Volunteering

Teen Volunteers

Teen Volunteers assist in a variety of departments within the MFA including Education, Lectures and Concerts, Development, and Libraries and Archives. The experience is one of enrichment where Museum staff members form a mentoring relationship with the volunteer. Teens also have the opportunity to attend workshops facilitated by Museum staff with other teens that are involved with the Museum. Explore open volunteer positions for Summer 2012. Apply for a Summer Teen Volunteer position.

Employment

Teen Arts Council

The Teen Arts Council (TAC) is a leadership development program using the apprenticeship model for a group of teenagers that serves to connect the MFA with Greater Boston’s teens, families, and communities. In paid positions, the TAC members are introduced to a wide range of museum professions and learning opportunities while also gaining valuable work experience.

Throughout the year, TAC members have the opportunity to work on a variety of activities such as creating and producing teen-focused events, greeting and giving information to Museum visitors, and creating wall labels to accompany the Museum’s art collections. They also attend workshops and training sessions designed to develop their creative and critical thinking skills.

Teen Arts Council is funded by the Yawkey Foundations, the Pamela D. and Robert W. Adams Fund, the Dorothy B. and Owen W. Robbins Teen Arts Council Fund, the Dean Welfare Trust, the William E. Schrafft and Bertha E. Schrafft Charitable Trust, the Endowment for the Teen Arts Council, the Adelaide Breed Bayrd Foundation, and the Paul and Edith Babson Foundation. With special thanks to Richard and Priscilla Hunt for their generous support.

Sponsored by John Hancock Financial Services.

Teen Visitor Aides

Teen Visitor Aides (TVA) play a vital role in welcoming MFA visitors, providing the necessary information to make each visitor’s experience enriching and memorable. The aides split their time between the MFA lobbies, the Sharf Visitor Center, and Museum galleries. Responsibilities may include restocking literature in the Visitor Center, giving directions, and managing lines and crowds. Successful TVAs are usually creative, able to make decisions under pressure, patient, flexible, and happy to help in any situation. Teens also have the opportunity to attend professional development workshops facilitated by Museum staff with other teens that are involved with the Museum.

Apply for an Employment Position

Applications for Summer 2012 Teen Programs employment positions are now closed. Applications are now being accepted for the Fall 2012/Spring 2013 cycle of the Teen Arts Council.

To find out more about the Teen Programs at the MFA, please contact Stephen Richardson, Teen Programs Manager, at 617-369-4359 or tac@mfa.org.

Art Engagement

Studio Art Classes

The MFA and our partner institutions offer one-day workshops, four-day intensives, and multi-week courses for teens ranging from painting, sculpting, and making jewelry to creating your own comic book. See upcoming teen classes.

School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (SMFA)

Did you know the MFA shares its campus with one of the most prestigious art schools in the country? SMFA offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and has many workshops and portfolio labs for high school students who are looking to explore a new medium or prepare a portfolio of work for their college applications. During the summer, SMFA's Pre-College Summer Studio is an intensive 3 or 5-week program that immerses teen artists in nine different disciplines.