“The ICA’s willingness to be forward-looking engages my imagination and encourages my commitment and long-term support.”

Nan Tull, a 1980 graduate of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts, is a Boston-based painter currently represented by Soprafina Gallery. A founding member of the Fort Point artists’ 249 A Street Cooperative in 1983, Nan maintains a studio and her practice there. She has steadily supported the ICA as a member over decades and recently made the generous decision with her husband, Frank Wezniak, to include the ICA in their estate plans through a bequest. We sat down with Nan to talk about her history with the ICA.

How did you first become involved at the ICA?

My interest in the ICA stems back many decades. Around 1972 I saw Ed Kienholz’s installation The Beanery and, at the time, thought it was definitely not my thing. Nevertheless, the experience stuck with me—it was my introduction to installation art.

From that point forward, I began to look to the ICA for the new and different in art and have visited the ICA regularly ever since.

What have been some of your favorite ICA moments?

Ironically, another installation, the 2000 exhibition of Cornelia Parker’s work—many ICA-goers know her for her piece Hanging Fire (Suspected Arson)—ranks as one of my favorites!

Why is the ICA important to you?

As an artist exhibiting in Boston over the past 35 years, I appreciate that the ICA has always shown the work of contemporary women artists. The ICA’s Barbara Lee Collection of Art by Women stands as a prime example of support for women in the arts and includes many favorites: Louise Bourgeois, Eva Hesse, and Kiki Smith, to name a few.

Why have you chosen to include the ICA in your annual giving?

The ICA’s willingness to be forward-looking engages my imagination and encourages my commitment and long-term support. In that regard, I think the Watershed, the new, raw, industrial space in East Boston, will be an exciting new venue with its focus on experimental work and public-art projects.

What motivated you and Frank to include the ICA in your estate plans?

We want the art of our time to be available to as many people as possible in Boston. Including the ICA in our estate plans means that we are able to continue to help the ICA in the future when we are no longer here to offer that support.

To learn more about including the ICA in your estate plans, contact the Development Office at 617-478-3183 or jspsociety@icaboston.org.