Learning and Community Engagement

We invite audiences of all ages to learn, be creative, and engage with others in the Museum. Advancing our mission to bring people and art together, Learning and Community Engagement (LCE) provides programs, events, and resources to promote diverse voices, identities, and experiences here in Boston and beyond. Learn more about the different LCE program areas below.

Public Programs

Spanning everything from MFA Late Nites, open houses, and community celebrations to lectures, courses, film, and music, our robust public programs and performances give visitors new opportunities to connect with art and culture, bringing artists, performers, curators, authors, and other well-known figures through our doors. Our Studio Art Classes provide creative exploration for all ages in art-making using the Museum’s collections as a learning and teaching environment.

Access

We strive to create paths to access for all members of our community with disabilities or health challenges. Our Feeling for Form and Access to Art tours provide visitor-centered opportunities for individuals with disabilities as well as VA hospitals, assisted-living facilities, homeless shelters, hospitals, and other organizations. Beyond the Spectrum is a specially designed program for children and teens on the autism spectrum and their families. Artful Healing reaches out to children, teens, young adults, and their families inside Boston-area hospitals and healthcare centers.

K–12 Students and Educator Programs

We welcome K–12 students and teachers from Boston and the New England region throughout the school year for field trips that include student-centered tours of the collection. Artful Adventures offers online and in-person group tours with art making as well as specially designed home school classes on site at the Museum. Distance Learning is available through individual classroom videoconferences and free live streams. Workshops for educators make the MFA an engaging and inclusive teaching resource.

Teen Programs

The MFA’s teen programs foster learning and career exploration among young people, including student guide programs through Boston Public Schools, Teen Arts Council, STEAM Team, and Curatorial Study Hall.

College and University Programs

A vibrant resource for colleges and universities in the region, the MFA centers student and faculty perspectives and prepares the next generation of museum leaders. Through the fully compensated MFA Pathways internship program students gain valuable experience across a range of museum roles while developing networks and engaging in professional development. Alongside regular programs such as career panels, symposia, and gallery activities are the Ambassador program for work-study eligible students and the University Membership program, which provides free admission for students, faculty, and staff from nearly one hundred institutions.

Community Partnerships

In partnership with 12 community organizations, the MFA’s Community Arts Initiative invites children in the Boston area to the Museum’s collections and the art-making process while also helping them understand how art can be important to their lives. A new platform for engaging perspectives from outside of the Museum, Table of Voices actively collaborates with Boston community members to offer expansive, accessible interpretations of exhibitions, programs, and artwork presented at the MFA. Other collaborations with community partners play a key role in developing programs such as MFA Late Nites, open houses, and cultural celebrations.

For Families

When we deepen families’ experiences with art, we move closer toward our goal of being open to as wide an audience as possible. Complete with talks, performances, and art making, the four free open houses and seven reduced-admission cultural celebrations at the MFA each year connect multigenerational families to the Museum as a place to celebrate art and culture relevant to their lives.