Since its launch in 2014, ICA Miami has served as a cornerstone of Miami's art scene, establishing itself as one of the most active museums in the United States for new acquisitions. Known for being an early supporter of young, emerging artists, the museum encourages multicultural dialogue through high-quality programming that often culminates during Miami Art Week. Now, as ICA Miami approaches its 10-year anniversary, it has announced a major expansion with its acquisition of the former museum home of the de la Cruz Collection, a landmark anchor of Miami's cultural scene. This will provide the museum with 30,000 square meters, doubling its space for exhibitions, photo exhibitions from its permanent collection and public programs.
Since finding its permanent home in the Miami Design District, the ICA Miami has hosted more than 100 exhibitions. These include US premieres by both established and emerging artists, focusing on extensive research and elevating overlooked figures in world art history. Key to this expansion was the support of the ICA's dedicated board, whose efforts led to a $25 million capital campaign to help the institution maintain its central role in Miami's arts program. Located at 23 NE 41st Street, also in the Miami Design District, this new building will allow ICA Miami to create dedicated galleries for its permanent collection for the first time. In the coming months, the ICA will host educational programs at the site before the building undergoes major renovations to become a fully functional exhibition space suitable for the museum's growing collection.
At the time of this announcement, the Observer spoke with Alex Gartenfeld, ICA Miami's Irma and Artistic Director Norman Braman, to discuss the museum's forward-looking programming vision for this important expansion.
Given that the expansion is enabled by the museum's acquisition of the de la Cruz collection, will there be a link or acknowledgment of that collection's importance to the Miami area?
Since the founding of ICA Miami, the de la Cruz family has been among our supporters, donating nearly fifty works to ICA Miami, including artists such as Hernan Bas, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, and Ana Mendieta. Recently, Carlos commissioned a group of twelve pieces, including sculptures by Jorge Pardo and an installation by Manfred Pernice currently on view at ICA Miami. Generations of students and the public have seen the transformative power of art and received a comprehensive arts education in the Design District, and we are proud that ICA Miami can ensure the critical importance of free access to important collections in our expansive environment.
The expansion and acquisition of the ICA Miami building represents the strength and depth of commitment from the museum's board and donor community, which includes many of Miami's contemporary collectors throughout the US and beyond. This new building provides the museum for the first time with a dedicated exhibition space for its permanent collection, so the public will continue to enjoy access to important works of art from a wide range of influential collections.
This expansion will allow the ICA to display pieces from its permanent collection. How will selecting and rotating the collection work? And will there be themed sections?
The ICA Miami collection describes the foundational periods of modern art from 1957 to the present. Over the past decade, we have been among the world's most actively growing centers of contemporary art. Our approach to collecting is global and interdisciplinary and includes diverse perspectives and narratives. Whenever we present works from the collection, we view these presentations as curated exhibitions by scholars that highlight themes in subjects and histories and often bring new voices to the fore. In our new spaces, we will regularly rotate the installation of the permanent collection to open up new ideas and contexts of artists and artworks and offer new ways of understanding them. Through the rich stories told by ICA Miami's collection, we provide a framework for understanding the broader history of contemporary art, our community, and our special exhibitions.
The expansion will also allow for the creation of dedicated space for a new media gallery. How are you looking to develop and encourage experimentation with the latest opportunities offered by new technologies and media, and how will this contribute to the exhibition program?
Central to our mission at ICA Miami is supporting experimentation. Technology influences our lives so much, therefore we cannot accurately reflect the present without considering digital principles and the ways in which artists influence and interact with them. In addition, we consider today's digital tools closely related to decades of avant-garde new media culture in our collection. We look to deepen our understanding of these histories and processes while providing a platform and resources for artists who are innovating and expanding our worldview with these emerging tools and technologies. In addition to representing these processes in our galleries, our new space will include digital labs and recording studios that help create and support new media.
This acquisition coincides with the institution's 10th anniversary. What are the top goals and strategies on the ICA agenda in the coming years?
Building purchases play a major role in advancing our mission and expanding the reach and impact of our programs. After the success of our first decade, we can now meet the great public demand for our shows and programs. For example, we offer daily educational programs for teenagers, young adults and adults, from workshops to classes to lectures—often led by world-renowned artists and intellectuals—and now we've offered a place to put this on a global scale. In our galleries, we look forward to showcasing an even wider range of global voices in our expanded spaces and exhibiting our permanent collection in dedicated galleries for the first time. Our collection is an important community resource, and we can make it available to the public, artists, students, and scholars on an ongoing basis, which is important to our mission. ICA Miami is deeply involved with new media practices, and digital tools make innovation possible. The Center allows us to showcase and encourage the creation of new media works and continue to explore their role in the contemporary art movement.
