Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) today celebrated breaking ground on the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA), a combination exhibition and performance space, laboratory and incubator for the presentation of visual art, theater, music, dance and film by nationally and internationally recognized artists.

The ICA, anticipated to open in 2016, is being built at the prominent corner of Broad and Belvidere streets within Richmond's newly designated Downtown Arts District, forming a gateway to the university and the city. The ICA will be a non-collecting institution that will present an array of different media and practices, mirroring the cross-disciplinary approach at the VCU School of the Arts.

"The ICA will be vital to the creative ecology of VCU and the community," said VCU President Michael Rao. "Creative problem solving skills are essential in our world today and this institution will bring new resources to our students and faculty working across the university, the nation and the globe.

"This institute will also be a significant beacon in Richmond in terms of economic and cultural development and bringing the arts community from around the world to our great city," Rao said. "The ICA will help put Richmond on the global map as an arts destination."

Located at one of Richmond's busiest intersections, The ICA will feature dual entrances - one facing Richmond and the other fronting VCU's campus. At the heart of the building will be an inviting, double-height "forum," a flexible space for both spontaneous encounters and planned events that connects to the ground-floor performance space and opens to the garden and cafe. 

The galleries radiate out from the forum in forked arms, shaping the space of the garden. The open circulation serves to remove the formal protocols associated with entering traditional arts facilities. The three levels of galleries are linked through the open forum, allowing artists to create works that extend across, and visitors to circulate through, the spaces via a variety of paths. The ICA's exterior walls of pre-weathered, satin-finish zinc will complement its urban setting. Additional clear and translucent glass walls will create transparency, bringing natural light into the building during the day and radiating light at night, signaling the activities taking place within.

The ICA has raised nearly $31 million toward its $35 million goal for construction. 

> via Steven Holl Architects