Public Meetings and the Boston Art Commission

First created in 1890, the Boston Art Commission advocates for public art in Boston’s civic spaces.

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The Boston Art Commission (BAC) is an independent board of volunteers that approves and commissions innovative and transformative public artworks around the City in partnership with the Office of Arts and Culture.

Housed in the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture, the BAC also holds contracts with artists, approves artwork on City land, and conserves the City of Boston’s collection of art and historical artifacts.

Curatorial vision

We commission and approve innovative and transformative artworks that:

engage communities
enrich and enliven the urban environment
are driven by a clear artistic vision
enhance the diversity of the existing collection
respond directly to a specific environment, and
possess durability appropriate to the lifespan of the work.

View our public art policy.

The Boston Art Commission typically meets on the second Tuesday of each month. Looking for the Zoom link and meeting agenda for an upcoming meeting? They will be posted below about a week before the meeting date.

Check the "Meeting Deadlines" section of this page to see the projected meeting dates through the end of this year.

Upcoming Meetings

There are no related events available at this time!

More Information

Next Boston Art Commission meeting

Artworks proposed for City of Boston property are reviewed at public meetings held by the Boston Art Commission (BAC). Meetings are generally held the second Tuesday of each month. We review current public art projects sited on or proposed for City of Boston property.

You can submit public testimony to the Boston Art Commission through our online form.

Access to our meetings

If you have questions about submitting public comments or attending a meeting, please send us an email at BAC@boston.gov.

Meeting agendas are posted in the public notices section of the City's website.

View past meeting minutes

Watch past meeting recordings

Meeting Deadlines

Once you complete the public art and design application, the public art team will review it and follow up with you if more information is needed. If you are proposing a project for City property and need the BAC to review it by a certain date, please see the table below with the deadlines for submitting the Public Art and Design Application each month. If there are issues with your application, you may be asked to postpone and present at a later meeting. Submission of a Public Art and Design Inquiry does not guarantee your project’s inclusion on the agenda of the next meeting of the Boston Art Commission.

Propose a Public Art Project

See Open Calls and Applications

BAC Meeting Deadline	Meeting Date
November 25, 2025	December 9, 2025
December 30, 2025	January 13, 2026
January 27, 2026	February 10, 2026
February 24, 2026	March 10, 2026
March 31, 2026	April 14, 2026
April 28, 2026	May 12, 2026
May 26, 2026	June 9, 2026
June 30, 2026	July 14, 2026
July 28, 2026	August 11, 2026
August 25, 2026	September 8, 2026
September 29, 2026	October 13, 2026
October 27, 2026	November 10, 2026
November 24, 2026	December 8, 2026

Who we are

COMMISSION MEMBERS

We are an independent board of nine commissioners. All of our members are residents of the City and appointed by the Mayor. The commission includes:

a representative nominated by the Boston Society of Architects
a representative nominated by the Museum of Fine Arts
a representative nominated by the Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston
a representative nominated by the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
a representative nominated by the Massachusetts College of Art and Design
a representative nominated by the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
the Chief of the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture, ex officio
the Head of Boston Planning & Development Agency, ex officio, and
one candidate who has demonstrated distinguished service to the arts, appointed at the discretion of the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture.

TERM LIMITS

Members of the commission serve for a term of five years. If invited by the Mayor, commissioners may serve for an additional five years.

What we do

What We Do

RESPONSIBILITIES

We are responsible for the art collection owned by the City of Boston. This includes:

keeping a record of the art
commissioning art for the City, and
maintaining the City’s art, while keeping it safe.

ART FOR EVERYONE

We want everyone to have access to this art in the City. The goal is to enrich the lives of Boston’s diverse citizens and visitors. In our work, we:

collect and research
interpret and exhibit, and
preserve and care for the City's art.

This includes fine art, decorative art, and significant historical artifacts, according to museum standards.

We also examine equity and representation in the City's collection through public dialogue.

WHO WE WORK WITH

We advise, support, and consult with artists and communities, City departments, and others. We make sure that proposed projects on City property meet our standards.