Scheduled to open this year are new institutions dedicated to African American history, electronic music, and Nordic art.
The new year offers hope and excitement for the museum world. If the pandemic doesn't stymie plans, the Smithsonian has dozens of exhibitions in its lineup, from one highlighting portraits of Nigeria's biggest film stars at the National Museum of African Art to a display of actor Leonard Nimoy's prosthetic Spock ears, which will join other "Star Trek" memorabilia already on display at the National Air and Space Museum.
The Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco, CA
ICA San Francisco is a non-collecting contemporary art museum, meaning there will be no permanent works on display this fall when the institute opens to the public. Instead, the focus here is on the artists themselves: a 50/50 split between emerging Bay Area artists on-the-verge of national or international attention and more established local and international artists. ICA's 11,000-square-foot warehouse space, which was most recently a fitness center, has the capacity to host large-scale installations or pieces with atypical proportions. Its shift away from acquisitions allows the museum a greater ability to create programs that respond to the moment.
Inaugural shows will include an exhibition of new works from Choctaw-Cherokee artist Jeffrey Gibson, known for his abstract artworks utilizing traditional Native American patterns and materials, and a group show of Bay Area artists curated by the local See Black Womxn collective.
JANUARY 26, 2022
