MFA, Jen Mergel and the ICA: Required reading

Dorchester native and Harvard grad Jen Mergel, 33, has been an associate curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston; in February she'll take over as head curator of contemporary art at the Museum of Fine Arts, which is on the verge of opening a major expansion. In the Phoenix, Greg Cook examines what this means for Mergel, the two museums - and the rest of us. "The MFA and the ICA play down any talk of a rivalry, but the move signals that a competition is brewing between the two institutions — which can only be good for Boston's art audience," Cook writes. "It also suggests that Mergel sees a new day dawning at the venerable MFA, which has acquired a reputation for giving contemporary art short shrift and breaking curators' hearts." Required reading for anyone who cares about art in Boston. (Photo: Emily Mergel)