BOSTON, MA.- Charles Brizius, President of the Board of Trustees at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, announced at a museum board meeting last night that both the Director and Chief Curator positions have been endowed for the first time in the museum’s 75 year history. Ellen Poss has endowed the Director position, now named the Ellen Matilda Poss Director; and Barbara Lee has endowed the Chief Curator post, now named the Barbara Lee Chief Curator. These gifts are part of a $50 million campaign of which more than $25 million has already been raised, including a total of 10 seven-figure gifts. Lead gifts of close to $17 million have been given by ICA Board Chairman, Paul Buttenwieser, Fotene Demoulas, who has named the Fotene Demoulas Gallery, Poss and Lee. The campaign paves the way for the next phase of the ICA’s development and solidifies its position as one of the most influential forces on artistic, educational and civic life in Boston.

“It is an honor to announce this historical endowment of both the Director and Chief Curator positions and I would like to extend my thanks to our leadership for their extraordinary generosity,” said Brizius. “Their ongoing support, along with that of other key ICA trustees, ensures the ICA’s ability to carry out its mission of presenting, commissioning and collecting work by the most important artists of our time.”

“Our generous leaders have taken the bold step of ensuring the courageous and catalytic work of the ICA,” said Jill Medvedow, the Ellen Matilda Poss Director. “By endowing the positions of Director and Chief Curator, naming galleries, and building our permanent endowment, the trustees of the ICA continue to lead by example, demonstrating that the bravery of contemporary art and artists is mirrored by that of our great philanthropists. I am personally thrilled.”

In October 2010 the ICA’s Board of Trustees approved a campaign and a strategic plan for the museum focusing on sustainability and growth. Funds raised through the campaign will be used to create a healthy endowment that enables the museum to continue its ambitious mission of presenting groundbreaking exhibitions, such as the critically-acclaimed Dance/Draw; commissioning new performance, such as the powerful choreography of Bill T. Jones as seen in Body Against Body; as well as developing the ICA’s nationally-recognized programming for teen leadership.

The ICA has been the catalyst for growing contemporary art audiences in Boston, welcoming more than 1 million visitors since opening the doors of its architecturally stunning Diller, Scofidio + Renfro building in December of 2006. The museum welcomes approximately 200,000 visitors a year on site and over 1,000,000 on-line to experience the best of contemporary culture including exhibitions, performances, programming for teens, adults and families as well as free waterfront events.

This past fall, the ICA celebrated its 75th anniversary as a museum and its fifth anniversary in its permanent home on Boston’s waterfront. As a pioneer of the “Innovation District,” the museum continues to solidify its presence as a place for thoughtful exhibitions, performances and programs. The campaign positions the ICA to enter its next phase of growth, and to continue its important work as Boston's only museum devoted to contemporary art.