Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA

Founded in 1988 as the Santa Monica Museum of Art and reestablished in 2017 with a new identity and home in downtown Los Angeles, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (ICA LA) is a noncollecting contemporary art museum known for bold curatorial vision and innovative programming. Its 12,700-square-foot home, a renovated former manufacturing building in the Downtown Arts District features three flexible gallery spaces featuring rotating solo and group exhibitions by local, national, and international artists, foregrounding emerging and under-represented voices. The building runs entirely on renewable energy.

A 2025 FCI Scoping Grant supported an ASHRAE Level 2 energy audit that quantified ICA LA's carbon footprint, identified areas for improvement, and informed ongoing renovation plans to make ICA LA a more accessible and sustainable institution in the long-term.

A 2026 FCI Technical Assistance Grant will support implementation of high-priority energy audit recommendations from the 2025 energy audit. This includes comprehensive upgrades to the museum's four rooftop AC units (e.g., replacing economizers, installing interlocks and air balancing features) and are expected to cumulatively reduce the museum's net energy usage and improve gallery climate conditions while reducing operating costs.