Museums, Construction, Walkthrough

In just over a week, on May 7, the ICA will close its doors at the Boylston St. location in Back Bay and move into the New ICA building on the waterfront. (Hynes will be left by it's lonesome when both Virgin and ICA leave the nearby stop.) The New ICA will open on September 17, 2006 on the waterfront and at some point it will lose the “New” part of the name and become just plain Institute for Contemporary Arts. Eh, who are we kidding? It’ll be the ICA. This weekend, thousands of museum curators, administrators, students, and interested members of the public willing to shell out $250 per day will attend the American Association of Museums Annual Meeting, marking the 100th anniversary of the organization. Participants will surely be aware of the museum construction in Boston. The MFA’s director, Malcolm Rogers, will chair the meeting – and no doubt make mention of the MFA’s fundraising effort. The Children’s Museum, also undergoing an expansion, will host a party during the AAM’s meeting in Boston. Harvard’s Fogg is ramping up for a temporary stint in Allston as their current location undergoes serious renovation – plans which may change after Summers's imminent departure this summer.

It’s not all about the construction. With museums it’s about the collection, exhibition, and installation. The new expanse that the ICA will inhabit on the waterfront has been acquiring a permanent collection which will likely be showcased in parts of the building where traveling shows and installations will not be set up. Local blogs and arts media have been asking the question: how does a “contemporary” art museum stay contemporary with a permanent collection. There isn’t a good answer to that question – but the ICA keeps getting gifts, procuring works, and adding to the collection that will be housed in their new facility. Under construction still, there’s no art on the walls in fact or virtual reality. In today’s video, you too can take the virtual walkthrough of the New ICA through the power of the internets.