The Arts

The arts at MIT are rooted in risk-taking and problem-solving, connecting creativity across boundaries, and shaping a lifetime of exploration and discovery.

Students

MIT attracts students who are committed to the arts and who study, practice, and perform the arts in classrooms, in studios, and on stage. In fact, 75 percent of incoming freshmen bring with them interests and experiences in the arts, and over half of MIT's undergraduates enroll in arts courses each year. The Institute offers arts degrees through the School of Architecture and Planning, and majors and minors in music, theater, and writing through the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. Many students—including those in other degree programs—pursue their artistic interests by participating in more than 60 music, theater, visual arts, writing, and dance groups, including the MIT Symphony Orchestra, Dramashop, the Glass Lab, and the Dance Theater Ensemble.

Faculty

MIT students benefit from the guidance of scholars, practitioners, and mentors who possess excellent credentials and an abiding passion for art. The Institute is home to distinguished arts faculty such as Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Harbison (one of eight faculty composers), video and performance artist Joan Jonas, and conceptual artist Krzysztof Wodiczko. Renowned artists from around the world come to the campus for periods ranging from a day to a semester or more, providing insights into different cultures and alternative views on familiar problems.

Events

Productions range from chamber music to electronic "hyperinstrument" concerts, classic Shakespearean plays to musical theater, and ballroom to modern dance. MIT is home to Boston's only Balinese gamelan and a Senegalese sabar drumming ensemble. The Institute is also a leading presenter of South Asian music and dance.

Office of the Arts

Under the direction of the associate provost for the arts, the Office of the Arts oversees, supports, and promotes arts activities on campus and sponsors a number of programs specially designed to encourage students in their artistic endeavors.

List Visual Arts Center

Recognized internationally for its thought-provoking exhibitions of contemporary art, the List Visual Arts Center at MIT encompasses a permanent collection of nearly 2,000 pieces located throughout the Institute. MIT’s acclaimed outdoor sculpture collection features works by Alexander Calder, Henry Moore, Sol Lewitt, and other international figures.

MIT Museum

The MIT Museum presents exhibitions and programs that explore the foundations and frontiers of science and technology. The museum provides a window into the research being done behind laboratory doors, and gives visitors the opportunity to investigate technological innovation.

For more information on the arts at MIT, including upcoming event listings, visit http://web.mit.edu/arts/ or call the Office of the Arts at 617-253-4003.