ICA at VCU Hosting Inaugural Fundraiser Gala

The Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University. Credit: Iwan Baan.

Event to honor VPM’s Swain and three others for contribution to art and civic engagement.

The Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University announced today that it will celebrate eight years of ambitious art with an inaugural fundraiser gala featuring a ticketed dinner, entertainment and artist-designed experiences on Saturday, April 18 at the ICA’s Markel Center.

The event’s theme, ICA Gala: Avant-Garden, is inspired by the changing seasons and flourishing growth. Proceeds from the gala, after-party and edition sales will go to support the ICA’s artistic program. The event also will celebrate four honorees for their outstanding contributions to contemporary art and civic engagement.

Artist and gala honoree Tony Cokes. Photo courtesy of the MacArthur Foundation.

According to a press release, the honorees include: “Tony Cokes, a Richmond-born, internationally acclaimed artist working with time-based media who is a VCUarts MFA alumnus, 2024 MacArthur Fellow, and 2026 ICA exhibiting artist; Diana Al-Hadid, a celebrated artist who creates sculptures, paintings and site-specific installations and is a VCUarts MFA alumna; Pamela Kiecker Royall, the ICA Advisory Board chair and head of research, marketing and enrollment solutions at EAB, who, with her late husband, Bill Royall, led the fundraising charge to make the ICA a reality; and Jayme Swain, the president and CEO of VPM [which owns Style Weekly] and the Virginia Foundation for Public Media, who spearheads efforts to build civic engagement and foster connection among Virginians.”

“To be recognized among such influential artists and community leaders is truly an honor,” Swain said in a statement to Style Weekly. “This distinction is especially meaningful coming from the ICA, an organization that shares VPM’s goals of connection, collaboration, storytelling and public engagement.”

Jayme Swain, president and CEO of VPM and the Virginia Foundation for Public Media, is one of the honorees at the ICA’s inaugural gala. Photo credit: Michael Simon

What’s next for the ICA

The ICA’s three 2025-26 exhibitions are closing Feb. 22, so there’s only about one month left to see them (there will be a film screening on Jan. 29 for “Ayida” and two talks on Feb. 3 and 13 for “Disquiet in the Sand”). Also this spring the 2026 VCUarts MFA Thesis Exhibition will take place over two two-week rounds, March 20-April 5 and May 1-17, with the inaugural gala taking place in between the rounds, explains Tamurlaine Melby, a writer and PR specialist with the ICA.

Honoree Pamela Kiecker Royall, the ICA Advisory Board chair and head of research, marketing and enrollment solutions at EAB, who, with her late husband, Bill Royall, led the fundraising charge to make the ICA a reality

Looking farther ahead, Melby notes the ICA will have three solo exhibitions opening in September from artists Tony Cokes (one of the gala honorees pictured above), Cassi Namoda and Diane Severin Nguyen. She adds that they also have “a busy season of programs happening this spring, including the release of two ICA publications.”

Artist honoree Diana Al-Hadid. Photo credit: Charlie Rubin

The gala host committee is co-chaired by Royall and Marcia and Harry Thalhimer. Guests at the event will get a first look at upcoming ICA artistic projects; the dress code is “creative formal,” inviting guests to wear imaginative, artistic, floral and botanical formal attire. Cocktail reception music will be provided by acclaimed Richmond bolero group, Miramar. The dinner will include a bespoke menu designed by Chef Leah Branch of Richmond restaurant The Roosevelt in collaboration with A Sharper Palate.

According to the press release, the reception and gala are currently sold out as a result of support from corporate and individual sponsors. After-party tickets will be offered for pre-sale on Feb. 3 at $100 until Feb. 20, after which they’ll be offered at $125.

Jessica Bell Brown, executive director of the ICA at VCU, in a file photo by Scott Elmquist

“Our 2026 artist collaborators, honorees, partners and supporters are part of the ICA’s foundation and its brightly poised future,” ICA Executive Director Jessica Bell Brown told Style by email. “We are charting a new path to becoming the creative engine for Richmond and the Commonwealth, and our gala gives us an opportunity to celebrate the ICA as a destination for creativity, innovative experiences and the vibrancy that sets Richmond apart as a world-class city.”

ICA Gala: Avant-Garden takes place on Saturday, April 18 at 6 p.m. at the ICA at VCU’s Markel Center. For more information, visit the ICA at VCU website.