Coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the United States, the MFA is reimagining its display of 18th-century art of the Americas—and you’re invited to celebrate the grand opening with free admission and a day of exciting programs!

Be among the first to experience these eight new galleries, which reflect on the early history of the US and bring together works from across the Americas—integrating Native and non-native, North, South, and Central American, and Caribbean art—to consider how artists have contributed to, or in some cases resisted, ideas of nationhood and identity.

Engage with the galleries and their themes of resistance, liberty, and revolution through art making, performances, talks, and more. Activities are for visitors of all ages and abilities unless otherwise noted.

Drop-In Art Making and Activities

Clay Poem Jars

10 am–4 pm (last entry 3:45 pm)
Huntington Lawn (rain location: Druker Family Pavilion)

Sculpt your own clay vessel and inscribe it with a poem to commemorate the semiquincentennial.

America at 250 Buttons

10 am–4 pm (last entry at 3:45 pm)
Druker Family Pavilion (rain location: Shapiro Family Courtyard)

Use colorful collage materials and mixed media to create a wearable button in celebration of the United States of America’s 250th anniversary!

Rise Up! Leve! Celebrating the Heroes of the Haitian Revolution

11 am–4 pm
Riley Seminar Room

Explore the Haitian Revolution, when enslaved rebels defeated Europe’s powerful armies and birthed the world’s first Black republic. Hear stories, listen to music, celebrate the revolution’s freedom fighters, and make your own Haitian hero shield in this interactive experience hosted by Wee the People.

Future Masters Chess Academy

11 am–4 pm
Calderwood Courtyard (rain location: Gallery 250)

Future Masters Chess Academy uses chess to improve focus, thinking ability, and decision-making—both on and off the chessboard. Stop by and play chess. Try out a life-sized chess set and learn from masters of the game—including a state champion.

Performances

Hyde Square Task Force Ambassadors: Comparsa

11:15 am
Shapiro Family Courtyard

Join Hyde Square Task Force Ambassadors for a lively processional known as a comparsa. Inspired by Afro-Caribbean street celebrations, this vibrant performance highlights the rich interconnectedness of dance, music, and theater traditions from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. Sing, move, and celebrate together in this interactive experience.

Performance begins with a procession in Remis Auditorium that ends in Shapiro Family Courtyard.

Jean Appolon Expressions: Ansanm Ansanm, Together Together

Noon–12:30 pm
Shapiro Family Courtyard

Experience “Ansanm Ansanm, Together Together,” a vibrant medley of music and dance from Jean Appolon Expressions celebrating reflection, resilience, and Haitian culture. This performance uplifts the transformative power of Haitian folk dance while addressing global power and liberation. Dancers, musicians, and audiences can share in a joyful expression of unity.

FireSideChatCider

12:30 pm
Gallery 168

In this unique performance, Anthony Febo and Ricky Orng of Adobo-Fish-Sauce consider the different forms nourishment can take while making fire cider—an herbal tonic designed to boost the immune system, improve digestion, and ward off cold-weather illnesses. Hear stories of health, healing, and history with humor and metaphor.

Global String Band JOOL

1:30–2 pm
Shapiro Family Courtyard

Hear an exciting blend of Korean traditional folk and old-time American music from Global String Band JOOL. Led by Yoona Kim—who plays the ajaeng, a bowed Korean string instrument—the group creates a captivating fusion that celebrates the beauty of cross-cultural exchange.

Hartman Deetz: Family Recipe

2:30 pm
Shapiro Family Courtyard

Join artist Hartman Deetz (Mashpee Wampanoag) for a performance of stomp dance and poetry. Then stop by Gallery 126 to see Deetz’s new installation, “In the Middle of Forever,” featuring historical and contemporary Native American Art.

Wah Lum Kung Fu and Tai Chi Academy Performance Troupe

3:30 pm
Shapiro Family Courtyard

Don’t miss the final performance of the day—an exuberant display of colors, sounds, action, and more as Wah Lum Kung Fu and Tai Chi Academy Performance Troupe leads a traditional lion dance celebrating resistance, liberty, and revolution.

Storytelling

Haiti’s Heroes

1 and 3 pm
Riley Seminar Room

Gather with Boston-based racial justice project Wee the People for a reading of Auntie Luce’s Talking Paintings. Written by Francie Latour and illustrated by Ken Daley, this award-winning 2018 picture book explores Haiti’s heroes and cultural heritage. Recommended for families with children under ten.

Tours and Talks

Guided Tours

11 am, Noon, 1 pm, and 2 pm
Meet in Sharf Visitor Center

Wondering where to start your visit to the MFA? Experience the Museum on a 60-minute guided tour. Led by knowledgeable guides, look closely at artwork across the MFA’s collection. Learn more about old favorites and discover something new!

Spotlight Talk: Hartman’s Altar

12:15 pm
Gallery 133

Discover some of the stories behind “Hartman Deetz: In the Middle of Forever,” a new installation of historical and contemporary Native American art.

With artist Hartman Deetz and Layla Bermeo, Kristin and Roger Servison Curator of Paintings, Art of the Americas.

Spotlight Talk: Asian Styles in the Americas

12:45 pm
Gallery 128

Uncover the exchange of cultures through intricate stories illustrated on a recent MFA acquisition—a 17-foot biombo, or folding screen, from Mexico.

With Lucia Abramovich Sanchez, Carolyn and Peter Lynch Curator of Decorative Arts and Sculpture, Art of Americas.

Spotlight Talk: History and Myth in Winthrop Chandler’s ‘Battle of Bunker Hill’

1:15 pm
Gallery 133

Learn about an 18th-century fireboard that reimagines the Battle of Bunker Hill using facts as well as legends.

With Elizabeth Driscoll Smith, Joyce Linde Assistant Curator of Folk and Self-Taught Arts, Art of Americas.

Spotlight Talk: Art, Power, and Resistance

1:45 pm
Gallery 132

Consider the powerful relationship between two seemingly disparate objects: Paul Revere’s Sons of Liberty Bowl and a storage jar by the enslaved potter Dave (later known as David Drake).

With Ethan Lasser, chief of Curatorial Affairs and Conservation.

Spotlight Talk: Boston’s World

2 pm
Gallery 134

Learn about one of the MFA’s newest acquisitions, an orrery clock by Joseph Pope purported to be one of the most important scientific instruments made in the British North American colonies.

With Nonie Gadsden, Katharine Lane Weems Senior Curator of American Decorative Arts, Art of Americas.

Spotlight Talk: A Caffeine-Fueled Revolution

2:15 pm
Gallery 127

How did tea and coffee shape daily life and revolutionary instincts in the British North American colonies? Find out while exploring objects created to make, serve, and drink these hot beverages.

With Nanase Shirokawa, curatorial research associate, Art of Americas.

The City Talks: America at 250

2:30 pm
Gallery 168

Join a thought-provoking conversation with MFA Table of Voices participants and community members exploring how we interpret art from the past today. Drawing on themes of resistance, liberty, and revolution, consider how these works connect historical struggles for freedom to contemporary conversations about identity, power, change, and cultural understanding.

Ed O’Connell, civic engagement manager, Revolutionary Spaces
Brittney Peauwe Wunnepog Walley, Nipmuc traditional weaver and tribal activist
Yolanda Yang, arts engagement manager, Pao Arts Center
Moderated by Jeneé Osterheldt, deputy managing editor for Culture, Talent, and Development, The Boston Globe

Spotlight Talk: The Work of Many Hands

3 pm
Gallery 135

Discover how a desk and bookcase made in Puebla, Mexico, became an unlikely crossroads of global craft traditions.

With Lucia Abramovich Sanchez, Carolyn and Peter Lynch Curator of Decorative Arts and Sculpture, Art of Americas.

Spotlight Talk: Copley’s Samuel Adams

3:30 pm
Gallery 136

How did proponents of revolution use a portrait painted after the Boston Massacre to promote the cause of independence? Look closely at John Singleton Copley’s portrait of Samuel Adams to find out.

With Erica Hirshler, Croll Senior Curator of American Paintings, Art of Americas.

Transportation and Travel

To support community access to America at 250, the Museum is pleased to provide complimentary shuttle service for Roxbury residents between the Shaw-Roxbury branch of the Boston Public Library (149 Dudley Street) and the MFA. The shuttle leaves from the library every hour between 9:30 am and 3:30 pm. Last shuttle departs the MFA at 5 pm. Times are subject to change and space is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Free Juneteenth Admission for MA Residents

Can’t wait to explore the new 18th-century art of the Americas galleries? Join us on Friday, June 19, to get an early look at these spaces while participating in art-making activities, catching talks, and more in honor of Juneteenth.

Learn More