Juneteenth Open House at MFA Boston
June 19 @ 10:00 am – 10:00 pm EDT
Admission to the MFA is free for all Massachusetts residents on June 19 in honor of Juneteenth, the oldest nationally observed commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Join us for performances, participate in art-making activities, catch a talk, see art, and more. Activities are for visitors of all ages and abilities unless otherwise noted.
Drop-In Art Making and Activities
Clay Poem Jars
10 am–4 pm (last entry 3:45 pm)
Huntington Lawn (rain location: Druker Family Pavilion)
Sculpt your own clay vessel and inscribe it with a poem to commemorate Juneteenth.
Juneteenth Buttons
10 am–4 pm (last entry at 3:45pm)
Druker Family Pavilion (rain location: Shapiro Family Courtyard)
Use colorful collage materials and mixed media to create a wearable Juneteenth button!
Blackness Is Monumental!
11 am–4 pm
Riley Seminar Room
Join Boston-based racial justice project Wee the People for an art-filled intergenerational workshop. Using recycled materials and found objects, create your own mini monument to Black art, culture, history, and experience.
Future Masters Chess Academy
11 am–4 pm
Calderwood Courtyard
Future Masters Chess Academy uses chess to improve focus, thinking ability, and decision-making—both on and off the chessboard. Stop by and play chess. Try out a life-sized chess set and learn from masters of the game—including a state champion.
Performances
Jean Appolon Expressions: Ansanm Ansanm, Together Together
11:30 am–Noon
Shapiro Family Courtyard
Experience “Ansanm Ansanm, Together Together,” a vibrant medley of music and dance from Jean Appolon Expressions celebrating reflection, resilience, and Haitian culture. This performance uplifts the transformative power of Haitian folk dance while addressing global power and liberation. Dancers, musicians, and audiences share in a joyful expression of unity.
Performance begins with a procession in the Lower Rotunda that ends in Shapiro Family Courtyard.
Boston City Singers: Freedom
12:30–1 pm
Shapiro Family Courtyard
Boston City Singers presents “Freedom,” a program of spirituals and folk songs in honor of Juneteenth. Now in its 30th season, Boston City Singers gives young people high-quality musical programming and creative development opportunities within their communities. The Tour Choir is conducted by Jane Money and Kimani Lumsden.
ArtSpark Presents A.M Music
1 pm–1:45 pm
Gallery 168
Honor Black liberation and radical expression with performer A.M Music’s immersive experience and blending of musical genres. A.M Music raises awareness about mental health and illness within the Black community by creating music that expands conversations about representation and emotional honesty.
ArtSpark Presents Kay Wolf
2 pm
Shapiro Family Courtyard
Elevate your soul with a performance from singer-songwriter Kay Wolf that masterfully combines jazz and soul, creating a soundscape as luxurious as a day of self-care. Wolf brings a modern twist to classic sounds, making her work accessible and relevant to audiences today.
ArtSpark Presents Beat the Odds
2:30 pm
Gallery 168
See students from Beat the Odds perform and show off their hidden talents. Beat the Odds serves underresourced youth in Boston’s low-income communities by providing them with opportunities to explore creativity in a safe space. Young people have access to creative tools that inspire self-awareness and encourage healing from trauma.
ArtSpark is a community-powered event series based in Boston. Through live music and accessible community classes for all ages and experience levels, ArtSpark advances racial equity in the creative arts.
Hyde Square Task Force Ambassadors: Batey Comunitario
3 pm
Shapiro Family Courtyard
Enjoy a batey comunitario performance from Hyde Square Task Force Ambassadors, a dynamic ensemble of youth and teaching artists rooted in Afro-Latin traditions. Feel the energy of bomba, a genre and rich Afro–Puerto Rican tradition that creates dialogue between dancers, drummers, and song.
Storytelling
Blackness Is Monumental! Story Time
11 am and 3 pm
Riley Seminar Room
Gather with Boston-based racial justice project Wee the People for a reading of author Nikkolas Smith’s award-winning 2023 picture book The Artivist, which explores how kids can combine art and activism in their daily lives. Recommended for families with children under ten.
ASL interpreter available at 3 pm
Tours and Talks
ASL Tour with Haptic Artist Takiyah Harris
10:30–11:30 am
Meet in Sharf Visitor Center
Join Deaf Haptic artist Takiyah Harris for a guided tour of artworks across the collection by Black artists.
This tour is in American Sign Language with no English interpretation. Please e-mail access@mfa.org with questions.
Guided Tours
11 am, Noon, 1 pm, and 2 pm
Meet in Sharf Visitor Center
Wondering where to start your visit? Experience the Museum on a 60-minute guided tour. Led by knowledgeable guides, look closely at artwork across the MFA’s collections. Learn more about old favorites and discover something new!
ASL interpreter available at noon
Spotlight Talk: The Juneteenth Promise and Black Artistic Genius
11:30 am–Noon
Gallery 132
Consider the gap between the promise of freedom and its arrival through the work of Black artists like Henry Ossawa Tanner, Edmonia Lewis, and contemporary voices. Reflect on the persistence of Black genius and the vigilant stewardship required to authentically reflect the American experience.
With Roberto Mighty, filmmaker, producer, and multimedia artist. His recent work includes the forthcoming documentary Edmonia Lewis: Forever Free and the We Were Here Too multimedia project.
ASL interpreter available
Spotlight Talk: The Boston Massacre
12:30–1 pm
Gallery 132
Look closely at Paul Revere’s 1770 engraving The Boston Massacre and learn about its significance to abolitionist movements of the 19th century and beyond.
With Christina Michelon, Pamela and Peter Voss Curator of Prints and Drawings.
ASL interpreter available
Spotlight Talk: Haiti–US Contributions and Connections
1:30–2 pm
Gallery 134
Learn about the intertwined histories of Haiti, the American Revolution, and US abolitionism, with particular focus on activity in Boston. Find out what lessons figures like Frederick Douglass and Massachusetts senator Charles Sumner took from the achievements of the Haitian Revolution to advance the abolitionist movement in New England.
With Charlot Lucien, artist, history instructor, storyteller, founder of the Haitian Artists Assembly of Massachusetts, and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute scholar at UMass Boston.
ASL interpreter available
Spotlight Talk: Watson and the Shark and America 250
2:30–3 pm
Gallery 132
Discover how John Singleton Copley’s 1778 painting Watson and the Shark—a vision of Cuba painted in London by colonial Boston’s most famous artist—creates global connections in the MFA’s reimagined galleries of 18th-century Art of the Americas.
With Layla Bermeo, Kristin and Roger Servison Curator of American Paintings, Art of Americas.
