Dear Friends,

When the Santa Monica Museum of Art left Bergamot Station at the end of May 2015, I said “stay tuned….“ Now, one and a half years later, I want to tell you about our extraordinary transformation from SMMoA to the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (ICA LA), which will open in the Arts District in September 2017 at 1717 East 7th Street.

Buoyed by a groundswell of support from across the worlds of art and culture we began a new adventure:

• After leaving Bergamot, our first move was to a temporary office in Century City.
• Our dedicated staff of three worked with artists and trustees to find a new museum location, reconceive our mission, and launch a five million dollar start-up capital campaign.
• We selected wHY, under the direction of Kulapat Yantrasast, to be the architects for our new 13,000 square foot building.
• Acclaimed artist Mark Bradford designed our bold new logo.
• Strategic new hires include Zully Adler, exhibition and program manager; Jamillah James, curator; and Samuel Vasquez, deputy director of advancement; the process continues.
• In September 2016 we moved to a new temporary office in Boyle Heights.
• Our exhibition schedule for the first year is set. We will open in September 2017, with the work of acclaimed self-taught artist Martín Ramírez, presented as part of The Getty Foundation’s Pacific Standard Time: Los Angeles/Latin America, followed by a recreation of renowned curator Harald Szeemann’s legendary show, Grandfather–A Pioneer Like Us (1974), presented in collaboration with The Getty Research Institute. The summer will begin with the first survey of Los Angeles-based sign-painter Norm Laich, the invisible hand behind iconic artworks by such luminaries as Mike Kelley, Barbara Kruger, Ed Ruscha, and Lawrence Weiner, organized by John Baldessari and Meg Cranston. Jamillah James’s prescient roster of upcoming exhibitions include first solo museum presentations in Los Angeles for artists Abigail DeVille, Sarah Cain, Maryam Jafri, Rafa Esparza, and Lucas Blalock.
• Offsite events and outreach programs continue to draw diverse audiences from across the cultural spectrum from studio visits with artists Charles Gaines, Ry Rocklen, Mimi Lauter, and Jaime Guerrero to Agency of Assets—an initiative to catalyze young people from Boyle Heights into leadership roles in the arts.
• As new arrivals in a complex downtown community, we are forming crucial partnerships with such local colleagues and social justice advocates as Legacy LA and the National Day Laborers Organization Network (NDLON).
• On November 1st we took possession of our building; on November 21st construction began.

Our process has been quick, inspired, and unorthodox. As we push through the complexities of 2016 and into a new year, I ask for your support for our new endeavor. ICA LA has a proven track record of success that spans more than three decades of artistic, cultural, and political change. This is a meaningful investment at a challenging time. Admission will always be free, but construction, alas, is not.

Please help us build and sustain an ICA for LA.

With thanks and warm regards,