Saving UMass Boston’s Access to the MFA: Collective Action Works!
This week’s Point is co-authored by the co-chairs of the UMass Boston Museum Partnerships Committee, Associate Professor of History Kelly Colvin and Paul H. Tucker Professor of Art History Stacey Sloboda. As always, the views expressed here are those of the authors.
On September 18, a representative from Student Activities notified the CLA Dean’s Office that the Provost’s Office would not be funding their normal two-thirds contribution ($10,552) to the cost for UMB’s MFA membership. With the remaining one-third contribution usually paid by Undergraduate Student Government, the UMB University Membership has offered free museum admission and other benefits for all UMB faculty, staff, and undergraduate students for over a decade.
When we received the news, which came with just twelve days’ notice before the membership payment was due, members of the Museum Partnerships Committee conducted a (very quick and unscientific!) survey of how we all used the MFA in our courses. We found widespread integration, with courses across disciplines and colleges requiring MFA visits for assignments. Indeed, by our calculations, nearly 1500 students expected to use this MFA membership this academic year. We imagine that, were we to run a more proper survey, we would discover quite a few more.
Also, many of the assignments requiring MFA visits come from Core Curriculum classes, which enroll students from all majors across the university. The public admission fee at the museum is $30/visit. If each of those students must pay out-of-pocket, the cost would be over $40,000 for this year alone, making the $15,575 university investment seem like an even better deal. Discontinuing our MFA membership would cause chaos in those classes, as well as others not captured in our informal poll, not to mention hardship for all students, faculty, and staff who value this membership. It is also important to note that, should UMB cut MFA membership, it will then sit among a small, undistinguished minority of Boston-area universities who do not offer this standard benefit to their students; no R1 universities are to be found on that list.
The MFA is not only crucial to our courses, but also to our students, who visit outside of classes for all the reasons anyone goes to a museum: connection, curiosity, calm, you name it! When notified of the potential cut, several students made impassioned pleas. As one student wrote, “When I first came to this school, I knew virtually no one. The MFA became a beacon of hope for me as I met many of my friends through our shared love of art and museums.” Another student from the College of Nursing called MFA visits “the only peaceful part of my week.” Both of these students described how the admission fee is out of reach without UMB’s help.
Because of collective action and organization across the UMB community, the Provost’s Office ultimately agreed to continue funding the membership for this academic year. Thank you!
Future years, however, are in doubt. We ask that you keep this on your radar as we move forward—and meanwhile, we hope that you go enjoy some amazing art at one of Boston’s great gems, courtesy of UMB! With two blockbuster exhibitions this Fall, “Maverick Kings” and “Picasso, Miró, Dalí: Unbound,” and important retrospectives on the work of contemporary artists Suzanne Jackson and Naoko Matsubara, it has never been a better time to visit the MFA.
The committee for this year’s The Point includes Jessica Holden, Healey Library; Nick Juravich, History; Jeff Melnick, American Studies; and Steve Striffler, Labor Studies. If you want to write an edition of The Point, or if you just have an idea, please write us at fsu@umb.edu.