ICA Miami Appoints Gensler To Lead 30,000-Square-Foot Expansion In Miami Design District

The Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA Miami) has appointed Gensler to lead the design and renovation of its second building at 23 NE 41st Street in the Miami Design District. Acquired by the museum in 2024, the building is located on the same block as ICA Miami’s existing facility and is scheduled to open in late 2027. The project will add 30,000 square feet and double the museum’s facilities for programming as part of a new multi-site campus.

The first and second floors will each contain four new galleries, including ICA Miami’s first dedicated spaces for its permanent collection, additional galleries for special exhibitions, and the Knight Foundation Gallery for New Media, which will provide space for artists working with emerging technologies and forms. The third floor will function as a flexible venue for talks, lectures, symposia, performances, and other public programs.

Rendering courtesy of Gensler

Plans also call for a redesigned entrance and façade with a transparent arrival sequence connecting the building with the surrounding public realm. Outdoor areas will be renovated with shaded courtyards and sculptural landscapes designed to provide spaces for gathering and other public uses.

“This expansion is a natural next step for ICA Miami as we build upon the incredible community response we have received in our first decade, and our dynamic and continuously evolving exhibitions program and collection,” said Alex Gartenfeld, ICA Miami’s Irma and Norman Braman Executive Director and Chief Curator. “Gensler has fully embraced the goals of the project and the operational and programmatic needs that will complement our existing program and facilities. I am tremendously grateful to our Board of Trustees and Campaign members, as well as the Knight Foundation, who have led the community in convening around the museum and have continuously recognized the museum’s singular role in the arts landscape — locally, nationally, and internationally.”

“ICA Miami exemplifies what a contemporary art museum can be at its best: rigorous, generous, forward-looking, and firmly in the vanguard,” said Bevin Savage Yamazaki, Global Culture & Museums Leader, Gensler. “Beyond the addition of galleries, this renovation will strengthen ICA Miami’s ability to support artists, expand learning, and create a true platform for exchange and belonging in one of the most dynamic cultural cities in the world.”

The expansion is being supported through ICA Miami’s $40 million capital campaign, which is funded entirely through private contributions. The campaign supported the museum’s acquisition of the building in 2024 and is nearing completion, with the remaining funding supporting its design and renovation.

Early contributions came from private foundations and individuals, including significant participation from ICA Miami’s Board of Trustees and in-kind support from longtime patron Craig Robins. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation awarded the museum a $5 million grant supporting the expansion of ICA Miami’s digital innovation initiatives.

Additional founding expansion gifts were provided by Mickey Beyer, Catherine and John Carrafiell, Pilar Crespi Robert and Stephen Robert, Amy Dean and Alan Kluger, Margot and George Greig, Monica and Blake Grossman, Kathy and Steven Guttman, Annie & Manny Kadre, Andrea and Robert Kramer, Tammy and Jay Levine, Shelly & Howard Kivell, Janice and Alan Lipton, Arlene and Laurans Mendelson, Amanda and Don Mullen, Ed and Helen Nicoll, Keith and Sonia Pomeroy, Craig Robins and Jackie Soffer, Daniel Rotman and Brad Mahlof, Chandra & Michael Rudd, Kay Torshen and Alan Schriesheim, Sandra and Tony Tamer, Alex Witkoff, Todd White and Cameron Carani, and Ray Ellen and Allan Yarkin, among others.

“We are so proud of this expansion, and the way it demonstrates ICA Miami’s impact and leadership in our community and beyond. I congratulate our incredible Board on our shared commitment to expanding and serving our audiences, and deepening our commitment to education and the next generations. The success of our campaign is a tribute to this museum’s leadership, and the wonderful, thoughtful and bold individuals who serve as Trustees.” said Ray Ellen Yarkin, Co-chair of ICA Miami’s Board of Trustees.

ICA Miami was founded in 2014 and provides free admission and access to its educational programs. According to the museum, it has organized nearly 100 exhibitions, supported more than 1,000 artists through exhibitions and acquisitions, and received more than 1 million visitors since its founding. Its programming also includes lectures, performances, screenings, seminars, publications, podcasts, and other digital resources.

The museum has also outlined a series of sustainability measures associated with its operations. ICA Miami uses sustainable shipping methods for exhibitions, implements carbon offsets for select major exhibitions, and matches 100 percent of its electricity consumption through the procurement of Renewable Energy Certificates. The museum was also among the original recipients of Frankenthaler Foundation funding for sustainability efforts in the arts in 2020. ICA Miami states that it is the first museum in Florida to support the use of renewable energy and the growth of the sector.

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