The role of executive assistant to the director affords Downing an opportunity to be involved in all facets of ICA’s work. She first joined ICA in 2014 as curatorial assistant.

Downing earned her MA in the history of art from the University of Pennsylvania in 2019. During her undergraduate studies at the Pennsylvania State University, she triple-majored in art history, finance, and French, with a minor in international business. She is the co-director of Ulises, a bookshop and curatorial platform in Philadelphia focused on artists’ books and independent art publications. She is also part of the core production team of Making Time ∞, a three-day music festival that takes place at Fort Mifflin. Outside of work, she’s usually rock climbing or at the gig.