Institute of Contemporary Art

Name

Institute of Contemporary Art

Legal name

Institute of Contemporary Art San Diego

Website

https://icasandiego.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Art Museum

NAICS

Museums (712110), Fine Arts Schools (611610)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Visual Arts Instruction (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture) (EDAMAAAA), Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture) (THAJAKAA)

Keywords

• Contemporary art museum
• Art education programs
• Artist residency programs
• Ceramics studio classes
• Exhibition programming

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual recurring memberships at multiple tiers from $40 to $25,000 per year, providing benefits including priority access, discounts on classes and facility rentals, and recognition.
2. Venue Rentals: Rental income from hosting weddings, celebrations, corporate events, and private gatherings at both ICA Central and ICA North locations, with additional revenue from ceramics private group bookings.
3. Education Programs: Revenue from ceramics classes, art and photography classes, summer and spring camps, teen portfolio intensive, and workshops at both locations.
4. Events and Programs: Revenue from special events including Taste of Art dinner series, Convergence community events, and wellness retreats.
5. Donations and Grants: Charitable contributions from members, individual donors, corporate matching programs, and foundation grants from organizations including Andy Warhol Foundation, City of San Diego, and others.
6. Ceramics Studio Memberships: Monthly recurring memberships for unlimited ceramics studio access at $180 per month, with combined family and contributor tiers available at $189 and $201 per month respectively.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ICA San Diego presents five contemporary art exhibitions annually featuring emerging to mid-career artists across two museum campuses (ICA Central in Balboa Park and ICA North in Encinitas), supported by a permanent outdoor Sculpture Trail and integrated fee-based education programming including ceramics classes, art and photography courses, summer and spring camps, teen portfolio intensives, plus the year-long Artist-in-Residence program and annual NextGen emerging-artist exhibition.

Product overview

The Institute of Contemporary Art San Diego operates as a living laboratory for contemporary art, running two museum locations (ICA Central in Balboa Park and ICA North in Encinitas) alongside a comprehensive educational ecosystem. The core offering includes rotating contemporary art exhibitions featuring emerging to mid-career artists, complemented by permanent public art (The Sculpture Trail), artist development programs (Artist-in-Residence, NextGen), and fee-based education programs (Ceramics Studio, Art & Photography Classes, Summer/Spring Art Camps, Teen Portfolio Intensive). The institution generates revenue through memberships, venue rentals, class fees, and donations while maintaining free admission to exhibitions. Public programming includes events like Taste of Art, Convergence: PRIDE, and ICA Garden Market. The 2026-2027 curatorial season is titled 'The Hours Have Lost Their Clocks: Nostalgia Now,' exploring themes of nostalgia and speculative futurism.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ICA Central Main gallery in Balboa Park (1439 El Prado) serving as ICA San Diego's headquarters and primary rotating exhibition venue, open Thursday-Sunday 11am-4pm with free admission funded by members and donors.
• ICA North Six-acre coastal campus in Encinitas (1550 S El Camino Real) with gallery, Sculpture Trail, ceramics studio, and education pavilion serving as the secondary exhibition and education site.
• Ceramics Studio State-of-the-art ceramics facility at the ICA North Education Pavilion with hand-building room, slab roller, 12 throwing wheels, glaze lab, and 2 kilns, offering classes, workshops, studio memberships, and a certificate program for all skill levels in wheel throwing, hand building, glaze chemistry, and Raku firing.
• Art & Photography Classes Six-week classes in painting, drawing, and photography taught by experienced artists at ICA's Balboa Park and Encinitas locations for adult learners.
• Summer Art Camp Week-long project-based art camps for kids and teens at both ICA North in Encinitas and ICA Central in Balboa Park, promoting creativity through contemporary art practice.
• Spring Art Camp Week-long spring break art camp at ICA North in Encinitas for ages 5-14 featuring nature-inspired projects.
• Teen Art Portfolio Intensive Immersive 12-week skill-building program for high school students to create professional art portfolios for college applications and competitions, priced from $999.
• School Outreach Programs Interactive art experiences bringing works directly into K-12 classrooms aligned with curricula, including the Valise Project inspired by Marcel Duchamp, plus field trips to ICA galleries, reaching 135+ schools across San Diego County.
• Senior Programs Outreach programs bringing art to senior centers and residential communities with discussions and hands-on creative activities delivered through the Valise Project for Seniors.
• Artist-in-Residence Program Year-long residency providing free studio space at Studio 6608, $2,000 stipend, $500/month materials budget, mentorship, and a culminating solo exhibition opportunity at ICA North.
• NextGen Exhibition Annual exhibition celebrating emerging artists graduating from regional art programs, providing exhibition opportunities and professional development support for seven artists annually.
• The Sculpture Trail at ICA North Growing collection of 15 contemporary outdoor sculptures across a six-acre coastal property overlooking the San Elijo Lagoon, with self-guided weekend access and free admission.
• Membership Program Tiered membership from $40/year (Student/Senior/Educator/Military) to $25,000/year (Visionary) offering benefits including priority admission, discounts on classes and facility rentals, NARM and Mod/Co museum privileges, exclusive events, studio visits, and art tours; plus a monthly All-Access Ceramics Studio membership at $180/month.
• Venue Rentals Event spaces for weddings, corporate events, celebrations, and private group bookings at both ICA Central in Balboa Park and ICA North in Encinitas, ranging from $2,000-$5,000 for social and corporate events.
• Public Events Community events including the Taste of Art dinner series, Convergence: PRIDE, ICA Garden Market, and wellness retreats hosted at both ICA campuses.
• Guided Tours Engagement Guides offering dynamic conversations about exhibitions and weekend tours at ICA Central, staffed by guides from diverse backgrounds.

Quantifiable outcome

• 135 schools and senior communities reached through outreach programs in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Studio 6608coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with artist-run studio complex in College-area providing year-long free studio space for ICA Artist-in-Residence. The residency program sponsors one local artist per year with studio space, mentorship, and exhibition opportunity.
• ArtWorks San DiegocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtWorks San Diego provides artwork storage and transportation support for the Artist-in-Residence program. Also listed as supporting NextGen exhibitions.
• UNFOLD ProjectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for regenerative design, contemporary art, and creative dialogue. Joint exhibition series 'UNFOLD PROJECTS' exploring regenerative materials and processes in art and design at ICA North.
• Balboa Park InstitutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with other Balboa Park museums including Mingei Museum and San Diego Museum of Art; adjacent to Panama 66 restaurant. Partnership for cross-museum experiences and parking coordination.
• Project BLANKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with local experimental music organization to develop musical scores based on artwork, including Nathalie Miebach's Restless Waters exhibition as part of PST ART.
• Centro Cultural Tijuana (CECUT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-border partnership for Rafael Lozano-Hemmer's Remote Pulse installation, enabling visitors at ICA Central and CECUT in Tijuana to feel each other's pulses through connected sensors.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD): Direct regional peer operating contemporary art exhibitions in San Diego County. Both institutions focus on contemporary art, serve overlapping audiences, and compete for visitors, donors, and artists in the same metropolitan market.
• Institute of Contemporary Art Los Angeles: Peer ICA institution focused on experimental contemporary art exhibitions and education programming. Both operate as non-collecting contemporary art spaces with similar artist residency and community engagement models, though at different Southern California scales.
• ICA Boston: Peer Institute of Contemporary Art with similar branding, mission, and programming focus on emerging to mid-career artists. Comparable non-collecting contemporary art model with education programming and artist development focus.
• ICA Miami: Peer contemporary art institution with comparable ICA branding, free admission model, and focus on emerging artists. Similar programming structure including exhibitions, education, and community engagement.
• The Contemporary (Cincinnati): Non-collecting contemporary art institution with similar free admission model, experimental exhibition programming, and community education focus. Comparable operating scale and nonprofit structure.

Broad incumbents

• Mingei International Museum: Adjacent Balboa Park institution with broader arts scope and longer operating history. While not exclusively contemporary, it competes for visitors in the same Balboa Park location and draws from overlapping cultural tourism and donor pools.
• San Diego Museum of Art: Major Balboa Park neighbor and the region's flagship art museum. While focused on broader historical collections rather than purely contemporary work, it competes for cultural tourism, donor support, and exhibition programming visibility in the same geographic market.
• New Museum: Established NYC contemporary art institution with similar focus on emerging artists and experimental programming. Larger in scale but serves as a benchmark for ICA-format institutions targeting innovative contemporary art presentation.
• BAMPFA (Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive): University-affiliated contemporary art institution with exhibition and education programming. Comparable nonprofit museum model with art education and community engagement focus, though at larger scale with film programming.

Others

• Lux Art Institute: Predecessor institution that merged with San Diego Art Institute to form ICA San Diego in 2021. Now operates independently at a separate Encinitas location focused on artist residencies, making it a heritage peer with shared DNA rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/icasandiego
• Xx.com/icasandiego
• Facebookfacebook.com/icasandiego
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ica-san-diego

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Institute of Contemporary Art