A Guide to Freeloading Off the Cambridge Art Scene

Crowdsourced insights on minimizing the cost base while maximizing the artistic and cultural value of your MBA experience

Many of us probably started the year with grand plans to “explore Cambridge” or even “venture into downtown Boston.” Chances are, you’ve seen the inside of Spangler more than your own family and certainly more than you’ve stood in front of a compelling piece of artwork. Fortunately, spring semester is the perfect time to fix that (the art part, not the family part… sorry).

In my capacity as Arts & Entertainment Editor, I’ve taken it upon myself to curate a selection of free arts and cultural spots in the area because, hey, some of us aren’t yet materially experiencing the Net Present Value of this MBA investment. This list is by no means exhaustive but serves as a starting point for fun ways to engage with art near you without breaking the bank. I’ve noted which places are free to the public and which require a Harvard ID, as well as where guests are welcome.

Read on for an assortment of hidden (and some not so hidden) gems from the Cambridge and Boston art world.

ArtsThursdays

Free and open to the public. Location varies.

ArtsThursdays is a university-wide presidential initiative in which a different Harvard arts institution opens its doors every Thursday evening for free performances, exhibitions, lectures, and other events. Check the schedule on harvard.edu/artsthursdays to see what’s coming up, and register early since some venues have limited capacity.

Harvard Art Museums

Free and open to all. Located at 32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138.

You probably already know about this one, but just in case, admission to the Harvard Art Museums is free for everyone every day (no HUID required). The museums house over fifty galleries of art across three floors, spanning everything from ancient Mediterranean art to contemporary work. The last Thursday of each month is Harvard Art Museums at Night, featuring free admission, music, food, and special programming until 9 p.m.

For the Cinephiles: Harvard Film Archive

Film screenings are free with Harvard ID. Galleries are free and open to the public. Located at 24 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 near Harvard Yard (next to the Art Museums).

On Friday through Monday nights year-round, the Harvard Film Archive screens films ranging from cult classics to rare experimental work you genuinely cannot see anywhere else. Screenings are free with a Harvard ID. What makes this one especially worth your time is the filmmaker Q&As, where the Archive regularly invites directors and artists to discuss their work after screenings. If you’re a real film person, this is your spot.

The building itself is worth the trip, too. The Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, which houses the Archive, is the only building in North America designed by the iconic architect, Le Corbusier. It’s a work of art in its own right. The Center periodically offers free public architecture tours (check its website for dates), and the galleries on Levels 1 and 3—which are free and open to all—showcase contemporary art exhibitions year-round.

Alain Locke Gallery of African & African American Art

Free and open to all. Located at 102 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 in Harvard Square.

This is one of the more under-the-radar gems in Harvard Square. The Alain Locke Gallery (formerly the Cooper Gallery) is part of the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research and showcases a rotating program of exhibitions centered on African and African American artistic traditions. The gallery is named after Alain Locke, who was the first African American to earn a PhD in Philosophy from Harvard in 1918. He was also the first Black Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and went on to become the intellectual architect of the Harlem Renaissance. 

The gallery is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays through Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. It also hosts curatorial tours, which are worth attending if you want the full context behind what’s on display.

For the Intellectuals: Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study

Free and open to all. 10 Garden Street & 8 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138.

The Radcliffe Institute hosts a steady stream of public events and exhibitions that are free and open to all. These range from art exhibitions in the Johnson-Kulukundis Family Gallery (Byerly Hall at 8 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138) to lectures, film screenings, and conversations with fellows working across the arts, humanities, and sciences. The programming tends to be interdisciplinary and thought-provoking, and the gallery space is a quiet, beautiful spot tucked just off Harvard Square in Radcliffe Yard. Check radcliffe.harvard.edu for the events calendar.

MIT List Visual Arts Center

Free and open to all (closed Mondays). Located at 20 Ames Street, Building E15, Cambridge, MA 02142.

You don’t have to be an MIT student to enjoy this one. The List Visual Arts Center is MIT’s contemporary art museum, located in the I.M. Pei-designed Wiesner Building in Kendall Square. It presents six to nine exhibitions a year, ranging from site-specific installations to major solo shows, all of which are free and open to the public. While you’re there, take a walk around the MIT campus to see its permanent public art collection, which includes works by Alexander Calder, Anish Kapoor, and Henry Moore, among others.

Harvard Ceramics Program

Lectures and visiting artist events are free and open to all. Harvard graduate students must pay for courses (free for undergrads). Located at 224 Western Avenue, Allston, MA 02134.

Run by Harvard’s Office for the Arts, the Ceramics Program is internationally known and has been running for over 50 years. Classes are open to anyone over eighteen years old (courses are free for Harvard undergraduates, though graduate students have to pay), with free lectures and workshops by visiting artists available throughout the year. Even if you don’t enroll in a course, keep an eye out for the annual Show and Sale in December, which is free and open to the public.

Honorable Mention: The MFA

Free with Harvard ID. Pay-what-you-wish on Thursday evenings for all. Located 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, 02115.

You’ve probably been to the Museum of Fine Arts already, but in case you didn’t know, Harvard is part of the MFA’s University Membership Program, which means students, faculty, and staff get free general admission and free special exhibition tickets with a valid Harvard ID. Just show your HUID at the ticket desk (same-day walk-ins are required for free tickets; online reservations are not allowed). The MFA also runs pay-what-you-wish Thursday evenings (5–10 p.m., $5 minimum), which is a solid option for bringing friends who aren’t Harvard-affiliated.

Another Honorable Mention: ICA Boston

Free with Harvard ID at any time. Free Thursday Nights (5–9 p.m.) for all. Located at 25 Harbor Shore Drive, Boston, MA 02210.

The Institute of Contemporary Art on the South Boston Waterfront is free for Harvard students, faculty, and staff anytime with a valid HUID (Harvard is part of the ICA’s University Membership program). For everyone else, the ICA runs Free Thursday Nights from 5–9 p.m.—no university affiliation needed. Tickets go live at 10 a.m. on Thursday mornings at icaboston.org and tend to go fast, so set a reminder. The scenic location right along the Boston Harbor is alone worth the trip.

A Closing Note

Many of these spaces are free because they’re funded by donations, grants, and institutional support. If you find a place you love and are in a position to give back, consider buying something from the gift shop, dropping a donation, or simply telling other people about it. Word-of-mouth is how I found most of these spots in the first place, and it’s probably the best thing you can do for a small gallery or makerspace trying to keep its doors open.

Folu Ogunyeye (MBA ‘27) grew up in Milton Keynes in the UK. She graduated from the University of Cambridge with a degree in Human, Social and Political Sciences. Prior to HBS, Folu worked in HR at BlackRock in Atlanta and in social impact consulting between New York and London. Beyond work, Folu loves to write, explore art galleries or catch a live jazz gig.