Women's Studies Research Center

May 19, 2026

Join us for our annual guided visit to the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, followed by dinner and more conversation at the nearby restaurant SAVR. The group will tour To My Best Friend, a collection-focused exhibition featuring stunning works by 17 of today’s leading artists. The included artworks represent multiple generations, styles, media, and thematic concerns, exemplifying a sustained interest in formal and material complexity and a steadfast belief in the singular perspectives that artists contribute to the world. 
 
To My Best Friend opens with 20 works by 17 women artists-including several recent acquisitions on view for the first time-by artists Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Olga de Amaral, Huma Bhabha, Charline von Heyl, Roni Horn, Deana Lawson, Laura Owens, R. H. Quaytman, Deborah Roberts, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Rose B. Simpson, Becky Suss, Mickalene Thomas, Vivian Suter, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, and Meraki Artist Award recipients Lorna Simpson and Sarah Sze. The exhibition borrows its title from an installation by Lorna Simpson which opens the show and features more than 100 found elements, including 85 found photobooth images—an early democratic form of self-representation.
 
You'll meet your hosts: Harleen Singh, WSRC Director and Academic Dean, School of Arts, Humanities and Culture, and Peter Kalb, Associate Professor of Contemporary Art on the Cynthia L. and Theodore S. Berenson Chair of Fine Arts, in the ICA lobby. Also joining the group will be ICA Curatorial Assistant Max Gruber and the WSRC's 2025-26 Louise Weinberg Arts Intern Tal Pemstein (Brandeis '26) who will lead the group in active conservation through the exhibition. Dinner will follow at the nearby restaurant SAVR with further conversation and socializing.

Group size is limited to 24 people. Please RSVP now to reserve your spot(s)!

DETAILS
When: Tuesday, May 19th

Schedule:
3:30pm  Meet in ICA lobby, 25 Harbor Shore Drive, Boston
5:15pm  Dinner at SAVR in the Seaport

Cost: $400/pp
*Any amount over the meal/beverage price of $175/pp is considered a tax-deductible contribution.

Questions can be directed to Stephanie Lawrence, Assistant Director of the WSRC, at slawrence@brandeis.edu or 781-736-8100.

Advance registration is required.

Payment is requested prior to the event.
Checks should be made out to "the Brandeis WSRC" and mailed to:
Brandeis WSRC, Attn: Lawrence
Epstein Building, MS 079
Brandeis University
515 South Street
Waltham, MA 02453

Register Here for the WSRC ICA Tour with Dinner

April 23, 2026

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