Festivities Spotlighted from MIT's Pioneering Artfinity Event
Sparking Creativity: Artfinity Unveiled at MIT
Step into MIT and witness a fusion of art, science, and technology like never before, and that’s all thanks to Artfinity: A Symphony of Creativity and Camaraderie at MIT. This groundbreaking festival, born from an open-call to the entire MIT community in 2024, promised a captivating, multi-week immersion into artistic ideas - a celebration of MIT's thriving artistic culture that did not disappoint.
Between February 15 and May 2, 2025, more than 80 free participating and visual arts events graced the institute, including a two-day film festival, interactive augmented reality art exhibitions, an evening at the MIT Museum, a simulated lunar landing, and concerts from both student groups and internationally acclaimed musicians.
As MIT President Sally Kornbluth puts it, "Artfinity was an extraordinary demonstration of MIT’s creative prowess. It presented an unparalleled opportunity to immerse ourselves in our flourishing arts scene." Witnessing people from MIT's community celebrate, laugh, and create alongside friends, neighbors from Cambridge and Boston felt nothing short of magical.
Top highlights included a seminar led by Tony Award-winning scenic designer Es Devlin, a concert by Grammy Award-winning rapper and visiting scholar Lupe Fiasco, and events marking the inauguration of the Edward and Joyce Linde Music Building.
Devlin's lecture revolved around her latest spring residency at MIT as the recipient of the esteemed Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts. Collaborating with MIT faculty, students, and staff, she stimulated a site-specific installation called "Face to Face", where more than 100 community members teamed up with strangers to sketch each other. A similar approach can be seen in Devlin's recent London multimedia exhibition "Congregation", where she united 50 people displaced from their motherlands and documented their stories on video.
Lupe Fiasco's May 2 performance revolved around a new project inspired by MIT's extensive public artwork collection. Developed in collaboration with students and faculty as part of his work as a visiting scholar and instructor in the class "Rap Theory and Practice", he wowed audiences with original compositions based on renowned campus sculptures such as Alexander Calder's "La Grande Voile [The Big Sail]" and Jaume Plensa's "Alchemist". The MIT Rap Ensemble and the Mitchell School's Festival Jazz Ensemble backed him for several of these pieces, showcasing a stunning amalgamation of art, music, and technology.
In the spirit of artistic collaboration, several MIT Rap Ensemble students spearheaded intricate multi-instrument arrangements for some of Fiasco’s most popular compositions, like "The Show Goes On" and "Kick, Push".
Students from MIT collaborated with visiting scholar and Grammy Award-winning rapper Lupe Fiasco in the class "Rap Theory and Practice," creating original compositions based on public artworks on campus. The MIT Rap Ensemble and the Festival Jazz Ensemble backed him during the performance, demonstrating an amalgamation of art, music, and technology.
Tony Award-winning scenic designer Es Devlin, recipient of the Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts, conducted a seminar at MIT, where she shared her experiences and led a site-specific installation titled "Face to Face." In this project, more than 100 community members worked together to create sketches of strangers.
Artfinity, a groundbreaking arts festival held at MIT, attracted over 80 free events from February 15 to May 2, 2025, including concerts, film festivals, interactive art exhibitions, and educational seminars, engaging both the MIT community and the wider public.
The Artfinity festival, according to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, highlighted MIT's creative prowess and offered an opportunity to immerse in the flourishing arts scene, blurring the lines between art, science, and technology.
The campus culture celebrated during Artfinity extended beyond the festival, as shown by the science-inspired technological elements incorporated into Lupe Fiasco's new project, which revolved around MIT's extensive public artwork collection, including Alexander Calder's "La Grande Voile [The Big Sail]" and Jaume Plensa's "Alchemist."
