Word: ica
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THOSE PEOPLE who think Boston is hopelessly behind the times culturally, that New York is the only place to experience the avant-garde in the visual and performing arts, clearly don't know about the Hub's Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA). For almost 50 years now, the ICA has been the setting for some of the most adventurous exhibitions in the country. And while the institute has had its share of flops over the decades, this last year has seen a phenomenal string of artistic and-popular successes at the ICA. And many in the arts community believe that...
...large extent, this tiny institution is a reflection of the tastes and skill of the person running it, and the level of taste and skill has varied quite a bit throughout the past years. These days, it's impossible to talk about the ICA without talking about its director of one year, a young and energetic man by the name of David Ross. "I'm here because I like what I do," says Ross, "and I'm committed to contemporary art. It's hard for some people to support contemporary art--it's an unknown, it takes a little courage...
...experimenter," says James Plaut '33, the original director of the ICA, "but he's the right kind of experimenter. He approaches things with great enthusiasm, but also with thorough knowledge and great calm." Linda Stux, owner and director of the Stux Gallery on Newbury St., echoes those sentiments. "The ICA has changed tremendously," she says. "Ross is very accessible and open-minded, and he's using the ICA to focus on the good artists here in Boston. His energy level is so high, it's contagious. There's a real feeling that something is happening in Boston, the art scene...
...ICA seems to be serving, as never before in its history, as a catalyst for change in the Boston arts scene. Only for the past three years has the institution even had an annual exhibition of the work of Boston artists. For years the institution's emphasis seemed to be only on mounting exhibitions of the work of rising stars on the international art scene...
...Laden expressed doubt that economic uncertainty or administrative re-shuffling necessitated closing the institute. "There's no good reason, other than lack of interest from Harvard," he said. Laden added that many ICA staff have started searching for work since the Charleston dig's completion...