"Make art and make a difference" was the motto of this innovative program designed for participants of all ages. Workshops have been taught by The Echo Park Film Center, BROODWORK, and Cirque du Soleil’s OVO. Thomas Rhoads was the museum’s first executive director. In 2000, former director of the Moore College of Art and Design galleries, Elsa Longhauser, was named executive director. Longhauser announced that she would step down from her role as executive director in mid-2019. In July 2019, Anne Ellegood, former senior curator at the Hammer Museum was named the museum's new executive director. Jamillah James is the current curator for the ICA LA, previously a curator at the Hammer Museum. Asuka Hisa is the current curator of education and programs. Previous staff curators include Lisa Melandri, current Executive Director of the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis and Jeffrey Uslip.