Founded on February 4, 1870, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), stands on the historic homelands of the Massachusett people, a site that has long served as a place of meeting and exchange among different nations. The Museum opened its doors to the public on July 4, 1876—the nation’s centennial—at its original location in Copley Square. Over the next several decades, the MFA’s collection and visitation grew exponentially, and in 1909, the Museum moved to its current home on Huntington Avenue. Today, the MFA houses a global collection encompassing nearly 500,000 works of art, from ancient to contemporary, and welcomes more than one million visitors each year—including 60,000 students on school group visits, more than 134,000 college students, nearly 190,000 visitors ages 16 and under, and more than 26,000 community group attendees. The Museum has fostered close partnerships with a range of local organizations—from Boston Public Schools and Boys & Girls Clubs to area hospitals and universities—and many of its community, education and access programs have been used as models for other institutions. In 2017, the Museum launched MFA 2020, a three-year Strategic Plan that culminates with the MFA’s 150th anniversary in 2020—a yearlong celebration focused on enhancing the power of art and artists, honoring the past and reimagining the future.
