diff --git a/openide.util/apichanges.xml b/openide.util/apichanges.xml
--- a/openide.util/apichanges.xml
+++ b/openide.util/apichanges.xml
@@ -49,6 +49,21 @@
     <apidef name="actions">Actions API</apidef>
 </apidefs>
 <changes>
+    <change id="ImageUtilities.loadIcon">
+        <api name="util"/>
+        <summary>Added <code>loadIcon(String resource, boolean localized)</code></summary>
+        <version major="7" minor="22"/>
+        <date day="26" month="1" year="2009"/>
+        <author login="t_h"/>
+        <compatibility addition="yes"/>
+        <description>
+            <p>
+                Convenient method for loading icons.
+            </p>
+        </description>
+        <class package="org.openide.util" name="ImageUtilities"/>
+        <issue number="157254"/>
+    </change>
     <change id="Utilities.keyToString">
         <api name="util"/>
         <summary>Added <code>keyToString(KeyStroke stroke, boolean portable)</code></summary>
diff --git a/openide.util/arch.xml b/openide.util/arch.xml
--- a/openide.util/arch.xml
+++ b/openide.util/arch.xml
@@ -1001,4 +1001,49 @@
   <defaultanswer generate='here' />
  </answer>
 
+
+
+
+<!--
+        <question id="compat-deprecation" when="init">
+            How the introduction of your project influences functionality
+            provided by previous version of the product?
+            <hint>
+            If you are planning to deprecate/remove/change any existing APIs,
+            list them here accompanied with the reason explaining why you
+            are doing so.
+            </hint>
+        </question>
+-->
+ <answer id="compat-deprecation">
+  <p>
+   XXX no answer for compat-deprecation
+  </p>
+ </answer>
+
+
+
+<!--
+        <question id="resources-preferences" when="final">
+            Does your module uses preferences via Preferences API? Does your module use NbPreferences or
+            or regular JDK Preferences ? Does it read, write or both ? 
+            Does it share preferences with other modules ? If so, then why ?
+            <hint>
+                You may use
+                    &lt;api type="export" group="preferences"
+                    name="preference node name" category="private"&gt;
+                    description of individual keys, where it is used, what it
+                    influences, whether the module reads/write it, etc.
+                    &lt;/api&gt;
+                Due to XML ID restrictions, rather than /org/netbeans/modules/foo give the "name" as org.netbeans.modules.foo.
+                Note that if you use NbPreferences this name will then be the same as the code name base of the module.
+            </hint>
+        </question>
+-->
+ <answer id="resources-preferences">
+  <p>
+   XXX no answer for resources-preferences
+  </p>
+ </answer>
+
 </api-answers>
diff --git a/openide.util/nbproject/project.properties b/openide.util/nbproject/project.properties
--- a/openide.util/nbproject/project.properties
+++ b/openide.util/nbproject/project.properties
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@
 module.jar.dir=lib
 cp.extra=${nb_all}/apisupport.harness/external/openjdk-javac-6-b12.jar
 
-spec.version.base=7.21.0
+spec.version.base=7.22.0
 
 # For XMLSerializer, needed for XMLUtil.write to work w/ namespaces under JDK 1.4:
 
diff --git a/openide.util/src/org/openide/util/ImageUtilities.java b/openide.util/src/org/openide/util/ImageUtilities.java
--- a/openide.util/src/org/openide/util/ImageUtilities.java
+++ b/openide.util/src/org/openide/util/ImageUtilities.java
@@ -137,7 +137,20 @@
      */
     public static final Image loadImage(String resource, boolean localized) {
         return getIcon(resource, localized);
-    }    
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Loads an icon based on resource path.
+     * Similar to {@link #loadImage(String, boolean)}, returns Icon instead of Image.
+     * @param resource resource path of the icon (no initial slash)
+     * @param localized localized resource should be used
+     * @return Icon or null, if the icon cannot be loaded.
+     * @since 7.22
+     */
+    public static final Icon loadIcon(String resource, boolean localized) {
+        Image image = getIcon(resource, localized);
+        return image2Icon(image);
+    }
 
     /** This method merges two images into the new one. The second image is drawn
      * over the first one with its top-left corner at x, y. Images need not be of the same size.