Institute for Contemporary Art, Richmond

Institute for Contemporary Art, Richmond (ICA), or the Markel Center at the VCU Institute for Contemporary Art is an arts center at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA, proposed for completion in 2017. It will be built by Steven Holl and Associates, selected from 64 competing architectural firms worldwide.[1][2] Virginia Commonwealth University President Michael Rao, in announcing plans for the ICA in 2011, said that the prominence of the museum's location,[3] "bordering the city's Arts District and in the Broad Street Corridor [3] which links the VCU Monroe Park Campus with VCU's Medical Center" would have symbolic significance.[4]

The concept and vision

Planned as the city's signature noncollecting contemporary art museum with an international reputation, located at an important crossroads corner location of Belvidere Street and Broad Street, a center location in Richmond's lively art scene,[5] the ICA chose Lisa Freiman[6] as its first Director. The Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia announced in 2016 the appointment of the ICA's first chief curator, Stephanie Smith,[7] formerly a chief curator of the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto.[8] Lauren Ross was announced as the inaugural curator of the museum in Artnet News.[9] Ross was formerly the curator of modern and contemporary art at the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she organized the 2015 debut of the show Nir Evron: Projected Claims, the first museum exhibition for the Israeli artist. Ross brought the Nir Evron exhibition to the Richmond ICA in the museum’s temporary on-campus gallery space.

Architect Holl mentioned that the position and landscape of the museum itself would present "an inviting sense of openness".[10]

Funding the project

Beverly Reynolds, owner of Richmond's Reynolds Gallery, in her last years was a major donor and supporter of the ICA.[11] In an interview Reynolds credited Richard Toscan, Dean of the VCU School of the Arts, with the rise of the school's stature from 25th to first ranking of art schools in U.S. News and World Report.[12] Bill and Pam Royal and Steve and Kathi Markel were leaders of fundraising efforts to build the museum,[4] and Patsy Pettus was a major donor with a gift of one million dollars to fund building the dramatic stairway[13] designed by architect Holl. A videocam has been provided so that fundraisers may observe the building of ICA as it progresses.[14] Artist Tara Donovan, a VCUarts MFA alumna, is an ICA International Advisory Board Member.

Steve Markel of Markel Corporation serves as vice-chairman of the fundraising committee. Other donors announced at the groundbreaking were The Martin Agency and a major anonymous donor.[15]

Construction

The groundbreaking ceremony took place in June 2014, where colorful paint was splashed from fork lifts onto the site, it was announced that the official name of the building will be the Markel Center at the VCU Institute for Contemporary Art.[15]

The new ICA has been called "the most culturally complex building I have ever been associated with" by Richard Sliwoski, head of the VCU Facilities Management Division.[16]

References

  1. ↑ Architects, Steven Holl. "INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY - STEVEN HOLL ARCHITECTS". www.stevenholl.com. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  2. ↑ "VCU Institute for Contemporary Art, Richmond ICA - e-architect". 11 September 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  3. 1 2 http://www.maps.vcu.edu/monroepark/contemporaryart/
  4. 1 2 http://www.news.vcu.edu/article/VCU_Announces_Plans_for_Institute_for_Contemporary_Art
  5. ↑ "Arts Preview: Richmond's arts and culture scene continues to grow". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  6. ↑ "The 2016 Power List: Arts and Culture" (PDF). Cover Story: STYLE. August 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  7. ↑ "Stephanie Smith Named Chief Curator of New Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU" (press release). R+A. 27 September 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  8. ↑ Calos, Katherine (October 8, 2016). "ICA names respected curator as chief". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. B2.
  9. ↑ "16 Female Curators Shaking Things Up - artnet News". artnet News. 12 February 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  10. ↑ Architects, Steven Holl. "INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART,VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY - STEVEN HOLL ARCHITECTS". www.stevenholl.com. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  11. ↑ "Institute for Contemporary Art". richmondmagazine.com. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  12. ↑ "Richard Toscan to Retire as Dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts". Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  13. ↑ Slipek, Ed. "Behind the Scenes at VCU's $41.2 Million Institute for Contemporary Art" (PDF). STYLE. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  14. ↑ "Watch our Progress". ica.vcu.edu. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  15. 1 2 "A colorful start for planned VCU arts center, Richmond Bizsense, June 4, 2014.
  16. ↑ Calos, Katherine. "VCU's Institute for Contemporary Art: 'the most structurally complex building I have ever been associated with'". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 17 October 2016.

External links

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