#39 – How Does the Institute for Contemporary Art Balance Power and Possibility for the Public? | Jessica Bell Brown

Curator, writer, and executive director of the ICA at VCU Jessica Bell Brown returns to reflect on her evolving leadership at the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University. In this conversation, we talk about openness as a strategy, the role of listening in shaping institutions, and what it means to make space for experimentation in times of uncertainty.

Jessica shares how porosity, risk, and care shape her curatorial and executive approach—from expanding access beyond traditional art forms to launching chef residencies and community media programs at the ICA. We discuss the influence of her time at MoMA and the Baltimore Museum of Art, the power of contemporary art to respond to crisis, and why joy and curiosity remain central to her vision.

Topics Covered:

• What leadership looks like through the lens of listening
• Expanding access to arts beyond galleries and into kitchens and podcasts
• Navigating risk and limitation in an age of shrinking arts funding
• The evolving responsibility of cultural institutions
• The importance of reflection, care, and creative openness

🎧 Explore more conversations like this in our archive.
 📍 ICA VCU Website: https://icavcu.org

Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:

• Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis
• Edited by Daniel Alexis
• Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor

Photos:

• Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.
• Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.

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