Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Art museum · Historic Core ·
Free admission, experimental art, unique gift shop and events
Free admission, experimental art, unique gift shop and events
"Formerly the Santa Monica Museum of Art and now located in Downtown L.A.'s Arts District, this always-free institution does not collect work but focuses on supporting and showcasing the city's diverse creative community; Lerman Yoes says you're bound to see “something new and experimental.”" - Travel + Leisure Editors
"Billed as the first survey of Asian American artists at a major Los Angeles contemporary art museum, "Scratching at the Moon" gathers the work of 13 artists in Los Angeles over the last five decades. The show (on view through July 28) began, in part, as a response to the increase in attacks on Asian Americans in 2020, amid false rhetoric about the pandemic. Across many mediums, the works confront identity formation, immigration, cultural assimilation, gentrification, family dynamics, and much more. Don’t miss the voyeuristic yet melancholy photographs of solitary audience members in Berlin adult-movie theaters by Dean Sameshima, who’s found many new fans with works from the same series at this year’s Venice Biennale." - Lisa Wong Macabasco
"This contemporary art museum, easily spotted by its bright yellow facade opposite a Greyhound bus depot, hosts lively after-hours events and attracted a woman-dominated, queer-leaning crowd for a feminist happy hour in which guests toured the galleries and mingled in a buzzy, artsy atmosphere." - Meghan McCarron
Always free and artist-forward, ICA LA is praised by the Los Angeles Times and The Art Newspaper for experimental shows and plans to expand with studios and a café—an anchor for the Arts District’s creative community.
"This contemporary art gallery offers free entry on Thursdays from 5pm–9pm, making it an accessible way to see contemporary exhibitions without paying admission." - Matthew Kepnes