For “Can You Hear the City?”, Brooklyn-based artist Kelly Chen (b. 2000) has guided more than 150 students through an auditory and visual journey of the city. Students explored mediums including audio recording, drawing, and mosaic—as well as their own imaginations—to create scenes of city life. The resulting exhibition collects their work in a large-scale collaborative installation in the MFA’s Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art.

“Can You Hear the City?” marks 21 years of the Community Arts Initiative, through which the MFA partners with community organizations to introduce young people ages six to 12 to the Museum’s collection and the art-making process, while also helping them understand how art can be an important part of their lives. For this exhibition, through the Community Arts Initiative, the Museum is proud to partner with Berkshire Partners Blue Hill Boys & Girls Club, Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, Charlestown Boys & Girls Club, Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester, Edgerley Family South Boston Boys & Girls Club, Jordan Boys & Girls Club, Orchard Gardens Boys & Girls Club, Sociedad Latina, United South End Settlements, Vine Street Community Center, West End House Boys & Girls Club of Allston-Brighton, and Yawkey Boys & Girls Club of Roxbury.

Please note that some visitors may hear a high-pitched sound from these cathode-ray tube televisions in this exhibition. If you are sensitive to sound, you may wish to avoid the back side of the gallery—this can be especially noticeable for younger visitors. One video artwork also contains flashing clips that may potentially trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy.