Students and families alike eagerly waited in queue outside the Museum of Fine Arts this Sunday not just to view pieces of the new “The Roulin Family Portraits” by Van Gogh, but also works of art created by Boston high school students. 

The Museum of Fine Arts gave students from seven public schools around the city the chance to exhibit their artwork during the annual Boston Family Day, where students and their families received free entry.

“It’s really building the MFA’s commitment to the city, to the community, and its emerging artists,” Cassie Bride, organizer of the event and MFA Boston director of school programs, said. 

For many students, this wasn’t just an opportunity to show their work—it was a chance to show themselves. Much of the exhibit explored identity and heritage. 

“It’s bringing awareness to where artists begin,” said Bride. “The minute you pick up a crayon in preschool, you are an artist, and then it just keeps building from there.”

The participating schools included Boston Arts Academy, Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers, Fenway High School, John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science, Madison Park Technical Vocational High School, Margarita Muñiz Academy, and Mel King South End Academy. 

Art students from the Margarita Muñiz Academy said they drew inspiration from their home countries. 

“Most of our students are immigrants, not just from Latin American countries but a lot of Haitian immigrants as well, and we encourage them to look to their roots for inspiration for their pieces,” academy art teacher Daniel Villafana said. 

Fenway High School student Izzy Davilmar stopped to admire a painting by one of Villafana’s students, showing a cacao tree growing in their mother’s backyard in the Dominican Republic. 

“I just want to take that home with me. I want it as a wallpaper,” she said. Davilmar exhibited two pieces of her own—one of a cherry blossom tree by the water, and another of a beach scene. Her inspiration: “Summer. I am waiting for summer. I made both of them at the same time when it was cold.”

Davilmar explained how she does not see herself as a full-time artist in the future but wants to remain involved with the creative world. 

“I would probably get stressed out from doing it all the time, but I will definitely keep it as a passion,” she said. Davilmar plans to go into cosmetology and business to build a creative career that still allows her job security.

Teacher Marlon Forrester at Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers told The Beacon that he is already living his dream as both an arts educator and a professional artist. In his tenth grade classroom, he uses art to teach patience, having students work with watercolor and waiting for each layer to dry before adding the next. For the MFA exhibition, his students contributed a series of watercolor self-portraits. 

“We were looking at John Wilson’s work, which is about belonging and like personal narrative and identity,” Forrester said, referencing the local artist from Roxbury. “They enjoy me, and I enjoy them. This is a representation of our collective expression.” 

Boston Native Wilson was born in 1922 to Guyanese parents. He used his art to challenge the lack of representation he observed at the MFA exploring subjects that include anti-Black violence, labor and the civil rights movement. 

Headmaster Dania Vazquez of the Margarita Muñiz Academy emphasized the value of representation at the event. 

“The best artwork is right here in this room because it is made by the young people in our communities, by Bostonian students, by our Black and brown kids,” she said. “As you appreciate each piece of artwork, you are going to see a lot of love and care and representation.”

Katie Freiburger, an art teacher at John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics, also tries to teach her students that art is about community and expression, not perfection. She wants them to try new things. 

“I teach a range of different styles, media, and artists because I know that students have varied art experiences,” she said. “I try to come up with projects where everyone has access to the learning and can enter with their own style, so it’s less threatening.”

Freiburger is currently the only arts educator at the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science. Nonetheless, the city has made progress in providing arts access across all schools, according to Anthony Beatrice, the deputy chief of teaching and learning at Boston Public Schools. While ten years ago, only 50% of high school students received any arts education, that number has grown to 80% with the class of 2024. 

“There is much power behind the art, the emotional value of it, just hearing the students’ stories and how they can see themselves in the artwork, and now with this opportunity seeing themselves as artists at the MFA,” Beatrice said.

Bride plans to hold the event again next year to continue showcasing the work of young artists in hopes that the students are already inspiring the next generation. 

A young girl came up to Davilmar, pointing at the cherry blossom tree behind her. 

“Did you draw this?” she asked. “Can I take a picture?”

“Yes,” Davilmar said, smiling. “Take a picture of anything you like. It’s here for you—all of it.”