Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles facts for kids
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| Established | 1984 |
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| Location | 1717 East 7th Street Los Angeles, CA 90021 |
| Type | Art |
The Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (ICA LA) is an exciting art museum in Los Angeles, California. It used to be known as the Santa Monica Museum of Art. This museum is unique because it doesn't collect art to keep forever. Instead, it focuses on showing new and interesting art. You can see works by artists from Los Angeles, across the country, and around the world. It's a place where you can discover fresh ideas and see art that makes you think! The museum moved to its current spot in Downtown Los Angeles in 2017.
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The Story of ICA LA
The museum first opened in 1984 in Santa Monica, California. It was started by Abby Sher and was called the Santa Monica Museum of Art (SMMoA). In 1988, Thomas Rhoads became the museum's director. He helped set up its very first art show.
In 1997, SMMoA moved to a new location called Bergamot Station Arts Center. Later, the museum raised $5 million to move again. This time, it moved to Downtown Los Angeles. An architecture firm called wHY Architecture helped change an old warehouse into the museum's new home.
The museum's goal is to show art that helps you discover new things. It wants to challenge how we see the world and ourselves. ICA LA also works to be fair to everyone, no matter their background. Through its art shows and learning programs, it helps people understand different ideas and feel connected to others.
Amazing Art Shows
From the very beginning, the museum became known for showing art by artists who later became very famous. Through a special series called the Artist Project, the museum showed early works by artists like Andrea Bowers and Jennifer Steinkamp. They also had the first solo shows for artists such as Daniel J. Martinez and William Leavitt.
When the museum moved to Bergamot Station, the Artist Project series continued. One of the first shows there featured artist Liza Lou. She created amazing, full-size kitchen and backyard art pieces covered in beads!
In 2000, Elsa Longhauser became the new director. She brought in many more exciting exhibitions. These included shows by artists like Yoshimoto Nara, Urs Fischer, and Mickalene Thomas. The museum also hosted important shows like The Book Show: Raymond Pettibon and Cavepainting: Laura Owens, Chris Ofili, Peter Doig. Sometimes, guest curators helped organize special exhibitions too.
Fun Programs and Learning
When it was SMMoA, the museum offered many free programs for everyone. These included talks and discussions about art. They also had great learning programs for kids in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Park Studio and Wall Works
- Park Studio was a free, week-long art workshop. It happened during school spring breaks. Kids could dive deep into creating art.
- Wall Works was another award-winning program. It connected K-12 students directly with famous contemporary artists. Students worked on projects in their classrooms. Then, their art was shown to the public at Bergamot Station. Artists like Olga Koumoundouros and Peter Shire took part in these programs.
A Collection of Ideas…
This was a public program with talks from smart thinkers from many different fields. For example, they had a discussion about artist Mike Kelley's final project. They also had a musical-lecture about listening to music like a Mexican DJ.
Cause for Creativity
SMMoA's Cause for Creativity (C4C) program mixed art with helping the community. Its motto was "Make art and make a difference." This program was for people of all ages. Workshops were taught by groups like The Echo Park Film Center and Cirque du Soleil’s OVO.
Who Runs the Museum
Thomas Rhoads was the museum's first executive director. In 2000, Elsa Longhauser took over this role. She led the museum for many years. In July 2019, Anne Ellegood became the museum's new executive director. She used to be a senior curator at the Hammer Museum.
Today, Amanda Sroka is the senior curator for ICA LA. Asuka Hisa is the curator of education and programs. They help decide what art to show and what learning activities to offer.
