Most museums we visit have been around for a long time. While the Bay Area is full of new enterprises, it’s unusual to think of a museum as a start-up. The ICA SF journey from conception to opening has been a privilege, a challenge, and a case study in the state of museums as we emerge from the pandemic. So many extraordinary advisors, community members, artists, founding supporters, and others have been key players along the way. Join us for this three-part discussion series and go deeply behind the scenes to hear a story that only we can tell. What does it take to start an experimental new arts organization in San Francisco today? What have we learned? What will we take forward?

This program will be moderated by ICA SF Founding Director Ali Gass, and each conversation will include a range of panelists who were critical partners along the way, from founding donors to artists.

901 Club levels with access to this program: Level 2+

Although ICA SF is a non-collecting museum, we know collecting is a vital part of the art world. Our commitment to expanding the art historical canon and fostering a community of thoughtful arts supporters and collectors in the Bay Area and beyond means continually thinking and rethinking together about how the art world really works. This program is a pathway to learning about artists, galleries, collecting practices and more through a series of educational, social, and fun (never formal!) gatherings. Whether you are a beginning collector or pretty seasoned, there will be many fresh insights to discover along the way. The goal here is to think deeply about what it means to be a mindful collector in an ever-changing art world, an impactful supporter of the arts in your own city, and an intrepid art world traveler and artist discoverer. All of this will culminate in Spring 2023 with a celebratory ICA SF event that will allow you to put your collecting skills to the test.

901 Club levels with access to this program: Level 1 (access to recorded virtual programs after one week); Level 2+ (access to live and virtual programs); Level 4+ (access to collecting mentorship sessions)

Many ICA SF supporters have busy lives. We get it; we do too! We invite you to explore the local, national, and international art world with us, just like curators do: at a fast, fun, and very active pace. We wish we had two weeks to see each place, but more typically we tend to dip in, dip out, and fill our days with art, food, shopping, work, and play. Join ICA SF Founding Director Ali Gass or Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs Christine Koppes on a range of adventures in the Bay Area and beyond as we do art fairs, studio visits, collection visits, museum tours, and more. Many of the itineraries involve preparatory research and planning work for the ICA SF exhibition program, so you will get access to a little behind-the-scenes curatorial action with this program as well. Depending on your 901 Club membership level, you can opt in or out as you’d like.

901 Club levels with access to this program: Level 5+ (Bay Area travel); Level 6+ (National travel); Level 7 (International travel)

Art++ is just for fun (well there might be some secret learning slipped in). Because art pairs well with just about everything—food, wine, fashion, music, architecture, pets, and more—Art++ events will weave throughout the other 901 Club offerings and will take place at ICA SF and on the road. Join us for parties, tastings, fashion shows, performances, and other adventures as we look at the ways that art opens the door to new passions. The Venn diagram of art interests and other interests is endless, and through Art++ you can explore them all!

901 Club levels with access to this program: Level 3+