Arts and Culture
We foster the growth of the cultural community in Boston and promote participation in the arts.
Our office enhances the quality of life, the economy, and the design of the City through the arts. The role of the arts in all aspects of life in Boston is reinforced via equitable access to arts and culture in every community, its public institutions, and public places.
Key areas of work include support to the cultural sector through grants and programs, as well as the production and permitting of art in public places.
Contact
Current Opportunities
Current Opportunities
Artists are invited to apply to create a memorial that commemorates the Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire.
Poets who live or work in Boston are invited to send in work to help celebrate the City through poetry, and to remind people of what a culturally exciting place Boston is.
The Boston Artist Relief Fund will award grants of $500 to Boston artists whose creative practices and incomes are being adversely impacted by COVID-19.
Artist Resource Desk
Find out about resources and services available for artists in the City of Boston.
Public Art
Public Art
First created in 1890, the commission advocates for public art in Boston’s civic spaces.
You can propose both short and long-term public art and design projects on City property.
We commission artists for both temporary and permanent public art projects in the City of Boston.
Strand Theatre
The theater in Dorchester serves as a cultural and educational resource to artists and audiences.
Boston Creates Cultural Plan
Boston Creates is the City of Boston's ten-year long cultural plan. The goal is to enhance arts and culture in the City. It was established through an extensive community engagement process. This included a town hall meeting and a citywide online survey. Some goals highlighted in the plan include:
- providing fertile grounds for a vibrant and sustainable arts ecosystem
- keeping local artists in Boston and attracting new ones here
- making arts accessible to everyone
- ensuring that all cultural traditions are respected, and
- integrating arts and culture into all aspects of civic life.
Our Grant Opportunities
Artist Fellowship Award
The pilot grant invests in individual artists living and working in Boston.
Boston Cultural Council Organizational Grants
The BCC organizational grants provide awards of up to $5,000 to local arts organizations.
Fay Chandler Emerging Artist Awards
Every fall, the City recognizes fresh, original, and contemporary work made by Boston artists.
Opportunity Fund
Apply for a grant to help continue your development, build skills, share your artistic work, and teach others.
Project Partnership Grant
This grant is intended to elevate recurring events and programs that create opportunities for artists in Boston.
Other Programs
Alternative Space Pilot Project for Artists
We partner with local businesses and institutions to make underused private spaces available to artists.
Artist Resource Desk
Find out more about services for artists in the City of Boston.
Boston AIR
In the program, artists, community members, and City employees work on projects that help reframe social conversations. These artists explore the ways they can use art and media to improve and bolster City initiatives.
Boston Cultural Council
The council awards grants that help artists and arts organizations thrive.
City Hall Galleries
Boston City Hall is home to several galleries that promote and exhibit the work of Boston artists.
Cultural Districts
Cultural districts are well-recognized areas that help strengthen local economies and add vibrancy to local culture.
Current open calls and applications
See what public art projects the City has planned and submit your proposals.
Finding space as an artist in Boston
We want to help artists of all disciplines find spaces in Boston.
King Memorial
We're working with nonprofit MLK Boston to help bring a memorial honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King to Boston.
One Boston Resilience Project
We're beginning a citywide community engagement process to envision our collective strength after violence, as illuminated by the Boston Marathon Bombing.
Open Studios
Talk to and buy art directly from artists, see demonstrations, listen to music, and more.
PaintBox
Local artists can paint a City of Boston-owned utility box with their original designs.
Percent for Art
The City sets aside one percent of its annual capital borrowing budget for the commissioning of public art.
Poet Laureate
The Poet Laureate works to raise the status of poetry in the everyday lives of residents.
Raining Poetry
The Mayor's Mural Crew works with the Poet Laureate and Mass Poetry to create invisible poems on the streets of Boston.
Meet the Staff
Meet the Staff
