Grounded in Community

<a href="https://www.newday.com/films/gaining-ground-building-community-on-dudley-st" target="_blank">Gaining Ground</a>: Building Community on Dudley Street by Leah Mahan, Mark Lipman, Llewellyn Smith, Christine Herbes-Sommers, Kelly Thomson Film Screening &amp; Panel Discussion April 12, 2024&nbsp;@ 6 - 9 PM Tower Auditorium, <a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/VLaiWQtNm6vLffrW9" target="_blank">MassArt</a> Foreclosures. Unemployment. Childhood poverty. All these problems have hit American cities hard since the Great Recession. Gaining Ground, a follow-up to the award-winning documentary Holding Ground (1996), shows how one diverse Boston neighborhood has stemmed the tide against enormous odds. There will be free refreshments at both events! This event is hosted by MassArt's&nbsp;<a href="https://massart.edu/cacp" target="_blank">Center for Art and Community Partnerships</a> (CACP). Questions: cacpinfo@massart.edu

Design and Media Center

MassArt and Roxbury International Film Festival Host An L.A. Rebellion Film Symposium

MassArt Ciné Culture Screening Series, in partnership with the Roxbury Film Festival, will present a weekend film screening series of work by two acclaimed directors: Charles Burnett and Zeinabu Davis. Both Burnett and Davis are integral figures from the first generation of the L.A. Rebellion film movement, a group of African-American filmmakers who studied at the UCLA film school in the 1960s-1980s. A panel discussion and Q&amp;A sessions with the esteemed directors will follow each film screening.   The events are free and open to the public and the entire schedule is listed below.  Seating first come first served.

MassArt and Roxbury International Film Festival Host An L.A. Rebellion Film Symposium 

A 2-part tale of local community activism and the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI). <a href="https://www.newday.com/films/holding-ground-the-rebirth-of-dudley-street" target="_blank">Holding Ground</a>: The Rebirth of Dudley Street by Leah Mahan and Mark Lipman Film Screening &amp; Discussion March 22, 2024 @ 6 - 9 PM DMC Lecture Hall, <a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/VLaiWQtNm6vLffrW9" target="_blank">MassArt</a> Holding Ground is at once a cautionary tale of urban policies gone wrong and a message of hope for all American cities. In 1985, African-American, Latino, Cape Verdean, and European-American residents in Roxbury, MA united to revitalize their community. This event is hosted by MassArt's&nbsp;<a href="https://massart.edu/cacp" target="_blank">Center for Art and Community Partnerships</a> (CACP). Questions: <a href="mailto:cacpinfo@massart.edu" target="_blank">cacpinfo@massart.edu</a>

Make with MAAM: Imagining Futures

Imagine a limitless future of joy as you unleash your inner artist in the Barkan Family Big Ideas Studio every weekend. During this free drop-in event, experiment with recycled and found materials while envisioning alternative futures through artmaking and creative exploration. Find inspiration in our current exhibition, <a href="https://maam.massart.edu/exhibition/myth-normal" target="_blank">The Myth of Normal: A Celebration of Authentic Expression</a>, which explores art as a tool for mutual re-learning and well-being.&nbsp; This event is intended for individuals and small groups of 5 or less. Adults must accompany children age 12 and under.

MassArt Art Museum 

MAAM in 15: Highlights 

What is normal? Join a student educator for a journey through our current exhibition, <a href="https://maam.massart.edu/exhibition/myth-normal">The Myth of Normal: A Celebration of Authentic Expression</a>, which investigates social and emotional norms that have been codified over our collective past. Challenge the status quo while exploring incredible artworks and the creative abundance of MassArt’s alumni during this free drop-in talk.

MassArt Common Good Awards

MassArt Common Good Awards, established as part of the College's 150th anniversary year, will honor a group of individuals and/or organizations that exemplify public practice in the arts. These awards will celebrate the integration of arts and culture in civic life, honoring those who push boundaries in advocacy, teaching, placemaking, and creation, emphasizing the arts' public influence on problem-solving and quality of life. As the nation's first and only independent public college of art and design, MassArt has been a catalyst for envisioning the role of art, culture, and design in all aspects of life. We look forward to celebrating the contributions of individuals from across the Commonwealth and beyond.

DS4SI’s Design Gym - Prototyping 101

Come play with materials and learn how to use prototyping as a tool to collaborate with others. We will use clay, cardboard sculpture, and drawing to communicate with each other. Like in charades, we will test out different ways to physically convey our intentions and ideas. Please note that this is a 4-part workshop that can be experienced as one offs or as a series. These sessions will be held on 11/02, 11/09, 11/30, &amp; 12/07 at the Design Gym (572 Columbia Road, Dorchester) from 6-8pm.

Design Gym

RAISING THE GAVEL!

From a humble grassroots beginning the MassArt Auction has grown to become one of our institution’s most recognized and bounteous events. Few know, however, about the Auction’s origins and how it evolved to become the event it is today. This exhibition highlights several facets of the Auction’s early history and its formation within MassArt’s Fine Arts 2D Department.    The very first Art Auction at MassArt was held in 1977. Conceived by the Painting department’s Student Painting Association (a predecessor to the SGA), it began with a single altruistic goal: to provide scholarships to financially strapped students. The auction began by soliciting drawings, paintings, and prints first from students and faculty, then from alumni, and grew over the following years to include works from the FA3D department and other visual media. In 1989 the Massachusetts College of Art Foundation took over governance of the auction to benefit scholarship aid and program support across the entire campus.    The early years of the Art Auction cannot be introduced without giving due acknowledgment to its Founder and Chief Auctioneer - Dean Nimmer. Dean was Professor of Painting and Chairman of the Fine Arts 2D program at MassArt from 1983 to 2001. A prolific and internationally respected abstract painter and teacher, Dean’s teaching career at MassArt began in 1970. He retired thirty-five years later, in 2004.    In 1987 Nimmer initiated the Celebrity Auction and collected auction-worthy ‘art’ donations solicited initially from politicians on Beacon Hill and later from international celebrities like Whoopie Goldberg, John Updike, Bob Dylan, and more!     The modest FA2D Art Auction of 1977 was the historical precursor of the today’s MassArt Auction, which is overseen by the College’s Foundation and which now raises more than a million dollars each year. The current exhibition highlights the early history of that auction, and how it grew to become the auction that it is today, while highlighting its initial goal of raising scholarship funds for needy students.     This exhibit and the adjacent exhibit The Art of Lobbying are dedicated to the memory of their Founding Father - Dean Henry Nimmer (b.1945 - d. 2023).

West Tower Lobby

THE ART OF LOBBYING: HOW MASSART STUDENTS AND FACULTY SAVED MASSART ON MAY 16TH, 1979.

The future of MassArt was very much in question and top of mind for the entire College community in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Decreasing enrollments in state colleges across the Commonwealth played a role in this uncertainty, as did the resulting budget cuts to higher education. This fueled the lightning rod topic, pushed by budgetary hawks in the legislature, of “merging” some state campuses to save money. MassArt was among those being considered for merger, despite its unique studio-based curriculum, its unusual degree content, and its long history.    In the midst of this crisis, during the Spring of 1979, MassArt Professor Dean Nimmer excited a passionate ‘uprising’ among the MassArt community. As an artist and educator, Dean held a democratic, universalist conviction that art-making should be the province of all. He believed firmly in art’s transformative powers, both for the individual and for the collective good. “There is neither ‘good’ art nor ‘bad’ art” he was known to say. “The only ‘bad’ art is not making art at all.”     On May 16th, 1979, galvanized by Dean’s “dream,” busloads of MassArt students and faculty descended upon the Massachusetts State House to draw, paint, film, and photograph many of the legislators whose districts these students hailed from. The event was well-covered in the local press, and culminated in an exhibition in Doric Hall at the State House rotunda one month later.   This exhibit and the adjacent exhibit Raising the Gavel are dedicated to the memory of their Founding Father - Dean Henry Nimmer (b.1945 - d. 2023).

Twilight at MAAM: Noodle & Doodle

Join us for Twilight at MAAM–mix up your evening during this new series featuring creative conversation, seasonal mocktails, and hands-on fun.  On November 16th, kick-off the series with Noodle &amp; Doodle, hosted by MAAM and the MassArt Illustration Department. Enjoy live music by Sugar Blood Jinx and bring your own drawing materials, or use supplies provided, to doodle as the noodles 🎶 inspire you. Noodle &amp; Doodle is organized in collaboration with MassArt Associate Professor of Illustration Robert Maloney BFA ’96, MFA ’14. To ensure the safety of works of art on view, we allow dry media in our galleries. We are unable to accommodate the use of charcoal or pastel, paint, ink, or wet media.   Collaborator Bios  Sugar Blood Jinx  Good-timey hardcore-boogie blues with attitude Robert Maloney  Robert Maloney is a Boston-area native who creates multimedia pieces influenced by the many layers of the urban landscape. His recent work focuses on the connections between the temporary materials of our man-made structures and how these fragile forms relate to the erosion of our memories over the course of time. Ticketing Notice  This event is free with advance registration. MAAM may accommodate unregistered walk-up guests on the evening of this event only as capacity allows; walk-up tickets on the evening of the event are not guaranteed. Evening events often sell out; plan ahead and register in advance.  Documentation Notice   Photos and/or videos will be taken at this event. By attending this event, you acknowledge and agree that your likeness may be included in photos and videos of the event and that those photos and videos may be used by MassArt in connection with MassArt and MassArt Art Museum communications. If you do not agree with this usage, please notify a staff member upon arrival to receive a no-photo sticker.  Access  MassArt Art Museum is committed to creating a welcoming, accessible, and inclusive environment during in-person and virtual programs and events. To request an access or disability-related accommodation, please contact MassArt Art Museum at <a href="mailto:maam@massart.edu">maam@massart.edu</a> at least two weeks before the date of the event.

Tyrone Maurice Adderley Lecture

Join us for the Fall 2023 Tyrone Maurice Adderley Lecture featuring <a href="https://www.harrywalker.com/speakers/sarah-elizabeth-lewis/?myhwa=t#biography">Sarah Elizabeth Lewis</a>, the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Humanities and Associate Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard. Lewis will discuss <a href="https://visionandjustice.org/civic-curriculum">Vision &amp; Justice: A Civic Curriculum</a>. Released by Vision &amp; Justice and Aperture, the curriculum includes 31 texts on topics ranging from civic space and memorials to the intersections of race, technology, and justice.

MassArt Tower Auditorium 

Collaborative Community Painting Sessions

Join sparc! the ArtMobile for Collaborative Community Painting Sessions at the Grove Hall Public Library. Folks of all ages and abilities are welcome to explore the intersections of art and community along with featured guest artists and refreshments! Finished paintings will be donated to local community organizations.

Grove Hall Public Library 

Imagine a limitless future of joy as you unleash your inner artist in the Barkan Family Big Ideas Studio every weekend. During this free drop-in event, experiment with recycled and found materials while dreaming up new futures through artmaking. Gain inspiration from our current exhibition, <a href="https://maam.massart.edu/exhibition/myth-normal">The Myth of Normal: A Celebration of Authentic Expression</a>, which explores the importance of art as a way of fostering well being.  This event is intended for individuals and small groups of 5 or less. Adults must accompany children age 12 and under.

MassArt Art Museum

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

S19: interest based

WBUR’s 75th birthday celebrations 💫

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

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.