During the last forty years, MIT arts programs have expanded, driven by faculty and student interest, pioneering technologies, and fresh ideas in the art world. New campus facilities for the visual and performing arts, design, and the public display of MIT’s extraordinary arts and creativity have opened or will be completed in the near future. And, at the same time, a broader understanding of what constitutes the arts and who acts as an artist has evolved in recent years.

In response to a charge given in June 2024 by MIT Provost Cynthia Barnhart, which was developed in consultation with Vice Provost for the Arts Philip S. Khoury; Kenan Sahin Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Agustín Rayo; and Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning Hashim Sarkis, the Future of the Arts Committee submitted a set of recommendations to advise the Institute on new ways to envision the place of the arts at MIT.

More information at arts.mit.edu/future-of-the-arts

Graphic design, selected photos: Heidi Erickson