Get creative on select Free Thursday nights with art-making activities designed by local artists. Plus, visit the galleries, grab a drink from the ICA Wine + Coffee Bar,* and connect over creativity. No experience necessary. 

For Art-Making After Dark ticket holders, participation is drop-in on a first-come, first-serve basis as space allows. Art-making is free and meets in the State Street Corporation Lobby. While all experience levels are welcome, this workshop is designed for adult audiences. *Refreshments available for purchase.

Art Making After Dark: Layers of Memory | May 7

Get introspective with an evening of memory and color! 

Boston-based painter Raquel Philippe reflects on the fragmented nature of early memories depicting them through vividly colorful, layered images that both hide and reveal their detail. Guided by Philippe, learn how to use watercolor to create your own patterned paper inspired by a treasured memory. 

About Raquel Philippe 
Raquel Philippe (she/her/hers) is a Boston-based painter, originally from New York. Her practice currently investigates early lived experiences as fragmented, layered impressions. Through vivid colors and transparency, she buries and traces over her memories that then reemerge in altered States. In her paintings, organic, leaf-like silhouettes move across the surface as both markers and camouflage, echoing the way memory hides details as much as it reveals them. Philippe’s current work continues to refine her inquiry into memory, perception, and the visual structures through which formative experience is reconstructed. She holds a BFA from the Fashion Institute of Technology and is currently pursuing her MFA in painting at Boston University. 

A person wearing glasses and a light shirt sits in front of a wall covered with colorful abstract paintings and sketches, capturing the creative spirit of artmaking after dark at ICA Boston. Abstract painting featuring swirling shapes in shades of red, orange, and maroon. Layered patterns and curves create a sense of movement and depth—evoking warmth and dynamic energy, inspired by artmaking after dark at ICA Boston.

This program is inspired by Derrick Adams: View Master.  

Art Making After Dark: Let’s Dance | June 18

Get your groove on at the ICA!  

Before Art-Making After Dark goes on summer vacation, we’re collaborating with Boston Rhythm Riders to bring you an evening of beginner-friendly community line dancing. Learn a dynamic mix of line dancing styles, incorporating Afrobeats and R&B, and dance the night away! 

Dancing will take place in the Barbara Lee Family Foundation Theater. Dance sessions will pause for a 30-minute intermission at 7 PM. While all experience and ability levels are welcome, this dance class is designed for adults. Comfortable shoes and clothing are recommended. 

About Boston Rhythm Riders: 
“For over 18 years, Boston Rhythm Riders has been committed to promoting health, joy, and community through the power of line dance and music. Our mission is to create safe, inclusive spaces where people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities can connect through movement and rhythm — with a special emphasis on cancer and Alzheimer’s awareness, and healing through dance. Whether you’re a cancer survivor reclaiming your strength, a senior keeping your mind sharp, or an everyday person feeling stagnant and needing a little music therapy — Boston Rhythm Riders is here to move you.

We like to say: “A body in motion stays in motion.” 

From Good Morning America to community centers across Boston — including features at the BAMS Festival, the Boston While Black Family Reunion, and coverage in the Boston Globe — we are proud to be a recognizable force of fun, fitness, and resilience.” 

This program is inspired by Derrick Adams: View Master.