About

Welcome to the Tufts University Art Galleries, located in the Aidekman Arts Center on the university’s main Medford / Somerville campus and at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts (SMFA at Tufts) in Boston.

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Mission
What We Do
Accessible Accomodations at TUAG
Commitment to Racial and Cultural Equity
Land Acknowledgment
Collective Futures Fund
Support TUAG

Mission

As the public center for visual arts at Tufts University, the Art Galleries create a dynamic learning space through a responsive program of contemporary art exhibitions, events, collecting, and scholarship, across our two locations in Medford and Boston. We are driven by our belief in the impact of art and artists on our world and grounded in the values of care, learning, dialogue, and the creative process.

What We Do

Tufts University Art Galleries oversee the exhibition spaces in the Shirley and Alex Aidekman Arts Center in Medford, the galleries and public programs at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) at Tufts in Boston, and Tufts University’s Permanent and Public Art Collection. We present up to four major exhibitions per semester, including one-person and group exhibitions, centered on contemporary topics. The Art Galleries install and maintain the Permanent and Public Art Collection throughout Tufts’s four campuses and work closely with faculty and students to develop curricular exhibitions for public spaces throughout the Medford and SMFA at Tufts campuses. Each spring in conjunction with commencement, our galleries in Medford and Boston showcase the thesis work of graduate and undergraduate SMFA at Tufts students.
In addition to our temporary exhibitions, the Art Galleries produce public programs with leading contemporary artists and scholars. Guests present public artist talks, as well as give performances and workshops and participate in symposia in dialogue with the SMFA at Tufts and Tufts community. Recent visitors have included Sanford Biggers, Carolina Caycedo, Harry Dodge, Sky Hopinka, Arthur Jafa, Fred Moten, Sondra Perry, Claudia Rankine, Aki Sasamoto, Amy Sillman, Cecilia Vicuña, Faith Wilding, Carmen Winant, and many others.
Contact the staff

Accessible Accomodations at TUAG

Accessibility Commitment
Tufts University Art Galleries (TUAG) are committed to learning and practicing radical forms of welcoming to our numerous audiences. Our learning and practice include the provision of accessible accommodations in our galleries to qualified individuals with disabilities in a fair and equitable manner and in accordance with applicable federal and state law, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and in alignment with Tufts University policies. The Tufts Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) coordinates this accommodation process and works closely with individuals and departments, including TUAG, in seeking to promote a diverse and inclusive university community. 
TUAG / Medford
Aidekman Arts Center
40 Talbot Avenue, Medford, MA

Parking Accessibility: The Aidekman Arts Center in Medford offers free handicapped parking at 40 Talbot Avenue, as well as in the Jackson Lot at 26 Lower Campus Road, where all gallery visitors park free.  

Wheelchair Accessibility: Ramps are available at both entrances, but there are only automatic swing door openers at the 40 Talbot Avenue entrance.  

Elevator Access: An elevator is located directly across from the Tisch Family Gallery front entrance at the end of the Slater Concourse. This will take you to the Remis Sculpture Court and the Koppelman Gallery on the lower level. There are several steps down into the Koppelman Gallery that are served by a small lift operated by Gallery Attendants or Staff as needed.

Restrooms: There are restrooms located by the front entrance of the Aidekman Arts Center at 40 Talbot Avenue single all-gender restroom is located is located on the lower level of the Koppelman Gallery.  

Rest Accessibility: TUAG has seating in both Tisch and Koppelman Gallery spaces for guests who would like to sit. Additional portable seats are available upon request at the front desk.  

Low-vision and Non-Hearing Accessibility: TUAG provides a binder of large-print texts and video transcripts available at the front desks for guests who would like access to these materials. Video transcripts, subtitled videos and digital (PDF) versions of wall text are all available. For any digital materials please email kaitlyn.clark@tufts.edu. Lactation Accessibility: Tufts University has multiple lactation rooms throughout campus. The closest one is Tisch Library, Room 104. Please contact OEO for the door code at 617-627- 3298 or Accommodations.OEO@tufts.edu.  

TUAG / Boston
SMFA at Tufts
230 Fenway, Boston, MA

Wheelchair Access: A wheelchair is available at the SMFA campus to TUAG / Boston guests by request at the front registration desk.    

Elevator Access: An elevator is accessible by turning left at the registration desk and walking down the hallway, taking a right, then turning right at the end of the hallway. The elevator provides access to the basement, 2nd, and 3rd floors.   

All-Gender Restrooms: An accessible restroom is located on the basement level between the men’s and women’s bathrooms (SMFA encourages individuals to select the restroom that aligns with an individual’s gender identity), and on the third floor near the elevator. 

Rest Accessibility: TUAG / Boston provides seats in both Anderson & Grossman galleries for guests who would like to sit. Additional seats are available upon request from Gallery Attendants or TUAG Staff at the labeled desks in the galleries.   

Low-Vision and Non-Hearing Accessibility: TUAG / Boston provides a binder of large-print texts available at the Gallery Attendant desks.    

Lactation Accessibility: A designated Lactation Room at the SMFA is located in Room A107 on the first floor to the left of the registration desk.

Cross-Campus Accomodations

For more information on accessibility or to request reasonable accommodations please see the OEO webpage by scanning the QR code. You can also email the OEO Accommodations Team at Accommodations.OEO@Tufts.edu with any questions or to suggest improvements for accessibility.   

Qualified Service Animals: Tufts University and TUAG welcome service animals to accommodate an individual with a disability but may exclude an animal from campus if it causes disruption, threatens the health or safety of others and/or artworks, or otherwise fails to meet the criteria set forth in the Pets and Service Animals policy. This policy stipulates service only animals (specifically dogs and miniature horses)—Emotional Support Animals are not allowed.

Commitment to Racial and Cultural Equity

We at Tufts University Art Galleries (TUAG) believe that artists’ voices are essential to building a just world. In solidarity with those working toward racial justice, we are committed to prioritizing equitable work that gives a platform to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), LGBTQIA+, and feminist voices. The systems and structures we occupy and participate in are built on white supremacy, and we commit to moving ourselves from only acknowledgment toward anti-racist action as well as continual learning and reflection.
Read more about our action commitments

Land Acknowledgment

Tufts University Art Galleries acknowledges that we reside on the traditional homelands of the Massachusett people and within the territories of the Nipmuc and Wôponâak (Wampanoag) tribes who have cared for this land since time immemorial and whose relationships to this place endure.

The genocide of the original inhabitants of this land, its historic and contemporary erasure, and the continued violations of sovereignty, territory, and waterways are the ongoing manifestations of settler colonialism that we benefit from and must work to transform.

Since their formation, universities have been entangled in colonial knowledge production and dispossession. As a cultural institution situated within a university, we commit to learning, listening, unlearning, acting and being in relationship to Indigenous communities and cultural life.

Read our Land Acknowledgment Learning Guide

Collective Futures Fund

The Collective Futures Fund is an initiative directly supporting visual artists and artist-run activity in the Greater Boston area (Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Middlesex, and Plymouth counties) through grants between $2,000 and $7,500. We help incubate artists’ visions for their own independent platforms and research to support the futures of our vibrant local artist communities. The Collective Futures Fund is administered by the Tufts University Art Galleries and is a part of the Regional Regranting Program of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The Sustaining Practice tier is supported by an anonymous donor.

Support TUAG

Thank you for supporting the mission and program efforts of Tufts University Art Galleries with a tax-deductible donation. Click below to donate.
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