iInstitute of Contemporary Art / Boston
Founded in 1936 as the Boston Museum of Modern Art, the ICA is one of the oldest contemporary art institutions in the United States, and moved to the Seaport waterfront in 2006. Diller Scofidio + Renfro shaped the 65,000-square-foot building as a folding ribbon: Boston's Harborwalk rises into the public Jill Medvedow Grandstand, then carries on inside as the floor and ceiling of the theatre, while the top-floor "gallery box" cantilevers to the water's edge on four massive trusses. Slung beneath that cantilever, the Poss Family Mediatheque steps down towards the harbour. There is no permanent display: the galleries turn over with rotating exhibitions and new commissions. The ICA also runs the Watershed, a free seasonal annex in a converted East Boston shipyard building, reachable by ferry from the museum.
More in Boston
What's On
Caroline Monnet: Man-made Land
A site-responsive commission for the Sandra and Gerald Fineberg Art Wall by the Algonquin-Anishinaabe artist, made in response to the ICA's own filled-in waterfront site.
To My Best Friend
More than 50 works Fotene Demoulas and Tom Cote helped bring into the ICA Collection, with Laura Owens, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Olga de Amaral, Sarah Sze and Lorna Simpson.
Sonder
Teen artists from the ICA's Teen Exhibitions Program explore sonder, the realization that every life is as complex as one's own. Teen Gallery, Seaport Studio.
Coloring Book
Eight teen artists from Artists for Humanity use color to tell stories and express emotion, at the ICA's Teen Gallery, Seaport Studio.
Cynthia Daignault: Valley
A new multi-panel installation by the Baltimore painter, whose "long-form painting" breaks Yosemite's Tunnel View into interrelated canvases. Paul and Catherine Buttenwieser Gallery.
Leilah Babirye: Embaga ya Naki ne Naki (Wedding of Naki and Naki)
The Ugandan-born artist premieres new ceramic and wood sculptures staging a queer wedding, each figure cast as bride, groom or guest, watched over by charred-wood ancestors.
Spotlight: Joan Logue
Thirty-second video portraits by Joan Logue since the 1970s, with new work filmed in Gloucester, MA, from the ICA/WGBH Contemporary Art Television Fund. First Floor.
90 YEARS
Anniversary show revisiting nine exhibitions and initiatives from the ICA's history, from its 1936 founding as the Boston Museum of Modern Art through thirteen homes and its 1966 Warhol survey.
sweat variant: Okwui Okpokwasili and Peter Born
A moving-image installation on transmission, absence and grief by the collaborative duo, with periodic in-gallery performances. Fotene Demoulas Gallery.
Jennifer Tee
Amsterdam-based Jennifer Tee's first US solo museum show: tulip-petal collages, textiles, ceramics and performance tracing her father's migration from Indonesia. Buttenwieser Gallery.
Brooke Stewart
A new installation on the material history of Boston's sports courts, past and present. Sandra and Gerald Fineberg Art Wall.
"Still growing and blooming": Betty, George, and Francesca Woodman
Fifty years of ceramics, painting and photography by three generations of one artistic family. Evans and Conway Galleries.
Marie Watt: Turtle Island
A mid-career retrospective of Marie Watt (Turtle Clan, Seneca Nation): blankets, beads and steel reworked through Haudenosaunee teachings. Evans and Conway Galleries.
Plan Your Visit
Getting there
25 Harbor Shore Drive, Boston, MA 02210, United States
Nearest station: Courthouse (MBTA Silver Line), World Trade Center (MBTA Silver Line) and South Station (MBTA Red Line / commuter rail)
Show on mapHours
Closed 26 November
Closed for Thanksgiving
| Mon | Closed |
| Tue | Closed |
| Wed | Closed |
| Thu | Closed |
| Fri | Closed |
| SatToday | Closed |
| Sun | Closed |
Admission
From $20
Seniors 65+ $17; students $15; ages 18 and under and ICA members free. Free for all every Thursday 5-9 PM (advance tickets required) and on selected national holidays. The ICA Watershed in East Boston is free.
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Visitor Information
- How much does Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston cost?
- Standard adult admission to Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston is $20. Seniors 65+ $17; students $15; ages 18 and under and ICA members free. Free for all every Thursday 5-9 PM (advance tickets required) and on selected national holidays. The ICA Watershed in East Boston is free.. Prices for special exhibitions and timed-entry slots may differ.
- What are the opening hours of Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston?
- Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston is open Tue-Wed 10:00-17:00, Thu-Fri 10:00-21:00 (late opening), Sat-Sun 10:00-17:00. Closed Mondays. Closes at 17:00 on the first Friday of each month for the ticketed 21+ First Fridays event. Closed Patriots' Day, 4 July, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.. Holiday hours can vary, so check the museum's website before you go.
- Where is Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston?
- Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston is located at 25 Harbor Shore Drive, Boston, MA 02210, United States, in the Seaport area of Boston. The nearest stations are Courthouse (MBTA Silver Line), World Trade Center (MBTA Silver Line) and South Station (MBTA Red Line / commuter rail).
- What can I see at Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston?
- A folding ribbon of glass and wood on the Seaport waterfront, its top-floor gallery box cantilevered out over Boston Harbor. Current highlights include "Still growing and blooming": Betty, George, and Francesca Woodman, Marie Watt: Turtle Island and Brooke Stewart.
- Do I need to book Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston in advance?
- Booking ahead is recommended, especially for weekends, school holidays, and special exhibitions. Tickets are normally on the museum's website, and a pre-booked timed slot helps you avoid queues at the entrance.
- When is the best time to visit Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston?
- Weekday mornings shortly after opening are typically the quietest, especially mid-week. Late afternoons can also be calmer. Weekends, school holidays, and the lunch rush are the busiest periods.
Image credits
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- Institute of Contemporary Art / Bostonajay_suresh via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
- "Still growing and blooming": Betty, George, and Francesca WoodmanCourtesy of Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston
- Marie Watt: Turtle IslandCourtesy of Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston
- Brooke StewartCourtesy of Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston
- To My Best FriendPhoto by Alex Yudzon
- Coloring BookCourtesy of Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston
- Cynthia Daignault: ValleyPhoto by Dan Watkins (Courtesy the artist and Night Gallery, Los Angeles)
- sweat variant: Okwui Okpokwasili and Peter BornPhoto by Ava Pellor
- 90 YEARSCourtesy of Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston
- Spotlight: Joan LogueCourtesy Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), New York. © Joan Logue
- Jennifer TeeCourtesy the artist and Tina Kim Gallery, New York. Photo by Hyunjung Rhee. © Jennifer Tee
- Caroline Monnet: Man-made LandPhoto by Mel Taing.
- Leilah Babirye: Embaga ya Naki ne Naki (Wedding of Naki and Naki)Courtesy of Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston
- SonderCourtesy of Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston
- Boston Children's MuseumAjay Suresh (ajay_suresh), via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
- Old State HouseSeasider53, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
- Paul Revere HouseRanjansanjeev, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0