We Are Here to Thrive! by Johnetta Tinker Opening Reception

Please join us in the Mayor's Art Gallery (5th floor) at Boston City Hall to celebrate the opening of Johnetta Tinker's solo exhibition, We are Here to Thrive! Join us for an opportunity to meet the artist and build community. Light refreshments provided. Directions: Please enter on Congress St (across from Faneuil Hall), pass security and take the elevators to the 5th floor.

Boston City Hall 

Fay Chandler Emerging Art Exhibition 

Join us at the Scollay Square Gallery (3rd floor)in Boston City Hall for the opening Reception of the 2025 Fay Chandler Emerging Art Exhibition. We will celebrate the 60 exhibiting artists and announce the six winners of the Fay Chandler Awards. Don't miss your chance to connect with the artists. Light refreshments will be provided. Directions: Entrance is located on Congress St, across from Faneuil Hall. Pass security and take the elevators to the 3rd floor, the gallery is past the cafe stand.

Boston City Hall

"Support Structures" Closing Reception and Performance

Photo by Wenchell Pierre. Please join us for the Closing Reception of Kate Holcomb Hale’s solo exhibition: Support Structures. The event will start at 5pm at the Mezzanine Gallery located at the top of the stairs on the 3rd floor and will have a performance by dancers MacKenzie LeTorré and Nora Stephens at 6pm. The event will start at 5pm at the Mezzanine Gallery located at the top of the stairs on the 3rd floor. Don’t miss your chance to connect with the artists and enjoy some light refreshments! Directions:&nbsp;Please use the entrance located on Congress St, across from Faneuil Hall. Pass security and take the elevators to the&nbsp;3rd floor. The event will take place at the top of the stairs. For more information please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://boston.gov/cityhallgalleries">boston.gov/cityhallgalleries</a>

Genevieve Cohn and Kate Holcomb Hale| Artist Talk and Gallery Reception

Please join us for a joint reception and artist talk to celebrate "Time Stretches Slow", Genevieve Cohn’s first solo exhibition in Boston, and "Support Structures", Kate Holcomb Hale’s solo exhibition at the Boston City Hall Galleries.

2025 National Arts Program

Please join us for the Opening Reception of the 2025 National Arts Program, an exhibition by 73 City of Boston employees and their families! <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2025-national-arts-program-reception-tickets-1563866630189?utm-campaign=social&amp;utm-content=attendeeshare&amp;utm-medium=discovery&amp;utm-term=listing&amp;utm-source=cp&amp;aff=ebdsshcopyurl">Find more information and RSVP here.</a>

Mayor's Neighborhood Gallery

You Belong Here Printing Workshop

Join us for a printing workshop led by artist <a href="https://www.juliacseko.com/">Julia Csekö</a> and design a message of belonging. Bring a t-shirt, tote bag or piece of natural fabric that you would like to print on with a message that expresses that you belong here. Take it home or gift it to someone who needs to hear this. No experience needed, all ages welcome! Registration is required. This program is part of our current exhibition <a href="https://www.boston.gov/departments/arts-and-culture/mezzanine-gallery">"City of Belonging" </a>in partnership with the Mayor's Office for Immigrant Advancement. Directions: This event will be hosted at the top of the stairs of the Mezzanine Gallery located on the 3rd floor. Please enter on Congress St (across from Faneuil Hall), pass security and take the elevators to the 3rd floor. This event will be hosted in English, Spanish and Portuguese. For additional accommodations please contact us.

Michelle Schapiro Artist Talk

Join us at Boston City Hall for an artist talk with exhibiting artist Michelle Schapiro, in the context of her solo exhibition Ways of Making People Disappear, that explores the lack of safety that the LGBTQIA+ community experiences in America. She will be in dialogue with Kayleigh MacDonald, artist and Curatorial Assistant of Astronomical Photographs at Harvard University. Directions: Please use the entrance located on Congress St, across from Faneuil Hall. Pass security and take the elevators to the 8th floor. The talk will be hosted in Room 801. This exhibition will be on view through July 18th, 2025. For more information please visit <a href="https://boston.gov/cityhallgalleries">boston.gov/cityhallgalleries</a>

"Ways of Making People Disappear" at Boston City Hall | Reception

Join us at Boston City Hall for the reception of Ways of Making People Disappear, a solo exhibition by Michelle Schapiro, that explores the lack of safety that the LGBTQIA+ community experiences in America. Directions: Please use the entrance located on Congress St, across from Faneuil Hall. Pass security and take the elevators to the 8th floor. The Emerging Gallery will be to your left, in the hallway by room 817. This exhibition will be on view through July 18th, 2025. For more information please visit <a href="https://boston.gov/cityhallgalleries">boston.gov/cityhallgalleries</a>

Special Focus: Self Portraits

Join us at Boston City Hall for the Opening Reception of Special Focus: Self Portraits, a group show by the ICA Teens. Stop by to celebrate the show and meet the artists! Light refreshments will be provided. Directions: Please use the entrance located on Congress St, across from Faneuil Hall. Pass security and take the elevators to the 2nd floor. The Mayor's Neighborhood Gallery will be to your left. This exhibition will be on view through July 18th, 2025. For more information please visit <a href="https://boston.gov/cityhallgalleries">boston.gov/cityhallgalleries</a>

David Lloyd Brown and SoWa Artists Guild at Boston City Hall | Reception

Please join us for a joint reception to celebrate David Lloyd Brown’s solo exhibition and the SoWa artists from 450 Harrison Avenue group show at the Boston City Hall Galleries. The event will start at 5pm at the Scollay Square Gallery located on the 3rd floor, and will transition to the Mayor’s Office Gallery located on the 5th floor at 6pm. Don’t miss your chance to connect with the artists and enjoy some light refreshments! Please note the exhibitions will be on view through July 18th, 2025. Directions: Please use the entrance located on Congress St, across from Faneuil Hall. Pass security and take the elevators to the 3rd floor. The Scollay Square Gallery will be past the information desk. For more information please visit <a href="https://boston.gov/cityhallgalleries">boston.gov/cityhallgalleries</a>

"Patterns on Concrete" Exhibition

A quilt is made by sewing multiple blocks of fabric together. Small fragments shine as they become something bigger, a tapestry of rhythm and repetition. This exhibition presents a selection of quilts done by members of the Boston Modern Quilt Guild, some working collectively, to address a range of personal narratives, social issues, and formal explorations. Many of these pieces were created during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring both personal and social tension, change and a slower pace to explore the world. Directions: Enter through the plaza, the Mezzanine Gallery is located on the 3rd floor of City Hall near the information desk and the mezzanine steps.

BPS Youth Art Month Exhibition

This year, the students of Boston Public Schools take over our art galleries for the annual Youth Art Month exhibition. The works on display reflect the quality instruction of our teachers and the dedication, skill development, and creativity of our students. We encourage you to explore the exhibit and be inspired by their vision. Featuring works of art from over 300 BPS students!

"Future Artifacts" Exhibition

<a href="http://instagram.com/moshstudioart">MOSH Studio</a>, a creative duo formed by <a href="http://instagram.com/suzanne.moseley">Suzanne Moseley</a> and <a href="http://instagram.com/shishkoadrienne">Adrienne Shishko</a>, creates upcycled, mixed-media artworks, modeling a “yes and…” improvisational approach to their collaborative practice. In their installation, Future Artifacts, the artists imagine that plastics, which take hundreds of years to break down, will be what future generations study to understand our current culture. To this end, the artists work with polystyrene buoys, found along Cape Cod shores and the Boston Harbor Islands, along with cast off textiles, also problematic to the environment due their persistent shedding of microplastics and polluting of waters during manufacturing. The buoys are wrapped in the textiles, then encased in bee’s wax to mimic the look of ancient relics from an archeological dig. Their installations tend towards Community Portraiture, in this instance in building awareness around the problems with polystyrene in our environment, supporting upcoming legislation on banning its manufacturing in the state of Massachusetts.&nbsp;

Quilting Workshop

Join us for a fun quilting workshop at Boston City Hall led by members of the Boston Modern Quilt Guild! Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned quilter, this workshop is perfect for anyone looking to learn new techniques or just enjoy some stitching time in community. Each participant will create one block that will be part of a collaborative quilt that will be donated to charity. Directions: Please enter on Congress St and take elevators to the 3rd floor, the event will be at the top of the stairs. Artwork image: Louisa Williams, Night &amp; Day, 82 x 61 in.

"Patterns on Concrete" Reception

Join us at Boston City Hall for an evening celebrating an exhibition by the Boston Modern Quilt Guild. Enjoy refreshments, and meet the exhibiting artists. Directions: Please use the entrance located on Congress St, across from Faneuil Hall. Pass security and take the elevators to the 3rd floor. The Mezzanine Gallery is located behind the information desk.

S22: conversations

Wondering what to do in Boston? Places to eat? Free activities? Good for a group? Date night spot? Girls night out? The best things to do? Ask Joyraft!

Best places to go in Boston? Things to do? Places to eat?

Questions & answers about things to do in Boston

Recs 💬

Community recs 💬

S4: top picks

The most fun, cool and unique things to do in Boston. Can’t miss events, shows and experiences. Concerts, restaurants, bars, free things in Boston and beyond.

The most fun and cool events happening around Boston

Hot and new things to do in Boston

Hot & new

Hot & new 🔥

S11: happening this weekend

What to do in Boston this weekend? From festivals, concerts, performances, free events, screenings and more, Joyraft has the best things to do in Boston.

25+ things to do in Boston/Cambridge/Somerville this weekend

Things to do in Boston this weekend

This wknd

This weekend for you

S21: roundups

Our top picks: outdoor dining, free events, spring festivals, best bars, upcoming concerts, museum parties - the latest in and around Boston.  Slug: joyraft-top-picks-best-things-to-do-boston-ma

Top picks of the best things to do in and around Boston

Joyraft picks: Boston’s best things to do

Roundups ⭐️

Curated by Joyraft ⭐️

S28: calendar experiences

This week in Boston

This week in Boston 📆

This week 📆

S20: c+d experiences

Discover new, unique events and experiences happening in and around Boston. Perfect for date night, good for a group or with a friend. Be the first to know.

The newest events happening in and around Boston

The newest events on Joyraft

Just added

Just added to Joyraft

S16: editor picks

The most unique and can’t miss things coming up in Boston / Cambridge / Somerville and beyond. Festivals, food, drinks, fairs, concerts, art and free activities.

Unique and Can’t Miss Things to Do in Boston

Can’t-miss things to do in Boston 🚨

Can't-miss things to do 🚨

S2 (A): top experiences

The most popular things to do on Joyraft. Concerts, restaurants, bars, events, parties, openings, kid friendly, date ideas, free things in Boston and beyond.

Top 20 things to do in Boston

Top 20: Joyraft’s most popular

Top 20

Top 20 on Joyraft

S3 (A): trending experiences

Discover can’t miss events and things to do in Boston. The most fun, unique and cool events coming to the Boston area this spring and summer.

The hottest events happening in Boston

Trending events on Joyraft

Trending 📈

S17: interest based

Your guide to everything free in and around Boston. From events, to fairs, to festivals, to outdoors. Joyraft has all the free events happening near you.

100+ free things to do in Boston and beyond

Free things to do in Boston

Free things to do

S19: interest based

Kid-friendly events in Boston

S18: interest based

Where to eat and drink in Boston? Joyraft has Boston’s newest bars, restaurants and specials. Drinks and pre fixe dinner menus. Cambridge & Somerville too.

Where

bostongalleries

Experiences