Celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by surrounding yourself with art, culture and community at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston! Enjoy free admission all day long at our annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Open House presented in partnership with Citizens Bank. An array of vibrant programs, performances and activities for all ages will take place throughout the day:
• Join Boston's Mayor Marty Walsh to commemorate Dr. King and this special day of significance.
• Enjoy musical performances by Lawrence “Larry” Watson—from his book "H.E.M. (Highly Emotional Music)"—chronicling the social, cultural, economic, political and moral changes that have occurred in America following the Civil Rights Movement.
• Hear students from Project STEP (String Training Education Program) perform. The organization’s mission addresses the imbalance of racial and ethnic minorities represented in classical music by providing musically talented children comprehensive music and string instrument instruction through mentoring and performance opportunities.
• Catch a Gallery Tour highlighting works of art acquired through the Museum’s Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection—significant artworks representing the richness of American art and the diversity of the nation’s people.
• Join Tarishi “Midnight” Shuler, poet, playwright, and self-described “artistic adrenaline junkie learning self identity through personal struggle and experience,” to hear a selection of spoken word and performance poetry. Accompanied by guest artist/poet Danielle Colin and percussionist Jordan Taylor Hill.
• View artwork created by students from the Museum’s 10 Community Arts Initiative partners commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement.
• Join teens from Artists For Humanity to add your creative touch to a painting especially composed to celebrate themes of social justice, equality and unity. AFH is a local organization working to bridge economic, racial and social divisions by providing under-resourced urban youth with the keys to self- sufficiency through paid employment in art and design.
• Meet the MFA Teen Arts Council and drop in on an art-making activity and scavenger hunt—that the TAC has created—leading visitors to works of art in the galleries inspired by movements, past and present.
• Bring the kids on a fun, interactive Family Tour and drop in on a variety of family art-making activities around the Museum exploring themes of unity and compassion.
• Tours in Spanish, American Sign Language (ASL) and ASL-interpreted events will take place throughout the day.
