Donations for Institute for Contemporary Art exceed $20 million

Samantha Foster

Spectrum Editor

Six months after unveiling the final design for the Institute for Contemporary Art, donations have exceeded $20 million dollars, only $12 million short of the $32 million goal.

“Since unveiling the design for the ICA in April, our community has embraced the project wholeheartedly, as evidenced by the more than $6 million (in) contributions since that time,” said Joseph Seipel, dean of VCU School of the Arts, in a press release.

The ICA is designed by world-renowned architect Steven Holl, who was named “America’s Best Architect” by Time magazine in July 2001. The American Institute of Architects awarded Holl a gold medal, its highest honor, in 2012.

“Like many contemporary artists working today, the ICA’s design does not draw distinctions between the visual and performing arts,” Holl said in a statement.“The fluidity of the design allows for experimentation, and will encourage new ways to display and present art that will capitalize on the ingenuity and creativity apparent throughout the VCU campus.”

The ICA will be 38,000 square feet house areas and classrooms for visual arts, theater, music, dance and film. There will also be a 247-seat auditorium, outdoor plazas, a sculpture garden and a café.

Within the ICA, there will be four galleries that take up 9,800 square feet.  The tallest gallery will be 37 feet tall from floor to ceiling.  The other three galleries will average 17 to 18 feet tall and have an open floor plan. These galleries will focus on professional contemporary work, but will provide an opportunity for students to display their work, much like the Anderson Gallery, according to Seipel during a presentation for the ICA last spring.

The design calls for no walls around the perimeter of the building, which Holl hopes will make the building accessible to all city residents and a gathering space for students and the public.

Holl designed the ICA to be environmentally friendly, keeping with VCU’s commitment to being green. Geothermal wells will provide heating and cooling energy for the building.  Green roofs will absorb rainwater and maximize insulation.  Specially designed glass walls will expel heat in the summer and trap it in the winter, while also allowing anyone who views the building from outside to see its interior.

The ICA will be located on the corner of Broad and Belvidere streets, where parking lot QQ is currently located.  This intersection has heavy traffic off Interstate 95 and will provide a “gateway to the university from the east,” said Board of Visitors member Stuart Siegel in a statement.

All of the funding for the ICA is from private contributions. Its construction will not affect tuition costs, but students are encouraged to donate to the fund.

Recent donations to the ICA fund include a $2 million gift from True Farr Luck, a Richmond- based philanthropist and longtime donor to VCUarts.  Luck’s contribution will be recognized by becoming the namesake of the third floor gallery. The Pollak Society, a group of VCUarts patrons in Richmond, also gave a $500,000 gift.

“The support of these individuals and foundations is invaluable as we work towards the creation of this new institution,” Seipel said. “We are so grateful for the support and thank them on behalf of the artists, students and larger community for whom the ICA will be a resource for generations to come.”

VCU hopes to break ground on the ICA in 2013 and open it by 2015. CT