I is for Institute [electronic resource].

ICA Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania 2021

Open access content

The phrase “I is for Institute” is at once a declaration, a prompt, and a position. When ICA celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013, we considered our next chapter by digging deep into our archives and reflecting on the many individual artists, curators, and exhibitions that had shaped our history. Taking a step back from these granular investigations, we then began to ask more general questions: Why were we initially formed as an institute? Has the definition of an institute been stable throughout our history, or has it taken on different meanings and inflections over time? What does the notion of an “institute” conjure for a public? How might we question the parameters of an “institute of contemporary art” as a way to rethink how we approach our own institutional identity? Through an interrogation of the “institute” in ICA’s name we sought to better understand how we currently frame ourselves through language and also hoped it would lead us to consider conceptual alternatives that we have yet to imagine. Above all, the “I” in I is for Institute acknowledges that institutions are composed of people and rooted in places. We are often asked if the different ICAs around the world are affiliated—they are not. Although the names might be similar, all of the institutes of and for contemporary art have their own distinct qualities and missions. Some ICAs have collections and some declare themselves kunsthalles; some are attached to universities or are modest independent spaces, while others are larger-scale private museums. The shifts between these institutional frameworks are also evident in different approaches to how contemporary art is communicated, exhibited, researched, and represented. And while there are certainly structural and programmatic differences between the many organizations devoted to contemporary art, there are also alliances, resonances, and synergies. What initially began as a self-reflexive project soon turned to face outward. With our desire to thi
https://www.librarystack.org/i-is-for-institute/?ref=unknown

Museums--Curatorship
Art museum curators
Art--Exhibitions
Publishers and publishing

Text

Alex Klein
Tausif Noor
Vilma Jurkute
Michelle Wun Ting Wong
Marie Hélène Pereira
Dulcie Abrahams Altass
Naima J. Keith
Diana Nawi
Nikita Yingqian Cai
Marten Esko
Joselina Cruz
Stefan Benchoam
Jessica Kairé
Brian McBay
Jesse McKee
Yates Norton
Andra Silapētre
Phillip March Jones
Paul M. Brown
Lauren Schell Dickens
Émilie Villez
Marie Martraire
Tom Holert
Blake Shell
Dean Daderko
Luca Lo Pinto
Jamillah James
Kristan Kennedy
Samuel Leuenberger
Binna Choi
Freya Chou
Jacob Fabricius
Hanne Mugaas
Fernanda Brenner
Rita Gonzalez
Eva Respini
Ruth Erickson
Andrew Perchuk
John Spiak
Anthony Huberman
Hamza Walker
Solveig Øvstebø
Krist Gruijthuijsen
Pablo de Ocampo
Thomas Beard
Ed Halter
Pooja Sood
Radha Mahendru
Wassan Al-Khudhairi
Alex Gartenfeld
Daniel Fuller
Vidya Shivadas
Amy Sadao
John Tain
Dan Byers
Emily Pethick
Allison Freedman Weisberg
Gee Wesley
Koyo Kouoh
Jenny Jaskey
Rob Blackson
João Mourão
Luís Silva
Bisi Silva
Other Means