Hanukkah: the Festival of Lights at the MFA
| Venue: | Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) |
| Ages: | Infants, Toddlers, Kids, Teens, Adults |
| In/Outdoor: | Indoor |
| Cost: | Free see below |
| Category: | Holiday |
Come together for an evening of art, music, and activities in celebration of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights. Immerse yourself in history with Spotlight Talks on Judaica at the MFA, catch performances of songs from around the world, and view a one-of-a-kind menorah artwork created by a local artist before participating in a community candle lighting.
Events and Activities
Paper Cutting Art Kits
5–9 pm
Lower Rotunda
Pick up an art kit with everything you need to create your very own cut-paper card in celebration of Hanukkah! Kits available while supplies last.
‘Brighter Ignited’ Installation by Tova Speter
5–10pm
Huntington Avenue Entrance
Brighter Ignited is an illuminated mobile art installation designed by artist Tova Speter that actively encourages people to engage, connect, and play. This supersized interactive light display tours Greater Boston throughout December 2022, featuring artwork by hundreds of participants from local communities.
‘Eight Approaches’ Installation by Joshua Meyer
5–10pm
Shapiro Family Courtyard
Joshua Meyer’s eight-painting sequence is built up by layering thick paint and overlapping stories. Eight Approaches (2022) calls to mind side-by-side triptych paintings, narrative comic book panels or film stills, and of course the eight-armed Hanukkiah (Hanukkah menorah).
Meyer’s installation explores our relationships with time and light while immersing us in the creative process. Learn more about Eight Approaches.
Spotlight Talk: Jacques Lipchitz’s ‘Miracle I’
5:30 pm
Gallery 328
Explore Jacques Lipchitz’s visionary interpretation of a Hanukkah menorah, and hear the heart-rending episode that led to its creation: the story of displaced Jews aboard the ship Exodus in 1947.
With Marietta Cambareri, Jetskalina H. Phillips Curator of Judaica and Decorative Arts, Art of Europe.
ASL interpreted
Art-Making Demo with Jeanette Kuvin Oren
5:30 and 7 pm
Gallery 168
Catch a glimpse into the creative process of artist Jeanette Kuvin Oren, whose original wall hanging is featured on the 2022 USPS Hanukkah Forever stamp.
Ezekiel’s Wheels Klezmer Band and Friends
5:30–6, 6:35–7, and 8–8:30 pm
Shapiro Family Courtyard
Ezekiel’s Wheels Klezmer Band joins forces with top musicians from around Boston for a Hanukkah spectacular full of music and dancing. Enjoy popular Hanukkah songs from across the Jewish world—in Yiddish, Ladino, Hebrew, and English—performed by an internationally acclaimed ensemble. You’ve heard the Ezekiel’s Wheels musicians with everyone from Eminem to the Boston Pops. Now’s your chance to hear them do what they love best: perform Jewish music for Boston’s favorite Hanukkah celebration!
Welcome Remarks
6:15 pm
Shapiro Family Courtyard
Hear from Matthew Teitelbaum, Ann and Graham Gund Director; Laura Mandel, executive director of Jewish Arts Collaborative; Marc Baker, president and CEO of Combined Jewish Philanthropies; and others as they welcome you to MFA Boston’s Hanukkah celebration.
ASL interpreted
Spotlight Talk: Myer Myers’s Torah Finials
7 pm
Gallery 127
Myer Myers, also known as the “Jewish Paul Revere,” was the leading New York silversmith in the second half of the 18th century. Learn about his splendid Torah finials, rare examples of colonial American Judaica, with a story inextricably linked to the two earliest Jewish congregations in the United States, in Newport, Rhode Island, and New York City.
With Simona Di Nepi, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Curator of Judaica, Art of Europe.
ASL interpreted
Dining Specials
Celebrate Hanukkah by stopping by New American Café for potato latkes with chive crème fraiche and applesauce. Looking for a sweet treat for after dinner or anytime? Enjoy raspberry rugelach at Taste
| COST | ↑ top |
$5 after 5:00pm
| WEBSITE | ↑ top |
www.mfa.org/event/special-event/hanukkah?event=6043
| LOCATION | ↑ top |
465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA map
Phone: (617) 267-9300
| RELATED LINKS | ↑ top |
Info changes frequently. We cannot warrant it. Verify with Hanukkah: the Festival of Lights at the MFA before making the trek. If you find an error, please report it...