Welcome New Terriers!


Congratulations & Welcome to Boston University!

We look forward to meeting you. Follow the BU Arts Initiative on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram for the most up-to-date information on free or heavily discounted arts events all year long, and stop by our office suite on the 2nd floor of the George Sherman Union to say hi and grab some great swag.  BU offers these programs because we believe:

  • The arts help us to access different ways of knowing & learning, allow us to open up to our emotional, intuitive, and sensory selves, to build empathy, and express and incite joy
  • The arts amplify human connectedness, foster open dialogue, engage in global perspectives, and help us to share meanings
  • The arts can and should challenge policy, structural design, and the allocation of resources toward more just, inclusive, and antiracist institutions and society

Feel free to reach out with any questions – we want to hear from you

Below are some events and programs you can jump in on now:

The BU Fall Arts Fair
Save The Date: Friday, September 8th from 11 am-2 pm. Join us as we welcome BU and Boston area arts organizations to engage with the BU Community and share information about programming, internships, volunteer opportunities, and discounts for Boston area students.

Weekly Campus Arts Events Newsletter
 Sign up now to receive your weekly Arts newsletter every Wednesday evening, including our events and everything arts-related happening around campus. It’s a great way to stay connected and engaged in the arts!

Community & Wellbeing Programs
Our Student Council works with our staff to produce three programs: Arts Insiders, First Friday, and Study Break to support community building and well-being.  The Arts Insiders program was created to ensure that students develop an active and participatory role in the arts as a meaningful element of your BU experience and personal, academic, and social development. Here’s how it works: students from our Arts Council select a few exciting arts events in or around Boston each semester and students can sign up to attend free of charge. Sign up to be an Arts Insider, as a great way to meet new people and explore the Boston area! First Friday is a once-a-month crafts event, and Study Break occurs once a semester during one of the reading days, and provides a fun activity to allow students to get crafty and let their minds take a break from prepping for final exams.

The BU Global Music Festival
Saturday, September 16th – 1 pm to 10 pm on the BU Beach. The BU Global Music Festival is a free, family-friendly 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.

Student Memberships & Discounts
Using your BU ID, you have FREE access to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Institute for Contemporary Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA).  For more information about tickets, please visit our Museum Memberships website (you will need to log in with your kerberos).

Art for 5  is a program designed to create more equity in the arts and allow students to experience opportunities that may not be as financially accessible. Every semester the BU Arts Initiative selects two major art events in the community and provides tickets to these events for only five dollars to Boston University students. In the past our office has secured tickets to  performances such as Boston Ballet’s Nutcracker, touring productions of Fun Home and Hadestown, Immersive VanGogh, and the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum. Currently these special tickets are solely announced on our Instagram page (@buartsinitiative). 

Gallery @ BU Arts Initiative  is an opportunity where the BU Arts Initiative office space serves as a gallery for student work during the academic year and features the work of a Boston area artist over the summer. Students and visitors are welcome to visit our office to see these works in person or view the works virtually here.