James Irvine Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation endorse long-standing Bay Area visual arts venue with significant grant awards

SAN JOSE, California - In just one month, and during a bleak economic climate, the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) fortified its exhibition and educational program offerings through generous grant donations by two nationally recognized philanthropic organizations. The James Irvine Foundation has awarded the ICA a three-year grant totaling $75,000, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation has given the gallery a two-year $60,000 grant. In addition, the ICA received a generous $20,000 grant from the local Myra Reinhard Family Foundation to support an upcoming solo artist's exhibition opening in February.

          The grant from the Irvine Foundation will help the ICA provide invaluable opportunities to some of the region's most accomplished visual artists, as well as to the more than 28,000 audience members who visit the gallery each year. Although the ICA increasingly attracts artists from throughout the state, this generous grant will immediately benefit Bay Area artists who continue to account for the majority of more than 350 artists whose work is exhibited at the ICA. In addition, as many as 15 emerging and mid-career contemporary artists will be empowered to create new work to be exhibited at the ICA.  Four artists will participate in the ICA Print Center's Artist-in-Residence program each year; and six to eight artists will gain additional exposure by participating in the ICA's broad range of exhibition and educational programs.

          The Packard Foundation has been a longtime grant supporter of the ICA. This recent award extends over a two-year period and lends additional programming support, further strengthening the ICA's mission of discovering, interpreting and presenting thought-provoking contemporary art to diverse Bay Area audiences. Specifically, the grant supports the production of at least two dozen new exhibitions and installations and the presentation of more than 30 educational programs and ICA Print Center workshops.

          "We are buoyed by these significant funding wins and view these successes as a testament to our sharp focus on delivering the best artistic product supported by sound organizational management practices," says Cathy Kimball, ICA Executive Director and Chief Curator.   "The result is that we can continue to develop our programming plans knowing that our organization, our artists and our community's cultural health are soundly supported."

          The $20,000 grant offered by the privately funded Myra Reinhard Family Foundation will support the upcoming retrospective exhibition of Bay Area conceptual artist Lewis deSoto opening at the ICA in the New Year. This show will mark the first time that the ICA will present the work of one artist in all three of its galleries since moving into its new building in 2007.  Presenting an exhibition of this caliber requires significant resources and these dedicated funds will ensure that the needs of the ICA, the sponsored artist and the visiting public are met.

About the ICA: The San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) is an energetic art space located in downtown San Jose dedicated to making contemporary art accessible and exciting to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Exhibitions are presented in three galleries that display the most current, relevant and often challenging art from the region, the nation and the world. The ICA is activated by opening receptions, South First Friday gallery walks, nighttime projections in the front windows, panel discussions, printmaking workshops, brown bag lunches, and impromptu conversations in the galleries.

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