Long before ICA LA’s Grand Opening on September 9, 2017, team SMMoA Unbound was in introspection mode at temporary offices in Century City. We had closed the Santa Monica Museum of Art at Bergamot Station on May 31, 2015. We thought about Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (ICA LA) and how it would would look, feel, and act. Our opportunity was rare—take a break from the outside to deeply rethink the institution from the inside.

On May 6, 2016, we officially announced ICA LA with a building in Downtown Los Angeles. Time to go back outside!

In the last year, we presented a constellation of programs. From artist studio visits to Virtual Reality, we gradually emerged from our gestation period. We presented partnerships, explored new technologies, and placed a dozen youth in their first summer jobs within the arts and culture sector.

We are grateful for those who worked with us to realize these “radar” programs, which kept us active, connected, and ready to accelerate toward the opening of our new space.

Today, with extensive experience and a solid history, we are fresh and eager to be ICA LA with and for you.