Istituto di Arte Contemporanea

Esperienza fantastica: Questo museo è un vero gioiello. Qui, prima che il porto diventasse di moda, questa istituzione presta grande attenzione a una programmazione e a mostre diverse. Questa membership vale davvero la pena per ciò a cui sarai esposto. Anche se partecipi solo ai Venerdì Primi o alla serie di film, sarai felice di aver fatto l'investimento di meno di 70 $ per l'anno [anche se le mostre sono fantastiche!]

Esperienza fantastica: Beautiful building worth seeing for itself, some amazing exhibitions (and some not so much), great little cafe with nice wine and light bites selection at decent prices and the best views in Boston. And! The East Boston additional gallery, the Watershed, across the water reachable by water taxi, included in ticket price or membership. Still the best deal in Boston.

Esperienza positiva: Exhibition space is very small, free boat ride is great.

Esperienza fantastica: We absolutely loved the exhibit and the staff were amazing! Thank you for a great experience.

Esperienza positiva: Great place, trip in a watertaxi to the Watershed space is a special treat.

Esperienza fantastica: Love this museum. I’m a member and visit a few times a year. It’s smaller than other museums in Boston but rotates exhibits frequently which keeps it fresh. I recommend this place to locals and anyone who enjoys high quality modern/contemporary art from artists of a variety of backgrounds and varying levels of fame. The art is also in a variety of media from sculptures to paintings to immersive exhibits. This is definitely a place for art lovers and not a destination for influencers/social media photos

Esperienza fantastica: First of all, the building design itself is impressive along with the huge lift to take you up to the galleries. The galleries are expansive and well laid out, with thoughtful artwork. The audio visual experience was very impactful and left me very relaxed. The free tickets on Thursday evenings make this unmissable.

Esperienza fantastica: It was a great museum and the boat trip to the remote Watershed, which had another great show, was excellent.

Esperienza fantastica: Well worth a visit. I enjoyed the work. Has a good gift shop and seating outside. There is a bay water bus service (you need to dowload the app to pay, no cash/cards taken) very nearby so worth checking this to get there or go elsewhere such as the naval dock museum.

Esperienza fantastica: Very pretty, I have never been inside but looks so nice from inside and out.

Esperienza negativa: Don't go on the boat ride you can get stuck, we had to wait for 40 mins for an empty boat, we end up talking an Uber back... Be more professional

Esperienza fantastica: A beautiful place with a wonderful view over the sea especially at sunset. At the time I went there, there was a big party for adults: not good for young kids.

Esperienza positiva: Went to watch The Redbull Cliff diving competition off the face of the arts building.

Esperienza fantastica: Take the water taxi to the ICA watershed. Thrilling! Best museum in all of Boston, hands down.

Esperienza positiva: The museum is pretty small — three galleries, and one of them was just a video feed playing on a loop. I’m giving it three stars since some members of our group are big contemporary art fans and they loved the artworks, but I personally wouldn’t recommend it unless you are big modern art lovers like them.

Esperienza positiva: Great for families looking for something to do in the city, exhibit wasn’t as large as I thought it would be. But it was great, just know the gift shop is on the pricey side

Esperienza fantastica: We had a wonderful experience at this museum. All of the exhibits were phenomenal and expansive, and the Wu Tsang and Firelei Báez exhibits were two of the most memorable I have experienced in a museum. The docents were also enthusiastic and knowledgeable to discuss the art. We spent just over three hours here (we watched a full hour of Wu Tsang's "Of Whales," which I would recommend), and also enjoyed the location on the harbor.

Esperienza fantastica: The gallery is only on one floor so it is a little small, but it is a great museum and collections! Worth the visit

Esperienza positiva: Enjoyed exhibits on 4th floor and at the East Boston site. Very impressive artworks. Boston ride was fun.

Esperienza positiva: I didn’t find the main exhibition very interesting. The paintings by Firelei Baez seemed formulaic and overblown. I liked the opportunity to see a wall of Shepherd Fairey’s posters. He packs much meaning into sparing designs. The pieces by Jenny Holtzer and Elizabeth Bartlett were a great addition to the collection of work incorporating text into graphic works.

Esperienza fantastica: We are members, and love what that offers. The museum itself is small. However, they often host film screenings, and the first Friday events are a blast. In the summer months we get around the nearly impossible to find affordable parking in Seaport by taking either the ICA’s own boat shuttle from Eastie - included in admission ticket - or the ferry from Eastie. The boat shuttle is so fun! Run by a private company, they are small boats driven by private owners who are really great to chat with, and provide great insights and info not only about the city, but about the birds and ocean life you might see. The shuttle allows visitors to experience both the Watershed extension of the museum in East boston, also wonderful, and the main ICA museum in Seaport. And as others mentioned, the gift shop is amazing, and the cafe a beautiful space to sip a beverage with an exquisite waterfront view that includes discounts for members. I highly recommend becoming a member for year round benefits, and/or visiting when the watershed is open and the shuttle is running to get the very most out of your experience. We love it.

Esperienza negativa: Small. Curation is mixed bag. Nice view of the harbor from the 4th floor might be the highlight.

Esperienza positiva: Small and some of the exhibits were really cool. Some were definitely not. But I liked sitting over the water looking out the windows. The staff were NOT helpful or very welcoming at all. We got in free but I would have been pretty disappointed if I had paid to go.

Esperienza fantastica: Wow amazing, gallery space and exhibition. Do visit if you have a chance.

Esperienza fantastica: Contemporary in every sense of the word. Profound and stunning pieces. Staff was friendly and helpful. Respect to all the artists and donors!

Esperienza positiva: small gallery. only in 4th floor. overall impression is ok. VERY difficult to find parking ️ i would say unrealistic. near they have a parking lot for 35$ and paid street parking which is full.

Esperienza fantastica: Very nice museum, exhibits are on 4th floor only. There's a nice store on the 1st floor and it looks like the museum hosts schools for art education classes. They have jelly cats!

Esperienza fantastica: Bunker Hill Community College is celebrating 50th Anniversary

Esperienza fantastica: One of my favorite museums in Boston. Absolutely worth the trip, and their store is awesome!

Esperienza fantastica: Excellently curated. 2 to 3 hours if you want to linger and contemplate. Less than 2 if you just want exposure.

Esperienza positiva: The ICA is great, but on the small side. Typically there are two shows up (one may just be “from the permanent collection) Plus a mural in the lobby, and maybe a video instillation. Ironically parking used to be the easiest thing in the world for here- but now it’s pretty tough. Admission is free Thursday nights, and to skip parking issues take a train to South Station and walk over. There are more and more shops and restaurants in the Seaport now, the ICA is a great stop to combine with another activity

Esperienza fantastica: Beautiful, relaxed and well designed museum. Spent 1.5 hours here and really enjoyed the exhibitions. Creative and interesting artworks that takes in different forms of media. Staff were also welcoming and helpful. Bonus for the spacious hallway that offers a view over the Boston waterfront. Would be great if the weather was better.

Esperienza fantastica: ICS is one of my favorite places on earth. An architectural piece that embraces you. Not to miss while in Boston.

Esperienza fantastica: Excellently curated museum that always has such unique, interesting, and engaging exhibits. One of my favorite contemporary art museums in the US

Esperienza fantastica: Came here for their free Thursdays. I love this place. The staff is very knowledgeable and came up to us to tell us more about the artist and the paintings we looked at. The exhibit was enchanting. Lots is parking nearby the museum and overlooks the harbor.

Esperienza fantastica: This was a pretty amazing experience. First I did research beforehand to see the museum’s hours of operation and admission cost. I noticed that they had an adult night on Thursdays from 5 to 9. So I asked my Friend if she and her husband would be open to going while I was in town. They said they enjoyed their visit to the museum in the past and were happy to go again. Got to the museum. My friend reserved our spot ahead of time. They check us in and we were able to go upstairs to the exhibit. The Firelei Baez exhibit was beautifully executed. The gallery wonderfully presented Baez pieces. some pieces are textiles, some more paintings and etc. come and see it for sure. I would post pictures. But seeing it in person would be better.

Esperienza fantastica: We found out the employees walking around the museum are educators, not security. They are exceptionally knowledgeable about the art that is displayed.

Esperienza negativa: I hate leaving negative reviews of a place, but I believe in honesty and getting your money's worth for the experience. Heard about the ICA for years and how amazing it was pre-Covid. I know it has been years now since then, but when I went a few days ago, I was underwhelmed. I paid for my ticket and saw it was admission to just the one floor since most of it was closed. Just a small bunch or exhibits and a slide show. Very quiet, almost pretentious vibe. Egh. I was through it all in 10-15 mins. Now, I don't understand contemporary art 100%, the building and view were nice, and they did discount my ticket $5. But coming all the way for that was a waste. Hopefully, just a one off, but I won't be back any time soon.

Esperienza negativa: Small. I was expecting to spend the day. It's just one room with maybe 15 pieces. I found the building more interesting than anything

Esperienza fantastica: My favorite museum in Boston. The selection and the setup are amazing. It is not huge, so look up in advance so you don't visit when the main gallery is between 2 exhibitions, as there will not be a lot left in the meantime.

Esperienza negativa: Pretty meh to be honest. There is barely any worthwhile exhibition. Just one room of paintings and one room of "theater" with relaxing projection images and sounds. That is it.....

Esperienza positiva: Much smaller than my expectations. One floor with one main area room with a variety of artwork. One exhibit area with theatre screen. One area under construction for the next exhibit. You can spend less than an hour here. It was still nice just not a whole lot of stuff to take a look at. The view of the harbor is nice.

Esperienza fantastica: Wow! We took our 6th graders here for a field trip. It was amazing. The staff know how to make a museum visit interactive, educational & fun. There is so much great art & fantastic artists to inspire. Students made some terrific art. Thanks for a great trip!

Esperienza positiva: Very cool place. The exhibit we saw was kinda cool. Didn't really know much about it - my daughter chose the destination. I will say - I do not look like I belong in the art society, so I felt a little discriminated against. A bit of a snobbish crowd. The cafe was nice and the coffee was pretty good. A cup of black coffee and a happy kid - that's all this old dad needed to feel comfortable - snobby crowd or not.

Esperienza fantastica: Went to go see the animated and live action short films before the Oscars. I will say about half of them were really sad but simply remarkable. Better see them before that night comes.

Esperienza fantastica: A really lovely museum. It's right on the harbor with a beautiful view. The exhibitions were intriguing and the staff were very happy to talk to you about them.

Esperienza positiva: The museum was ok but parking was unaffordable! We pulled into a lot with no prices posted and foolishly assumed it might cost in the $20 range, we ended up paying $35! So I probably won’t be going back any time soon, unless I ride the T.

Esperienza positiva: The place seemed empty. The view of Boston was really nice, but had to go all the way to the 4th floor for any exhibits, and even there, I was done with seeing everything multiple times in about 30 minutes. I could spend longer at 1 room at the MFA. Even the MFA's Contemporary Art collection is bigger. Weird. I remembered it being better several years ago when I last went.

Esperienza positiva: When I was visiting only 4 floor was open, it is pretty small

Esperienza negativa: The building is nice, and the view of the harbour on the top floor is magnificent. However, the art experience is incredibly underwhelming. There are too few artworks here, and different gallery rooms seem to always be closed.

Esperienza positiva: A great diversity of multimedia exhibits. My only complaint is that it didn’t have more exhibits. It was only one floor! And the view of the harbor was beautiful.

Esperienza negativa: Underwhelming. One wing shut down for a new installation and there were only two other small galleries. (Still charged full price, of course) I’m the first to admit that I don’t fully understand much in the contemporary art world…but this seemed pretty weak. The large screen, immersive experience was relaxing. The best part of the experience was the view from the top of the building. With all the other amazing things to see in Boston, I wouldn’t put this on my list.

Esperienza negativa: Very small museum. It is very hard to find a street parking. An outdoor parking lot nearby costs $35 for the hour. It's not my place to describe the artworks, however, I would say it's an utter worldly experience.

Esperienza positiva: Not worth the effort. Some cool stuff, but really limited collection. Loved the harbor view, though!

Esperienza positiva: What a pleasant surprise! Fascinating exhibits on Caribbean, American, Asian cultures. Near plenty of restaurants and activities.

Esperienza fantastica: Went with my friend on MLK Jr. Day and it was so nice. It was quite a bit of ppl out, but still a great time. I love that most of the exhibits had Caribbean origins.

Esperienza positiva: This is a super small museum. It might be good if you are new to museums or don’t often like them that much (that has been me for a while), but it’s not necessarily the best if you want detailed descriptions of the work. It’s mostly left to interpretation and again it’s 1 floor, so if you want to be free and float around a museum, this might not be the one. I went on MLK day when they had free admission and it was definitely worth it.

Esperienza fantastica: A must go attraction while in Boston. The rotating exhibits and permeant pieces are always a joy to see. From my experience, the ICA is not often a multi-hour experience or at least not a full day. Typically the exhibits are contained to one floor and so I would plan for 2-3 hrs max for a visit.

Esperienza fantastica: Small compared to some of the larger museums BUT still a great experience. Exhibits change frequently enough to keep going back every few weeks. Admission is free on Thursdays after 5pm. Highly recommend

Esperienza positiva: I went for a music show. I wish the space had better sound dynamics but it was generally fine

Esperienza fantastica: I really enjoyed this place, not just because of the art (contemporary art can sometimes be difficult to appreciate and connect with), but also because of the institute's shop and wine/coffee bar. The shop has a fantastic collection of items that you'll immediately want to buy - funny books, art albums, original jewelry, and interesting and meaningful pictures and decorations. I spent an entire hour exploring everything they had to offer and ended up buying some things too. As for the cafe, it offers a fantastic view of the harbor where you can enjoy a glass of Californian Chardonnay while contemplating the sunset. It's a truly wonderful place that is a must-see.

Esperienza fantastica: So upon coming on Thursday , at 5pm - 9pm tickets are free. I enjoyed walking around the exhibit. Lots of amazing artworks. 10/10 will come again.

Esperienza positiva: IcA offers free membership for the littles 5-17 years + 1 accompanying them… this is worth it because paying for tickets at this place is not worth it. There is only one floor of gallery space. They do keep changing it up, so you won’t see the same thing if you go every few months. Right now they have some Caribbean art which was good, and some Asian artists… We were there for a workshop on the ground floor, by Lily Xie. It was a stop motion workshop, but the time for the workshop was so less, by the time they taught us what’s needed to know, it was hurry hurry hurry to pack up because they had to set up for the next workshop (which was a drop in from 12-5 pm) we rushed thru our stop motion videos which wasn’t fun. They said we’d have enough time to make our videos or if we wanted we could take our materials home to make a better video… They had a light puppet workshop after where you could make shadow puppets. The view of the harbor from the galleries are nice. The galleries themselves could use some improvement. Some art pieces in the middle of the room have their write ups in random places, and it’s not easy to locate them especially if there is more than 1-3 artwork on the wall; with random art names, and no description for what we are looking at. I struggled with 2-3 of them before giving up. And the write ups themselves are very less, doesn’t give a glimpse into what the artist was thinking, why they did what they did, or what we are walking into (if it’s a room art) maybe they want us to do an audio tour, but it’s not clear when you enter where to get the info… a whole lot of employees but looks like they are all there to just protect the art but not really educate the patrons about what we are looking at. (They chided us for having an empty crushed water bottle when we asked them a question about some art) ‍♀️ overall didn’t feel the vibe at this museum It was nice to have lockers to stash our stuff at the entrance, felt light without our jackets and bags. Your local library may have free or discounted passes to go here, I don’t think it’s worth it to buy a ticket for this… The animation workshop was fun, but it was badly organized, if it wasn’t cheap ($5 a ticket) and the free admission for kids, I wouldn’t be back here.

Esperienza fantastica: Beautiful building, really energizing experience. Felt connected to the work and left inspired. Looking forward to to visiting again!

Esperienza fantastica: Perfectly sized museum to visit after a long walk. Also, great and helpful staff!

Esperienza negativa: It was a reasonably cool museum with some fun art in there, but there is really only one floor worth of exhibits (even though it looks big on the outside.) Kinda disappointing for the price tag. Plus my buddy got in for free because it was sponsored by some dumb corporate bank. He didn't say he had a card, just asked if it would've been free if he didn't have one...and they just let him in. Meanwhile I'm one register over paying $20 for a mediocre art exhibit like a chump. 2/5 stars.

Esperienza positiva: Half of the exhibits were closed so discounted price which was nice but not enough for what it was. The artwork that was there was fantastic!!

Esperienza positiva: Great views and cute little shop but was expecting more artwork. There are free tickets every Thursday 5-9pm, definitely worth checking it out

Esperienza fantastica: Beautiful art museum, both architecturally and in its exhibits and galleries. With lovely views of the harbor and surrounding Seaport district, the ICA is both elegant and bold in its presence within its glitzy, new neighborhood.

Esperienza positiva: Free entry on Thursday evenings (can book online). A decent art gallery, quite small in size with a few thought provoking installations. I wouldn’t pay full price as you can finish the full gallery in 1h, but some installations were very innovative. Also great views from the 4th floor at the end of the exhibit.

Esperienza fantastica: Incredibly important venue for contemporary art exhibits that you couldn't see anywhere else in the Boston area. Beautiful Seaport location. Facility offers spacious exhibit facilities while also having outdoor entertainment space when the weather is good.

Esperienza fantastica: This museum is absolutely what Boston has needed to extend the art scene and focus exclusively on contemporary art. BIG gallery spaces that allow for the pieces, sounds, lighting, and 'space' to really be featured. The staff is really a cut above: they will talk to you about the art. The building is remarkable and has dramatic views of the harbor. We are looking forward to seeing their other site. 'the watershed' across the harbor. If you are local, it is probably worth it to get a membership for $100.

Esperienza fantastica: I always wanted to go to ICA! I was so excited to check out the new gallery from Ms. Nguyen. I had an amazing time during my day trip. I am going to check future events from ICA soon. ❤️

Esperienza positiva: The exhibits are only on the fourth floor and encourage contemplation. The location is amazing and one can enjoy beautiful views from the glass walls on the fourth floor. One can sit on the benches out there and enjoy watching the boats go by as well as planes taking off from Logan airport. After visiting the museum, taking a walk along the boardwalk is totally worth it.

Esperienza positiva: Amazing art! Great place. The gift shop was also so nice. We spent a lot of time wandering through. There is fun seating installation outside. Views of water and city vibes. Splendid place to spend an evening!

Esperienza fantastica: Love this museum & became a member! Great exhibitions & lots of fun members-only events.

Esperienza fantastica: Always a great stop! Some art and a little show by Urbanity that was a nice addition.

Esperienza positiva: Modern art in lovely architecture. Social events organized there.

Esperienza positiva: I wish my timing had been better, as half the galleries were closed for set up. They did provide a discount for that reason. The exhibits I saw had excellent interpretive signs, and there was special attention throughout to links between visual and other arts. The top floor also has great views of the water.

Esperienza positiva: I came here on a free Thursday. While the museum itself doesn’t have much works, and the map is not clear how many floors have works, the ICA cafe is worth it. I came to the cafe after exploring the museum and there was live music and the view of the sunset over the harbor was so worth it. I definitely loved the vibe and would come back.

Esperienza fantastica: Always a treat. The museum is a work of art in itself. After viewing the exhibits you can enjoy a beautiful walk around the seaport. When you have the time, you can also take a water taxi across the harbor to their extended exhibits. Highly recommend for a few hours of beautifully curated art exhibits and scenic walking.

Esperienza negativa: Pretty disappointing experience. Now that I look more deeply at historical reviews, it's apparent that the exhibits change frequently - there doesn't seem to be a core set of pieces that are beloved by all. You won't get to see almost any of the pieces that pop up when looking at others' pictures from 5-star reviews of the place, unless that review was quite recent. Also, as others have mentioned, it's a 4-story building, with 2 stories committed to office space, only 1 committed to display of art. That added to the disappointment, looking at the beautiful outside architecture, imagining that it would be a wonderful long-lasting and immersive experience, but it's really only a small collection of rooms and you're finished and on to the next activity.

Esperienza positiva: The building is gorgeous but the actual exhibit space is laughable. I walked through the entire floor, reading every label, in 20 minutes. I even said, no that can’t be it, and walked through again to find yes, that was it. The Simone Leigh exhibit is fantastic but this experience was very underwhelming. I went in expecting to spend hours there and was done in 30. It took me longer to get there and back!

Esperienza negativa: Pretty disappointing collection, which only occupies one floor. We got free entrance thanks to Juneteenth. The view to the habour was amazing though.

Esperienza negativa: The whole exhibition only has ONE floor, which takes less than 10 minutes to view. It costs $15 for each person, but the works are the WORST among all contemporary art museums I’ve visited. AVOID

Esperienza fantastica: Nice exhibition on art inspired by children. Free on Thursday evenings. You have to book the day of in advance online.

Esperienza positiva: We saw the Dana Schutz exhibit at the ICA recently, love the Comuter painting. Sometimes I feel like the guy in the back seat... The Henry Taylor painting was my favorite, very cool.

Esperienza fantastica: Small institute but with a great exposition/collection, we really enjoyed the structure and the view from the 4th floor.

Esperienza positiva: Nice museum located in the SeaPort area of Boston. Despite being small in space, I enjoyed the exhibit. The staff was pleasant and friendly.

Esperienza positiva: The size of the exhibition is a bit underwhelming but interesting, overall environment is superb.

Esperienza fantastica: Always interesting exhibitions. Fabulous location with a excellent view of the harbor both day and night.

Esperienza fantastica: Very picturesque place to be in the seaport of Boston! Overall the gallery’s were well put together and was a fun place to go to view some incredible art work!

Esperienza positiva: Museum was smaller than expected but some of the art was very interesting.

Esperienza fantastica: This place is wonderful, unfortunately, some exhibitions were closed while we were there. I would love to visit this museum again.

Esperienza positiva: Its in an inconvenient location and can be a hassle to get to. The exhibits are small. A good exhibit may be worth the trip. One featured exhibit was timed for only 1 minute to view. It would have been better with more time to experience it.

Esperienza positiva: I went solely to see the Yayoi Kusama mirrored infinity room and got lucky enough to go in alone (which was amazing!). However, the museum is really small (only one floor). Great view of the harbor. But, I wouldn't necessarily recommend, unless you're going for a specific exhibit.

Esperienza fantastica: Awesome A quick gallery to view Superb scenic views of Boston harbor Under 18 Free

Esperienza positiva: Beautiful building in a breathtaking area of Boston. Very nice collection of art and exhibits, aldow a bit small.

Esperienza positiva: Free for BU students, this place is at a very nice location. It’s clean and has lots of space. However, there’s not many arts to see.

Esperienza positiva: The Kusama exhibit was beautiful and so unique! I would definitely recommend visiting just to see this exhibit while it’s still in Boston. The rest of the museum, however, was lackluster and very sparse. I was warned that the majority of the exhibits were closed today but even still this museum only has one floor with exhibits out of the four in the building. The rest of the building seems to be occupied with office space. I don’t think a few statues and some embroidery is worth even ($15 student discount price) to see. The shop is cute but mostly has coffee table books and tableware, not many prints and very little related to the exhibits they have.