The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston

07/09/2025

Beginning this Saturday, explore the world of Big Baby, our newest Bank of America Art Lab installation inspired by the Wampanoag legend on how Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard came to be.

On Saturday, meet artist and author Robert Peters, and bring your own landmasses to life with clay and other materials. See you there → https://loom.ly/EyN_9X4

Step into the world of Big Baby by artist Robert Peters —a reimagination of the Wampanoag legend of Maushop, a giant who is said to have shaped the areas now known as Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha’s… more

07/07/2025

Every suitcase tells a story. Inspired by Chiharu Shiota’s own move from Japan to Germany with a single suitcase, “Accumulation—Searching for the Destination” features vintage suitcases suspended by red ropes that gently sway, signifying the uncertainty and anticipation of new beginnings. Each suitcase holds traces of past lives and stories, connecting us to the human presence behind the journey.

Experience how Shiota transforms everyday objects into powerful metaphors for movement, memory, and hope at the ICA Watershed this summer → https://loom.ly/cjASjXs

Chiharu Shiota, Accumulation – Searching for the Destination (detail), 2014/2025. Installation view, Chiharu Shiota: Home Less Home, the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, 2025. Photo by Timothy Schenck. © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn

07/03/2025

🎶 Summer nights with incredible live music await! Join us for Harborwalk Sounds, our FREE summer concert series beginning next Thursday, featuring the brightest talents from Berklee College of Music. 🌊✨

Plan your visit → https://loom.ly/QVx7Uhk

📸: Lauren Miller

Enjoy the ocean breeze and hear musicians from Berklee College of Music perform on the waterfront. Free, no tickets required. View upcoming dates.

07/01/2025

There’s a new seat at the table! Kazumi Tanaka’s handcrafted installation “Communion” was initially installed for our exhibition in January with only two floating plates to represent the last Shakers at Sabbathday Lake sharing a meal, and we recently added a third plate to reflect their newest member.

Tanaka found inspiration in the simplicity and timelessness within the Shaker lifestyle during her 1996 residency, and her work often traces the passing of time in simple yet profound ways.

See “Communion” while you still can! “Believers: Artists and the Shakers” is on view through August 3 → https://loom.ly/IEtULg0

06/30/2025

It's all about the color coordination! 🎨 Stanley Whitney carefully considers the color relationships within his works and so did you! Keep sending us your favorite shots matching Whitney's vibrant compositions! Hue did it best?

"Stanley Whitney: How High the Moon" is on view through September 1 → https://loom.ly/1hhrLRA

Photos by Lauren Miller / May Sun / Jai Hart / Ally Schmaling

06/27/2025

Racers, it’s lights out and away we go!

In this new work created for our exhibition, Sara Cwynar fragments the iconic, cherry red Formula 1 Ferrari 641/2 in MoMA The Museum of Modern Art's collections, combining layers of images and assembled objects photographed from above. Cwynar’s work often focuses on the appearance and surface of objects or reality, and she found inspiration in how MoMA owned just the chassis, or frame, of this race car within their collection.

Take a closer look in person → https://loom.ly/r2gmX0g

Installation view, Sara Cwynar: Alphabet, the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, 2025. Photo by Mel Taing.

06/25/2025

Dance, fashion, and art collide at First Fridays: Carnival and Couture! 💃🎭✨ Dress to impress, sip by the seaside, and snap a photo in the Chase booth as we celebrate our 11th year with Boston Caribbean Fashion Week

Tickets are going fast — don’t miss out → https://loom.ly/wlmtKnY

📸: Lauren Miller
ICA First Fridays are presented by Chase

Tickets will go on sale June 18 for ICA Members and June 25 for the general public. Please note: First Fridays will take place on 7/11 due to the Fourth of July holiday. Dress to impress and… more

06/24/2025

See art in the making! Next week, renowned artists and dancers Eiko Otake and DonChristian Jones will be at the ICA to develop new work as part of our annual performance residency program.

On Tuesday, July 1, explore movement with the artists in a free workshop designed to focus awareness and coordination, and on Saturday, July 6, drop in for a sneak peek on their new collaboration inspired by the ever-changing nature of water and the body as a river of memories.

Learn more → https://loom.ly/g6s58j8

Photo by William Johnston

Explore upcoming events at the Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston. We offer art-making, music, dance, First Fridays, talks, tours, free events + more.

06/23/2025

"Chiharu Shiota has drawn a simple shape in thin air and at monumental scale." — The New York Times

This weekend, hear from ICA Chief Curator Ruth Erickson herself at the Watershed in a free gallery talk! Learn more about how Shiota uses thread to tell stories of travel, consciousness, and home. A live Spanish translation will be offered at this event.

Plan your visit → https://loom.ly/cbZRyBU

Photo by Chris Cardoza

Join Ruth Erickson, ICA Barbara Lee Chief Curator, for an overview of Chiharu Shiota: Home Less Home at the ICA Watershed. In this drop-in program, Erickson will unpack how the artist uses thread to tell stories of… more

06/20/2025

Discover “surprising color relationships, a wealth of varied edges, nuances of paint application” and more in “Stanley Whitney: How High the Moon,” now on view at the ICA.

Read The Wall Street Journal feature → https://loom.ly/U36_sLI

The American painter’s first major retrospective, now at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, paints a thorough portrait of his artistic progression.

06/18/2025

Celebrate Juneteenth with us tomorrow! Visit the ICA for free all day, and enjoy a full day packed with excitement, including DJ set from DJ Rayvino and Mez.Wav, live performances by Kei and Miranda Rae, short films, zine fair, and more!

Tickets are free and available now, first-come first-serve → https://loom.ly/50pAQi0

Presented in partnership with Boston Ujima Project

Photograph by Lauren Miller

In partnership with the Boston Ujima Project, enjoy a day packed with excitement, including a zine fair, food vendors, short films, a DJ set by DJ Rayvino, and a special performance by Miranda Rae. Plus enjoy free… more

06/16/2025

These paintings may appear the same but how are they different?

Stanley Whitney begins each painting in the top left corner and lays down each color one at a time. He paints four horizontal rows of colorful blocks and separates these rows with sweeping lines across the canvas. Looking closely, you begin to notice all the differences—the gestures, brushstrokes, density, and drips. These paintings are not about getting somewhere but appreciating the journey.

Take a closer look in person → https://loom.ly/1hhrLRA

Installation view, Stanley Whitney: How High the Moon, the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, 2025. Photo by Mel Taing.