This place has a misleading name. If you're looking for art, the "Institute of Contemporary Art" will not be what you're looking for. It only houses the works of children who're convinced that their dirty laundry is a "new" form of modern art. ICA masks untalented students with the pretensions of "expression." If art is simply an expression, then everything is art. If everything is art, then the idea of art as a concept has been reduced to insignificance.

Most places that have "art" written above their door contain displays of aesthetic objects which are demonstrations of human imagination and ability. Some of those works contain elements of beauty, while some provoke other emotions, but none could be produced by a toddler. This is not the case with the Institute of Contemporary Art. There are children's museum's for such works.

It is reasonable to strive for art that transcends traditional conceptions: an elevation of thoughts to the divine, an outpouring of energy into beautiful works, the creation of aesthetics for the sole purpose of pleasing, etc. However, thinking of art in unconventional terms does not obligate one to degenerate standards of ability and profundity. This is the unfortunate path that the Institute of Contemporary Art has decided to entertain and the city of Richmond suffers the consequences. Indeed, not only does reducing the idea of art into insignificance negatively impact the community, it is destructive to the social fabric and nature of society itself.