MFA Open House | Juneteenth

In partnership with Citizens, admission to the MFA—including access to “Hokusai: Inspiration and Influence”—is free for all Massachusetts residents on June 19 in honor of Juneteenth, the oldest nationally observed commemoration of the ending of slavery in the US. Join us for performances, participate in art-making activities, catch a talk, and see “Hear Me Now: The Black Potters of Old Edgefield, South Carolina,” a new exhibition honoring the work and legacy of the enslaved men, women, and children who crafted stoneware storage vessels in Old Edgefield for roughly 50 years before emancipation.

Events and Activities

Drop-In Art Making: Pottery | 10 am–4 pm | Huntington Avenue Lawn

Create a decorative pot or bowl inspired by “Hear Me Now: The Black Potters of Old Edgefield, South Carolina” using air-dry clay.

Resource Fair |10 am–4 pm | Shapiro Family Courtyard

Drop by to meet representatives from Big Sister Boston, the MFA, and more to learn about the resources and programs they offer.

Just Joy: Story Time and Installation | 11 am–4pm (every 15 minutes) | Riley Seminar Room, 156

Meet the owner of Lit for Black Kids, an online bookstore and literary advocacy organization, and participate in literary experiences all day! See the Just Joy installation, view prerecorded virtual story time from everyday authors, enjoy in-person story time every 15 minutes, and get there early for limited-quantity Lit swag!

Welcome Remarks | 1:15 pm | Shapiro Family Courtyard

Hear from Matthew Teitelbaum, Ann and Graham Gund Director; Lisa Murray, Massachusetts president, Citizens Bank; and Ellice Patterson, Executive Director, Abilities Dance Boston

Abilities Dance | 1:30 and 2:30 pm | Shapiro Family Courtyard

See repertory work by performers of Abilities Dance, a local dance company that promotes intersectional disability rights in the greater Boston area and beyond, featuring music by Andrew Choe.

REPRISE | 2:15 and 3:30 pm | Edward H. Linde Gallery (Gallery 168)

Join poet and artist Golden for REPRISE, a call-and-response performance that maps Black un-American lineage. Explore what’s possible through the individual act of naming oneself and one’s people here in the US, as a way forward against anti-Black allegiance. Responding to “Hear Me Now: The Black Potters of Old Edgefield, South Carolina,” Golden uses work by enslaved potters and poets, conversations with family in Maryland and Virginia, and their own photographic self-portraits as portals to consider Black life.

The City Talks: The Legacy and Future of Juneteenth | 2:30–3:30 pm | Edward H. Linde Gallery (Gallery 168)

Join Boston-based students, thinkers, and program leaders for a youth-focused discussion centered on the legacy and future activism of Juneteenth. Participants include moderator Corey DePina, Program Director of Zumix and Teaching Artist , and panelists Luz Juliana Marquez, ZUMIX participant; Akilah Villers-Jean, MFA Teen Arts Council member; and Nia Nolan, Artist for Humanity Teen Artist.

Collective Resistance, Memory, and Freedom | 3:30 pm | Shapiro Family Courtyard

Composer and producer Walter Robinson shares live concert excerpts from his prize-winning gospel folk opera Look What a Wonder, about the life of Denmark Vesey, who was born into slavery in the 18th century and became a community leader and activist. And see a music video of the Boston Children’s Choir performing the song “Harriet Tubman” from Robinson’s hip-hop musical Moses in Harlem.