Clad in abstract angled siding swaddling 20,000 square feet of exhibition space, Miami’s newest art museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art Miami (ICA), is now open to the public.
Born out of controversy and an acrimonious split at another museum, the ICA hopes its free admission and location in the Design District will establish itself as a cornerstone of the Miami art scene.
“ICA Miami’s mission is to present the most innovative and experimental art of our time, to foster dialogue in all corners of our community and to promote the exchange of art and ideas throughout Miami and internationally,” said Ellen Salpeter, director of the ICA, at the opening ceremonies.
Salpeter has shepherded the fledgling institution since 2015 through fundraising and the massive construction project that’s now complete at Northeast 41st Street and First Avenue.
ICA was born out of another museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami, when its board split from the public institution and took with it some of the collection. The new institution was temporarily housed in the Moore Building, also in the Design District.
The billionaire couple of Irma and Norman Braman were the leading backers of the new project and helped secure the new home from prominent developer Craig Robins and ensure the museum would be free of charge.
“There should never be a barrier to access the best quality contemporary art,” said Alex Gartenfeld, deputy director and chief curator of the ICA.
One of Gartenfeld’s first shows for the new ICA space is an exhibition called “The Everywhere Studio,” about artist studios.
“We can learn a lot as a culture by looking to our artists and the way they live and they work,” said Gartenfeld. “'The Everywhere Studio' takes a look at 50 years of artists both responding to and foretelling changes in their culture and reflecting them through the artist studio.
Outside is a 15,000-square-foot sculpture garden featuring many large-scale sculptures including “Dr. Pepper,” the first Miami commission for Miami-based artist Mark Handforth.
The piece looks like an aluminum telephone pole that has been twisted into a star-like shape and accented by neon lights.
“A city really becomes a great art city when it has its own voice, when it doesn’t look to New York for validation, when it doesn’t look to LA or London for validation,” said Handforth at the opening ceremony. “And I think that sense of being able to speak with a true Miami voice as a true city, as a kind of center of an opinion and a philosophy is what it’s all about, and I think that’s what this institution’s all about.”
The museum will be open Tuesdays through Sundays 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for free.
Ribbon cutting at the newly-opened @icamiami pic.twitter.com/tAlzevhXKC — Wilson Sayre (@WilsonSayre) December 1, 2017
