Community Arts Initiative Artist Project Seeks Lead Artist

The Artist Project is a collaboration between the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and twelve afterschool community organizations in the Boston area. Each year an experienced artist with a passion for community arts is selected to plan and lead a project with children between the ages of six and twelve. The lead artist guides the children and helps them create a collaborative work of art inspired by the Museum's encyclopedic collection.

The completed project is exhibited in the Edward H. Linde Gallery in the Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art at the MFA. A stipend of $50,000 and a materials budget is provided to the selected artist. Applicants must be experienced artists with demonstrated ability to complete large-scale projects involving different elements, community partners, and groups of children.

Judges review applications for engagement with the MFA's collection and use of varied media; creativity and reflection of the artist's style; feasibility within the provided timeframe and budget; clarity of vision for exhibition within the gallery space; and flexibility to accommodate multiple participants and after-school variables such as children arriving late, leaving early, or participating in only one session. Application deadline is January 16, 2026. Interviews will be held the weeks of February 23 and March 2, 2026, with notification on April 3, 2026. Initial planning meetings begin July 2026, with sessions running from October 2026 through April 2027. Installation occurs April/May 2027, and the exhibition opens May 2027.