The Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco (ICA SF) will leave its current home at The Cube in December and pivot to a “fully nomadic, city-wide model” that will see it host exhibitions and programs at various locations across the Bay Area starting early next year.
Founded in 2020, ICA SF is one of the newest arts institutions in the country. It will initially open in the city’s Dogpatch neighborhood before moving to The Cube at 345 Montgomery Street in the city’s Financial District in October 2024. The two current solo exhibitions of Masako Miki and David Antonio Cruz (on view until December 7) will be their last exhibitions at The Cube.
“When ICA SF moved from Dogpatch to The Cube last October, something clicked,” ICA SF founding director and chief curator Alison Gass said in a statement. “For three years, we’ve invited artists and audiences to think differently about how to experience contemporary art, and that journey has reshaped our own thinking.”
Gass described the cube as something the agency always viewed as a “temporary home” where ICA SF could “bring our vision to new parts of the city and test new possibilities.” She added, “That time confirmed an evolving vision: art does not need a permanent space to have a significant impact.”
As part of this new model, ICA SF also has support from the San Francisco Mayor’s Office. Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a statement: “Arts and culture are critical to San Francisco’s recovery, and ICA SF is a popular destination for creativity, community and culture. Its presence at the Cube has brought new energy to our downtown over the past year and helped revitalize downtown San Francisco. I’m pleased that ICA SF’s multiple activation and facility initiatives will continue to play a vital role in our downtown’s recovery.”
Adopting this new nomadic model will transform “vacant buildings, public spaces and important architectural sites into platforms for experimentation, civic dialogue and cultural dynamics,” ICA SF said in a press release. The museum has several projects lined up for next year, including those by artists Tara Donovan, Lily Kwong, Dominique Fung and Heidi Lau.
Rendering earth seed dome (2026) by Lily Kwong in collaboration with Atelio.
©Lily Kwong
In January, it will host two exhibitions at the Transamerica Pyramid Center during San Francisco Art Week 2026. Several sculptures from Donovan’s “Strategy” series, including two never before exhibited, will be displayed in its affiliated gallery, alongside a new site-responsive commission called earth seed domeMr. Kwong’s work will be on display at the adjacent Pan American Redwood Park. Kwong’s 3D printed living soil device will continue to evolve during operations through July 2026.
“As a Bay Area native, my creative consciousness and ecological attunement are entirely shaped by this place,” Kwong said in a statement. “I often say I grew up under redwoods because these towering trees are like ancestors to anyone who grew up in Mill Valley. … I have spent 15 years building installations around the world, always with redwoods as inspiration, and to be invited by such a revolutionary arts organization to build a site-responsive, ecologically significant piece in this iconic grove between trees and community has given me a creative life, purpose and mission in the world, the honor of a lifetime.”
Later in 2026, ICA SF will present a two-person exhibition of Feng and Liu, guest-curated by Kathy Huang, independent curator and managing director of Jeffrey Deitch. The exhibition will feature newly commissioned works staged at Pier 24 on the city’s Embarcadero. (Until February of this year, Pier 24 was home to an arts organization focused on photography.)
In 2027, ICA SF will collaborate with Fifth Space and Heatherwick Studio to realize a public art project within the upcoming Prequel Park at the Dogpatch Power Station. The 300-foot chimney, an icon of the city’s southern waterfront, will be transformed into a vertical gallery featuring site-specific works.
Enrique Landa, managing partner of Fifth Space, said in a statement: “We have long been looking for a way to partner with ICA SF, one of the most innovative, creative and courageous organizations in the city. They are phenomenalists through and through. Their neo-nomadic model is perfect for flipping the stack and presenting it as an art site — only ICA SF can transform a 300-foot chimney into a beacon of civic energy, wondering.”
