The Council for the Arts at MIT supports MIT’s memberships at many Boston area cultural organizations, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston (ICA), and more. It also helps underwrite discounted tickets to performances at the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and the Boston Ballet, as well as connect students with discounted tickets to performances by several area ensembles.
Museum memberships primarily support free admission for current MIT students, but some apply to faculty and staff as well. Please see below for more detailed information on our partnerships with specific institutions.
MIT students only. Tickets are distributed first come, first served, as supplies last.
For more information about arts events on campus, visit our Arts Calendar and sign up for our Arts at MIT newsletter.
MIT’s partnership with the BSO is supported in part by Philip and Barbara Bobko.
For more information, please contact council-arts@mit.edu.
For information about other discounted ticket opportunities available to MIT students, visit the MIT Activities Committee website.
In addition, CAMIT underwrites faculty requests for tickets to specific arts events and performances to supplement their syllabi every semester.
The Council for the Arts at MIT sponsors discounted tickets to four Boston Ballet performances each year.
When tickets are available for sale, an email will be sent to the arts tickets list with further information.
The Council for the Arts at MIT subsidizes the cost of the BSO College Card, a program that allows students to attend any number of Boston Symphony Orchestra performances each season for free. Students can visit MIT Copytech in Building 11-004 to purchase a college card at the reduced price of $7 and attend available BSO Concerts at no additional cost. (Some non-eligible dates apply. MIT student IDs are required to purchase a card. Only one per MIT student ID.)
After obtaining your card, you must go to bso.org/collegecard to register and learn how to obtain concert tickets. Detailed instructions, availability, and any non-eligible dates will be listed throughout the season at bso.org/collegecard.
MIT’s partnership with the BSO is supported in part by Philip and Barbara Bobko.
More information about the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Eligibility: Current MIT Students and Postdocs (with valid ID)
The Council for the Arts provides free general admission to the ICA for MIT students, faculty and (new in 2019!) staff. MIT students are also eligible for discounted, student-rate pricing to ICA performances and films.
Please present your MIT ID at the ICA admissions desk to receive your ticket. Free tours for up to 20 students at a time are also available by emailing tours@icaboston.org at least three weeks in advance of the scheduled tour date. Free admission to First Friday events is not included in this program.
More information about the ICA
Eligibility: Current MIT Students (with valid Student ID) and Current MIT Faculty and Staff (with valid Employee ID)
The Council for the Arts at MIT provides free general admission to the Gardner Museum for MIT students, faculty, and staff. This partnership also includes free tickets to lectures, discounts on guided gallery tours, and $10 off Individual and Friend level membership for faculty and staff.
Please present your MIT ID at the Gardner admissions desk to receive your ticket. Free admission to Third Thursday events is also included in this program. Visit the MITAC website for information on discounted tickets for non-MIT guests.
More information about the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Eligibility: Current MIT Students (with valid Student ID) and Current MIT Faculty and Staff (with valid Employee ID)
The Council for the Arts provides free general admission to the MFA for MIT students, faculty and staff. This partnership also includes $5 tickets for students to regularly priced films, when purchased in person on the day of the screening, free tickets to MFA First Fridays, and a 10% discount on purchases in the Museum Shops.
Present your MIT ID at the MFA ticket desk to receive free admission.
More information about the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Eligibility: Current MIT Students (with valid Student ID) and current MIT Faculty and Staff (with valid Employee ID)
The Harvard Art Museums provide free admission to all students with a valid ID. This includes free access to the Art Study Center, which allows visitors to request objects not currently on display in the galleries, facilitating self-directed teaching and learning from works in all media.
Other members of the MIT community who are eligible can take advantage of the Harvard Art Museum’s local rates, which grant free admission to all Cambridge residents and free admission on Saturdays from 10 am – noon to all Massachusetts residents (proof of residency required).
More information about the Harvard Art Museums
Eligibility: Current students with valid ID
Local rates are available for eligible members of the MIT community
Radius Ensemble liberates classical music for a new generation of music lovers with a fresh combination of eclectic programming and intimate performances by extraordinary musicians. $12 student tickets available.
Purchase a student membership to the A.R.T. for $10, and gain access to $15 tickets for select seats. $15 student rush tickets and $25 student advance tickets are also available. For more information, visit Student Ticketing Policies at the A.R.T.
Purchase up to two $15 (advance) or $10 (rush) tickets to any ArtsEmerson performance. For more information, visit “High School & College Students” under Ticket Offers.
Student tickets are available for the Boston Chamber Music Society, directed by Institute Professor Marcus Thompson. Rates begin at $9 online in advance; student rush tickets may also be available. For more information, visit Tickets.
The Boston Modern Orchestra Project is widely recognized as the leading orchestra in the United States dedicated exclusively to performing new music. Its signature record label, BMOP/sound, is the nation’s foremost label launched by an orchestra and solely devoted to new music recordings.
$10 tickets are available for students with a valid student ID.
Catalyst Collaborative @ MIT, a collaboration between Central Square Theater and MIT, is the nation’s only on-going partnership between a professional theater company and a world-class research institution.
Central Square Theater offers a special subscription package for MIT students, which allows students to purchase 4 tickets for $30. For more information, visit Subscriptions at Central Square Theater.
Purchase $20 students tickets to all performances. Available for full time students, aged 25 and under, with valid ID. For more information, visit Discount Ticket Programs.
More information about the Huntington Theatre Company
Eligibility: Current Students, aged 25 and under, with valid ID
New Rep offers $15 student rush tickets to all productions, as well as a discounted price of $22 for student tickets purchased in advance. Learn more about New Rep’s 2019-20 season: TRANSITION.