With graduation right around the corner, 2026 SMFA at Tufts thesis exhibitions opening soon at both TUAG locations, exciting opportunities for artists, and a book launch with our friends at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in conjunction with the Spring 2025 exhibition How do you throw a brick through the window…, there’s a lot to look forward to at TUAG this May.

Scroll to explore what’s ahead, and we look forward to celebrating with you this month!

On view May 5–17 at Tufts University Art Galleries in Medford, the 2026 MFA Thesis Exhibition Passages presents presents work by nineteen MFA candidates, showcasing their richly varied practices and development in the MFA program. The exhibition’s title speaks to the journey each student has undergone, in art and in life, forming a conceptual throughline for the works on view.

Passages is guest curated by ICA Boston Assistant Curator Max Gruber and organized by Alexi Antoniadis, Madeline Ditzler, Laurel Nakadate, Sarah Prickett, and Kenson Truong.

Join us in celebrating the 2025 MFA graduates during a public reception on Friday, May 16 from 5-8PM at TUAG / Medford (Aidekman Arts Center).

Register for the Public Reception here.

The 2026 BFA Senior Thesis exhibition Until we run out of space, on view from May 6–17 at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA), features the work of 75 graduating BFA and Combined Degree seniors in the Atrium, Anderson Auditorium, Grossman Gallery, B305 and B307 galleries, SMFA Library, and across the SMFA campus. Join the SMFA Dean’s Suite for a drop-in reception celebrating the student artists May 16, 5–8PM.

Join the Boston Public Art Triennial and Collective Futures Fund (CFF) to learn about exciting opportunities for artists and cultural workers at each organization, ask questions to our team, and hear from CFF and Triennial alumni about their practice and experience with our organizations.

DATE: Wednesday, May 13
TIME: 6-8PM
LOCATION: TUAG / Boston (SMFA at Tufts)

Collective Futures Fund will share about their artist grants supporting independent projects and artistic research in the Greater Boston area and strategies for strong applications.

The Boston Public Art Triennial will share about their Public Art Accelerator program: a skill-building and grant-funding program that supports early-to-mid-career Boston-based artists in creating temporary public art projects in neighborhoods across the city.

Afterwards you’ll hear from two previous CFF grantees AND Triennial Accelerator alumni about their projects, practices, and how the respective programs supported their artistic growth.

Register here.

Each year, the Tufts University Art Galleries (TUAG) and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) at Tufts University administer up to 10 awards of $10,000 for eligible SMFA at Tufts alumni to pursue travel and research related to their art practice. There is no submission fee for applicants. 

Jurors for the 2026 Traveling Fellowships include Queens-based interdisciplinary artist Serena Chang, cultural historian and curator Angela T. Tate, and curator, editor, and researcher Madeline Weisburg.

Explore more more information about the program and begin preparing your application here.

Join John Michael Kohler Arts Center and Tufts University Art Galleries in Chicago with Gallery 400 for the publication launch of How do you throw a brick through the window…, produced alongside the exhibition of the same name. Both the exhibition and publication take inspiration from artist and activist Johanna Hedva’s question, “How do you throw a brick through the window of a bank if you can’t get out of bed?” Hedva’s statement questions the rights and opportunities of individuals with disabilities who navigate different forms of protest. DATE: May 21, 2026TIME: 6:00-7:30PMLOCATION: UIC Architecture and Design Studios 845 W Harrison St, Chicago, IL 60607Room 1100The evening will include a talk by contributing author Amanda Cachia, who will discuss her essay in the publication alongside related scholarship from her recent book, Hospital Aesthetics: Disability, Medicine, Activism.

Register here.

Please note this off-site event will be held in Chicago, IL.