With its history spanning nearly 400 years, it’s no surprise that Boston is a place brimming with dynamic venues detailing the rich stories of its past, present and future. Some of the country’s most renowned museums are here, with strong tradition in the arts, and newer-age hotspots are making way for the next generation of creatives.
Hosting an event in one of these iconic arts and culture venues will elevate your next Boston program and enhance the guest experience, inspiring attendees to collaborate, innovate and bring home their best ideas.
Artists for Humanity EpiCenter
Less than a mile from Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, the Artists for Humanity EpiCenter provides a unique space for groups looking to wow and make community impact.
Artists for Humanity (AFH) employs over 300 teens annually to work collaboratively with professional art and design mentors to provide fine art and design services to the business community, with a mission to “bridge economic, racial and social divisions by providing under-resourced urban youth with the keys to self-sufficiency through paid employment in art and design.”
Renting the EpiCenter directly supports this mission and serves as a blank canvas for anything from small meetings to seated events for up to 250 or standing events for up to 800.
The venue consists of two galleries, Lewis Gallery and AFH Gallery, which are adorned with paintings and photographs created by AFH’s teen artists, and can be separated by airwall; a mezzanine that acts as a wraparound deck within the space; and an open courtyard with cafe lights.
According to the venue’s event coordinator, Phyllis Aleman, AFH can also do interactive paintings at events, where they can bring teen artists to co-create a painting with guests, who can color on a canvas or panel.
As a bonus, for green-minded planners, AFH EpiCenter was Boston’s first Platinum LEED-certified facility, constructed in 2004, and sustainability remains of high value to the venue.
[Related: 6 Historic Venues in Massachusetts That Enhance the Event Experience]
Symphony Hall
Boston’s Symphony Hall opened its doors with a gala in 1900 and has been a treasured spot for events ever since. It’s also a venue that has pioneered in many ways. According to its website, the original architects of Symphony Hall engaged a young assistant professor of physics at Harvard as their acoustical consultant, helping it to be the first auditorium designed in accordance with scientifically derived acoustical principles.
It is considered one of the top concert halls in the world, and so is its organ, which was installed in 1949, is also world-renowned. Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops call Symphony Hall home. Groups can pair their event with a show, renting function spaces before or after a performance, like the adjacent Eunice and Julian Cohen Wing, which can accommodate up to 380 people for a seated dinner, 550 for a standing reception or 700 for a lecture. The concert hall and function spaces can also be rented on non-concert days for special seated events.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Originally founded in 1870 in Copley Square and establishing its Fenway location in 1909, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts has been a fixture in the community for more than a century. Presently, the museum’s collection of nearly 500,000 works “tells the story of the human experience,” featuring ancient and modern art.
Spaces for events at the museum put both its history and fine art on full display for events of varying sizes, accommodating intimate luncheons to receptions as large as 3,500.
Some notable options include:
- William I. Koch Gallery, where European masterpieces from artists such as Tintoretto, El Greco, Velázquez, Poussin, Lorrain and Van Dyck adorn the walls of a space that can host seated dinners for 180 or receptions up to 500. Use the space in conjunction with Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Rotunda and Colonnade, circa 1916, with a series of wow-worthy paintings and sculptures.
- Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Family Courtyard is a glass-enclosed setting that can host year-round events for up to 1,000 reception-style or 500 seated. Limestone walls provide an optimal spot for projections, and since the space was designed with a sound engineer, audio doesn’t clash with the glass. Guests can explore the adjacent Art of Americas wing, too.
- Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art is perfect for groups after a more modern aesthetic. Natural light, two floors, Galleria, 465 Bar and Restaurant and Remis Auditorium are included in the space rental that can host up to 1,200 reception-style and 250 seated.
Boston Public Library
Established in 1848, Boston Public Library is both a historic and pioneering fixture in the city. It was the first large free municipal library in the U.S., the first public library to lend books, the first to have a branch library and the first to have a children’s room. The Central Library in Copley Square, which has two buildings, has served as headquarters since 1895.
The McKim building is a National Historic Landmark, built in the style of Renaissance Beaux-Arts Classicism, and is a beautiful location for special events. Planners can utilize 16,000 square feet of space, plus additional outdoor spaces, for events up to 1,300. The Bolyston Street Building can also host up to 1,300. Both buildings have various rooms and spaces for events of varying sizes.
[Related: How to Host a Sustainable Event in Boston]
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Opened in 1903 to fanfare with a performance by members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum has sparked the curiosity of guests for more than 100 years. With architecture inspired by arts patron and philanthropist Isabella Stewart Gardner’s travels to a Venetian Palace with a lush courtyard, the museum is filled with 7,500 paintings, sculptures, furniture, textiles, silver, ceramics, 3000 rare books and 7,000 archival objects from around the world.
During her lifetime, Gardner’s museum was thought to be one of the finest private art collections in the country. Following her death in 1924, she left the museum “for the education and enjoyment of the public forever.”
Groups can arrange private tours of this impressive museum to learn more about Gardner’s life and her collection. They can also harness the venue for private events—after all, Gardner herself used the venue frequently for entertaining before her passing. Receptions with strings in the beautiful courtyard are popular. The Cloisters, which surrounds the courtyard, is considered the museum’s signature location for receptions for up to 200.
The New Wing’s Café G is also available for events with a modern touch, and comes with an adjoining terrace, accommodating groups as large as 150 for strolling dinners and receptions. Seated events can accommodate 90. Full museum rentals are also possible.
