After seven years in the works, the Institute of Contemporary Art — located on Boylston Street since 1936 — is opening its new doors to the public Dec. 10, with rows of bright orange chairs looking out onto Boston Harbor through glass walls from its new home on Fan Pier in South Boston.
The ICA is one of the oldest contemporary art museums in the United States and the only one in Boston. The building will be the first new art museum built in Boston in nearly 100 years.
“This is an extraordinary moment for the ICA and Boston,” said museum Director Jill Medvedow at a media preview Friday.
The new space, which is triple the size of the former site and extends 80 feet from its base, allowed Medvedow to materialize her vision of creating an inspirational place where people could “discover their own creativity and connect to our city and its harbor in new ways,” she said.
“It’s a visual impression on what’s happening on contemporary culture,” said Susan Courtemanchey, ICA directorial assistant to Medvedow. “It’s becoming a collection, an institution, where as before it was just temporary works.”
The ICA has revamped and broadened its exhibits and added its first permanent collection, of works by 20th and 21st century national and international artists who have showcased their art at the ICA for more than 70 years.
The ICA will also include new performing arts, media and technology programs, including film and video screenings, dance, music and spoken word performances and lectures.
“This beautifully designed building has been crafted to maximize the use of public space — inside and out — and gives us a cultural destination for both tourists and city residents on the South Boston waterfront,” Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said Friday.
“The new ICA is a symbol of the new Boston, an architectural masterpiece that demonstrates to the world that we are on the forefront of innovation and design,” he continued.
The ICA will offer programs to help teens develop skills in photography, digital video and other artistic endeavors, and creative writing programs will be offered to patrons of all ages and abilities. The ICA has also developed Artist Encounters, a program that brings together accomplished artists and young people in the community.