Please Note

Portraits from the ICA Collection may be closed today due to installation. See what else is on view

Bundle up for a seasonal stroll through the burgeoning Boston seaport.

Dewey Square Park

Hop off the Red Line at South Station and pop over to Dewey Square Park. Mehdi Ghadyanloo’s awesome trompe l’oeil Spaces of Hope currently holds court over the park – and is definitely a site worth seeing. Plus there are food trucks, weather permitting.

Dewey Square Park is between Congress Street, Summer Street, and Atlantic Avenue

The prolific artist has introduced us to the realm of public art possibilities…

The Huffington post

Gingerbread House

Pop into the Boston Society of Architects Space and enjoy eight gingerbread designs from teams of architecture and landscape architecture firms. (Then vote for your favorite!) Now in its fifth year, the Gingerbread House Design Competition is a fun and tasty way to highlight the delicious talents of Boston landscape and architecture firms. While challenging designers to explore a new medium, this sweet event also raises funds for community design programs of the BSA Foundation.

BSA Space is at 290 Congress Street, Suite 200

Fort Point Channel

A jaunt across the Fort Point Channel bridges (on Summer Street and Congress Street) gives a glorious view of the Boston Harbor, the city’s skyline, and Claudia Ravaschiere and Michael Moss’s fluorescent and jewel toned plexiglass work Shimmer activates the Congress Street Bridge spanning Fort Point Channel and changes the public perception of a familiar urban environment. The work was comissioned by FPAC.

Snack Time

Barrington Coffee

Need an excuse to warm up? We understand. The noted (and ICA staff fave) Flour Bakery is right around the corner and offers just the thing, their award-winning “fiery hot chocolate.” Rich chocolate with a pinch of chile powder and cayenne pepper makes for the perfect mix of sweet and spicy. Plus daily specials and irresistable treats are always available if you’ve worked up an appetite. (Cinnamon cream brioche, apple snacking spice cake, ginger molasses cookies, the list goes on…)

Flour Bakery is located off Congress at 12 Farnsworth Street

Impeccable espresso more up your alley? Barrington Coffee Roasting Company is less than a block away and at your service. Their menu is simple, their coffee is prepared fresh each day, their beans are sustainable, and the quality is incomparable.

Barrington Coffee Roasting Company is located at 346 Congress Street

SHOP LOCAL

A foolproof spot to find last-minute gifts – or reward yourself for making it through 2016 – Made in Fort Point provides art and crafts by local artists. Offerings range from paintings and ceramics to jewelry and clothing, all made hyper-locally in the Fort Point neighborhood. Nothing like guiltless gifting.

Made in Fort Point is located at 315 A Street. The store is run primarily by volunteers, so hours may vary.

Daily Dose of Art

Of course no Seaport stroll is complete without a trip to the ICA/Boston. Whether you’re trying to work off those wintry treats, get your holiday shop on, entertain the family, or opt for art – stick with us this season:

KIDS_Kid making art inside at the ICA

Holiday Vacation Week Programs – Explore the galleries and create art together in the Bank of America Art Lab with art-making activities for visitors of all ages, children and adults, to enjoy. Pop-up art investigations related to works on view will also be offered on select afternoons.
Tue, Dec 27–Fri, Dec 30 | 10 AM–4 PM

First Light: A Decade of Collecting at the ICA – 10 years of collecting. 5 curators. More than 100 works. The ICA’s most ambitious collection exhibtion is now on view. Discover the work of Louise Bourgeois, Paul Chan, Shepard Fairey, Cornelia Park, Kara Walker, Andy Warhol, and more.Through Jan 16, 2017

RACHEL HARRISON Voyage of the Beagle

The Artist’s Museum – Check out the ICA’s newest exhibtion, The Artist’s Museum. How do artists work with other artists’ work? Come find out. Through Mar 26, 2017

Material Matters – See how contemporary artists transform our experience of found and everyday materials with a knowledgable tour guide. OR explore on our own terms with our new Mobile Guide. Thursdays at 6 PM, Saturdays and Sundays at 1 PM

And of course, be sure to the waterfront view from the John Hancock Founders Gallery while you’re here!

The ICA/Boston is located at 25 Harbor Shore Drive

SHOP LOCAL REDUX

ICA Store

Before you leave the ICA, don’t forget to visit the ICA Store for the perfect present or accessory you never knew you desperately need: we’re talking special products designed in collaboration with ICA exhibited artists, the best selection of art and photography books in New England, and home items intended to improve – and beautify! –everyday living. Bring the delights of contemporary art home. Admission is not required to shop at the ICA store. But, proceeds from the ICA store DO support the ICA’s exhibitions and programs. Give back while you give!

Explore the ICA store within the ICA at 25 Harbor Shore Drive.

Chow Circuit

There are too many incredible restaurants in the area for us to recommend just one. Here are a few of our favorites for a mid-walk meal, whether you’re looking for a feast, snack, or something simple.

Pastoral

Pastoral: Stunningly good artisanal pizza in a lovely setting (or to take out).

Pastoral is located at 345 Congress Street

Shake Shack: Something delicious for everyone – even your pickiest eaters. We’re partial to the classic ShackBurger with fries. Pro tip: Get the Seaport Salt & Malt concrete, made with dark chocolate chunks from Taza.

Shake Shack is located at 77 Seaport Blvd

Yo! Sushi: Brand new to the neighborhood, this is conveyor belt sushi at its finest, with both hot and cold offerings. Try one of everything.

Yo! Sushi is located at 79 Seaport Blvd

Legal Harborside: A spectacular view of the harbor with three floors of dining that each offer a different menu. (Psst…the 3rd floor has sushi, a fireplace, and a fully enclosed glass-walled space.)

Legal Harborside can be found at 270 Northern Avenue

The Barking Crab Boston

Row 34: Oysters. Beer. Repeat. You’ll be tempted not to stray from the raw bar, but the entire menu is top-notch.

Row 34 lives at 383 Congress Street

Blue State: Perfect for a quick bite (think sandwiches, scones + soups) AND they donate a percentage of sales to local nonprofits.

Blue State is located at 155 Seaport Boulevard

The Barking Crab: You might know it only from the summer outdoor party scene, but the Crab also has a cozy indoor section that feels like an escape in wintertime. Sit by the wood-burning oven and sip on a seasonal brew.

The Barking Crab is located at 88 Sleeper Street

This Saturday at Community Day we asked you to show some love for your favorite work in First Light: A Decade of Collecting at the ICA with Hearts for Art, and the results are in! Here are your top 11 favorite works (there was a tie for 10th!), with Cornelia Parker’s Hanging Fire (Suspected Arson) taking the lead by almost 100 votes!

The best part? You can come and visit them for a few more weeks! First Light will be on view through Jan 16, 2017.

(Also snagging some sneaky votes were the view from the John Hancock Founders Gallery, Gillian Wearing’s Rock ‘n’ Roll 70, and several works on view in The Artist’s Museum.)

Miss the fun? Share your favorite work in our collection at @icainboston on Twitter or @icaboston on Instagram! Explore the collection virtually here.

 

“I want to do my part, humble as that part might be!”

William Ruhl is a Principal at Ruhl Walker Architects in South Boston. He supports the ICA in the present as a member, and has made plans to support us in the future by including the ICA in his estate plans with a bequest. We spoke to Will about his involvement at the ICA.

William Ruhl

How did you first become involved at the ICA?

I got to know the ICA after moving to the Boston area after graduate school in 1988. I taught a design studio at the Boston Architectural Center and the ICA was in its original building around the corner on Boylston Street. I didn’t really become actively involved with the ICA until the new Diller Scofidio + Renfro–designed building was built on the waterfront, close to where I had been practicing architecture for more than 15 years. I’m a huge fan of the building as well as the art within! I became a member of the Director’s Circle soon thereafter and look forward to becoming even more involved in the near future.

The ICA may focus on the most provocative art of our time, but it also manages to humanize the art.

What have been some of your favorite ICA exhibitions over the years?

Too many to list! But some highlights include Leap Before You Look: Black Mountain College 1933–1957, especially Anni Albers’s Monte Alban; Fiber: Sculpture 1960–present, including Elsi Giauque’s floating Spatial Element; and Tara Donovan’s extraordinary exhibition in 2008 including her sculpture Nebulous, which was woven from strips of Scotch tape.

What do you feel the ICA does differently?

Boston and surrounding cities and towns have a long history of collecting and displaying art, but the ICA takes that many steps further by also engaging the broadest possible sense of community through the widest imaginable range of contemporary media. The ICA may focus on the most provocative art of our time, but it also manages to humanize the art.

Why is the ICA important to Boston?

Boston and Cambridge have an amazing collection of world-class art museums, but none match the ICA’s connection to our own time or thoughts of the future possibilities of art.

What have been some of your favorite ICA programs over the years?

I am a huge fan of the Artist’s Voice talks. William Kentridge’s talk in 2014, Mark Bradford’s in 2010, Damián Ortega’s in 2009, and Anish Kapoor’s in 2008 were all extraordinarily inspiring but also at times hilarious.

Why did you decide to include the ICA in your estate plans?

Having worked closely with community, wildlife, and educational nonprofits over the decades as both a parent and an architect, I have learned firsthand how much it takes to keep our nonprofit institutions going! Major donors are critical, of course, but so are medium and smaller donors. There is no amount that is too small, and it takes thousands of people to keep arts organizations such as the ICA going for future generations. I want to do my part, humble as that part might be!

Why do you think leaving a bequest to the ICA is important?

Bequests provide for substantial future influxes of funds, providing a lifeline for the ICA, but also allow me to continue to help the ICA after I’m gone.

To learn more about leaving a bequest to the ICA, please read more here, contact us at 617-478-3183 or jspsociety@icaboston.org.

 

STORE_Black Friday 2016

Get 15% off your online purchases at the ICA store this weekend (+ Monday!). Head to icastore.org for easy access to endless treats and use the code ICA15. Not to mention, spend $100 or more on in-store jewelry purchases and receive 20% off. PLUS all proceeds support the ICA exhibitions and programs. Help us, help you.

Discount starts Friday, Nov 25 at 12am and lasts through Monday, Nov 28 at 11:59PM.