ICP Opens New Home With Major Celebrations

The much-anticipated opening of the new home of the International Center of Photography at Essex Crossing on Manhattan's Lower East Side kicked off with a VIP celebration on Thursday night.

DJ April Hunt spun tunes, and Ciroc and Crown Royal's Regal Apple cocktails flowed as guests wandered through the four inaugural exhibitions-Tyler Mitchell: I Can Make You Feel Good, the first US solo museum show for the buzzy young photographer; the East Coast presentation of CONTACT HIGH: A Visual History of Hip-Hop; The Lower East Side: Selections from the ICP Collection; and facial recognition video installation James Coupe: Warriors-and mingled with the who's who of photography, hip-hop, and more. A surprise dance performance by Cal Hunt, from Les Indes Galantes: Paris Opera, mesmerized the crowd.

On hand to celebrate that evening were: Questlove; A$AP TyY; Marisa Tomei; Debi Mazur; Jasmine Lobe; Fab 5 Freddy; Mark Seliger; CONTACT HIGH curator Vikki Tobak; exhibiting photographers Tyler Mitchell, Janette Beckman, Danny Hastings; Jorge Peniche; Ricky Powell; Lisa Leone; Al Pereira; Barron Clairborne; Dephine Fawundu; Joe Conzo Jr.; artist Lee Quiñones; artist Hank Willis Thomas; curator and writer Antwaun Sargent; artist, curator, and educator Deborah Willis; ICP Curator-at-Large Isolde Brielmaier; Annenberg Space for Photography Director Katie Hollander; ICP Board Trustees Caryl Englander, Peggy Anderson, Bob Jeffrey, Michael Clinton, and Heather Vrattos; and ICP Executive Director Mark Lubell.

On Friday, ICP welcomed a steady stream of its members and students, eager to explore the new center, and on Saturday, more than 2,000 neighbors visited the 40,000 square foot space.

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. Visit icp.org to learn more.

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