On view September 3–October 3, 2022
Presented in conjunction with The Obama Portraits Tour
BOSTON (August 31, 2022)—This fall, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, (MFA) presents Portraits of Leadership: Responses to the Obama Portraits, a crowdsourced exhibition accompanying the arrival of The Obama Portraits Tour. As a response to the MFA’s call for submissions, artists of all ages—from Dorchester to Seoul—have submitted portraits of leaders in their life, totaling more than 2,600 works. Forming a larger portrait of leadership in the Museum’s community, the project creates a celebratory moment for Boston audiences as they experience Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald’s iconic portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama.
The exhibition was curated by six students from the MFA’s Curatorial Study Hall, a project-based internship that offers museum career experience to high school students: Joshua Alsaindor of Everett High School, Brianna Medrano of John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science, Jalil Presley Rogers of Cristo Rey Boston High School, Hannah Nguyen of Randolph High School, Iyla Lara of Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers and Sophia Shatzky of Brookline High School.
Working together, the teen curators identified and explored six themes among the submitted portraits:
- Perspectives on Fame features artists, musicians, religious and historical figures.
- Sanctuary Within Our Homes highlights family members and pets.
- Picturing Changemakers includes leaders such as Barack Obama and Martin Luther King Jr. as well as young activists like Greta Thunberg and Malala Yousafzai.
- Leader in You, Leader in Me is dedicated to everyday heroes.
- More Than Just a Portrait brings together collages, abstractions and compositions created with tissue paper, origami, magazine clippings, pastel, watercolor and paint.
- Your Words, Our Narratives features works that use collaged, written or printed text to spotlight stories about family, friends and fictional characters.
Portraits of Leadership is included with general admission. The MFA is also offering four opportunities to see both Portraits of Leadership and The Obama Portraits Tour for free on Monday, September 5 (Labor Day); Monday, September 19; Monday, October 10 (Indigenous Peoples’ Day) and Sunday, October 30.
The exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is generously supported by Suffolk Cares, Carolyn and Peter Lynch and the Lynch Foundation, the Crimson Lion / Lavine Family Foundation, and Patti and Jonathan Kraft. Additional support from the Adams-Budding-Cohen Family, Bridgitt and Bruce Evans, and Susan Clark Livingston. Media Partner is WCVB Channel 5 Boston. With gratitude to Converse, The 7uice Foundation, The Boston Foundation, and The Obama Foundation.