THE HUNTINGTON ANNOUNCES RFQ FOR ART COMMISSION FOR ITS NEW EAST WING SPACE OPENING ON HUNTINGTON AVE IN FALL 2027
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Gabrielle Choi, Associate Director of Publicity
617-273-1520
THE HUNTINGTON ANNOUNCES RFQ FOR ART COMMISSION FOR ITS NEW EAST WING SPACE OPENING ON HUNTINGTON AVE IN FALL 2027
The Huntington invites visual artists to apply to win a commission for a large, centrally-located wall installation in the new space.
(BOSTON) – The Huntington announces the release of a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeking artists to create a new piece of visual art to be installed in the new East Wing section of its Huntington Theatre venue at 264 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115. The art will be installed in a central location, welcoming visitors who are coming to the new artistic spaces and bar.
“A great work of art can change the way you enter a space,” says The Huntington’s Norma Jean Calderwood Artistic Director Loretta Greco. “It can stop you in your tracks, causing your heart to race a little faster as you lean in, summoning a whole new level of curiosity and conversation. Commissioning an artist to create a large-scale work to beam in the East Wing as a welcoming beacon, inviting the Boston community to experience the heart of our new gathering spaces, feels like an organic extension of what we have the privilege to do as a public good: supporting artists in their work of transforming the way we see and experience the world, ourselves, and one another. I can’t wait to see how an artist’s rich imagination will add to enlivening The Huntington’s transformational new cultural and social hub on Boston’s Avenue of the Arts.”
Submissions will be evaluated anonymously by a group of community stakeholders invited by the Artistic department at The Huntington, and the selected artist will receive a $25,000 commission to complete and install the work by end of August 2027, in time for the opening of the building in Fall 2027.
Opening the highly anticipated, expanded new wing of the Huntington Theatre will complete a decade-long transformation of The Huntington’s historic home on Huntington Ave. The space will incorporate a new, modern venue alongside the original theatre on the first two floors of the Toll Brothers residential tower, The Lyra. Featuring expansive lobbies, flexible performance spaces, a bar/lounge/café, and an outdoor balcony overlooking Huntington Ave, the East Wing is an exciting, fresh space for the community to connect with art and artists daily and year-round.
“This 26/27 season demonstrates the scale of what is possible when artists and communities come together around bold storytelling,” says Huntington Executive Director Chris Mannelli. “And, as we share this season of theatre with audiences across Greater Boston, we’re also preparing for a transformative new chapter with the opening of the Huntington Theatre’s expanded East Wing, creating a dynamic hub for artists and a vibrant gathering place for community on the Avenue of the Arts.”
Mid-career and established artists are encouraged to submit samples of their portfolio demonstrating their ability to create large scale pieces for public spaces.
More information about submission guidelines can be found here at huntingtontheatre.org/gallery-submissions
Photo renderings of East Wing here
ABOUT THE HUNTINGTON
Celebrating over 40 years of outstanding theatre, The Huntington is Boston’s leading professional theatre company. On our stages and throughout our city, we share enduring and untold stories that spark the imagination, amplify diverse voices, and connect communities. Since 1982, The Huntington has welcomed more than 3.5 million audience members, produced over 250 plays (including more than 140 premieres, with 18 moving to Broadway or Off Broadway), earned the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, and served more than half a million students.
Led by Norma Jean Calderwood Artistic Director Loretta Greco and Executive Director Christopher Mannelli, The Huntington welcomes broad and diverse audiences, provides life-changing opportunities for students through our education and community programs, is a national leader in the development of playwrights and new plays, and serves as a hub for Boston’s cultural community at the beautifully restored Huntington Theatre and the state-of-the-art Calderwood Pavilion/BCA.
From 2024-2026, The Huntington catalyzed the ambitious two-year Ufot Family Cycle in Boston, a landmark nine-play series by Emmy-nominated and Massachusetts-born playwright Mfoniso Udofia, activating a city-wide effort supported by 35+ organizations and reaching thousands of live and digital audience members across Greater Boston and beyond. In Summer 2026, Olivier-nominated playwright John Kolvenbach’s Stand Up if You’re Here Tonight (part of The Huntington’s 23/24 season) reached international audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. And, coming up in 2027, The Huntington will open a new wing of the Huntington Theatre on Huntington Avenue. This storied venue’s expanded facilities reflect a bold vision for the future, allowing us to innovatively expand our services to audiences, artists, and the community for generations to come.
For more information, visit huntingtontheatre.org.
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