Closed Today

    Crossroads features work by the young artists in Chapters of Choice, a ten-week-long comic-making program led by Urbano Artist-in-Residence Maria Fong in the spring of 2025. Urbano is a nonprofit organization that brings together visual artists, local youth, and community members to learn and experiment through opportunities, workshops, projects and more! Chapters of Choice used storytelling, performance, and peer-led learning to support youth in untangling the question: “Do you feel like you have a choice?” The artists explored autobiographical comic-making to not only reflect upon how they have made decisions for their lives in the past, but also to think about how they can render self-led choices in the future.

    This exhibition was organized by the ICA’s Teen Exhibitions Program (TEP), a group of teens who work together to plan, organize, and install exhibitions in the ICA Teen Galleries. In this space, TEP members imagine new ways of presenting artwork and grow in their own creative practice by collaborating with one another and with ICA staff. Teen arts education is central to the mission of the ICA, and the TEP is just one of the many programs offered. Special thanks to all the collaborators who made this happen, including many staff at the ICA.

    The Teen Galleries are open Tuesday through Thursday, 2–5 PM or by appointment. Please contact teens@icaboston.org. 

    Artwork pictured here by Amber N.

    Crossroads will be on view in the Teen Galleries at the ICA’s Seaport Studio through May 26, 2026.

    Thanks to our collaborators

    Lost and Found explores the theme of nostalgia and reliving childhood through the memories and experiences we all cherish. This exhibition features the work of teens across ICA teen programs. The artists used diverse mediums like photography, sculpture, oil pastel, charcoal drawing, and digital drawing to collectively tell stories of family, playing games, staying up late, and the essence of being young. Each piece not only tells a unique story but also invites the viewer to reflect on their own journey, inspiring a deeper connection with sentimentality about the past.

    This exhibition was organized by the ICA’s Teen Exhibitions Program, a group of teens who work together to plan, organize, and install exhibitions in the ICA Teen Galleries. In this space, we imagine new ways of presenting artwork and grow in our own creative practice by collaborating with one another and with ICA staff. Teen arts education is central to the mission of the ICA, and the Teen Exhibitions Program is just one of the many programs offered. The artists included in this exhibition are recent alumni and current members of other ICA Teen Programs, including Fast Forward, Photography Collective, and Teen Arts Council. Special thanks to all the collaborators who made this happen, including many staff at the ICA.

    Text written by Joseph B.

    The Teen Galleries are open Tuesday through Thursday, 2–5 PM or by appointment. Please contact teens@icaboston.org. The Teen Galleries, including this exhibition, will be closed on Thursday, June 19.

    Thank you to our collaborators

    Chronicles from Castle Square is an exhibition of artwork by teens from the Change Creators program at Castle Square Tenants Organization (CSTO). These artists focus in on stories that are of significance to them.

    The photography is arranged into three categories: “Beauty in the Small Things,” “Hidden Stories/Layers,” and “Past, Present, Future.” “Beauty in the Small Things” encompasses images the artists found particularly captivating or extraordinary in everyday settings. In “Hidden Stories/Layers,” we see photos taken by teenagers around Boston. What do they mean? That’s up for you to decide. In “Past, Present, Future,” the photographers return to places of their pasts and capture them using their eyes now, reflecting on both what has happened since then and how they will later see their present selves. The final section of the exhibition, called “The Ballad of the Backgrounds,” is a collection of nine short films by the same teens.

    CSTO’s mission is to promote the economic, educational, and social empowerment of low- and moderate-income individuals by providing access to safe, quality affordable housing and supportive direct service programs. Through its Media Production Internships for Teens, young people learn photography and video production, storytelling, and event planning in order to bring communities together through visual media.

    This exhibition was organized by the ICA’s Teen Exhibitions Program, a group of teens who work together to plan, organize, and install artwork in the ICA Teen Galleries. In this space, we imagine new ways of presenting work, and grow in our own creative practice by collaborating with one another and ICA staff. Teen arts education is central to the ICA, and the Teen Exhibitions Programs is just one of many programs offered. Special thanks to all the collaborators who made this happen, including the staff and teens at CSTO.

    Text written by Aaron C., Luna L., and Ramona B.

    Thank you to our collaborators

    Aaron C., Teen Exhibitions Program Member
    Alejandro V., Teen Exhibitions Program Member
    Angela T., Principal Designer
    Angelica M., Teen Exhibitions Program Member
    Anthony T., Teen Exhibitions Program Member
    Aric C., Teen Programs Manager
    Autumn M., CSTO Teen Artist
    Ayanajanay R., CSTO Teen Artist
    Ayden A., Teen Exhibitions Program Member
    Betsy G., Director of Teen Programs
    Carol L., Decorative Painter
    Charlie C., Preparator
    Ciiphus C., Teen Exhibitions Program Member
    Coco R., Teen Exhibitions Program Teaching Artist
    Dani A., Production Manager
    Edwin A., Facilities Assistant
    Eleanor W., Teen Exhibitions Program Member
    Emily W., Teen Exhibitions Program Member
    Essence T., CSTO Teen Artist
    Hieu V., Teen Exhibitions Program Member
    Jasmani T., CSTO Teen Artist
    Jennifer M., Teen Exhibitions Program Member
    Joseph B., Teen Exhibitions Program Member
    Julie S., Production Manager
    Juliney S. & Opportunity Painting, Painters
    Kayla V., Teen Exhibitions Program Member
    Kemani A., CSTO Teen Artist
    Kris W., Director of Creative Content and Digital Engagement
    Layla P., Teen Exhibitions Program Member
    Leandra B., Teen Exhibitions Program Member
    Leycaira M., Teen Exhibitions Program Member
    Liv B., Exhibitions Coordinator
    Luna L., Teen Exhibitions Program Member
    Marianne M., CSTO Teen Artist
    Nate C., Teen Creative Leadership Alumni Assistant
    Nathan A., Teen Exhibitions Program Member
    Patrick E., CSTO Teen Artist
    Ramona B., Teen Exhibitions Program Member
    Ravyn H., CSTO Teen Artist
    Ruth E., Barbara Lee Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs
    Samantha C., Teen Exhibitions Program Member
    Tayde P., CSTO Teen Artist
    Tessa H., Curatorial Assistant
    Tim O., Chief Preparator
    Tyra S., CSTO Teen Artist
    Ty’Asiah S., Teen Exhibitions Program Member
    Xixin C., CSTO Teen Artist
    Vivianne S., Teen Exhibitions Program Member

    As You Are explores the unique and evolving expressions of beauty in the human form through art made by ICA teen artists. While the concept of the ideal human form is often warped by societal expectations, the artists presenting here seek to create their own definitions through their personal experiences.

    The artists used photography and sculpture to capture different instances of beauty in their lives. While each artist had a specific intention for their piece, the works are unified in finding beauty in the human form. Whether exploring beauty in human interactions or in the artistic forms we create, each piece demonstrates the multifaceted concept that is beauty and how it is anchored in humanity. While taking in the exhibition pieces, consider how and where beauty appears in your life and the ways you define it.

    This exhibition was organized by the ICA’s Teen Exhibitions Program, a group of creative teens who work together to plan, organize, and install exhibitions in the ICA Teen Galleries. In this space, we imagine new ways of presenting work, and grow in our own creative practice by collaborating with one another and ICA staff.

    The artists included in this exhibition are members of other ICA Teen Programs, including Fast Forward, Photography Collective, and Teen Arts Council. Text written by Angelica M. and Leandra B.

    Thank you to our collaborators


    From the Ground Up     explores relationships between people and their environments, as well as interactions between the natural and the man-made. ICA teen artists express ideas about the ways in which they experience nature, the most unusual places they’ve found nature, and where they’ve seen an absence of nature.

    This exhibition was organized by the ICA’s Teen Exhibitions Program, a group of creative teens who work together to plan, organize, and install exhibitions in the ICA Teen Gallery. This gallery is a space for us to imagine new ways of presenting work, and to grow in our own creative practice by collaborating with one another and ICA staff.

    The artists included in the gallery are members of other ICA Teen Programs, including AMP: Music Production, Fast Forward, Photo Collective, Special Focus, and Teen Arts Council. Special thanks to all the collaborators who made this happen, including many staff at the ICA. See the bottom of this page for a full list.

    From the Ground Up: Nature and the Man-Made will be on view in the Teen Gallery at the ICA’s Seaport Studio through May 30, 2024.

    Thank you to our collaborators

    The Stories that Make Us is an exhibition of artwork by high school students that explores personal stories about migration, belonging, and overcoming adversity. This exhibit embodies how different stories intersect and finds the commonalities we all have with one another.  We invite you to explore the works that make up The Stories that Make Us and see what you relate to.

    I Learn America (ILA) is a youth-led education program with a mission to use the power of storytelling to foster empathy, urgency, and action around issues affecting migrant youth, as they forge their own path in a new land. In 2021, youth facilitators from ILA worked with artists from the Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing to create panels that focused on their own journeys. In the fall of 2022, ILA facilitators worked with student leaders at Everett High School, Boston International Newcomers Academy, and ENLACE Academy to lead workshops around the panels—taking inspiration from the panels, students used black vinyl and permanent marker on mirrors and windows to create pieces that reflected their own personal experiences and points of connection.

    This exhibition was organized by the ICA’s Teen Exhibitions Program, a group of creative teens who work together to plan, organize, and install artwork in the ICA Teen Gallery, while learning about the process of making exhibitions from dedicated museum professionals. Teen arts education is central to the ICA, and the Teen Exhibitions Programs is just one of many programs offered. Special thanks to all the collaborators who made this happen, including I Learn America, Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Everett High School, Boston International Newcomers Academy, and ENLACE Academy at Lawrence High School.

    The Stories that Make Us is on view in the Teen Gallery in the ICA Seaport Studio at 100 Pier 4 Blvd. Seaport Studio is open to the public Tuesday through Thursday, 2–5 PM.

    Credits

    Lead support for Teen Programs provided by Wagner Foundation.

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    Teen Programs are made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Award Number MA-252104-OMS-22.

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    Additional support is provided by the Rowland Foundation, Inc.; Vertex; The Willow Tree Fund; the Cabot Family Charitable Trust; Mathieu O. Gaulin; the William E. Schrafft and Bertha E. Schrafft Charitable Trust; the Nathaniel Saltonstall Arts Fund; the Mass Cultural Council; the Rosalie Thorne McKenna Foundation; the Deborah Munroe Noonan Memorial Fund, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee; MFS Investment Management; BPS Arts Expansion Fund at EdVestors; the Bessie Pappas Charitable Foundation, Inc.; and the Charlotte Foundation.

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    Converse is committed to supporting movements for positive social change and amplifying youth voices as they build the future they believe in.

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