Institute of Contemporary Art San Jose

This is an eclectic contemporary art museum of local artists works, in various media. I appreciated the focus on the earth, locals, and people of all backgrounds. This important expressive museum merits more support and expansion. Accessible entry and venue. Accessible paid parking in street. Two hours maximum

Very interesting collection of art in a free museum! I enjoyed the projector room and the uniqueness of the gallery!

This is a very small museum at downtown San jose. Honestly, couldn't relate to the exhibit that was on display. But the museum is free to visit and the staff is very welcoming. Can combine the visit with the quilts and textiles museum next door.

Presentation & Q & A with columnists Sal Pizarro of Mercury News & Gary Singh of Metro moderated by ICU Executive Director James Lewanthal. Really interesting & fun evening.

Awesome event and cool venue space great for a variety of things

The exhibit was small but fun. It was good to see a photograph of the artist at work with actual pieces that were exhibited as well. The interactive room that allowed you to make a painting in the same style was fun too, although the results were rather low retaliation. The other exhibit was fun too. It is strange that they don't charge money.

A cute little place with really friendly, helpful staff. The night I went, it was free and they served food and drinks (also free) so it was a great first time visit. There are two large rooms which had really cool art as well as a smaller exhibit room with more amazing art to be found. It is located close enough to be able to walk to other artsy places, but is slightly out of the way.

Holds good amount of good art in such a small space

ICA is a large cool funky art space that also hosts events. Among the many cool restaurants and bars along south First Street are the cool artsy venues. The Institute of Contemporary Arts (i.e. ICA) is fantastic. It showcases local Bay Area artists' works among others. Super friendly staff are on hand and have the latest scoop on upcoming happenings. Go online to see upcoming events at the ICA. You may discover some cool-funky talks and art shows. Happy adventures!

Feeling arty-farty, I decided to go check out the Institute of Contemporary Art. It's located in a really cool area of First St. Admission is free which is always nice. I wanted to donate and the friendly guy asked if I wanted to sign up to get information, but I declined. I was the only one in there. The exhibit was called "Allegedly the Worst is Behind Us" which featured 12 artists and their work expressing intergenerational trauma. The work was very personal and moving and inspiring too. The work was much more interesting than the San Jose Art Museum. I felt the work would definitely resonate with others who may have experienced the same thing. Since I saved $20 on the last museum, I put it in the donation box in the front. Great place to come to!

I love that we have museums like this in the area. It's small, intimate and you can plan on spending ~1 hour here. The exhibits when we visited were very interesting. It was a mixture of photos, paintings and audio-visual art. I enjoyed the section where we filled out cards with responses to very thought-provoking questions which you can then hang up on the wall. It was super interesting to read other people's responses. Friendly staff. Note that they don't have dedicated parking but we found parking on the streets easily.

We came by the ICA to check out the current exhibits on display. Free street parking was easy to find on a Sunday afternoon, and admission is free as well. Interaction with staff at entry was minimal, they just ask that visitors scan a QR code to check in. From there, we were able to explore the art at our own pace. San José.STL showcased artworks created through a SJSU project involving educational workshops in 3D printing. Heesoo Kwon's Leymusoom Garden: Following Naked Dancing and Long Dreaming created a peaceful environment with lovely draping decor and several photos and videos set up with interesting effects applied to the artworks, the artist utilizing the garden to connect with her female ancestors. The main draw was Adia Millett's Wisdom Keepers, which included woven art pieces and paintings, a documentary film about the exhibit showing on repeat in a small dark room, and a sound dome (with a beanbag seat underneath) for meditating to the melodies playing in the background, including the sound of beating drums, encouraging visitors to reflect on their own "keepers of wisdom". With the exhibits at ICA continuously changing, you'll always find something new here to learn about and appreciate.

visited this place during the Monthly SoFA District Art Walk, on first Friday nite. 8/4/2023. This place is spacious, I enjoy the art piece and the vibe. South First Fridays art walk in downtown San Jose (around 1st Street area) is a cooling and interesting evening event for people to walk through galleries, museums, and independent creative businesses. There aren't many art booths but overall, it's chill event.

It's highly dependent on the art at the time, but I can't say I was blown away. Worth checking my out on the free First Friday Art Walk.

I really enjoyed this small but mighty museum. It is easy to do a self guided tour. Great for children too.

Free. Overlooked. Underappreciated if not known. - I went for the first time last Friday. There was a free event after hours. And there were chef bites and things.. which you're not normally going to experience. But there were three exhibitions currently all going on. So that was cool. And I know there was an event the other night to see those exhibitions in the dark (so check their site for other cool opportunities perhaps).

Quick, you're planning a date with a girl you really like. The setting can be anywhere in the South Bay Area, but unfortunately it has been raining non-stop. Where do you go? Is there anything better to do than just "Netflix and chill?" Yes, there actually is: At the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA)! I was finally able to take my girlfriend here after they had finished their renovation, and we both loved the experience! The ICA was super relaxing, the galleries were absolutely gorgeous, and best of all this place was 100% guaranteed FREE! At any given moment, the Institute of Contemporary Art has at least 3 exhibitions that last several months. When we stopped by, they were showing off artwork from Steve French and Elizabeth Ryono. As a person who knows little about the intricacies and aesthetics of art (like I barely passed through the art portion of my AP Euro class), I totally enjoyed walking through the ICA. Each piece was so unique and beautiful in their own way. For example, one of my favorites had to be Steve French's "Garden City." I didn't know if it was the blend of colors, or the noise in the artwork, but there was just something so captivating and mesmerizing about this piece. In addition to all the beauty inside the ICA, one underrated aspect about this place is the location. The Institute of Contemporary Art is wedged between several major freeways (280, 101, 87), and so it's totally easy to get here. Plus, parking shouldn't be a hassle since the ICA is far enough away from the busiest parts of Downtown San Jose. We were able to find residential parking after driving around for a few minutes. But, this place is still close enough for you as a detour if you're already in the downtown area. Before planning your trip out here, note that the ICA is very small. I personally wouldn't block out too much time for this place because you can easily get through all the galleries in under an hour. I hope that doesn't discourage you from coming because, again, the ICA is completely free! But if you have hesitations, the Institute of Contemporary Art does post a lot of the artwork on their website (https://www.sjica.org/exhibitions/current-exhibitions/)! What are you waiting for? If I were you, I'd totally take the time to check out the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art. Whether you are an art aficionado or just a casual consumer of beautiful aesthetics, I guarantee you will have a ball here. I wholeheartedly give this place an "Omg, I'd travel 2 hours for this" rating. If you don't like it, you can ask for your money back. Just kidding! Have fun and prosper,

They had Sprinkles cupcakes, some savory cheese thing, and pigs in a blanket for food! I think they had wine too - not sure how much, but the food was FREE. Cool exhibit called "It's Not Us, It's You" about rejection in our lives. I liked the one Chinese artist that made Downtown SJ look cute w/ bunny, hearts, pink, so cute! There were paintings, sculpture, videos, & multi-media work. Cool - Recommended. Hrs: Closed Sun & Mon Tues-Fri 10-5; Sat 12-5

Wish it was a little bigger, but saw some unique and interesting pieces! It is in a great location of downtown San Jose!

support the arts. there's international and local bay area artists show cased here. it is a small exhibit but pretty jam packed with works and installations. it's not a typical spacious contemporary museum but it's fitting for a quaint small downtown area like san jose. as i live and work in downtown san jose, i would come here during lunch breaks for a quick tlc to relax before returning back to work. it's small enough to go through in 15-20 minutes.

A nice free museum to check out when you have some free time on a weekend. There is metered street parking out at the front and there is a museum & art gallery (Museum of Quilts & Textiles ~admission fee and Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana ~free)next to the ICA. I am not really what you'd call the artsy fartsy type so I normally don't spend more than an hour in any art museum. ICA is quite small so my friend and I were in and out in 20 mins. A lot of the displayed works during my visit were props/models used in other exhibits. Kind of like giving center stage to those usually in supporting roles is what I thought. Honestly they weren't something that I would consider special when viewed separately but they way they are put together actually looks rather nice. The ICA was also showing some bloopers and outtakes from other exhibits in the viewing area as well. Also recommend stopping by academic coffee on the corner of the street (3 min walk from the museum). So you can sit and chat about them artworks you just saw. :)

Awesome hidden gem! This street has many free museums that a lot of people don't know about. Come and check it out! ACI, in particular, is my favorite of this street. It only has three(or four) sections that are divided by walls and you only need about 5 minutes to walk through if you are not admiring the art. 30 minutes, if you are taking your place in each section. The art is contemporary like the name of the museum suggests, but not abstract where you are wondering how such thing got on the wall. It inspires the senses and evokes the imagination. This place changes their displays quite often, so you can come back time and time again without being bored. Donations are greatly appreciated as it runs on the government support and donations. Whenever I have a few dollars to spare, I slip it in. :)

Admission is free!? Amazing art. Very interesting. Been here a few times and it changes every time. Great place to take photos. Definitely a must if you're in the area.

The San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art is small, free, and is a fascinating art museum to go to. The art works are limited and have a refresh in a few months of so. I recommend just checking the place out for fun. There are sculptures, paintings, and odd twist to modern art that makes the limited space feel unique. So yeah, maybe you might be inspired or feel nostalgic when viewing the beauty of art.

What a lovely find. It's a FREE, modern art gallery worth walking to if you're in the SOFA area. We went and saw three exhibits with the main one an exhibit of moving, mechanical art. The mechanical pieces were designed to move organically, pulsing with a rhythm eerily similar to primitive animals. It was easy to get sucked in for 15-30 minutes in this gallery.

I came here on a Tuesday for their Jim Campbell exibit. The place was fairly easy to find and finding street parking was a breeze. The exibit was breathtaking, so worth seeing in person. The people who worked there are super nice and helpful. Going to definitely check back to this place whenever I'm in town! This is a nice, small museum to look into. It's also free! You pay for street parking, but you can get in and out 20 minutes easily. That's roughly 50 cents or so!

Huge fan of this museum. A great place to highlight different types of art from different artists around the world. Everything here is thought-provoking, and if you don't have much to say it is still neat to look at. What I love the most about ICA are their featured sculptures and installations. Some of it is interactive, some involve the whole room to experience the beauty. A fine place to spend time out of your weekend!

I am not the most adept at the fine arts so I did not know what to expect at this place. But it was actually a very pleasant experience. Even though the art pieces were beyond your typical painting, they were well explained either by curator or wall descriptions so I did not feel left out. They had a small section of mezzotint art (black magic) which was my favorite out of the gallery and to be surprise, they even had a small workshop where you can make your own mezzotints (hard to describe, google is your friend?) There were plenty of supplies to make your own mezzotints (for a fee), and the instructor was very easy going. I recommend this place for a nice quick date/ activities place. You can probably go in and out of the this place within 90mins. TIP: they are open to the public for free on the first Friday of every month.

Very cool little gallery within walking distance of many great restaurants and bars. Located in downtown San Jose in the SOFA district, this place is a nice little stop before dinner or on a lunch break. The display was very creepy when I was there, all art made from or about human hair, including one piece that was colored using the artist's own blood! This place in totally worth checking out if you are in the area, but probably not worth a trip all by itself as it is rather small. However, it is definitely within walking distance of the big San Jose Museum of Art, as are several other art galleries, so you could make a day of visiting the art galleries of SJ.

The ICA has cool exhibits. One time, they had an exhibit filled with rejection letters. One wall was covered with rejection letters all sent to ONE guy (I can't remember if they were rejection letters for books he was trying to publish or a song or an art portfolio, but either way, rejection stinks). There was one table that had a binder full of rejection letters, from colleges, from companies people had applied to work at, etc. It was fascinating. Another exhibit they had a while back was artifacts dug up from Chinatown SJ. And more recently, I got to check out the ICA and see an exhibit and it looked like the entire room was filled with paper clouds! It was so cool! On South First Fridays I always like to make sure to come to ICA because they have such cool exhibits on display. They are at the very far end of all the museums and galleries that participate for South First Fridays, but it's not that far and it's worth going. Also, if you "Give a Buck About Art" donate a $1 and get a sticker that says that very same slogan! Give a Buck About Art! Give a Buck About Art!!!

I went here today with my close friend, since we were looking for an inexpensive way to spend time together. We enjoyed coming by here, and also were able to refill our water bottles due to the super hot day. Bathrooms are very clean and orderly, and the art is worth the trip.

This is such an unknown jewel. The art exhibitions and speaking series are of the highest quality! It is free to the public. My most favorite show is the annual auction.

My partner-in-crime, Anna L., and I came to the First Fridays Art Walk in DTSJ. This was the first gallery that we stepped into. It featured works from SJSU Master of Fine Arts students. One exhibition caught my eye by Brendan Lott titled, "Memories that I'll Never Have." He had found images on the internet from Myspace to other popular websites. He sent these images to artists in China where they created a true to life oil painting. It looked like an actual photograph! The exhibits were incredibly creative and visionary that I was just blown away by all the creations. Come on the first Fridays of each month where you have access to all the art galleries, mostly located on 1st St.

Please be sure to make the trek down here during South First Fridays! This gallery is spacious, and they utilize that space to showcase so many contemporary artists and their pieces, spanning a variety of media. One of the greatest perks to this gallery is that certain pieces of art have a phone-in number and identification code on its placard. By using your mobile and dialing in, you hear a message from the artist about the work you're seeing. It really adds a personal touch to hear the artist's statement versus only reading the text (which is fine, too!).

Wonderful show! So glad we popped in! The Diane Samuels show was extraordinary! I could have stayed all day just for those pieces. And it's free admission which is nice. We took our teen son and he loved it too.

The ICA is a true gem in the San Jose art scene; Quickly put, it's the real deal. Strong selection of artists both contemporary and legendary (from Jim Campbell to Bruce Conner), and everything in between. It's inviting and approachable in the sense that it can be very conceptual, but not the point of being mind-numbing or off-putting. The range of styles is very wide, and they are bound to have something everyone can enjoy at some point, even kids. Their annual auction is also a thanksgiving feast of truly great-quality artists, many of them working locally. The lounge is quiet, meditative, and inviting, with enough reading material to keep you entertained till closing. Staff is friendly, unpretentious, warm, and welcoming. The only reason I did not give them 5 stars is because they liquidated the Print Center, which was unique among contemporary galleries in the Bay, and was very innovative. I can't really blame them for not being able to maintain the cost of such a facility...but there are plenty of master printers in the Bay Area, many of them passing through SJSU down the street; it's a shame they did not keep on making editions of prints by top-of-the-line artists to offset the costs of running the space. I sure miss it. However, they still keep up with highlighting exceptional print-work in many shows throughout the year, and I salute them for that.

Came here for free for the first time last night on a First Friday event and was not disappointed. Though not a huge gallery, it has 2 big rooms filled with various art exhibits. Right now they have an entire room devoted to an artist's recreation of every luggage tag from the Japanese Internment camps. They flow from ceiling to floor, with stories from various people affected on the walls. It's a very powerful piece, even those not artistically inclined feel moved by the gravity of names. They also quite a few docents meandering around the exhibits so art could be explained, which I think is nice. There's a small back room that seemed to be devoted to participating in some of the artwork and a small gift shop in the front across from the reception desk.

I came across the ICA while walking the neighborhood of the SoFa District in San Jose. As a fan of Contemporary and Post-Modern art I had to pay a visit. The gallery has free entry but closes at 5 PM and is closed on Sundays and Mondays. Their current exhibit has a overarching theme that expores ideas related to scale and size. The exhibit is comprised of three "mini showings" including a sculpture of thorns carved from wood titled urgency, a media short film titled Powers of Ten and a collection of other works in their main gallery titled Size Matters. I truly appreciated the overarching theme throughout the gallery and thought that each art piece, while different in style, structure and form made for a great cohesive collection of work. I'm looking forward to the next exhibit and highly encourage all art fans to explore and enjoy the SJ ICA.

Great, small gallery. I would come back often and thankful its free admission.

This is a lovely little place. Admission is free. It's installation oriented but very small. There are 4 main rooms. The latest installation about the famous Hello Kitty monument was hilarious.

In the SOFA district of downtown San Jose, this place is the last in the line of art galleries on 1st street. It's right after MACLA and a couple of blocks before the freeway. This place used to be where the WORKS gallery now is. ICA's new place has a really cool metal sign with it's type cut out. It appears like a really high end place. There are two windows on either side that usually have some kind of art pieces (sometimes digital). The glass doors are huge and the walls are pristine white. As you walk in you'll find an information person with a computer to your left. Depending on the person, the people can be either nice or timid. The place is about as big as the WORKS gallery, but it has a dividing wall so it makes it feel less spacious. The wall also allows the space to feel more intimate. It helps you connect with smaller artworks but bigger pieces kinda suffocate. The work here is always, ummm, contemporary? If you like contemporary art, this is your place. I always look forward to this place because they host local contemporary artists. The work is almost always strong and interesting. It's not as progressive as Anno Domini and somehow ICA feels more exclusive; nonetheless it's still a great place for art. Oh I forgot to mention, it's FREE. Can't go wrong there.

A medium sized gallery, a lot of exhibits going on. Street metered parking. Was my first gallery I hit with the SubZero Fair in June.

Just checked the website, wow, super fast, all the exhibits I saw in early May are gone! Yay for free admission, loved that. The location was a bit strange I didn't expect it to be in the middle of warehouses and such. I totally thought it'd be closer to the SJMA. Oh wells I guess I don't know San Jose that well after all! When I visited they had an exhibit put together using office supplies. They literally created full-fledged sculptures using cutouts from graph paper and other printer papers offices tend to use. It was pretty cool how they had a copier running and water dispensers moving so it was like a chorus of office sounds as well. Definitely added more to the exhibit with both visual and audio stimuli. The other exhibit they had during my visit was a spacey canvas looking art exhibit, I thought it was okay but not really up my alley. I guess this museum is a hit or miss depending on what type of art you're looking for and what you tend to enjoy viewing.

So cool. Talk about smart art, it is quintessentially modern art. I have been here a few times now and have never been let down. IT is a small and intimate, but they have great installations that range from still art, site specific, and multimedia. Such amazing work in a small space! Love love love!

Lends credibility to San Jose's scene. I always save this for last during the South First Fridays art walk, to get that Anno Domini taste out of my mouth.

Another wonderful point of light to count the bad mojo. South First Fridays are fun, and I even made an interview with a visiting artist for his sound project. The more people that support great things like this, the more happy, creative women and men get attracted to downtown San Jose, which in turn creates a rejuvenation and greater social awareness resulting in more affordable housing and people on bikes. Sometimes this city can seem clouded with bad vibes, I think it might be the oppressive weight of money and power, and if all the good people could throw a little more life and push things back in balance the world will be a better place!

Years ago when the ICA was next to a *porn* type store, I used to say, "Good luck with to this place, that cool art gallery is gonna go out of business!" I couldn't believe a place so awesome was next to a porn store. And lo' and behold! They are still around! (Thank goodness the porn store is gone.) This place has the coolest art found anywhere, and they have a new spot just down the street. I love First Friday's, the art openings, the ambiance, the people ... this place actually puts San Jose on the map! Thank you, once I make a ton of money, I'm going to be one of your biggest contributors! Keep up the great work!

A free gallery...I went to see the Next New exhibit, however the artist I was most interested in seeing was putting up her installation until the following monday. I was bummed about that, but there was some great stuff; percussion-like instrument made from a bicycle, a large glacier-like structure made from Styrofoam and some intricate doodles...I would like to go there again to see the artist i'm interested in seeing...

A very small modern art museum. The exhibit I saw wasn't to my taste, so that is clouding my judgement.

They have a BEAUTIFUL photography exhibit right now. I love the space and how it flows from one room to another! It's not just a big room, but it's sectioned off in a way that I like.

I adore this space. They have inspired exhibitions, art talks and some great auctions. Easy to find and nearby good eats! Highly recommend checking it out. A great place to view and purchase original works to add to your collection!

Saw a fantastic show and a magnificent talk (given by the incomparable art critic Shana Dambrot). Educational, fun, and entertaining. I'll be back!

I love coming in here and often look forward to when they open a new show. There have been a very few exhibits that have felt over my head, me feeling like "I don't get it." Mostly though, there are very beautiful things here. I can stay in here as long as I want, and soak everything up, and leave feeling refreshed by such beauty. Just one very notable exhibit was one not long ago, all art made of books. You would never imagine the creative ideas artists would have about what to make out of books, until you come here. Right now they have another beautiful display of light and music in their very back gallery. As with the great show of book art, I went back a second time for that show, taking a friend with me. With this current light and music exhibit, I will be going back for another look, also taking my friend with me. A place such as this, where you tell friends, "you have to see this! I'll go back if you want to go see it!" This is a great place.

The San Jose ICA is an amazing space that always has cool events and incredible artists/exhibitions. Check out the Tony May show before it's gone! ( http://www.sjica.org/detail.html?eid=656 )--- "Easily one of the best art exhibitions I've seen in years." Ben Marks, KQED