MFA Collaborates with BU on John Wilson Exhibition, Black History Month 2025
February 3, 2025
John Wilson (1922-2015), a renowned artist and former Boston University professor, is one of Boston’s most esteemed figures in the art world. This February, in celebration of Black History Month, his work will be showcased at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), where it will be on display from February 8th through June 22nd, 2025.
The MFA collaborated with students and faculty from Boston University to bring Witnessing Humanity: The Art of John Wilson to life. First-year students from BU’s undergraduate drawing classes, which Wilson taught for two decades, had the opportunity to visit the MFA’s Morse Study Room to study his work up close. Their experience will culminate in the exhibition Foundation Drawing: The Legacy of John Wilson, which will be on display at BU’s College of Fine Arts from March 17 through April 18, 2025.
Additionally, graduate students from BU’s Visual Narrative Program have created a printed zine titled Comics Anthology: Dialogues with Wilson: Comics Reflections on a Boston Visionary, which will be part of the exhibition’s book nook.
Paul Alexander, a member of the MFA board and Chief Marketing Officer at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, says “John Wilson’s art is a powerful testament to the Black experience in America—bold, thought-provoking, and deeply human. As a Trustee of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, I’m honored to see his legacy celebrated during Black History Month, inspiring new generations to engage with his work and his vision.”
Through the BU Arts Initiative, all BU students—graduate and undergraduate—can enjoy free membership to a variety of Boston art galleries, including the MFA, with a valid BU Student ID.
For more information on John Wilson and his work, check out the MFA’s press release here.
