Installation view of kinetic-sonic sculpture, eleven colorful speakers attached to trunk of tree laying on a wood floor.
2020 Harold and Arlene Schnitzer Prize in the Visual Arts First Place Winner Nicole L'Huillier's Delira, 2020. Courtesy of the artist.

Council for the Arts at MIT Announces IAP 2021 Arts Funding Opportunities for Undergrads and Student Groups

The Council for the Arts at MIT will offer two art funding opportunities for IAP 2021 focused on undergraduates and student groups.  Special IAP Arts Funding for Undergraduates and Student Groups This one-time special funding opportunity will provide up to … Continued

Rows of students singing and playing brass instruments.
MIT students perform at the 150th Convocation. Credit: Dominick Reuter.

Student Performance Groups

In addition to these faculty-led performance groups, MIT boasts hundreds of student interest groups in dance, film, literary arts, music, theater and other interdisciplinary forms. From a cappella singing to improvisational comedy, origami folding to Bhangra dancing, students can choose from a diverse and lively array of arts activities on campus.

Visit theater.mit.edu for more information about student-led theater groups.

For a complete list of student-led interest groups, visit the MIT Association of Student Activities (ASA).

Public Art Collection

MIT’s Public Art Collection reaches across the Institute and may be enjoyed by MIT students and visitors alike. Outstanding examples of work by Alexander Calder, Pablo Picasso, and other major artists grace the MIT campus for all to view.

Explore the interactive Public Art Map

Gallery in the MIT museum.
MIT Museum. Credit: Judy Daniels.

MIT Museum

The MIT Museum’s galleries, exhibitions, demos, workshops, performances, conversations, and debates invite visitors to participate in the ongoing adventure of research and innovation. The Museum displays objects from it vast collection, and features rotating exhibitions on a wide range of … Continued

Free for MIT ID holders and the last Sunday of each month, September through June
 
Directions + Map

 
 

OPEN: Seven days a week, 10:00am–5:00pm, except major holidays

Before Projection: Video Sculpture 1974-1995
Before Projection: Video Sculpture 1974-1995

List Visual Arts Center

The List Visual Arts Center is a creative laboratory that provides artists with a space to freely experiment and push existing boundaries. As the contemporary art museum at MIT, the List Center presents a dynamic program of six to nine … Continued

Admission and programs are FREE and open to the public
Directions + Map

 
 
OPEN: Tuesday–Sunday 12:00–6:00pm; and until 8:00pm on Thursdays. Closed Mondays and major holidays.

Image credit: Lenny Martinez.
Hacking Arts Festival, 2016.

Hacking Arts

From 2012 to 2019, the MIT Hacking Arts Festival was an annual conference that ignited cross-disciplinary innovation at MIT. Artists, engineers, and entrepreneurs came together for a two-day festival to take on challenges at the intersection of the arts and … Continued

A group of choir members singing.

Chamber Chorus

The MIT Chamber Chorus is a group of about thirty undergraduate and graduate singers representing many disciplines at the Institute. It performs two concerts each year under the direction of Dr. William Cutter. Musical focus is placed on standard chamber … Continued

Black and white photo of a man and a woman.
Laya and Jerome B. Wiesner

Laya and Jerome B. Wiesner Student Art Awards

The Laya and Jerome B. Wiesner Student Art Awards 

The Laya and Jerome B. Wiesner Student Art Awards are presented annually to individual students (undergraduate or graduate) or MIT groups (.i.e., living groups, student organizations) for outstanding arts-related contributions to the MIT community. Up to four awards are made annually. An endowment fund provides a $2,000 award to each recipient.

Nominees should display a strong commitment to the arts as reflected in their participation in and leadership contributions to arts-related activities and organizations at MIT; the impact of those contributions and achievements on the MIT community; and the potential of their contributions to have a lasting impact at MIT.

MIT community members who are considering nominating individual student candidates based on significant contributions to a single student-led arts organization are encouraged to consider nominating the organization as an entity in recognition of the collective contributions and involvement of an organization’s leadership team and members.

Established by the Council for the Arts at MIT in 1979, these awards honor past MIT President Jerome B. Wiesner and Laya Wiesner for their commitment to the arts at MIT.

 

Nominations open February 14 and close March 27, 2024Learn more on the MIT Student Awards website.

 

A historic image shows a man's face an the words "Baritone of Distinction Louis Sudler."
Louis Sudler

Louis Sudler Prize

The Louis Sudler Prize

The Louis Sudler Prize is presented annually to an individual graduating senior who has demonstrated excellence and the highest standards of proficiency in music, theater, painting, sculpture, design, architecture or film. An endowment fund provides a $2,500 award to the honoree.

Nominations are evaluated based on evidence of individual artistic excellence and achievement; evidence of strong commitment to the arts; and the potential to have a continued impact in the arts.

The prize was established in 1982 by Louis Sudler, a performer in the arts and an arts patron from Chicago.

 

Nominations open February 14 and close March 27, 2024. Learn more on the MIT Student Awards website.

 

Installation view of the 2018 Schnitzer Prize Recipients Exhibition in the MIT Wiesner Student Art Gallery.
Installation view of the 2018 Schnitzer Prize Recipients Exhibition in the MIT Wiesner Student Art Gallery.

Harold and Arlene Schnitzer Prize in the Visual Arts

The Harold and Arlene Schnitzer Prize in the Visual Arts

The Harold and Arlene Schnitzer Prize in the Visual Arts is presented to current MIT students, undergraduate and graduate, for excellence in a body of work in the visual arts. Students submit an artistic portfolio for consideration. Applications are considered each spring.

Portfolios are evaluated based upon the coherence and scope of the body of work, as demonstrated by the clarity of inquiry or vision; quality of execution of artistic product; command of medium; use of materials, including technology, computation, fabrication, and research; and demonstrated ability of the artist to contribute to and impact artistic conversations and practices at MIT and beyond.

A generous endowment allows for the award of graduate student prizes of $5,000 each, and undergraduate prizes of $2,500. Recipients also participate in a joint exhibition in the Wiesner Student Art Gallery.

The Harold and Arlene Schnitzer Prize in the Visual Arts was established in 1996 through the generosity of Harold and Arlene Schnitzer of Portland, Oregon. Schnitzer, a real estate investor, graduated from MIT in 1944 with a degree in metallurgy.

 

Deadline to apply: March 15, 2024. Learn more and submit an application through Slideroom.