ICP Launches New Home at Essex Crossing with Four Exhibitions and Free Opening Community Day

The International Center of Photography (ICP) will launch its new integrated center on Manhattan’s Lower East Side with a free Opening Community Day on Saturday, January 25 from 11 AM to 7 PM. Located at 79 Essex Street, ICP is the cultural anchor of Essex Crossing, one of the most highly anticipated and expansive mixed-use developments in New York City, developed by Delancey Street Associates.

ICP’s new space, designed by Gensler, reunites its school and museum, creating an engaging space for museumgoers, ICP members, students, and the Lower East Side community to explore how images shape our understanding of the world.

The Center will feature exhibition galleries, media labs, classrooms, darkrooms, an equipment room, and shooting studios, as well as an extensive research library, a shop, café, and public event spaces. In addition, ICP will have extended hours, free admission for visitors 18 years old and under, $3 admission for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)/EBT Card holders, and multi-language translation and interpretation.

“ICP is entering an exciting new era as we launch our new integrated center and reunify our school and museum. We look forward to welcoming our Lower East Side neighbors and photography lovers from all over the world,” said Mark Lubell, ICP’s Executive Director. “We encourage everyone to experience all ICP has to offer, including our world-class exhibitions, our education programs at every level, our thought-provoking public programs, and activities for photo enthusiasts and families.” During Community Day, visitors can experience ICP’s four opening exhibitions and learn more about ICP’s educational programs and public events for adults, teens, and families. 

The opening exhibitions are:

• Tyler Mitchell: I Can Make You Feel Good—the photographer and filmmaker’s first US solo exhibition and the US premiere of several photographs, video, and installation works exploring new ways of interpreting Black identity today
• CONTACT HIGH: A Visual History of Hip-Hop—a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how iconic portraits came to be through four decades of contact sheets from major photographers documenting the hip-hop movement
• James Coupe: Warriors—a new series of moving image works that algorithmically categorize museum visitors and, using deepfake technology, inserts them into specific scenes from the 1979 cult classic film The Warriors
• The Lower East Side: Selections from the ICP Collection—drawn from ICP’s rich holdings of mid-20th-century works, it examines the role of images in enduring narratives about the Lower East Side.

Highlights of ICP’s new center include:

• 40,000 square feet of exhibition, education, and administration space
• Educational programs at all levels from youth to adult via continuing education classes, two part-time programs, three full-time one-year certificate programs, and an MFA program in association with Bard College
•  A research library featuring over 22,000 books, artist files, and periodicals
• An expanded shop with a comprehensive photography book selection and imaginatively curated objects and apparel
• A new café offering pastries and sandwiches prepared by Café D’Avignon and featuring La Colombe coffee and tea
• Extended general hours: Monday through Sunday 11 AM–7 PM; open until 9 PM on Thursdays; closed on Tuesdays
• New admission fees: Adults $16; Seniors (62 and Over), Students (with Valid ID), Military, Visitors with Disabilities $12 (caregivers are free); SNAP/EBT card holders $3
•  Free admission: ICP members and ICP students; all visitors 18 years old and under
• Pay by donation hours: Thursdays from 5 to 9 PM and the last Saturday of the month from 11 AM to 2 PM

ICP’s new visual identity, designed by Pentagram, will launch with the opening of the new space. The logo harkens back to the stylized ICP acronym on the letterhead Cornell Capa used to announce ICP in 1974. Updated for the 21st century, the three letters (ICP) can now take an infinite number of forms, reflecting the countless and critical ways that photographers frame our world today.

Admission to the Opening Community Day is free, but space is limited. Claim your timed ticket here (Note: Tickets for this event are sold out). American Sign Language, Spanish, and Mandarin interpretation will be available during the event. ICP is accessible to people using both manual and electric wheelchairs.

About ICP

The International Center of Photography is the world’s leading institution dedicated to photography and visual culture. Cornell Capa founded ICP in 1974 to champion “concerned photography”—socially and politically minded images that can educate and change the world. Through our exhibitions, education programs, community outreach, and public programs, ICP offers an open forum for dialogue about the power of the image. 

Special Thanks

Tyler Mitchell: I Can Make You Feel Good has been made possible by the generous support of the ICP Exhibitions Committee. CONTACT HIGH: A Visual History of Hip-Hop, produced and originated at the Annenberg Space for Photography, is created by Vikki Tobak and Creative Director Fab 5 Freddy. This exhibition is based on the book Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop by Vikki Tobak and was created in partnership with United Photo Industries. CONTACT HIGH: A Visual History of Hip-Hop is made possible by CÎROC UltraPremium Vodka and Crown Royal Regal Apple. Exhibitions at ICP are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Additional exhibition support is provided by the Joseph and Joan Cullman Foundation for the Arts, Inc.