For more than six decades, John Wilson (1922–2015) made powerful and poignant works that spoke to his life as a Black American artist and his ongoing...
February 26–March 19, 2025
Witnessing Humanity: John Wilson and Black Art in Boston
John Wilson working on the final clay of Eternal Presence, 1987. John Wilson Archive.
John Wilson working on the final clay of Eternal Presence, 1987. John Wilson Archive.
Explore the powerful contributions of three of Boston’s most influential Black artists: John Wilson, Loïs Mailou Jones, and Allan Rohan Crite. Through a series of interactive and in-depth presentations, discover Wilson’s profound social and political artwork, Jones’s vision of the “Black Atlantic” in diverse subjects and styles, and Crite’s dedication to documenting Black life in Boston—and hear about some their many contemporaries along the way. Learn about the artists’ roles as storytellers who captured the complexities of Black identity, history, and culture in their art and chronicled their city and humanity as a whole.
Take the full four-session course or choose the lectures that interest you most.
Ticket Packages
Purchase the discounted four-session course package. Please note that this course package is not available after the date of the first session.
Tickets (Member / Nonmember)
In-Person $96/$120
Online $52/$68
In-Person Package Livestream Package
For more information and to purchase tickets for individual sessions, select from the section below.
Past Events
Lecture
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
“All my work is designed—I’m telling a story. As a matter of fact, the old African tradition— what they call a griot: storyteller. That’s what I've...
Lecture
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Discover the ways that Boston-born artist Loïs Mailou Jones (1906–1998) produced a vision of what the literary theorist Paul Gilroy terms the “Black...
Lecture
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
How does John Wilson’s vision of Boston connect to the local and national backdrop of struggles for racial and economic justice? Consider this...
Ticket Information
To order tickets by phone, call 1-800-440-6975 ($6 processing fee applies); to order in person, visit any MFA ticket desk.
Livestream Tickets
The livestream ticket gives access to a live feed of the event that can be watched remotely. You must be logged in to the account used to purchase the ticket in order to access the livestream on the Video Content page. Please log in at least 5 minutes before the start of the event to test your connection.
Livestream ticket holders must watch the event live; there is no recording of the event available for viewing at a later time.
Bag Checks
All bags are subject to inspection by Museum staff. Backpacks, large bags, all liquids including hand sanitizer and sunscreen, and outside food or drink are not permitted. Exceptions are made for medical or religious needs. All bags are strongly discouraged, and any bags larger than 11” x 15” must be checked in the Coat Room upon entry. Read our full bag check policy.