The news that performance and other public programming will return to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) is a sign for some that the new director, Philippe Vergne, is already returning the embattled museum  to its former strength. Vergne replaced the former director Jeffrey Deitch, whose stewarding of the institution provoked controversy and ended in his resignation. Some contended that Deitch oriented the museum too much around pop culture and celebrity, with exhibits like "Rebel" featuring the work of James France and "Art in the Streets" about graffiti. When he announced a show about disco, prestigious artists like Ed Ruscha and Barbara Kruger resigned from the museum board.

MOCA has a long history of being an "artist's museum," due to the active and experimental role of artists in its programming. For example, the ongoing MOCAtv showcases the works of artists who have not necessarily fully broken into the mainstream, such as the recent episodes by the Jogging or Ed Fornieles. It's first public event in 1983, "Available Light," was a critically acclaimed collaboration between the composer John Adams, the choreographer Lucinda Childs, and Frank Gehry. 

So far, Step and Repeat is confirmed to include such interesting artists/musicians/poets as Fred Moten, Le1f, Yung Jake, the Power Violence collective, Wu Tsang with Boychild, and a lot more. With such an impressive lineup, it's hard to imagine that Step and Repeat won't be a fun and provocative intervention into downtown LA.

More information is available here.