The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston is celebrating the remarkable work of video artist Joan Logue with “Spotlight: Joan Logue,” on view on the First Floor from September 22, 2026 through March 7, 2027.
At the heart of the exhibition is Logue’s beloved 1985 project, Video Portraits: New England Fishermen, filmed in nearby Gloucester, Massachusetts. Since the 1970s, Logue has partnered with all kinds of communities — from experimental choreographers to activists to North Shore fishermen — to create hundreds of short, thirty-second “video portraits” bursting with tenderness and humor. Long before the era of social media shorts, she understood that a brief, honest encounter could hold a whole world.
The Gloucester project was made possible by the Contemporary Art Television (CAT) Fund, an ambitious collaboration between the ICA and WGBH-TV, Boston’s own public television station, dedicated to producing and sharing new video art. A broader selection of CAT Fund works can also be seen in the ICA’s anniversary exhibition 90 YEARS.
It’s a joyful tribute to Boston’s creative spirit, its working waterfront, and the artists who capture everyday life with warmth and wit. Plan your visit at icaboston.org.
Photo: ICA Boston
