Los Angeles Times, June 6, 2013—”Some bubbles are harder to burst than others. After a four-year run as director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Richard Koshalek says he is returning to California — and just might bring with him a version of the inflatable event space that he had championed in Washington, D.C.

Koshalek originally envisioned the Bubble, designed by Diller Scofidio & Renfro, as a pavilion for cultural programming that would be erected in the Hirshhorn courtyard two months every fall. But this week its parent institution, the Smithsonian, nixed plans to realize the innovative addition, citing lack of funding for the $12.5-million project.

Koshalek resigned last month when the writing was on the wall. His last day in the Hirshhorn’s top job is June 29, and he returns to California — he still has a home in Pasadena — the first week of September. […]

Koshalek has deep roots in the L.A. area, prompting some reporters to conclude (incorrectly, he said) that the first Tech Tent would go up in Southern California. From 1999 until 2009, he served as the president of Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design. Previously, he was director of the Museum of Contemporary Art for nearly two decades, where he built a curatorial team that included Paul Schimmel and Ann Goldstein.

And what about rumors that he might take on the job of MOCA director if current head Jeffrey Deitch steps down? He said he has had conversations with museum leaders about the beleaguered institution’s next steps but would not discuss details.

“I don’t think I would return as director,” he added. “But if there’s the possibility that I could make a contribution in some other form, I would seriously consider it.”