The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston

08/21/2025

Mark your calendars! Our new exhibitions open next week!

Explore Portia Zvavahera’s vivid dream-like paintings, and step into four new presentations commissioned by the ICA by our 2025 Foster Prize–winning artists Alison Croney Moses, Yorgos Efthymiadis, Damien Hoar de Galvan, and Sneha Shrestha (aka IMAGINE) from the greater Boston community.

See you soon → https://loom.ly/R9HbZxA

Portia Zvavahera, Tinosvetuka rusvingo, 2024. 83 7/8 x 138 1/4 inches (213 x 351.2 cm). Oil based printing ink and oil bar on linen. Courtesy the artist, Stevenson and David Zwirner. Collection of Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi, India. © Portia Zvavahera

Installation view, Alison Croney Moses: The Habits of Reframing, Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, Boston, 2023. Courtesy the artist and Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, Boston. Photo by Mel Taing. © Alison Croney Moses

08/20/2025

Summer isn’t over yet — there’s still time for one last outdoor First Fridays!

Soak up the last rays of the season with seaside dancing, drinks, music from DJ Knife and Divine Sweater, contemporary art, and more!

Tickets are available now and will go fast → https://loom.ly/xmfSuCg

Photo by Lauren Miller

Summer’s not over yet! Soak up the last rays of the season with seaside dancing, drinks, music from DJ Knife and Divine Sweater, contemporary art, and more! *Subject to availability If your company is a corporate member… more

08/18/2025

“I wanted to use the bodies of people who use the human body as a medium in their own work.” —Lucy Kim, 2018

Explore the space between the natural and artificial in this free gallery talk between Cambridge-based artist Lucy Kim and ICA Curator Erika Umali this Friday, and learn more about Kim’s work “Dr. Melissa Doft, Plastic Surgeon 1,” featured in “Portraits from the ICA Collection.”

Learn more → https://loom.ly/UtecroI

Lucy Kim, Dr. Melissa Doft, Plastic Surgeon 1 (detail), 2016. Oil paint, urethane resin, epoxy, fiberglass, wooden frame, and acrylic paint, 92 x 60 x 3 inches (233.7 x 152.4 x 7.6 cm). Acquired through the generosity of James and Audrey Foster and the General Acquisition Fund. Photo by Mel Taing © Lucy Kim

Cambridge-based artist Lucy Kim’s work explores the sometimes uncomfortable spaces between the natural and artificial. In this conversation, learn about Kim’s piece Dr. Melissa Doft, Plastic Surgeon 1, featured in the exhibition Portraits from the ICA Collection. … more

08/15/2025

You + the ICA = a perfect match? 😘💌

08/14/2025

“I wanted to find something, my own material, and I start living with string—I want to make drawings in the air.” —Chiharu Shiota

On August 21, dive into the work of internationally acclaimed artist Chiharu Shiota in a free virtual conversation between ICA chief curator Ruth Erickson and Rose Art Museum director and chief curator Gannit Ankori. The program will delve into Shiota’s powerful, site-specific installations in Boston—from her haunting 2005 piece "During Sleep" at the Rose to her current immersive exhibition "Chiharu Shiota: Home Less Home," now on view at the ICA’s Watershed.

Register now → https://loom.ly/hZVTsow

Chiharu Shiota, Accumulation – Searching for the Destination, 2014/2025 [DETAIL]. Installation view, "Chiharu Shiota: Home Less Home," The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, 2025. Photo by Philip Keith. © 2025 Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn.

08/11/2025

Guess who stopped by? On Sunday, we welcomed Mayor Wu and her family to see art on both sides of the Harbor!

Beginning at the Watershed in East Boston, they joined ICA Director Nora Burnett Abrams to explore themes of home and community through Chiharu Shiota’s breathtaking installations, before traveling to Seaport on our Water Shuttle to see the current ICA exhibitions.

We’re thrilled to share our exhibitions, programs, and space with Mayor Wu’s family and all Boston families for free every first and second Sunday, thanks to the Boston Family Days program. Learn more about the program → https://loom.ly/_gVZCp0

Photos courtesy of the Mayor's Office + ICA Staff

08/08/2025

What does home mean to you?

In Chiharu Shiota’s “Home Less Home,” make your own memories as you walk through hundreds of personal stories, photos, and documents exploring what home means to the greater Boston community. See how everyday objects like paper, furniture, and rope come together to create a stunning and immersive tribute to human connection and community.

Experience this incredible transformation of the ICA Watershed this summer while you still can → https://loom.ly/cjASjXs

Chiharu Shiota, Home Less Home, 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

08/04/2025

Go on a waterfront art adventure — for free!

Admission to the ICA is free all day on Thursday, August 7, thanks to the support of the Highland Street Foundation for August Adventures. See our stunning summer exhibitions, take a ride on our Water Shuttle, and drop in for hands-on art making!

Get free tickets → https://loom.ly/C2nfkLI

Photo by Ally Schmaling

Supported by the Highland Street Foundation, the ICA is offering FREE admission for all on Thursday, August 7. Don’t miss a jam-packed day of art and experiences! At the ICA At the Watershed (open 11 AM–5 PM)… more

07/31/2025

We are mourning the profound loss of Boston artist, educator, and activist Dana C. Chandler Jr., who passed away on June 9 at the age of 84. Among his many notable achievements, Chandler founded the African American Master Artists-in-Residence Program (AAMARP) in 1977 at Northeastern University, an in-residence program for Black artists that lives on today. This coming February, the ICA will mount an in-depth exhibition dedicated to AAMARP, spotlighting Chandler’s impact and legacy as an artist and the catalyst behind a vibrant, community-minded art space.

Learn more about his life and legacy in Bay State Banner → https://loom.ly/iA3OwHU

When Boston artist and social activist Dana Chandler Jr. died on June 9 at the age of 84, he left not only the legacy of his art. He created an institution in 1978 that also lives on: the African American Master Artists-in-Residence Program (AAMARP), in affiliation with Northeastern University (NEU)...

07/29/2025

Stay cool! 😎🧊🆒

Retreat from the heat in our galleries, and enjoy our world-class contemporary art and air conditioning this week! Plan your visit → https://loom.ly/ywPBlB4

Photo by Lauren Miller

07/28/2025

Last chance! “Believers: Artists and the Shakers” and “Sara Cwynar: Alphabet” close this Sunday!

Explore how contemporary artists find inspiration from the Shaker lifestyle, and find unexpected connections between Ferrari F1 race cars and 18th century French dolls, filtered through Cwynar's sharp collage aesthetics. Plan your visit → https://loom.ly/R9HbZxA

Photo by Lauren Miller

Explore ICA Boston's dynamic exhibition schedule highlighting today's most influential and inspiring artists and contemporary art. Plan your visit.

07/23/2025

The temperature isn’t the only thing that is white hot around here—our fan-favorite First Friday is back! Wear your favorite summer whites for the latest edition of our iconic sunset party on the waterfront. Enjoy seaside dancing, refreshing cocktails, and contemporary art with a view.

Tickets will sell out → https://loom.ly/PuOOGq0

Photo by Lauren Miller

Tickets will go on sale July 16 for ICA Members and July 23 for the general public. Slip into your summer whites for the 10th anniversary of our iconic sunset party on the waterfront. Enjoy seaside dancing,… more