ICA Announces Significant Donor Gift that Underwrites Admission for 5 years - Beginning July 1 Admission Will Be Free
PHILADELPHIA, PA
Beginning July 1, 2008, the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), under the leadership of Director
Claudia Gould, is pleased to announce that admission to the ICA will be free to the public for the
first time in its history. This unprecedented initiative is made possible by a generous gift from
Glenn R. Fuhrman. ICA Overseer and contemporary art collector, Mr. Fuhrman is an alumnus
of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School (undergraduate 1987; graduate degree 1988).
During his years at Penn, he studied Art History and frequently visited the ICA. Beginning in 1997,
Mr. Fuhrman sponsored a series of lectures for the Department of The History of Art culminating
in a lecture given in 2005 by renowned historian and former Professor Leo Steinberg in whose
class Mr. Fuhrman was a student during his time at the University.
The Fuhrman gift will underwrite admissions at the ICA for the next five years allowing access to
its exhibitions. The museum plans to celebrate this gift with a community-wide opening event
September 4, 2008. This event, which will also be free and open to the public, will kick-off the
museum’s fall exhibition schedule which will include the work of artists Douglas Blau, R. Crumb,
Kate Gilmore and Odili Donald Odita.
Opening the doors free of charge renews the vision of ICA’s founder Professor G. Holmes Perkins
(University of Pennsylvania’s Dean of the Graduate School of Fine Arts, from 1951 to 1971). His
vision and passion were to expose his students, and the greater community, to the art of their
time. Perkins felt that students required a broad perspective on related disciplines in order to
fully grasp their own.
"We are so grateful to Glenn Fuhrman for his vision and generosity, which will open the world
of contemporary art to new audiences," said Penn President Amy Gutmann. "This wonderful
initiative reinforces the University's commitment to engagement with the community, both locally
and globally."
Today general admission for adult visitors to ICA is $6 with free hours on Sundays from
11am – 1pm. As part of the University of Pennsylvania, ICA has always been free to students,
faculty, staff and members. In keeping with ICA’s mission which invites the public to share in the
experience, interpretation and understanding of the work of established and emerging artists,
free admission eliminates all financial barriers to achieving this goal and demonstrates a
commitment to the greater Philadelphia community.
“Integral to ICA’s long range strategic plan of creating access to living artists, free admission
allows ICA to continue to be the premier destination for experiencing contemporary art—where
everyone can feel welcome, energized and inspired. It will also engage the casual and repeat
visitor which is very important to our vision as a whole” says Director Claudia Gould.
Free admission to the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania for the
public is sponsored by the Glenn R. Fuhrman (W87/WG88) Fund.
Release Date: Monday, June 16th 2008
