Museum Of Fine Arts Celebrates Juneteenth With Free Open House – Events, Exhibits, And More
The Museum of Fine Arts Celebrates Juneteenth with another year of free admission. The free open house will feature some special events, impressive exhibits, and fun activities. It’s an exciting time for families and the community to come together as The Museum of Fine Arts Celebrates Juneteenth.
What Is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth was signed into law as a national holiday on June 17th, 2021. Juneteenth recognizes the date of June 19, 1865 when enslaved people of African descent in Galveston, Texas learned of their freedom in the United States. While it is a reason for celebration, I don’t think I will ever get over the fact that this happened 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. President Abraham Lincoln signed the proclamation on January 1, 1863, that legally freed enslaved people in the states that had seceded from the Union. There were close to 250,000 enslaved people in Galveston that had no idea.
The Juneteenth National Independence Day Act was signed into law by President Biden in 2021. This came after educator and activist Opal Lee lead a longtime push for the day to become an official federal holiday. Known as the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” in 2016, Lee walked 1,400 miles from Fort Worth Texas to Washington, D.C., to bring attention to the holiday. She was at the White House when the bill was signed into law.
The Museum Of Fine Arts Celebrates Juneteenth
On Wednesday, June 19th, The Museum of Fine Arts celebrates Juneteenth. From 10am – 5pm, the MFA in partnership with Citizens, offers free admission to the museum. It’s free to all Massachusetts residents. The day will feature various events, activities, and exhibits, including access to Hallyu! The Korean Wave.
Events, Activities, And Exhibits Included As The Museum of Fine Arts Celebrates Juneteenth
Community Art Making – Ahead of the Open House on the 19th, MFA educators will be distributing art-making kits at Citizens branches in three areas. Jamaica Plain on June 13, 11 am–2 pm (Citizens, 696 Centre St), in Dorchester on June 15, 9 am–12 pm (Citizens, 1160 Blue Hill Avenue), and in Mattapan on June 17, 11 am–2 pm (Citizens, 1575 Blue Hill Avenue) The Museum of Fine Arts Celebrates Juneteenth.
Comrade Sisters: Women of the Black Panther Party – One of the more than a dozen exhibits you can attend, this one “brings together 27 photographs by photojournalist Stephen Shames that record the everyday lives and critical work of the women who comprised more than 65 percent of the Black Panther Party’s membership.” (Museum of Fine Arts)
Four Womxn: New Musings on Blackness – “Inspired by Nina Simone’s 1966 song of archetypes and stereotypes bestowed upon Black women, the newly opened exhibition Four Womxn: New Musings on Blackness explores those ideations and connections that transcend geography, age, class, sexuality and artistry.” (Museum of Fine Arts)
Art Fair with Mission Hill Main Streets – 10 am–3 pm, Shapiro Family Courtyard. Mission Hill Main Streets works with local businesses, residents and institutions in Mission Hill to revitalize local businesses and strengthen the community. Visitors can meet and enjoy the art of some of the local artists who partner with the organization.
Drop-in Art Making: Collage – This activity will take place from 10 am–4 pm (last entry 3:45 pm), on the Huntington Avenue Lawn (rain location Druker Family Pavilion). Using patterned paper and mixed media, visitors can create their very own colorful collage.
Blackness is Monumental – This event will take place from 1-3pm at the Riley Seminar Room. ‘What are monuments for? What do they teach us about who matters? And how can we radically reimagine monuments to lift up and reclaim our stories?” Visitors can join Wee the People, a social justice project, for an art-filled, intergenerational workshop called “Blackness Is Monumental.” And you can embrace your artistic side and collage your own monument to Blackness with recycled materials including boxes, tubes, gems, vintage photos, and wall-to-wall images of Black art, culture, history and experience.
Also, from 1:30 and 2:30 pm, visitors can hear a reading of the award-winning picture book The Artivist (2023) by Nikkolas Smith. It’s about how kids can combine art and activism in their daily lives.
As The Museum of Fine Arts Celebrates Juneteenth there will also be: a photo booth, free guided tours, drag story hour, face painting, the Boston City Singers, and more.
You can get your tickets as The Museum of Fine Arts Celebrates Juneteenth HERE.
