MIAMI, FLA.- The Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami continues to strengthen and expand its exhibitions, collections, and educational programming in 2019, marking a number of major milestones since the museum’s founding five years ago. Reflecting ICA Miami’s mission of championing new narratives in contemporary art and providing a platform for the exchange of art and ideas, the museum launched major initiatives in 2019, including a new sculpture prize and an exhibition series focused on the intersection of contemporary art and design; commissioned major largescale works; and added more than 100 significant works of contemporary art to its holdings, including numerous by Miami-based artists. As a cultural hub for the community, ICA Miami continued to expand the breadth and impact of its educational programming, serving tens of thousands of students, families, and arts practitioners locally and globally.

“As we approach ICA Miami’s fifth anniversary, we are thrilled to announce so many landmark achievements for the museum since its founding, particularly in 2019 with the launch of major new projects and the growth of our collection that assert ICA Miami’s distinct voice in global contemporary art,” said ICA Miami Artistic Director Alex Gartenfeld. “In a short time, ICA Miami has become a cultural anchor of the region, offering opportunities for audiences and arts practitioners of all ages and backgrounds to engage with contemporary art, and attracting pioneering thinkers and creators to the museum. We’re grateful to our community in Miami and supporters around the world, who have recognized the value of our mission in providing a platform for diverse, influential, and educational voices in contemporary art.”

Building on its history of commissioning and presenting new works, the museum launched The Ezratti Family Prize for Sculpture in 2019 to support the creation of a new annual commission in ICA Miami’s Sculpture Garden. The museum also debuted new works by Sterling Ruby and Paulo Nazareth in major surveys of the artists. Since the museum’s inception in 2014, ICA Miami has commissioned more than 20 artists, from influential figures to up-and-coming talent, to debut new work at the museum. Major commissions have included monumental works by Thomas Bayrle, Allora & Calzadilla, Mark Handforth, Charles Gaines, and Odili Donald Odita, among others. In addition, the museum has continuously mounted the solo U.S. museum debuts of numerous artists since its inception, including Tomm El-Saieh, John Miller, Virginia Overton, Diamond Stingily, Eric-Paul Riege, Manuel Solano, Ryan Sullivan, and Susan Te Kahurangi King.

Further expanding the scope of ICA Miami’s exhibitions program in 2019, the museum launched a new exhibition initiative devoted to exploring significant advances in postwar and contemporary design and its relationship to contemporary art. In April 2019, this series debuted with Ettore Sottsass and the Social Factory, a landmark exhibition that explored the renowned Italian architect and designer and his monumental furniture as a leader of revolutionary thinking in the 20th Century, with the exhibition designed by acclaimed architect Frida Escobedo.

ICA Miami’s exhibitions and programs are anchored by a major strategic focus on building a 21st-century collection that represents diverse global voices, as well as the Miami community. Through major gifts from the Miami community, the museum recently added more than 100 works of contemporary art to its holdings, including numerous works by 13 Miami-based artists. ICA Miami’s recent acquisitions include gifts from Ray Ellen and Allan Yarkin of 18 works by Miami-based artists and support for numerous other acquisitions; a major gift by Irma and Norman Braman of two iconic works by Robert Gober, on long-term view at the museum; a seminal work by John Baldessari, as well as nearly a dozen additional works, bequeathed by Craig Robins and Jackie Soffer; and gifts from Ed and Helen Nicoll, who have demonstrated leadership in helping to diversify the collection and reflecting themes of social justice.

Other major donors include Margot and George Greig; Petra and Stephen Levin; Barbara Z. Herzberg; Amy Dean and Alan Kluger; Janice and Alan Lipton; Stanley and Nancy Singer; David Simkins; Ed Tang and John Auerbach; the Buddy Taub Foundation; Eleanor Cayre; Howard and Caroline Draft; the Hinson Family; and the Knight Foundation. Having commissioned major new works annually since its inception, ICA Miami has also acquired its recent commissions by Allora & Calzadilla, Paulo Nazareth, Guadalupe Maravilla, and Manuel Solano. These gifts from the Miami community and collectors across the country advance the museum’s mission to present groundbreaking contemporary art from around the globe, as well as its ambition to build a collection that represents the future of contemporary art and includes both renowned and early-career artists that are poised to influence generations to come.

Highlights among ICA Miami’s recent acquisitions include:

Over 20 gifts and promised gifts from Ray Ellen Yarkin, co-chair of the Museum’s Board of Trustees, and Allan Yarkin by Miami-based artists including Bhakti Baxter, Loriel Beltran, Cristine Brache, Tomm El-Saieh, Viktor El-Saieh, Christy Gast, Aramis Gutierrez, Nicolas Lobo, and Jorge Pantoja.