Carnegie Mellon University receives $10m donation to support public art and ICA Pittsburgh renovation
Carnegie Mellon University is set to begin construction on its newly expanded Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) Pittsburgh, thanks to a generous $10 million donation from alumni Tod and Cindy Johnson. The donation will support the institute and the university’s public art program, with half of the funds going towards an endowment for public art and the other half supporting the development of the new ICA housed in the Richard King Mellon Hall of Sciences.
The Johnsons, who met and got married while attending Carnegie Mellon, have a deep appreciation for the arts, with Cindy earning her fine arts degree from the university. As longtime supporters of the arts, the couple has been involved with institutions such as the Guggenheim Museum and the Neuberger Museum of Art in New York.
The university’s public art program has been busy with site-specific works and installations, including pieces by artists like Jessica Stockholder and Stephanie Dinkins. The new ICA Pittsburgh aims to further enhance the program by creating unique experiences that promote conversation and meaning in contemporary life.
Construction of the Richard King Mellon Hall of Sciences is set to take three years, but in the meantime, the ICA Pittsburgh will continue to program its current space within the university’s Purnell Center for the Arts.
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Elara Voss, graduated from the Royal College of Art in London with a Master’s in Fine Art. She specializes in contemporary sculpture and installation art, exploring themes of nature and human interaction. Elara’s works have been featured in several group exhibitions across Europe, and she is currently working on her first solo show.