Each semester, we partner with faculty to present artist residency events. These events are planned in full partnership with the faculty, and programming is deeply embedded in the academic mission of the university, interdisciplinary, and usually engage multiple schools and programs within the university.

We have an active group of student leaders that make up our Student Advisory Council who work with our staff to develop programs that build community and support student wellbeing. The council has three committees who plan student led events.  The Special Events committee plans our First Friday events and Study Breaks which are casual opportunities to do something creative, relax, and meet new people and are announced on FB and Instagram. The Arts Insiders committee plans small group trips to arts events off campus (space for each event is limited so be sure to sign up for the Arts Insiders notices.) Art for 5 offers $5 student tickets to unique regional arts events like touring musicals, Van Gogh Immersive Experience, and more. And the Galleries committee who plan student exhibits in our office suite.

We offer grants for faculty, students, and staff projects that directly engage BU students in the arts. The next deadline is March 24, 2023. We also offer Graduate Arts Research Grants and support two undergraduate summer research grants through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.

The BU Global Music Festival is annual celebration of musical cultures around the world featuring high-caliber, international artists as well as vibrant local musical communities, bringing the wider musical world to the doorstep of thousands of students, adults, young people, and families throughout the Boston area.

We’ve made sure BU students have affordable—and in many cases free—access to the best of Boston’s art scene, including FREE access to the Museum of Fine Arts, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Harvard Art Museums and the Institute of Contemporary Art, as well as the Boston Symphony Orchestra (when open and available).

Each fall we coordinate an event to showcase arts programs and events at BU. Check out the participants from this Fall’s 2022 Arts Fair on Friday, September 4th from 11am-1pm.

Every year we bring over 3 dozen Boston area arts organizations, BU programs and BU student groups together to share their programming and involve students in the arts on & off campus.

First-year undergraduate BU Students can pick up a passport at the BU Arts Initiative office suite. Students can use this passport to track your attendance at five or more arts events this semester. Completed passports will be entered into a lottery for prizes at the end of the semester. 

Sign up to receive an email every Wednesday night with a list of on campus arts events and other news for Thursday through the following Sunday. That is 10-days of events for you to check out on BU’s campus and beyond!

Students explore the role of the arts in their personal lives, at BU, and in the Boston area, and how the arts contribute to personal and community development in HUB CC 133.

In addition to major programs, residencies, and grants, there are other ways in which we support curricular integration of the arts for faculty. There is also a list of discounts to local arts organizations for faculty and staff.

Check out the variety of opportunities for student musicians and student, faculty, staff, and alumni visual art exhibitions.

Boston University is proud to be the home of more than two dozen public art installations, including one of our newest installations from Carson Fox, as well as work from noted Chilean Sculptor Sergio Castillo, Alum Russel Jacques, mason Edward Monti, and sculptor and photographer Gregg Lefevre.

Check out our Public Art page to explore temporary and permanent work on each of BU’s campuses.

Our partnership with CAS Writing supports the expansion of the Boston Now program, which includes a number of courses that use the arts as topics for the teaching of writing skills.