Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

Each year, MCASD organizes an exhibition of artworks proposed for purchase by the Museum. The title Prospect suggests both searching and potential—perhaps, the promise of contemporary art to mark and advance time. These prospects—six pieces —are displayed in dialogue with artworks already in the Museum’s holdings, helping to contextualize how a collection might deepen and expand. The selection reveals both curatorial priorities and directions in current art practice.

Prospect 2024 features artwork by Mario Ayala (b. 1991), Tidawhitney Lek (b. 1992), Suchitra Mattai (b. 1973), Sandy Rodriguez (b. 1975), Shizu Saldmando (b. 1978), and Pae White (b. 1963). In this eclectic grouping, the artists are not thematically linked, although each brings the familiar into the work, whether through images or materials of our urban and natural world.

While MCASD hopes to acquire all the works, in this process, the decision is made by the members of the Director’s Circle, a support group comprised of the International and Contemporary Collectors. A portion of their annual dues creates the acquisition fund. In turn, the Collectors can vote for their favored work. They will cast their votes at this celebratory Selection Dinner, determining which pieces will be brought into the Museum’s collection.

Since the group’s inception, the Director’s Circle has generously gifted 141 artworks to the Museum, many of which have become cornerstones of the collection.