The Institute of Contemporary Art is getting off to a lucrative new year, announcing on Thursday that it has received two substantial grants worth a combined $600,000. The first, a $100,000 award from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, will go toward the ICA’s upcoming exhibition “The Artist’s Museum,” a group show that opens later this year. The second, a $500,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, will also go toward supporting “The Artist’s Museum,” as well as two other upcoming shows, “Mark Dion,” which opens next year, and “Art in the Age of the Internet, 1989 to Today,” which opens in 2018.
“We are tremendously grateful to the Andrew W. Mellon and Andy Warhol foundations,” said ICA director Jill Medvedow. “These projects continue the ICA’s scholarly explorations into urgent questions in contemporary art, specifically: the impact of the Internet and digital culture on contemporary artists, curators, and museums; the way knowledge is organized and made accessible; and the related tension between the ephemeral and the material in contemporary art practice and museums.”
Opening in November, “The Artist’s Museum” will feature a series of contemporary installations. Meanwhile, “Mark Dion” will be the first US survey of the artist’s career, including sculpture, drawing, photography, and installation work. And “Art in the Age of the Internet, 1989 to Today,” featuring the work of roughly 30 artists, will highlight the myriad ways digital culture has influenced the art world.
“We are very grateful to have been selected for these awards,” said Eva Respini, chief curator at the ICA. “These funds support our mission to provide inspiration, education, and build a creative community through public access to contemporary art and artists.”
Malcolm Gay can be reached at malcolm.gay@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @malcolmgay.