When Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) was awarded a coveted parcel of land on the city's new waterfront district five years ago, eyebrows raised. It seemed downright unBoston to give such a prominent place to cutting-edge art.
"Boston is certainly attached to its history and the cultural institutions with the most prominent success here were established in the late 1800s or early 1900s," says Jill Medvedow, director of the ICA. Even after the museum was handed building rights, scepticism persisted. Would the ICA really be able to raise the $62m necessary for the project in such a conservative town?
Medvedow hopes last month's ground-breaking for the new museum will put any doubts to rest. While the ICA still needs to raise 45 per cent of the money, the beginning of construction means there's no turning back. "We wanted to show people that this was actually going to happen," she says.
The new ICA is not just a museum, but a museum that aims to define a new district. Boston's waterfront is slated for billions of dollars in construction over the next few years, as land that is now parking lots and lobster shacks is turned over to housing, hotels, restaurants and shops. A conference centre by Rafael Vinoly has just been completed in the area.
The ICA aims to make a statement with its architecture. The museum chose the husband-and-wife team of Diller Scofidio to do the work. Little known when they competed for the project, the New York-based architecture office's star has been rising over the past few years. Winners of a MacArthur genius award - the first awarded to architects - Diller and Scofidio are probably best known for their Blur installation at the 2002 Swiss Expo: a building made of fog.
The ICA project is a little tamer. "We did make clear to them that although we wanted something cutting-edge, this was Boston, and they needed to use some restraint," says Medvedow. "And that's probably not a bad recipe for good architecture." The Diller Scofidio design looks like a glass jewel-box on the ocean. The
65,000 sq ft project includes flexible galleries and a new performings arts theatre that projects out toward the water.
While the space is not huge, it will be a big change for the ICA, which is now stuck in a cramped 19th-century building. Exhibition space there is so tight that the museum is often forced to shut for weeks at a time when it changes exhibitions. And for the first time, the ICA will be able to create a permanent collection.
Building support for the new museum has been a challenge. Fundraising began in earnest just as the recession hit Boston, and an ambitious campaign by the city's Museum of Fine Arts to raise $425m is providing steep competition for money.
Yet the ICA is also benefiting from a renewed interest in the contemporary arts. During a time when most museums saw visitors and members shrink, the ICA has seen both figures double over the past five years. "People have this perception that Boston is not cutting edge, but look at what we've done in computers and biotechnology," says Susan Hartness, director of the arts for the City of Boston. "Now, it's finally moving into the realm of art."
Victoria Griffiths
