PRESSROOM

ICA at VCU presents fall premiere

Kickoff event will unveil three new exhibitions and include performances by Ouri and DJ Ohbliv

August 11, 2022

The Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University kicks off the fall 2022 season with the unveiling of three new exhibitions and a premiere event on Friday, Sept. 9, from 6 to 9 p.m.

ICA at VCU partners with Virginia Opera and Richmond Symphony for ‘Loving v. Virginia’ opera

The historic project will premiere as part of Virginia Opera’s 50th anniversary season in 2025.

May 18, 2022

The Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University is partnering with the Virginia Opera and Richmond Symphony on their co-commission of “Loving v. Virginia,” an operatic retelling of the groundbreaking U.S. Supreme Court case centered around the interracial marriage of Mildred and Richard Loving.

ICA at VCU launches the hybrid performance series ‘Test Pattern’

Series invites visiting artists to use the ICA auditorium as an experimental production studio, inspired by the legacy of public access TV and alternative video movements in the U.S.

March 21, 2022

This spring, the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University will address that question with “Test Pattern,” a hybrid performance series that invites visiting artists to use the ICA auditorium as an experimental production studio, inspired by the legacy of public access TV and alternative video movements in the United States.

ICA at VCU announces spring schedule

Exhibitions include first institutional solo exhibition of Ghanaian artist Gideon Appah, chronicling cycles of Ghanaian cultural memory.

February 16, 2022

The Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University’s spring schedule includes concepts of Ghanaian cultural memory, pedagogy and art education, and experimental printmaking techniques.

‘There’s a story only you can tell’: Step inside the new VPM + ICA Community Media Center

The center, which is opening its physical doors for the first time, is a forum for community storytelling, and a way to find new voices that we need to hear.

November 5, 2021

The VPM + ICA Community Media Center, which began operating virtually last fall and is now opening its physical doors for the first time, trains and educates students and community members to become audio producers, offering podcasting workshops as well as training sessions and presentations for aspiring storytellers. It was created to address issues of access and the barriers diverse voices often face as they try to tell and promote their stories.

Institute for Contemporary Art to host grand opening, tours of new media center on Nov. 5 and 6

The opening of the VPM + ICA Community Media Center will also feature an event, “Listen for the Hook: Perfecting the First Five Minutes of Your Podcast” with Saidu Tejan-Thomas, host of the “Resistance” podcast.

October 25, 2021

The Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University will host a grand opening for the VPM + ICA Community Media Center — a production studio inside the ICA offering workshops and symposia on the development of podcasts and other media content — on Nov. 5-6. Tours will be given every 30 minutes at the top of the hour on Friday, Nov. 5, from 4 to 9 p.m. and on Saturday, Nov. 6, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

ICA at VCU presents ‘Jeremy Toussaint-Baptiste: Set It Off’ sound installation

The exhibition consists of variations of a monumental, immersive, sonic sculpture installed across two sites.

October 19, 2021

The Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University and 1708 Gallery present a sound installation by New York-based artist/composer Jeremy Toussaint-Baptiste that invites visitors to deeply engage with the site, considering the implications of sound, visibility and performance.

Opening of new media center highlights fall schedule at the ICA

The schedule of exhibitions and programs includes the grand opening of the VPM + ICA Community Media Center.

October 12, 2021

Fall programming at the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University will include a multidisciplinary slate of in-person and virtual programs that expand opportunities for audiences to engage with art, artists, discourse and innovation.

ICA at VCU to present first solo exhibition of South African artist Dineo Seshee Bopape

September 14, 2021

The Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University presents the first solo U.S. museum exhibition by South African artist Dineo Seshee Bopape, comprised entirely of new, site-responsive commissions.

Sarah Rifky named new senior curator of Institute for Contemporary Art

Associate Curator Amber Esseiva promoted to curator.

July 28, 2021

The Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University has appointed Sarah Rifky as senior curator and director of programs. Additionally, she will hold a faculty appointment in the VCU School of the Arts. She will start in early fall.

ICA at VCU to present first solo exhibition by Cairo-based artist Ibrahim Ahmed

The exhibition kicks off with a special opening event July 23.

July 7, 2021

The Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University will present the first solo museum exhibition of work by Cairo-based artist Ibrahim Ahmed July 23 through Nov. 28.

ICA at VCU celebrates third anniversary, announces spring and summer exhibitions and programs

April 16, 2021

Season features solo exhibitions with new commissions and public programs that include collaboration, creation and mutual learning.

ICA at VCU to open ‘Harold Mendez: Let us gather in a flourishing way’ on Feb. 26

January 26, 2021

The Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University will present “Harold Mendez: Let us gather in a flourishing way” Feb. 26 through June 27.

ICA at VCU nominated as one of USA Today’s best new museums

January 22, 2020

The Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University has been nominated in USA Today’s 2020 10Best Readers' Choice travel awards.

ICA announces new Director of Development Lisa Winn Bryan

January 8, 2020

As director of development, Bryan will oversee fundraising and engagement for individual donors, corporate and foundation supporters, and the ICA’s membership program.

Toni Morrison documentary, film by Solange Knowles highlight ICA fall programming

September 4, 2019

The Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University will kick off its fall programming with film screenings that showcase the work of the late author Toni Morrison and the singer-songwriter Solange Knowles.

ICA at VCU Announces Its Inaugural Summer Sessions Program

Nine-Week Series that Explores What We Hold in Common and What Divides Us, and Will Inform Future ICA Programming.

June 6, 2019

ICA to host Wednesday and Saturday public engagements in the ICA’s Beverly W. Reynolds Gallery, designed specifically for this collaborative experience

Corin Hewitt to debut ‘Shadows Are To Shade’ in June

April 10, 2019

Two-part exhibition located in the artist's family home/studio and at the ICA at VCU.

Adam Pendleton and Adrienne Edwards Join ICA Advisory Board

March 4, 2019

Richmond native Adam Pendleton and Whitney Curator Adrienne Edwards are named to the ICA Advisory Board, which supports the ICA in fulfilling its mission to present the art of our time and provide an open forum for dialogue and collaboration.

Exhibition exploring race in contemporary art opens at the ICA in October

January 23, 2019

In October, the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University will present “Great Force,” an exhibition that uses painting, sculpture, photography, video and performance to examine racial constructs in the United States. The exhibition will feature new commissions and recent work by an intergenerational group of 21 established and emerging artists, including Pope.L, Sable Elyse Smith, Charlotte Lagarde and Tomashi Jackson.

Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU Announces Winter/Spring 2019 Program

November 14, 2018

Convening the work of three visionary artists whose practices comprise diverse media, including video, installation, sound, performance, and photography, the ICA will activate the Steven Holl-designed Markel Center with immersive and experiential installations and dynamic public programming.

Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU unveils fall 2018 exhibitions including projects by Rashid Johnson, Abbas Akhavan, David Hartt, Jonathas de Andrade, Julianne Swartz and Pascale Marthine Tayou

September 26, 2018

This fall, the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University will present two exhibitions featuring leading international contemporary artists, including a major site-specific commission and artist-led performances. Opening simultaneously on Oct. 17, “Provocations: Rashid Johnson”and“Hedges, Edges, Dirt” both explore socially and culturally specific issues in nuanced, conceptual and poetic ways. Through these initiatives, the ICA will continue to present exhibitions that engage audiences with dynamic programming on themes of social relevance and local resonance.

Dominic Willsdon appointed executive director of the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University

September 6, 2018

After 12 years at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Willsdon will lead Richmond’s first arts institution dedicated to contemporary art and shape the ongoing vision for the ICA

Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU announces two new fall exhibitions

Projects by Rashid Johnson, Abbas Akhavan, David Hartt, Jonathas de Andrade, Julianne Swartz and Pascale Marthine Tayou will open Oct. 17.

June 23, 2018

This fall, the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University will present two exhibitions featuring leading international contemporary artists, including two new site-specific commissions. Opening simultaneously on Oct. 17, “Provocations: Rashid Johnson” and “Hedges, Edges, Dirt” explore socially and culturally specific issues in nuanced, conceptual and poetic ways. Through these, the ICA will continue presenting exhibitions that engage audiences with dynamic programming on themes of social relevance and local resonance.

Institute for Contemporary Art unveils summer schedule of free public programs, including new ICA Cinema

May 23, 2018

The ICA will host a series of free, public programs this summer to coincide with its inaugural exhibition “Declaration,” on view through Sept. 9.

The new Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU opens to critical and public acclaim

April 25, 2018

Richmond’s first major contemporary art institution welcomed more than 7,000 during opening weekend. The ICA at VCU opened to the public on April 21, 2018, with a free Block Party.

Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU will open in April with exhibition that celebrates diverse perspectives

February 15, 2018

The ICA will open with the inaugural exhibition, “Declaration,” an exploration of contemporary art’s power to respond to pressing social issues through the voices of 33 emerging and established artists from Richmond and around the globe.

VCU School of the Arts Dean Emeritus Joseph Seipel to serve as interim ICA director

January 16, 2018

Virginia Commonwealth University announced today that Joseph H. Seipel, dean emeritus of the VCU School of the Arts, has agreed to serve as interim director of the university’s Institute for Contemporary Art.

New Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU Expands Curatorial Team In advance of April 2018 Opening in Richmond, VA

December 14, 2017

The Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) today announced the promotion of Amber Esseiva to Assistant Curator and the appointment of Enjoli Moon to the newly created position of Adjunct Assistant Curator of Film.

Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU Will Open April 2018

October 17, 2017

On April 21, 2018, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) will unveil the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA), a new, non-collecting contemporary art institution designed by Steven Holl Architects.

New Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU Will Open in Richmond Spring 2018

June 29, 2017

Virginia Commonwealth University today announced its new Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) will open in Spring 2018.

Inaugural Exhibition, Declaration, Will Examine Art’s Crucial Role in the World Today and Will Premiere Many New Commissions and Works

February 7, 2017

The ICA’s inaugural exhibition, Declaration, will explore contemporary art’s power to catalyze change, and will feature painting, sculpture, multimedia works, site-specific installations, and time-based performances by emerging and established artists.