Through exhibitions, special projects, programs, artist appearances and the IMA's growing contemporary collection, visitors discover new ideas and art experiences. The IMA's wide-ranging collection includes installations, paintings, sculpture, photography, works on paper and video.

The contemporary art galleries occupy the third level of Krannert Pavilion and the new Wood Gallery Pavilion, radiating from the atrium of Pulliam Great Hall. The galleries on the west side of the Hall feature a rotating display of art from the 1940s through the 2000s, including Abstract Expressionism and related styles; art of the 1960s, including examples of Color Field painting, Minimalism, Op Art and Pop Art; installation art; and video and light-based works. The west galleries also include spaces devoted to the display of contemporary prints and drawings and studio glass.

The galleries on the east side of the atrium focus on art of the 1990s and 2000s and feature new acquisitions, including the installation Untitled (Floor) (1997-2000) by South Korean artist Do-Ho Suh, where visitors are invited to walk on a thick glass floor held up by tens of thousands of miniature human figures, as well as Tim Hawkinson's Mobius Ship (2000). The east side also contains the McCormack Forefront Galleries—4,000 square feet devoted to exhibitions that present recent contemporary art by international artists, offering a constantly changing view of major developments in the art world.

Beyond the galleries, 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park will be one of the largest museum art parks in the country and the only one to feature the ongoing commission of site-specific artworks. Located on 100 acres of untamed woodlands, wetlands, a lake and meadows adjacent to the Museum, 100 Acres will open in June 2010, with eight site-specific inaugural works commissioned from emerging and mid-career artists.