017 by Gerald Buck. UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman has expressed optimism regarding the partnership, emphasizing its potential to broaden access to the arts and foster future artists and scholars.

The Board of Regents is expected to cast a vote on the merger proposal in the fall. In the meantime, both institutions are engaged in exploratory discussions concerning the logistics of the merger as they work towards what could be a transformative initiative for the cultural landscape of Orange County.

This potential merger represents a strategic collaboration that could greatly benefit both UCI and OCMA, allowing for a more diverse and expansive array of artistic and educational offerings for the local community and beyond.

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Additional Resources

• The Art Newspaper: Orange County Museum Art Possible Merger
• Wikipedia: Orange County Museum of Art
• OC Register: UC Irvine OC Museum of Art Soon Might Merge
• Google Search: University of California Irvine
• LA Times: Essential Arts UC Irvine Orange County Museum Art
• Google Scholar: California art
• Encyclopedia Britannica: Contemporary Art
• Google News: UCI OCMA merger