Good taste put to the test in new IMA exhibit | The Gerbil

Published 3:47 pm Tuesday, March 31, 2015

By Emily Greenhorn

To some it’s breathtaking, to others it’s just bizarre. The newly erected building, now the permanent home to the once homeless Islands Museum of Art, has certainly got the town talking.

“We want to show people that we’re not alone in daring, adventurous architecture,” said IMA head of marketing Rebecca Snarks. “Great minds think alike.”

Beginning April 3, IMA’s new weekly rotating exhibit, “Ugly Architecture through the Ages: A Subjective Study” will feature a different building each week that’s sure to engender conversation.

Superimposed onto the museum’s walls, an in-depth virtual tour is the forefront of the exhibit. The chosen buildings architects will be on hand via Skype to answer any questions, and give the backstory to what inspired such bravery. Some of the buildings architects are deceased, but their ghosts will be available for feedback. Because IMA is a non-profit organization, and paying the dead architects to visit from other realms, donations are vehemently requested.

If enough interest is generated, IMA will host field trips to the buildings in the future, Snarks said.

Keeping in island theme, the first showcased building is the Big Duck in Long Island, NY. The Duck was built in 1931 by Duck Farmer Martin Mauer to attract duck egg buyers. The duck was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. Functioning now mostly as a duck history museum, the IMA board feels its building has a lot in common with the quacker.

“Because we are the first museum of its kind in the San Juans we’re hoping to eventually be added to the National Register as well,” Sparks said.

After the Big Duck will be Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia. This is Melbourne’s first public square. It’s sweeping glass atrium is of particular interest. While the building was once considered as the winner of many architectural design competitions, many Aussie’s are still skeptical of its beauty. The building has been listed as one of the 30 ugliest buildings in the world in several travel blogs.

The new exhibit is sure to beg the question of “what is art,” and should prove be a reminder that aesthetics are entirely subjective.

— Editor’s note: The Gerbil; our salute to April Fool’s Day