Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (ICA LA) is an epicenter of artistic experimentation and incubator of new ideas.
Founded in 1988 as the Santa Monica Museum of Art (SMMOA) and reestablished in 2017 with a new identity and home in Downtown Los Angeles, ICA LA builds upon a distinguished history of bold curatorial vision and innovative programming to illuminate the important untold stories and emerging voices in contemporary art and culture. The museum’s 12,700 square-foot renovated industrial building—designed by wHY Architecture under the leadership of Kulapat Yantrasast—features ample space for exhibitions, public programs, retail pop-ups, integrated offices, and special projects.
ICA LA’s mission is to support art that sparks the pleasure of discovery and challenges the way we see and experience the world, ourselves, and each other. ICA LA is committed to upending hierarchies of race, class, gender, and culture. Through exhibitions, education programs, and community partnerships, ICA LA fosters critique of the familiar and empathy with the different.
ICA LA is committed to making contemporary art relevant and accessible for all. Admission is free.
Logo and identity
ICA LA’s logo was designed by artist Mark Bradford.
Identity design and guidelines: Linked by Air
About this website
Website design and programming: Linked by Air
Some parts of the website are inside out, allowing transparency into the website’s own workings. Both the website and identity trace an eclectic set of commercial and institutional vernaculars to build a surface that is both growing and about growth.
Beneath the surface, ICA LA runs on Economy, an agile content management system that is optimized for creative institutions. ☕
Typography
Headlines are set in DINICA, a new digitization of the standardized signage typeface DIN 1451 Breitschrift. DINICA was drawn by Jack Jennings (Standard Library) and Desmond Wong (AUTHENTIC).
Cursive text is set in Gruenewald VA, a 1970’s standardized primary school script digitized by Pieter Wiegel. Mr. Wiegel creates and maintains an assortment of historical typeface digitizations on his site Cat Fonts.
ICA LA’s typefaces additionally include Arial Narrow and Times.