The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden on Wednesday finally abandoned its long-planned project to cover the museum’s interior courtyard in Washington D.C. with a distinctive, temporary inflatable bubble.
Citing financial uncertainties, Richard Kurin, the Smithsonian Institution’s under secretary for history, art and culture, made the announcement. He said outgoing director Richard Koshalek, who resigned last month after failing to receive full support for the bubble from the museum’s board of trustees, would step down as director on June 29.
In his place, Kerry Brougher, currently deputy director and chief curator, would serve as acting director while the museum seeks a successor to Mr. Koshalek, he said.
“Without the full support of the museum’s board and the funding in place for the fabrication and a viable plan for the operation of the Bubble, we believe it is irresponsible to go forward,†Mr. Kurin said in a statement.
“Architects, artists and Smithsonian staff have praised the bold vision of a temporary bubble-shaped structure on the Mall, but after four years of planning and fundraising, there was not enough funding to construct the Bubble and, more importantly, to sustain programming for years to come.â€
The bubble was known officially as the Hirshhorn’s Seasonal Inflatable Structure. Designed by the New York firm Diller Scofidio & Reenforce, it was to be erected for two months each year, and had been regarded as Mr. Koshalek’s signature project.
It would have connected the inside and the outside of the museum, which sits on the National Mall midway between the White House and the Capitol, and create a space for installations and performances.
But it was to rely almost exclusively on private funds, and after four years of fundraising the museum had only raised or received commitments for about $7.8 million of the anticipated $15 million overall cost.
One of the problems was that the temporary bubble could not draw the interest of sponsors who preferred a more permanent year-round structure, officials said.
The bubble’s prospects had already looked dim after concerns about the financial underpinning of the project caused a split in the board of trustees on May 23, prompting Mr. Koshalek’s resignation. Some had wanted to go ahead, and said not enough effort had been put into fundraising, but others wanted to focus on other priorities for the museum at a time of overall financial constraint.
The board was acting in an advisory role, and the final decision on the future of the bubble lay with Mr. Kurin, and G. Wayne Clough, the secretary of the Smithsonian, who the museum said was an early supporter of the bubble idea.
“Without the prospect of needed funding, we cannot undertake this project at the same time we are facing significant financial challenges that affect the entire Smithsonian,†Mr. Clough said in the same statement
