The ICA Will Open its East Boston Location on July 4

Called "Watershed," the seasonal satellite gallery is about to make its debut.


Diana Thater, Delphine, 1999. Installation view, Diana Thater: The Sympathetic Imagination, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2015–16. Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner, New York/London. Photo by Fredrik Nilsen. © Diana Thate

The Institute of Contemporary Art’s highly anticipated expansion into East Boston is almost here. Its new satellite location across Boston Harbor, which it calls “Watershed,” is slated to open on July 4.

The site, a refurbished former copper pipe and sheet metal facility, is located on an active ship yard and will be just a short boat ride away from the ICA’s location in the Seaport. Its inaugural exhibition has already been selected: Diana Thater’s Delphine, which features projected footage of dolphins. And the museum says it will partner with the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, East Boston Social Centers, Maverick Landing Community Services, and Zumix to create programming. Admission to the Watershed will be free.

“The ICA is committed to ensuring that art and artists’ voices are central to civic life,” said Jill Medvedow, Ellen Matilda Poss Director of the ICA. “Our new Watershed will create immersive encounters with the art and issues of our time, be a center for social experiences and community-based education, and catalyze explorations of the environment, equity, and social justice. We are honored to become part of the cultural and natural landscape of East Boston.”

It will be open through October 8, and will remain seasonal in the future, operating between late May and early October. Travel by boat between the two locations will be free to ICA members or with an ICA ticket.