Learn
As a teaching institution and home for contemporary art, the Carpenter Center is dedicated to learning from and alongside artists. Pedagogy is embedded in our curatorial practice, and we are always in pursuit of new ways to connect our exhibitions and unique architecture with students and educators at Harvard, in the Greater Boston area, and beyond.
Class and Group Visits
We are happy to provide guided tours and discussions for larger groups and classes interested in our current exhibitions, the building architecture, or curating contemporary art. We welcome classes from Harvard and from around the region and around the world.
Please submit a Group Tour request form to schedule a tour at least two weeks before the date of your desired visit. Be sure to include information about your group or class so we can tailor the tour to fit your needs.
Opportunities for Harvard Students
Undergraduate Internships
Undergraduate students may pursue work-study internships assisting with arts administration, communications and outreach, and public programming initiatives. Please be in touch via Email for information about undergraduate internships.
Graduate Curatorial Fellowship
Every year, we host Harvard graduate students from AFVS, the Department of the History of Art and Architecture, and other programs as curatorial fellows. From contributing exhibition texts and assisting with publication production to conducting archival research, Graduate Curatorial Fellows make important contributions to Carpenter Center projects, and play an active role in our projects. The position is usually posted in the middle of spring semester. Please be in touch with Danni Shen for information about this opportunity.
Installation view of work by Anna Correll, from left to right: I Know You Are But What Am I, book, 2023; Raspberry Show, oil pastel on paper, 2023; Stop Filming Me, oil pastel on paper, 2023; I Can Paint Myself!, oil paint and oil pastel on canvas, 2023; The Tent Builders, charcoal on paper, 2023; Drawing Together, charcoal and oil pastel on paper, 2023; Try Her On, oil paint and oil pastel on canvas, 2023; Club Drama, charcoal on paper, 2023; No Bra News, oil and oil pastel on paper, 2023. Courtesy of Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts. Photo: Julia Featheringill.
AFVS Senior Thesis Exhibition
AFVS Senior Thesis students present their work in a group exhibition at the Carpenter Center during the Spring semester. Students work closely with Carpenter Center staff to plan and install the exhibition, providing a valuable opportunity to gain public exposure for their work and learn exhibition logistics.
AFVS Class: Curating Contemporary Art
Taught by John R. and Barbara Robinson Family Director Dan Byers and Senior Curatorial Assistant Danni Shen, this AFVS course on curating contemporary art focuses on the institutional contexts for creating exhibitions; the art historical, political, and cultural implications of curatorial practice; and how curators work with artists.
Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, Harvard University, ca. 1963
Building Tour Guides
Our Public Architecture Tours are led by students from the Graduate School of Design. Please be in touch via Email about becoming a Building Tour Guide.