ICA to Offer Pay-What-You-Wish Admission for Inauguration Day

Nari Ward’s ‘We the People’ will go on view at the ICA on April 26. Composed of shoelaces, the work will be fabricated by the ICA by ICA Teens working with the artist. / Courtesy Image

Subscribers to the ICA’s e-newsletters received this brief message Thursday afternoon, led with the image above:

January 20
Special Pay-What-You-Wish Admission

Artists, though their work, bring people together to question and make sense of the world. At the ICA, we believe strongly in the role of museums to advance discourse and engagement with the aim of creating a more open and equal society, and we invite all in our community to join us in reflection and conversation on January 20 and every day.

The museum will offer pay-what-you-wish admission on Friday, January 20. Please join us.

The timing, of course, along with accompanying photo, Nari Ward’s “We the People,” alludes to the impending presidential inauguration of Donald Trump Friday, without ever actually mentioning it. Clearly the ICA understands that (at least a portion of) their community might not be so happy with the outcome of the election. Unrelated: If you look further up the ranks of the ICA, you’ll find folks like Barbara Lee, philanthropist and strong supporter of women and the arts.

Colette Randall, the ICA’s director of marketing and communications, confirms that “It’s always our mission to make everyone feel welcome at the museum. We felt that there was an opportunity here to emphasize the important role museums play as public and civic spaces. Everyone can join us [Friday].”

Randall also shared the museum’s official statement:

Artists, though their work, bring people together to question and make sense of the world. We believe strongly in the role of museums to advance discourse and engagement in a pluralistic society, and invite all in our community to join us in reflection and conversation on January 20 and in the weeks, months, and years to come.

There you have it. For anyone looking to do something other than rage-watch the inauguration Friday, here’s somewhere you might want to be. Not in Boston? Don’t worry, many museums around the country are offering free admission or closing for Inauguration Day.