The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston announced an expansion on Thursday:

The ICA is delighted to announce that the we are expanding our artistic programming across the Harbor to a temporary site in the East Boston Shipyard and Marina. We are honored to be a part of the East Boston landscape, a community that has long championed the arts, public parks, and the waterfront.

The new space, called the Watershed, is projected to open in summer 2018, pending permitting and final design. We will present art and public programs in the new 15,000-square-foot space seasonally while continuing our regular programming in the Seaport year-round.

The Watershed will be a raw, industrial space for art unlike any other in Boston, where visitors can experience immersive projects by artists engaged with the site, space, and issues related to this unique location. In addition to a flexible space for art and programs, the Watershed will house an introductory gallery focused on the historic shipyard and a waterside plaza that will serve as a gathering place. Admission will be free for all.

“Boston’s waterfront and harbor are one of the most unique aspects of our City, and I’m pleased the ICA is supporting our creative community in this welcoming East Boston space,” said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “The Watershed will offer Boston a new, engaging space for art and discovery, and I welcome their investment in Boston’s diverse artists, residents and visitors.” 

The Watershed represents an exciting and creative mode of growth for the museum. With this project, the ICA will make a cross-harbor connection that is central to our vision of art, civic life, and urban vitality. It takes art beyond our walls, building upon a decade-long history of public art projects that bring together landscape, history, and contemporary art. The new facility is a central component of the ICA’s recently completed five-year strategic plan, A Radical Welcome, designed to deepen the vibrant intersection of contemporary art and civic life in Boston.

We are thrilled to launch this exciting new journey and to create new opportunities for art and artists and to deepen the connection between the natural and cultural resources of Boston.