Great works of art can deepen our understanding of the world around us. As we confront the current events shaping this period in history, art can offer solace, clarity, and perspective. Through Art for This Moment, MFA staff, artists, and others share objects from across our collections that carry personal significance and global resonance.
Portrait Head of Socrates
George Scharoun
Tuesday, August 31, 2021
Approaching a marble figure in the cool, quiet halls of the MFA’s ancient Greek and Roman galleries is an uncanny, potentially dizzying experience…
Starfish Brooch
Emily Stoehrer
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
As a young child I used to wander around the seashore and tide pools with my sister, searching for starfish. Sometimes we even found one! What we…
Interior of a Painter’s Studio
Eben Haines
Thursday, June 24, 2021
Looking at Jan Davidsz. de Heem’s Interior of a Painter’s Studio , we find the artist hard at work in a spare but disheveled space, with clear…
Where Art Goes Feelings Follow
Chanel Thervil
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Bold. Vibrant. Fun. Energizing. That’s how my life looked before the pandemic. I relished hugging friends as a greeting and goodbye. I liked getting…
The Hair Craft Project
Luiza deCamargo
Friday, April 30, 2021
The first time I met Sonya Clark she helped me move a 300-pound cast-bronze bench down a steep flight of stairs. Well, maybe there’s more to the story…
Statue of Lady Sennuwy
Chelsea Garunay
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
After a year of anxious interactions, losing ourselves in reveries of art in a public space can feel like a gentle first step back to the social lives…
Walking Man
Melina Mardueño
Tuesday, February 23, 2021
Last October my brother, sister, and niece came to Boston to visit me. Due to the pandemic, they spent most of their visit in my home, but I was very…
Ubi Girl from Tai Region
Martina Tanga
Thursday, January 28, 2021
A young woman looks out at us from under semi-closed eyelids. Her forehead and cheeks are painted white; dramatic diagonal red lines intersect at the…
George Washington
Ethan Lasser
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
Rioters rampaging through the United States Capitol, rioters destroying offices, rioters terrorizing journalists and officials, rioters freely exiting…
Interior of a Mosque, Cairo
Hope Stockton
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
I miss traveling. Thirty miles, 300 miles, 3,000 miles, anywhere outside the context of my normal day-to-day life, anyplace with different patterns…
Rouen Cathedral Series
Julia Welch
Tuesday, November 24, 2020
What do you think of when you hear the name Monet? It likely conjures images of sun-filled meadows, colorful gardens, or ethereal water lilies…
The Fog Warning
Ethan Lasser
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
As COVID-19 continues to devastate communities across America and we brace ourselves for an Election Day when so much is at stake, I find myself…
Taihu Rock
Nancy Berliner
Monday, September 28, 2020
When you go to the beach, do you pick up pebbles or stones that appeal to you—that speak to you, so to speak? You feel strongly that you want this one…
Resisting Temptation
Linton Young
Monday, September 21, 2020
I have a secret. A shameful, potentially career-ending secret. I want to touch the art. I would never do it of course; I am a museum professional…
Ganesha with His Consorts
Laura Weinstein
Monday, September 14, 2020
Any day now when we step outside, despite our face masks, we will know the air has changed. Fall is approaching, and along with it, many other things…