Burton Leaves LA MOCA for ICA Philadelphia Leadership Position
Johanna Burton, the former director of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles, is set to take on a new role as the director of the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in Philadelphia. Burton's tenure at MOCA was marked by stability and growth, and she played a significant role in revitalising the museum after challenging times.
In 2022, Burton brought back MOCA's annual gala, which had been on hiatus for three years, and it went on to raise around $3 million each year under her leadership. One of her notable achievements was securing a $1 million gift from the Chuck Lorre Family Foundation for MOCA's arts education program.
Before joining MOCA, Burton served as the executive director of the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio. Her time at MOCA was not without controversy, however, as the chief curator Helen Molesworth was fired and director Philippe Vergne departed in 2018. Klaus Biesenbach, who was the director of MOCA, announced his departure from the institution a week after Burton's hiring. Burton assumed the title of director at MOCA and worked to stabilise the museum's programming after these events. She also hired Clara Kim as MOCA's chief curator.
In July, MOCA's board announced a leadership transition with Carolyn Clark Powers becoming board chair and Tim Disney named as its new president. Burton's departure from MOCA was announced in November 2024, and she will begin her new role at the ICA on November 1, 2025.
Mark W. Strong, ICA Philadelphia board chair, stated that Burton brings a rare blend of curatorial vision, scholarly depth, and institutional vision. Burton described the ICA as a "beacon for what’s next—prioritising the emergent, the risk-taking, and the rigorously experimental." She views the position as a return to the kind of institution that first shaped her curatorial and academic sensibilities—a focused and influential center for artistic innovation within an educational setting.
In her new role at the ICA, Burton plans to leverage its role as a community anchor and global hub for discourse. Despite the ICA’s smaller scale (a $6 million budget and no permanent collection) compared to MOCA (a $25 million budget and 8,000-piece collection), Burton sees this move not as a step back, but as a "honing in," focusing on emergent and experimental practices within a pedagogical framework. She aims to deepen the ICA's influence as a space for pioneering contemporary art and ideas, nurturing new audiences and collaborations with students, faculty, and artists.
Burton also launched the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Environment and Art Prize, a biennial artist prize with $100,000. MOCA also joined forces with the Hammer and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to share 260 works from the newly formed MAC3 Collection last summer.
[1] Artforum, "Johanna Burton Named Director of ICA Philadelphia," 2025. [2] The Art Newspaper, "Johanna Burton Leaves MOCA Los Angeles to Lead ICA Philadelphia," 2024. [3] The New York Times, "Johanna Burton Takes the Reins at ICA Philadelphia," 2025.
- Johanna Burton, who is known for her leadership at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles, will soon shift her role to the director of the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in Philadelphia.
- As the former director of MOCA, Burton played a significant part in the revitalization of the museum, stabilizing its programming after challenging times and securing substantial funds for its arts education program.
- In her new role at the ICA, Burton plans to utilize the institution as a community anchor and global hub for discourse, focusing on emergent and experimental practices within a pedagogical framework.
- Despite the ICA's smaller scale compared to MOCA, Burton views this move as a "honing in," focusing on the nurturing of new audiences and collaborations with students, faculty, and artists.
- Burton's aim is to deepen the ICA's influence as a space for pioneering contemporary art and ideas, with lifelong learning and education-and-self-development being key aspects of her vision.
