Now located in a breathtaking waterfront setting, and among the oldest museums in the United States dedicated solely to contemporary art, ICA has for more than 75 years presented contemporary art in all media—visual arts, performance, film, video, and literature.
Though founded in 1936, the ICA initiated formation of its permanent collection in 2006. Offering a diverse overview of national and international artworks in a range of media, the collection provides an important resource for contemporary culture in Boston. The collection is particularly strong in art by women, with specific depth in work by Louise Bourgeois, Mona Hatoum, Nan Goldin, Doris Salcedo, and Cindy Sherman.
A seasonal satellite space called the ICA Watershed opened in 2018. Located in the Boston Harbor Shipyard and Marina in East Boston, the ICA Watershed transformed a 15,000-square-foot, formerly condemned space into a new civic and cultural asset. Each summer, the ICA will invite one artist to create a site-specific work or installation.
Please check the museum website for updated exhibition information. Scheduling may have been modified as a result of the temporary museum closure.
Work that speaks to contemporary social and political dynamics
Exploring the relationship between object and viewer
A new, interconnected body of paintings, works on paper, and artist books.
Envisioning a new approach to contemporary art in the Caribbean diaspora
Delving into the historical narratives of the Atlantic basin
50-yr retrospective featurings monumental multi-channel video installations
Contemporary artists play with words to animate and expand their art practices
A multipart experimental weaving developed in response to the architecture of the museum
Part of a filmic trilogy inspired by Herman Melville’s classic 1851 American novel, Moby Dick
Found materials become intricate soft sculptures, quilts, masks, and other assemblages
Small paintings, drawings &d prints, and a selection of sketchbooks, from 1987 - 2021