The Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego (ICA San Diego) is a living laboratory for the transformational power of art to build vibrant communities.
Core Values
Spark Curiosity
Our curatorial team works closely with exhibiting artists to present works they may not have the opportunity to show in more traditional spaces. Our community events bring artists together with thinkers across disciplines for lively discussions about of-the-moment topics and their impact on future generations. And our outreach programs guide students through our exhibitions, where our Teaching Artists encourage them to look closely, question, and share their perspectives about what they see.
Open Doors
Admission to our exhibitions and events at Central (Balboa Park) and North (Encinitas) are always complimentary. We offer a safe space for artists to take risks. And our outreach programs bring art directly to students and seniors.
Connect the Dots
Our team of volunteer Engagement Guides are available to chat about whatever elements of our exhibitions interest you the most—whether it’s the artist’s history, how an artwork makes you feel, or a particular detail (a shape, a color, texture). Whatever you’re drawn to! This approach is rooted in Visual Thinking Strategies, an inquiry-based method that encourages individual interpretation of the exhibition. This is the same approach we use when giving school group tours, and when we bring art into classrooms across San Diego County as part of our Valise Program.
Land Acknowledgement
The Institute of Contemporary Art San Diego acknowledges that our Central campus sits on the ancestral homeland of the Kumeyaay Peoples, and our North campus is located on the ancestral land of the Rincon Band of the Lúiseno. We wish to pay our respects to the ancestors, elders, and relatives of the Kumeyaay Nation and Rincon Band of the Lúiseno who have cared for the land on which ICA San Diego resides. As visitors we recognize that their pain and suffering has made it possible for us to be here. We are committed to standing in solidarity by respecting the lands and its people.
Free Admission. Donations Welcome. ICA San Diego / Central is located at 1439 El Prado in Balboa Park, and ICA San Diego / North is located at 1550 S. El Camino Real in Encinitas.
Current & Upcoming Exhibitions
NextGen 2025
Now to February 1, 2026
The ICA is pleased to introduce the seven local art graduates for NextGen 2025. The annual exhibition, juried by a panel of art-world professionals, celebrates emerging artistic voices and highlights the innovative work being produced across the San Diego and Baja California region. Through NextGen, ICA San Diego provides local emerging artists with both exhibition opportunities and professional development, while highlighting the strength of our creative community.
NextGen 2025 opens with a free public reception on June 21, 2025 at ICA San Diego / Central located in Balboa Park, and runs through February 1, 2026. This year’s artists are:
- Maddie Butler, MFA, University of California, San Diego: Butler’s interdisciplinary art explores the way technology shapes human relationships. She takes apart discarded electronics and (mis)uses their components, creating work that counter-mediates the machine via a wide range of body-centered processes.
- Coralys Carter, MFA, University of California, San Diego: Carter is a multimodal weaver living and working in Southern California. Currently pursuing an MFA in Visual Arts, Carter is furthering her material exploration into the concept of bodies rooted in spaces and places rooted in bodies.
- Nykelle DeVivo, MFA, University of California, San Diego: DeVivo is a Portland based visual artist working with light through various mediums to navigate the crossroads between the physical world and that of their ancestors.
- Adele Gaburo, BA, San Diego State University: Although Gaburo works with a variety of materials in her mixed media sculpture practice, silicone and fabric are her most loved for their ability to emulate the human body. Her work addresses body dysmorphic disorder, and the empty, shameful, and all-consuming feelings of otherness that can be associated with it.
- Emily Greenberg, MFA, University of California, San Diego: Greenberg is an artist, filmmaker, writer, editor, and educator living in San Diego. Her artworks and films have been shown at Festival ECRÃ, Videobardo, Smack Mellon, SIGGRAPH, ISEA, the Knockdown Center, Columbus International Film & Animation Festival, Digerati Emergent Media Festival, and Screener Short Films, and her writing has appeared in the Iowa Review, McSweeney’s, Electric Literature, Michigan Quarterly Review, Witness, Santa Monica Review, and Chicago Quarterly Review.
- Nanzi Muro, MFA, San Diego State University: Muro is an interdisciplinary Fronteriza artivist based in San Diego. Born in Los Angeles, she grew up along the San Diego/Tijuana border, embracing her dual identity as both American and Mexican. Her recent work emphasizes her border identity and critiques the growing militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border while honoring migrants who have lost their lives in search of a better life.
- Maya Rosado, BA, University of California, San Diego: Rosado is an Indigenous artist with ancestral roots from the North and Central American diaspora. Being a first-generation daughter to parents with P’urepecha and Mayan ancestry from Mexico and El Salvador, Rosado’s work is influenced by the adaptations of her cultural traditions in Southern California.
We are so grateful to this year’s jury:
- Kibum Kim, Partner, Commonwealth and Council, Los Angeles
- Christie Mitchell, Executive Director, Atheneum Music & Arts Library, San Diego
- Karla Niño de Rivera, Curator, Museo Anahuacalli, Mexico City
- Talia Heiman, Assistant Curator, REDCAT, Los Angeles
This exhibition season is supported by the Linda Brandes Foundation, the Prebys Foundation, and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
ICA San Diego Exhibition support is also provided by the City of San Diego and the Tippett Foundation.
NextGen is made possible through the generous support of the Seth Sprague Charitable Foundation and US Bank.
More upcoming exhibitions can be found HERE.
Interested in Art Classes, click HERE for more information.
Visit Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) Central
Address:
1430 El Prado
San Diego, CA
92101
Phone:
(619) 236-0011
Hours:
Thursday–Sunday 12:00 to 5:00 pm
Monday–Wednesday Closed
Website:
ICA San Diego / Central, El Prado, San Diego, CA
