MFA Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day with Free Open House

Join us for our annual MLK Day Open House, presented in partnership with Citizens. This year, the MFA offers free admission—including access to “Georgia O’Keeffe and Henry Moore”—for Massachusetts residents. Celebrate the legacy of Dr. King by surrounding yourself with art making, performances, and talks with members of our community!

For 23 consecutive years, Citizens has sponsored the MFA’s MLK Day Open House—allowing the Museum to welcome more than 120,000 visitors into our galleries to enjoy free performances, tours, talks, art-making activities, and more.

Events and Activities

• Drop-In Art Making: “Stained Glass” Doves | 10 am–4 pm (last entry 3:45 pm) | Druker Family Pavillion

  • Explore light and color by creating your own window-hanging art in the style of stained glass and in the shape of a dove, a universal symbol of peace and unity.

• Guided Tours | 11 am, Noon, 1 pm & 2 pm | Meet in Sharf Visitor Center

  • Wondering where to start your visit? Experience the Museum on a free 60-minute guided tour. Led by knowledgeable guides, look closely at artwork across the MFA’s collections. Learn more about old favorites and discover something new! Participants of all ages and experiences are welcome.

• MFA Boston Job Fair | 11 am–3 pm | Shapiro Family Courtyard

  • Learn about engaging, dynamic, and fun career opportunities at the MFA and take part in open interviews for security officer positions. Learn more about job openings at the Museum and how to apply.

• La Comparsa de Hyde Square Task Force | 11-12:15 pm | Shapiro Family Courtyard

  • Youth Ambassadors from Hyde Square Task Force bring their vibrant comparsa to the MFA! Rooted in the deep history of African influence on Caribbean street celebrations, the comparsa showcases the rich interconnectedness of Afro-Latin dance, music, and theater traditions from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. Join us to dance, sing, and celebrate together.

• Welcome and Remarks | 11:15am | Shapiro Courtyard

  • Hear from Matthew Teitelbaum, the MFA’s Ann and Graham Gund Director, and Lisa Murray, Massachusetts president, Citizens Bank, as they welcome you to the MLK Day Open House.

• Radical Heroes | 11:15 am, 1 pm & 2:15 pm | Gallery 168

  • In honor of the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., ArtSpark Boston presents the 30-minute program “Radical Heroes.” ArtSpark is a community-powered music and arts event series based in Boston that aims to fight for racial equity in the creative arts. Join us for special performances of poetry and music that reflect on MLK’s vision for racial justice, once considered radical, that has since sparked transformative worldwide change.

• Spotlight Talks: ‘Dream 2: King and the Sisterhood’ |11:30 am and 12:45 pm | Gallery 158

  • Phoebe Segal, cocurator of “Power of the People: Art and Democracy,” highlights Faith Ringgold’s story quilt Dream 2: King and the Sisterhood. The work showcases the underappreciated importance of female leaders in the civil rights movement and features a speech written and delivered by Michele Wallace, Ringgold’s daughter, on King’s birthday in 1987.

• Teen Talks: Articulating Love | Flight of Man | 12:30 pm | Gallery 328

  • Curatorial Study Hall member Misa Perez highlights Flight of Man (about 1939) by Jackson Pollock, a ceramic bowl depicting figures derived from a turbulent stage in the artist’s life.

• Stop Racism Now |1 pm | Gallery 155

  • Teen Arts Council member Jalil Presley Rogers highlights Stop Racism Now (about 1970), a poster created by the National Organization for Women.

• Peculiar | 1:15 pm | Gallery 261

  • Teen Arts Council member Anson Chau highlights Peculiar (1991) by Yoshitomo Nara, which captures the artist’s signature style of acrylic painting.

• Articulated Model of a Dragon (竜自在置物) | 1:30 pm | Gallery 280

  • STEAM Team member Eliseo Castillo highlights Takaishi Shigeyoshi’s articulated model of a dragon (竜自在置物) (second half of the 19th century), a metal figure of the jizai okimono tradition.

• The Color of Love | 1–2:15 pm | Shapiro Family Courtyard

  • ZUMiX and Beat the Odds present a youth-driven performance exploring the question: What is the color of love? Through a blend of original music and carefully chosen covers, the performance aims to inspire love and joy within the community. It invites us to reflect on love as a choice we make and as a space we create for all the shades of love to find us.

• Wee Wear the Crowns | 1–3 pm | Riley Seminar Room

  • Join Boston-based racial justice organization Wee the People for an intergenerational art-making extravaganza celebrating Black kings, Black culture, and unapologetic Black joy: Wee Wear the Crowns! Inspired by iconic painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose crown motif honored Black American heroes, participants can collage their own gold or silver crown with decorative materials and wall-to-wall images of Black culture.

  • At 2 pm, gather in the book nook for a story time reading of the award-winning picture book Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968.

• Music from DJ Slick Vick | 2:30–4 pm | Shapiro Family Courtyard

  • Hailing from Boston, DJ Slick Vick is a young music visionary best known for her diverse range of musical interest and high-energy DJ sets. She believes that music is a universal language that connects humanity, and that the dance floor is a sacred space where human connection is not only found but amplified.