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Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston

Attractions
 Boston, 02210

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Call: +1 617-478-3100
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About

The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston began in 1936 as the Boston Museum of Modern Art, a sister institution to New York's MoMA, and took its current name in 1948. Since 2006 it has occupied a building by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the firm's first in the United States, on the harbor in the Seaport: a folding ribbon of glass and metal whose galleries cantilever out to the water's edge. It shows changing exhibitions and a permanent collection of 20th- and 21st-century art.

It suits travelers who want new art rather than old masters, and anyone who would like an hour of harbor views with it. Admission is free for everyone 18 and under and for all visitors on Thursday evenings. There is no museum garage and parking nearby is scarce, so the Silver Line from South Station, to World Trade Center or Courthouse station, is the practical way in.

The building

The galleries are column-free, with moveable walls, 15.5-foot ceilings and adjustable skylights, and the John Hancock Founders Gallery ends in a glass wall facing the harbor. Beneath the cantilever, the stepped Poss Family Mediatheque frames the water like a viewfinder, with neither sky nor horizon in sight. A glass-walled elevator shows the harbor on one side and each floor on the other, and the 325-seat theater uses the harbor itself as the backdrop to its stage.

Free on the harborfront

Outside, the wooden Jill Medvedow Grandstand and the plaza beside it join Boston's Harborwalk and are open to the public, so you can sit over the water without a ticket. The Harborwalk's wood continues inside as the floor and ceiling of the theater. Inside the lobby, the Sandra and Gerald Fineberg Art Wall shows a work commissioned from a new artist each year.

The ICA Watershed

Across the harbor in East Boston, the ICA Watershed is a free art space open every summer, set in a formerly condemned 15,000-square-foot building in the Boston Harbor Shipyard and Marina. It opened in June 2018 as a place to see and experience large-scale art.

Before you go

Travel light: backpacks of any size are kept out of the galleries, and suitcases are not allowed in the building at all. Weekday mornings and late afternoons are the quietest times.

ICA Wine + Coffee Bar

The waterfront ICA Wine + Coffee Bar serves natural wines and light bites prepared by The Catered Affair, with later hours on Thursday and Friday evenings.

Sources: ICA visitor information, visitor FAQ, about the ICA, history, our building, accessibility. Checked September 27, 2026.

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Contact Information

Company Name
Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston
Phone Number
See Phone Number
Call: +1 617-478-3100
Location
25 Harbor Shore Drive
Boston, 02210
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About Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston

The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston began in 1936 as the Boston Museum of Modern Art, a sister institution to New York's MoMA, and took its current name in 1948. Since 2006 it has occupied a building by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the firm's first in the United States, on the harbor in the Seaport: a folding ribbon of glass and metal whose galleries cantilever out to the water's edge. It shows changing exhibitions and a permanent collection of 20th- and 21st-century art.

It suits travelers who want new art rather than old masters, and anyone who would like an hour of harbor views with it. Admission is free for everyone 18 and under and for all visitors on Thursday evenings. There is no museum garage and parking nearby is scarce, so the Silver Line from South Station, to World Trade Center or Courthouse station, is the practical way in.

The building

The galleries are column-free, with moveable walls, 15.5-foot ceilings and adjustable skylights, and the John Hancock Founders Gallery ends in a glass wall facing the harbor. Beneath the cantilever, the stepped Poss Family Mediatheque frames the water like a viewfinder, with neither sky nor horizon in sight. A glass-walled elevator shows the harbor on one side and each floor on the other, and the 325-seat theater uses the harbor itself as the backdrop to its stage.

Free on the harborfront

Outside, the wooden Jill Medvedow Grandstand and the plaza beside it join Boston's Harborwalk and are open to the public, so you can sit over the water without a ticket. The Harborwalk's wood continues inside as the floor and ceiling of the theater. Inside the lobby, the Sandra and Gerald Fineberg Art Wall shows a work commissioned from a new artist each year.

The ICA Watershed

Across the harbor in East Boston, the ICA Watershed is a free art space open every summer, set in a formerly condemned 15,000-square-foot building in the Boston Harbor Shipyard and Marina. It opened in June 2018 as a place to see and experience large-scale art.

Before you go

Travel light: backpacks of any size are kept out of the galleries, and suitcases are not allowed in the building at all. Weekday mornings and late afternoons are the quietest times.

ICA Wine + Coffee Bar

The waterfront ICA Wine + Coffee Bar serves natural wines and light bites prepared by The Catered Affair, with later hours on Thursday and Friday evenings.

Sources: ICA visitor information, visitor FAQ, about the ICA, history, our building, accessibility. Checked September 27, 2026.

Attractions Museums Art Seaport Waterfront attractions
Phone: +1 617-478-3100

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What are the ICA opening hours?+
Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays and closes at 5 p.m. on the first Friday of each month for First Fridays, a ticketed 21-plus event.
Q. Which holidays is the ICA closed?+
It closes on Patriots' Day, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. It opens with free admission for all on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Labor Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day.
Q. How much is admission?+
Adults $20, seniors 65 and over $17 and students $15. Visitors 18 and under, Boston Public Schools students and ICA members get in free.
Q. When is the ICA free?+
Every Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. during Free Thursday Nights, on the six national holidays listed above, and on Play Dates, when up to two adults visiting with children 12 and under get in free with the promo code PLAYDATE. Bank of America cardholders get one free ticket on the first full weekend of each month.
Q. Do I need a ticket in advance?+
Everyone needs a ticket, including children, members and visitors on free nights, and the ICA recommends reserving ahead. Timed entry is no longer required: a general admission ticket is valid for the day you choose, and you can stay until closing.
Q. How do I get there by T?+
Take the Silver Line Waterfront from South Station. The ICA is a short walk from either World Trade Center or Courthouse station. The museum has no parking garage of its own and parking nearby is limited, so it strongly recommends public transportation.
Q. Can I bring a backpack?+
No. Backpacks of any size, shopping bags, umbrellas and other items 11 by 14 inches or larger are not allowed in the galleries, and suitcases are not permitted in the building. Food, drinks and water bottles are also kept out of the galleries.
Q. Can I take photos?+
Personal, noncommercial photos and video are allowed in the galleries, except where a no-photography icon is posted. Flash, tripods and selfie sticks are not permitted.
Q. Is the ICA accessible?+
Galleries, program spaces and the theater are accessible to visitors using mobility devices and strollers, and a limited number of manual wheelchairs and walkers are free to borrow in the lobby. Part of the Mediatheque is reachable only by stairs. Weekday mornings and late afternoons are the quieter times to visit.