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The Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University offers more than a changing slate of cutting-edge exhibitions. It also collaborates with artists, experts and community organizers to produce some of Richmond\u2019s most vibrant and enriching events throughout the year. This fall ushers in the return of First Fridays at the ICA at VCU\u2019s Markel Center, the launch of a chef residency and a slate of performances, artist talks, screenings and other programs that highlight the ICA\u2019s mission as a community gathering place to listen, create and make art public.<\/p>\n
This fall\u2019s events include:<\/p>\n
Wednesday, Oct. 1 | 5 p.m. | Free<\/p>\n
The ICA, in partnership with VCU\u2019s School of the Arts and the VCU Humanities Research Center, presents Cuatlacuatl, who will discuss how his practice is directly informed and profoundly shaped by his lived experiences as part of a community from Cholula, Mexico, that was forced by the Mexican government to self-displace in the early 1990s. Through short experimental films, sculptural works and multimedia installations, his practice recalls generational traumas and the history of Mexico\u2019s violence toward Indigenous communities.<\/p>\n
Friday, Oct. 3 | 5 p.m. cash bar, 6 p.m. talk | Free<\/p>\n
Cox-Richard will discuss the practice and process behind \u201cDisquiet in the Sand,\u201d her ICA exhibition that invites viewers to reflect and seek insight through a constellation of colorful glass scrying mirrors cast from impressions in the sand at human-transformed landscapes. This talk will take place during First Friday, when Richmond galleries and businesses stay open late on the first Friday of the month. ICA First Fridays through December will feature evening gallery hours, special programming, a food truck, music from WVCW DJs and more.<\/p>\n
Sundays: Oct. 5, Nov. 2, Dec. 7, Feb. 1 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m.<\/p>\n
At the ICA\u2019s Abby Moore Cafe, Cambodian fare is reimagined as October kicks off the first in a series of counter-service brunches from the institute\u2019s inaugural chef-in-residence, Santana Hem of the Khmer-inspired culinary project Hem and Her. The ICA Chef Residency is a new program that celebrates Richmond\u2019s vibrant food scene and supports independent culinary artists by providing a space to explore new ideas and reach new audiences. Hem\u2019s residency will conclude with a special ticketed dinner in March.<\/p>\n
Friday, Oct. 10 | 5 p.m. cash bar, 6 p.m. performance | Free<\/p>\n
In a one-time performance, French-Caribbean artist Creuzet and Brazilian choreographer Pi will perform an embodied iteration of Creuzet\u2019s ICA exhibition that reimagines his French Pavilion from the 60th Venice Biennale, featuring Afro-diasporic gestures, poetic voices and theoretical readings. To invite further exploration of the themes in Creuzet\u2019s exhibition and the ICA exhibition \u201cAyida,\u201d the ICA has also asked Hard Light Cinema to present a series of four film screenings in October and November that contextualize and deepen understandings of Black Atlantic aesthetics and experience.<\/p>\n
Thursday, Nov. 6 | 1-5 p.m. | Free<\/p>\n
Now in its second year, Community Podcast Day (formerly Student Podcast Day) is an offshoot of the popular RESONATE Podcast Festival from the VPM + ICA Community Media Center. For beginners, students and the podcast-curious, the day of free presentations from producers offers insight into what it takes to make it in podcasting. The following evening, RESONATE attendees and the public are invited to \u201cIn The Dark Presents: Perspectives,\u201d a special ICA First Fridays audio performance that highlights how memory, identity, imagination and language shape vastly different experiences of the world.<\/p>\n
Thursday, Nov. 20 | 6 p.m. doors, 7 p.m. performance | Free<\/p>\n
In anticipation of the Shockoe Institute\u2019s forthcoming exhibit \u2013 \u201cExpanding Freedom\u201d opens in 2026 at Richmond\u2019s Main Street Station \u2013 the ICA is partnering with the organization for an evening of musical performance.\u00a0Shockoe Institute Presents is\u00a0a series that explores the enduring impact of racial slavery through discussions, programs, performances and more. Musicians will be announced in October.<\/p>\n
Additional events can be found in the ICA\u2019s online calendar, including a Halloween-inspired evening of independent horror films, a business workshop for creatives, author talks, community meetups and more. Thanks to community support,<\/u>\u00a0event entrance is free unless otherwise specified. Online RSVP may be requested.<\/p>\n
The ICA\u2019s exhibitions are free and open to the public Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The Abby Moore Cafe is open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.<\/p>\n