Hello everyone! I would like to welcome you back to campus and to another semester of amazing arts and culture experiences. Whether this is your first semester or you are a returning student, you should always be aware of the cultural and artistic events happening in and around your community. Do not miss opportunities to enjoy yourself and to best support the works of others.

While we all adjust to our new classes, there are big things happening that can ease the stress of your busy schedule. First, this Wednesday, Sept. 10 will be the Fall Celebration at the Rose Art Museum, dedicated to welcoming the incoming class of 2029 and celebrating the Rose’s work this past year. If you arrive before the 6 p.m.  opening, there will also be a catered barbecue at 12:30 to 2 p.m. on the Spingold Lawn! The Rose has two exhibitions, opened in August, that will close in the winter: “Fred Wilson: Reflections” and “Danielle McKinney: Tell Me More,” open on Aug. 4 2025 to Jan. 4 2026. Both of these exhibitions are on view at the Rose and are spectacular. 

If you would like to visit a museum off campus but still want to take full advantage of your Brandeis student status, I would highly recommend checking out the Museum of Fine Arts Boston as all Brandeis students get free admission to the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions shown there. 

Besides the MFA’s incredible permanent collection and newly renovated halls, there are two parts of this museum I recommend. First, the Japanese garden, Tenshin-en and the Calderwood Courtyard are lesser visited parts of the museum, but make excellent green spaces and cute hangout spots. Second, a favorite exhibition of mine will be running through Sept. 28 at the MFA: “Qi Baishi: Inspiration in Ink.” Qi Baishi (1864-1957) is an amazing Chinese artist whose works stun and stupefy. Subtle complexities of ink on paper bring the quotidian to stark dynamic calligraphic movements. His works are a fantastic representation of Chinese modernism, with stark juxtaposition between bright colors and dark ink. This exhibition is a chance to see works on loan from the Beijing Fine Arts Academy here in Boston. I would not miss the opportunity to see an artist’s beautiful work a shuttle ride away before they leave for China at the end of the month.

However, if you have been to the MFA already this month and want something different this upcoming season, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum will be showing the “Allan Rohan Crite: Urban Glory” exhibition which opens Oct. 23. This exhibition will show 20th-century Boston through the eyes of an amazing African-American artist. Representing the people of Boston, Crite combines religious imagery along with the neighborhoods of Boston to present a reimagined divine Boston and the people themselves. The exhibition showcases neighborhoods we all have walked, seen and experienced, and is one that will be a welcome introduction to our incoming students who are not from the area.

I hope you all benefit from the beautiful cultural events in and around Boston this year. 

-- Editor's Note: An an earlier version of this article stated the incorrect date for the Allan Rohan Crite: Urban Glory gallery. It has since been updated to Oct. 23.