I visited the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in Boston today. It used to be a cramped little museum hidden in a retrofitted firehouse in the Bay Back. However, a few weeks ago, the ICA opened in a brand new South Boston building right on the water. The combination of the building the the collection makes the ICA the best destination in Boston, no contest.

I’m not alone in my enthusiasm for the ICA’s new location: the NYTimes ran a rave review a few weeks ago.

Ocean Deck

The ICA used its bay-front property well by building a large deck (pictured above) that hovers above the water. It’s open to the public (free, no ticket required), so I’m certain it will become a social refuge for Bostonians in fairer weather.

Media Center

My favorite room in the whole building is the media center (pictured above). It is a sloped room with a computer cluster built into tiers of stairs. At the bottom of the room, all that is visible is water; no horizon or building. It’s a surreal experience. Here is the NYTimes commentary on this fantastic room:

That entrancing image sums up the museum’s goal of resensitizing its audience to the world’s tactile surfaces, its patterns, its range of scales — whether the subject before us is the city or a solitary work of art. It is the architecture of empathy, welcome therapy for a self-involved age.

Those are beautiful words, but the room must be experienced in person to really understand the effect it has on the viewer.

Entry Mural: Gas

I apologize for the quality of the image above as it doesn’t represent the true colors of the entry way mural entitled: Gas. There is a 360-degree’s interactive capture of this mural that you can use to see the massive scale of this work of art.

It’s a very odd and particularly noteworthy piece depicting a naked sprite releasing a “divine fart.” The beauty, scale, and subject matter are all jarring in a way that works together well. Again, it really must be experienced in person.

If you find yourself in Boston in the near future, for business or for pleasure, you have to check out the new ICA.