get tickets

Advance tickets are now available for visits through September 1. Book now

The artist’s first presentation in Boston features a new body of work exploring themes of memory and personal transformation

(Boston, MA—August 11, 2021) The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston (ICA) presents a solo exhibition of New York-based interdisciplinary artist, performer, and musician Raúl de Nieves (b. 1983, Michoacán, Mexico), whose multifaceted practice ranges from stained-glass-style narrative paintings to animated performances, to densely adorned figurative sculptures encrusted with bangles, beads, bells, sequins, and other everyday materials. These opulent, joyful sculptures reference traditional costumes in Mexican culture and modes of dress from drag, ballroom, and queer club cultures, while also evoking religious processional attire and the outfits worn by circus performers. All of his works share a distinctive visual language that draws from Mexican craft traditions, religious iconography, mythology, and folktales to explore the transformational possibilities of adornment and the mutability of identity. For the ICA, de Nieves has created The Treasure House of Memory, a body of interconnected works that are rooted in memory and explore themes of personal transformation. On view September 1, 2021 through July 24, 2022, Raúl de Nieves: The Treasure House of Memory is organized by Jeffrey De Blois, Assistant Curator and Publications Manager.

“This exhibition grew out of Raúl’s desire to look within himself—at his experience, past work, recurring themes—to chart a self-possessed way forward in his life and work. The Treasure House of Memory reflects on a question in the title of one his works: Who would we be without our memories? As in all of his work, Raúl answers through ornately beautiful, life-affirming artworks,” said De Blois.

The Treasure House of Memory begins with a freestanding, three-panel painting—in the style of a room divider—depicting Saint George and the Dragon. The legend, in which the saint mounted on horseback slays a dragon who, demanding constant tributes, terrorizes a village, is a motif de Nieves regularly revisits. Nearby, a beaded sculpture with two contorted, interlocking bodies with horse heads appears to emerge from the painted scene; a process of transformation that develops in three subsequent figurative sculptures in various states of becoming a horse.

Who Would We Be Without Our Memories—a large, tapestry-like collage—is a narrative map composed of cut-up facsimiles of de Nieves’s early tarot-inspired drawings and postcard reproductions of well-known works from art history, which are built up in dimensional layers. At the center of the installation is The Fable, Which Is Composed Of Wonders, Moves The More, a life-size, riotously colorful, and symbolically expressive freestanding sculpture of a horse. Rearing up on its hind legs—a pose, read at times as defensive, while at other times as a means of communicating dominance—The Fable stands here as a beautiful body uncontained and fully actualized, the triumphant realization of the process of transformation that plays out between the interconnected sculptures.

A large-scale, portal-like circular collage points back out to a larger world, seen anew. The Treasure House of Memory expands the artist’s inventive adaptation of iconographic traditions through vibrant combinations of form and material in an energetic and accessible visual language.

About the ICA

Since its founding in 1936, the ICA has shared the pleasures of reflection, inspiration, imagination, and provocation that contemporary art offers with its audiences. A museum at the intersection of contemporary art and civic life, the ICA has advanced a bold vision for amplifying the artist’s voice and expanding the museum’s role as educator, incubator, and convener. Its exhibitions, performances, and educational programs provide access to the breadth and diversity of contemporary art, artists, and the creative process, inviting audiences of all ages and backgrounds to participate in the excitement of new art and ideas. The ICA is located at 25 Harbor Shore Drive, Boston, MA, 02210. The Watershed is located at 256 Marginal Street, East Boston, MA 02128. For more information, call 617-478-3100 or visit our website at icaboston.org. Follow the ICA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Support for Raúl de Nieves: The Treasure House of Memory is provided by First Republic Bank.

Additional support is generously provided by Steve Corkin and Dan Maddalena and Charles and Fran Rodgers.

Download PDF / Descargar PDF 

Inspire others with the “Verse Teller,” an interactive origami. You will showcase your drawing and writing abilities while sharing short verses. It’s fun, easy, and dynamic! 

Inspira a otras personas con el “Narrador de versos”, un origami interactivo. Mostrarás tu talento para el dibujo y la escritura mientras compartes versos breves. ¡Es algo divertido, fácil y dinámico!
 

Materials/Materiales:

Icon of square

Square piece of paper*, ideally 8.5” × 8.5”

Un papel cuadrado*, idealmente, de 8,5 × 8,5 pulgadas (21,59 × 21, 59 cm)

Icon of pencil

Drawing and coloring tools
Utensilios para dibujar y/o colorear

Icon of pen

Pen (optional)
Bolígrafo (opcional)

Icon of scissors

Scissors (optional)
Tijeras (opcional)

Instructions / Instrucciones:

Watch a short step-by-step video to see how to make the Verse Teller
Puedes ver en un breve vídeo cómo se hace el Narrador de versos paso a paso

Step-by-Step Video

1. Fold the square paper to form a triangle. Fold it again to form a smaller triangle. Press firmly. Unfold the paper. (You should see diagonal creases across the paper where you made your folds.) 

1. Dobla el papel cuadrado para formar un triángulo. Dóblalo de nuevo para formar un triángulo más pequeño. Presiona firmemente. Desdobla el papel. (Deberían verse las marcas de los pliegues que hiciste al cruzar el papel en diagonal).

 

ART LAB_Vasquez_Step_1.png

 

2. Take each corner, one by one, and fold them to the center point of the paper where all the lines cross. Flip the folded paper square over and fold each corner towards the middle again. Make sure the folds are crisp.

2. Toma cada esquina, una por una, y dóblalas hacia el punto central del papel donde se cruzan todas las líneas de los pliegues.  Levanta el papel cuadrado plegado y dobla cada esquina hacia el medio de nuevo. Asegúrate de que todos los pliegues queden bien definidos

 

ART LAB_Vasquez_Step_2.png

 

3. With the folded corners facing up, fold the square shape in half to create a rectangle (your folded corners should now be inside your folded rectangle). Fold again to create a tiny square and press firmly. Unfold back to the rectangle. Push your fingers into the paper pockets and push the flaps up to open up the Verse Teller. Once you do this, you’ll be able move the verse teller in two directions. 

3. Con las esquinas dobladas boca arriba, dobla la forma cuadrada por la mitad para crear un rectángulo (las esquinas dobladas deben quedar dentro del rectángulo doblado). Dobla de nuevo para formar diminutos cuadrados y presiona con fuerza. Desdóblalo otra vez hasta volver al rectángulo. Mete las puntas de los dedos en los bolsillos de papel que se han formado y empuja las tapas para abrir el Narrador de versos. Una vez hecho esto, podrás mover el Narrador de versos en dos direcciones.

 

ART LAB_Vasquez_Step_3.png

 

4. With your drawing and coloring tools, decorate the outside of the verse teller (the four squares) any way you want. Then open the square and decorate the eight different triangles with any drawings, symbols, or shapes that are meaningful to you. (Keep in mind that you’ll eventually be writing verses related to these images.) 

4. Decora a tu gusto la parte exterior del Narrador de versos con tus materiales para dibujar y colorear. Después, abre el cuadrado y decora los seis distintos triángulos con dibujos, símbolos o formas que tengan un significado para ti. (Ten en cuenta que, al final, escribirás versos inspirados en esas imágenes).

 

ART LAB_Vasquez_Step_4.png

 

5. Flip the triangles with the drawing and write a small verse related to each image in the corresponding space. You can try to use rhymes or other literary figures, like a simile. A simile is when you compare one thing to another using the word “like”. For example: “Your heart is strong like a unicorn horn,” or “you are sweet like cotton candy.” 

5. Levanta los triángulos con los dibujos y escribe un breve verso relacionado con cada imagen en el lugar correspondiente. Puedes probar con rimas u otras figuras literarias, como un símil. Un símil puede ser una comparación entre dos cosas que se hace mediante la palabra “como”. Por ejemplo: “Tu corazón es fuerte como el cuerno de un unicornio”, o “eres tan dulce como el algodón de azúcar”.

 

ART LAB_Vasquez_Step_5.png

 

6. After writing a short verse for each image, you are ready to play with others! Just ask them a number and move the verse teller that many times, and then ask them to choose one of your drawings. Then read the beautiful and inspiring verse you wrote. Have fun! 

6. Cuando hayas escrito un verso breve para cada imagen, ¡ya estarás listo para jugar con los demás! Solo tienes que pedirles que digan un número y mover el Narrador de versos esa cantidad de veces, y después pedirles que elijan uno de los dibujos. Entonces, lee el bonito e inspirador verso que escribiste. ¡Diviértete!

 

ART LAB_Vasquez_Step_6

Daisy Novoa Vásquez is a Chilean-Ecuadorian writer passionate about education, the arts, and intercultural understanding. Many of her writings and translations have been published in print and online anthologies and literary magazines in the United States and abroad. She teaches in Boston.

Daisy Novoa Vásquez es una escritora chilenoecuatoriana a quien le apasionan la educación, las artes y el entendimiento intercultural. Muchos de sus escritos y traducciones se publicaron en forma impresa, así como en antologías en línea y en revistas literarias, tanto en los Estados Unidos como en otros países. Trabaja como docente en Boston.

 

Share your artwork on social media with #ICAartlab

Comparte tu experiencia en redes sociales con #ICAartlab

 

*Create a square piece of paper from a rectangle by bringing one corner down so that the corner meets the edge of the paper to create a triangle. Trim the excess. Open your triangle and now you have a square! 
 

*Crea un trozo de papel cuadrado a partir de uno rectangular, doblando una esquina de manera que el borde quede alineado con el otro borde del papel y forme un triángulo. Recorta el papel sobrante. Abre el triángulo, ¡y ya tienes un cuadrado!
 

 

Download PDF / Descargar PDF 

Creating space for morning and nightly rituals can help us feel more centered. We can start the day with mindfulness and end the day with reflection. Let these sunlight and moonlight illustrations serve as a template to guide you each day with more intention and respite from our chaotic outside world.

Crear un espacio para los rituales de la mañana y la noche puede ayudarnos a sentirnos más centrados. Podemos comenzar el día de manera consciente y finalizarlo con una reflexión. Deja que estas ilustraciones del sol y de la luna te sirvan de modelo para guiarte cada día con más intensión y alivio frente a nuestro caótico mundo exterior. 

Materials/Materiales:

Icon of paper.

Paper
Papel

Icon of pencil and pen.

Your favorite writing or drawing tool
Tu utensilio favorito para escribir o dibujar

Icon of paper pad and pencil.

Optional: a journal to collect these rituals as your daily practice
Opcional: un diario donde anotar estos rituales como práctica cotidiana

  

 

Instructions / Instrucciones:

  1. Draw clouds and add your favorite patterns.
  2. Draw a sun in your style with rays sticking out.
  3. Between each sunray, write down rituals you would like to do in the morning (you can keep them small, such as “wake up without reaching for phone” or “write to a friend”).
  4. For your evening ritual, repeat these steps with a moon.
  5. Challenge: Try this out for a week and look back to see what you’ve learned about yourself.
  1. Dibuja nubes y tus motivos o diseños favoritos.
  2. Dibuja un sol a tu manera, del que salgan rayos de luz.
  3. Entre cada par de rayos de sol, escribe rituales o cosas te gustaría hacer por la mañana (pueden ser pequeñas cosas, como “despertarme sin tomar el teléfono lo primero” o “escribirle a un amigo”).
  4. Como ritual de la noche, repite los mismos pasos, pero dibuja una luna.
  5. Desafío: prueba hacer esto durante una semana, y después reflexiona sobre lo que aprendiste acerca de ti mismo.

 

Rayna Lo is an artist who preserves culture with Traditional Chinese calligraphy and practices mindfulness with her illustrations. You can find her at raynalo.com and on Instagram at @rayna.lo

Rayna Lo es una artista que mantiene la cultura de la caligrafía tradicional china y practica la atención plena con sus ilustraciones. Para conocer más sobre ella, visita raynalo.com y @rayna.lo en Instagram.

 

Share your artwork on social media with #ICAartlab

Comparte tu experiencia en redes sociales con #ICAartlab

The ICA is the first Boston institution to launch the app, joining more than thirty other iconic cultural institutions from around the globe

(Boston, MA—July 20, 2021) This summer, the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston (ICA) launched a new free digital guide on the Bloomberg Connects cultural app joining over 30 cultural institutions including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, MoMA PS1, New York Botanical Garden, Central Park Conservancy, Greenwood Art Project, London’s Serpentine Gallery, and many more. Part of the Bloomberg Connects app, available for download from Google Play or the App Store, the new ICA Digital Guide makes the ICA accessible for either onsite or offsite visits through photo, audio, and video features that offer insights into the ICA’s current exhibitions and permanent collection; activities for kids; architecture tours in English, Spanish, and French; maps; visitor info including restaurant recommendations; accessibility resources; and info about our teen programs and upcoming exhibitions.

Special current features include:

“The generous support of Bloomberg Philanthropies enables the ICA to thoughtfully use technology to expand access to the arts through this new platform and connect audiences – near and far – with the art and artists we present,” said Jill Medvedow, the ICA’s Ellen Matilda Poss Director.

“I love that users can hear directly from artists featured at the ICA, get more context for the artwork on view, find a restaurant for after their visit – and then explore art on view in New York, London, DC, or elsewhere,” says Kris Wilton, Director of Creative Content and Digital Engagement at the ICA. “Having one app where you can explore multiple museums and cultural centers makes a ton of sense for both visitors and institutions.”

About the ICA
Since its founding in 1936, the ICA has shared the pleasures of reflection, inspiration, imagination, and provocation that contemporary art offers with its audiences. A museum at the intersection of contemporary art and civic life, the ICA has advanced a bold vision for amplifying the artist’s voice and expanding the museum’s role as educator, incubator, and convener. Its exhibitions, performances, and educational programs provide access to the breadth and diversity of contemporary art, artists, and the creative process, inviting audiences of all ages and backgrounds to participate in the excitement of new art and ideas. The ICA is located at 25 Harbor Shore Drive, Boston, MA, 02210. The Watershed is located at 256 Marginal Street, East Boston, MA 02128. For more information, call 617-478-3100 or visit our website at icaboston.org. Follow the ICA at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

More about Bloomberg Connects
Bloomberg Philanthropies launched the Bloomberg Connects app in November 2019. A free digital guide to cultural organizations around the world, Bloomberg Connects makes it easy to access and engage with arts and culture from mobile devices, anytime, anywhere. The app offers the ability to learn about current exhibitions at a portfolio of participating cultural partners through dynamic content exclusive to each organization. Features include expert commentary, video highlights, pinch-and-zoom capability and exhibition and way-finding maps.

About Bloomberg Philanthropies
Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 810 cities and 170 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a pro bono consultancy that works in cities around the world. In 2020, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $1.6 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and TikTok.

Media contact
Margaux Leonard, mleonard@icaboston.org, 617-478-3176

Download PDF / Descargar PDF 

Explore layering, a process that artist Firelei Báez uses regularly in her art-making practice, to create your own layered watercolor painting. Using contact paper, create your own abstract watercolor painting that explores positive/negative space, contrast, and color. Consider using colors, shapes, and patterns that evoke strong memories and feelings that you want to represent through your artwork.

Báez creates work that focuses on the experiences of Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Latina women. Her practice is deeply rooted in historical research and committed to redefining dominant historical narratives. She focuses on cultural ambiguity within diasporic communities, strategies for surviving cultural invasion, and redefining identity.

Explora la superposición, un proceso que la artista Firelei Báez usa con frecuencia en su práctica artística, para crear tu propia acuarela en capas. Con papel adhesivo, crea tu propia acuarela abstracta que explore el espacio positivo/ negativo, el contraste y el color. Puedes usar colores, formas y motivos que evoquen recuerdos y sentimientos intensos que desees representar a través de tu obra de arte.

Báez crea obras que se enfocan en las experiencias de las mujeres afrocaribeñas y afrolatinas. Su práctica está profundamente arraigada en la investigación histórica y se compromete a redefinir los relatos históricos dominantes. La artista pone el foco en la ambigüedad cultural dentro de las comunidades de la diáspora, las estrategias para sobrevivir a la invasión cultural y la redefinición de la identidad.

Materials/Materiales:

 

Icon of a pencil

Pencil
Lápiz

Icon of paper

Contact paper
Papel adhesivo

Icon of scissors

Scissors
Tijeras 

Paint brush icon.

Watercolor paints
Acuarelas 

 

Paper icon.

Thick paper
Papel grueso

    

Instructions / Instrucciones:

  1. Draw any shape on the contact paper.
  2. Cut out the shape with scissors.
  3. Remove the sticky protective layer on the contact paper, and adhere the shape to the paper.
  4. Using watercolors, color/paint over the area with the contact paper as you see fit. Find the right balance between wet and dry by experimenting with the amount of water you use on your brush, paints, and/or paper.
  5. Wait for the watercolor paint to dry – usually 2-3 minutes.
  6. Remove contact paper to see the design that you’ve created.
  7. If desired, reattach the contact paper to another area and repeat the process to create layers in your design. 8. Repeat steps 1-7 as many times as you like.
  1. Dibuja cualquier forma en el papel adhesivo.
  2. Recorta la forma con las tijeras.
  3. Saca la capa protectora del papel adhesivo, y adhiere la forma al papel grueso.
  4. Con las acuarelas, colorea o pinta como más te guste sobre el área donde pegaste el papel adhesivo. Encuentra el equilibrio adecuado entre húmedo y seco experimentando con la cantidad de agua que usas en los pinceles, las acuarelas o el papel.
  5. Espera a que la acuarela se seque; por lo general, tarda de 2 a 3 minutos.
  6. Despega el papel adhesivo para ver el diseño que creaste.
  7. Si lo deseas, vuelve a pegar el papel adhesivo sobre otra área y repite el proceso para crear superposiciones en el diseño. 8. Repite los pasos 1 a 7 tantas veces como quieras. 

 

Firelei Báez was born in Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic and lives and works in New York City. She makes intricate works on paper and canvas as well as large scale sculpture. Baez works in an imaginative realm, re-drawing histories and exploring new possibilities for the future. In summer 2021, the ICA Watershed will feature a newly commissioned, monumental sculpture by Báez. Her largest sculptural installation to date, the work reimagines the archeological ruins of the Sans-Souci Palace in Haiti as though they were revealed in East Boston after the sea receded from the Watershed floor.

Firelei Báez nació en Santiago de los Caballeros, República Dominicana, y vive y trabaja en la Ciudad de Nueva York. Crea elaboradas obras sobre papel y lienzo, así como esculturas a gran escala. La artista trabaja en un mundo imaginativo, volviendo a trazar historias y explorando nuevas posibilidades para el futuro. En verano de 2021, el Watershed del ICA presentará una nueva escultura monumental que se encomendó a Firelei Báez. Se trata de su instalación escultórica más grande a la fecha, una obra que reinterpreta las ruinas arqueológicas del Palacio de Sans Souci, en Haití, como si aparecieran en East Boston después de que el mar se retirara para volver a dejar el suelo del Watershed al descubierto.

 

Share your artwork on social media with #ICAartlab

Comparte tu experiencia en redes sociales con #ICAartlab

Download PDF / Descargar PDF 
Download additional PDF / Descargar PDF adicional

Make old cloth look new using traditional Adire Oniko techniques with Rit All-Purpose Dye. Adire Oniko is the name for traditional tie and dye techniques from the Yoruba people of West Africa.

Please be mindful that this activity in-volves fabric dyeing. While Rit All-Purpose Dye is non-toxic, it should be used with care, following the instructions carefully, and under adult supervision.

Dale un aspecto nuevo a una tela vieja con las técnicas tradicionales del Adire Oniko y el tinte Rit All-Purpose Dye. Adire Oniko es el nombre de las técnicas de teñido con anudado del pueblo yoruba de África Occidental.

Ten en cuenta que esta actividad implica teñir telas. Si bien Rit All-Purpose Dye no es un tinte tóxico, debe usarse con cuidado, siguiendo las instrucciones con atención y bajo la supervisión de un adulto.

Materials/Materiales:

Icon of a wavy sheet of fabric.

Fabric (cotton, silk, linen, rayon, or wool), 1 lb. per bottle or box of dye
Tela (algodón, seda, lino, rayón o lana), 1 lb (½ kg) por envase de tinte

Icon of a bottle.

Rit All-Purpose Dye 

Icon of rubber and needle with thread .

Rubber bands, or a needle and wax-coated thread
Bandas elásticas, o aguja e hilo encerado

Icon of a cup.

1 five-gallon bucket, tub, or other container for dying
1 balde, palangana u otro recipiente de cinco galones (aproximadamente 20 l) para teñir

 

Icon of salt shaker sprinkling salt.

1 cup of salt
1 taza de sal 

Icon of gloves, one facing down and the other facing up.

Rubber gloves
Guantes de goma

    

Instructions / Instrucciones:

  1. Wash your fabric.
  2. Take your wet fabric and tie using the methods of your choice. Find inspiration on the insert for “West African Tie-Dye and Stitch-and-Dye Techniques.”
  3. Prepare Rit All-Purpose Dye in a five-gallon bucket, tub, or other container following the instructions on the package.
  4. Take your wet fabric and place it in the bucket.
  5. Allow your fabric to soak for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
  6. Using rubber gloves, carefully remove the fabric from the bucket.
  7. Rinse your fabric thoroughly in cold water until the water is clear.
  8. Cut your ties and allow your cloth to dry.
  1. Lava la tela.
  2. Toma la tela húmeda y átala con los métodos que prefieras. Encuentra inspiración en el encarte “Técnicas de teñido con anudado y con reserva por puntadas de África Occidental”.
  3. Prepara el tinte Rit All-Purpose Dye en un balde, palangana u otro recipiente de cinco galones (aproximadamente 20 l) según las instrucciones del envase.
  4. Toma la tela húmeda y colócala en el balde.
  5. Deja la tela en remojo una hora y remuévela cada 15 minutos.
  6. Con los guantes de goma puestos, saca cuidadosamente la tela del balde.
  7. Enjuaga la tela a fondo con agua fría hasta que el agua salga transparente.
  8. Corta las ataduras y deja secar la tela.

 

Stephen Hamilton is an artist and arts educator living and working in Boston.

Stephen’s work incorporates both Western and African techniques, blending figurative painting and drawing with resist-dyeing, weaving, and woodcarving. Each image is a marriage between the aesthetic perspectives and artistry of both traditions.

Stephen Hamilton es un artista y educador de arte que vive y trabaja en Boston.

La obra de Stephen incorpora tanto técnicas occidentales como africanas, fusionando la pintura y el dibujo figurativos con el teñido por reservas, el tejido y el tallado en madera. Cada imagen es una unión de las perspectivas estéticas y artísticas de ambas tradiciones.

 

Share your artwork on social media with #ICAartlab

Comparte tu experiencia en redes sociales con #ICAartlab