By donating to the Fenway Alliance, you are investing in the Fenway community, environment and supporting free cultural programming & initiatives
Opening Our Doors is on October 10, 2022
Festival Schedule will be released on September 23rd!
Opening Our Doors 2021
Schedule of Events • Saturday, Oct. 9th
Welcome to the schedule of events for the 20th annual Opening Our Doors Festival. We are happy you are here! The festival includes art, musical, and dance performances on The Christian Science Plaza and programs throughout the Fenway Cultural District, both virtual and in-person, mostly outdoors and all free and open to the public. Many of the virtual programs will require pre-registration.
Please Note: Festival schedule is organized with all day events first
and then specific timed events following.
We hope you enjoy the day!
10:00am - 12:00pm
Kick-off Ceremony
The Christian Science Plaza
250 Massachusetts Avenue
Join us on the Christian Science Plaza (CSP) for a full day of performance, music, and art as we welcome the community to the 20th annual Opening Our Doors Festival. There will be lots to see and do on the CSP starting with the Kick-off Ceremony which starts at 10AM and will include:
​
-
Boston’s Poet Laureate Porsha Olayiwola
​
-
826 Boston Teaching Artists and Boston Youth Poet Laureate Finalist - Asiyah Herrera
​
​
-
Performance by 4 Star Dance Studio
​
-
Children’s parade with Hot Tamale Brass Band
The Opening Our Doors Art Zone will be set up on the CSP throughout the day for drop in art activities as well as performances from our community partners.
Please see the schedule below!
.jpeg)
10:00am - 4:00pm
Art Zone
The Christian Science Plaza
250 Massachusetts Avenue
​
SMFA at Tufts students - Student-led Art Activity
Mass Art Art Museum (MAAM) Art Activity & Giveaway
ARCK + Operation P.E.A.C.E
Join us all day at the Art Zone on the Christian Science Plaza for art activities, games, and giveaways:
-
Art Resource Collaborative for Kids (ARCK) and Operation P.E.A.C.E. (Partnerships in Education and Community Enrichment) were thrilled to host Together Through Art, a free Public Art Walk and Festival in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood through the end of October 2021. On August 28th, in collaboration with Boston-based artists Rebecca McGee Tuck (fiber artist) and Jamaal Eversley (abstract artist), attendees decorated their own fabric leaves with art and inspirational messages of hope and encouragement to their community. These leaves now hang on a 9-foot tall wooden tree sculpture painted by Eversley that will travel around Boston, including to the Opening Our Doors Festival.
​
-
SMFA at Tufts - Visit student representatives from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) at Tufts and scribble away on coloring pages or have fun with sidewalk chalk! Most SMFA students are working toward a degree in studio art so they look forward to drawing and coloring with you. Treats will be available for children while supplies last!
​​
-
MAAM - Art Giveaway and craft!
10:00am - 4:00pm
Open House “How Do You See the World” Experience
The First Church of Christ, Scientist
210 Massachusetts Avenue
A montage of photos, a global portrait of faces from the pages of The Christian Science Monitor, welcomes you to a new experience at the Christian Science Plaza. “How Do You See the World?” offers stories and experiences that explore progress and possibilities throughout the world as you consider your own place in it. Three different exhibits connect you to positive change flowing out of the inspired actions of everyday people in countries and cultures globally.
10:00am - 4:00pm
Free Admission, Open House, Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
465 Huntington Avenue
Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day with free general admission to the MFA on Saturday, October 9, part of the Fenway Alliance’s annual Opening Our Doors Day. Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes and honors the heritage of all Indigenous peoples and the histories of their nations and communities. Stop by the MFA for free admission and giveaways of art-making kits as well as children’s books selected by Elizabeth James-Perry (Aquinna Wampanoag) and Ekua Holmes (African American), artists, activists, and creators of “Garden for Boston,” an exhibition on the Museum’s front lawn.
11:30am - 1:00pm
The Muddy River, Protecting a 19th Century Park in the Era of Climate Change – A Walking Tour
Meet in front of 401 Park Drive
(formerly, the Landmark Center), Fenway stop on the MBTA Riverside Line (D-Line)
A walking tour of the completed part of the Muddy River Restoration Project area. Come learn how the area has changed since it was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and constructed in the 1890’s, and how Boston, Brookline, Massachusetts and the US Army Corps of Engineers have worked together to help address the risks of sea level rise and climate change in the 21st century. Tour provided by the Muddy River Restoration Project Maintenance and Management Oversight Committee (MMOC).
10:00am - 4:00pm
Fenway Studios Open House
Fenway Studios Cooperative
30 Ipswitch Street
Open Studios at the Fenway Artist Building's brand new community & gallery space, B-1 Gallery & Studios. The B-1 Gallery and Community Space is currently featuring the paintings, prints, etchings, drawings
and collages of twenty-five of the artists currently working in the Fenway Artists Building. We hope you will come and visit and enjoy the exceptional variety of talent in our building on this Fenway celebration day.
​
-
Tom Oulette will be offering Speed Sketch Portraits of visitors outside our Gallery Door from 12 to 2 PM.
10:00am - 4:00pm
Emerald Necklace Conservancy
Shattuck Visitor Center
125 The Fenway
You’re invited to explore the Emerald Necklace! Stop by the Conservancy’s Shattuck Visitor Center, located in the heart of the Back Bay Fens at 125 The Fenway, to learn about the history and development of Boston’s largest park system. Join us on a guided tour of the Fens at 10:00 AM led by one of our expert docents. Whether you’re looking for historic facts or a refreshing stroll through the parks, the Emerald Necklace is open and here for you.
10:00am - 4:00pm
The Christian Science Reading Room Open House
The Christian Science Reading Room
194 Massachusetts Avenue
A great adventure day gets even better when you find a refreshing oasis amid the bustle. Stop by. Get a cup of cold water. Enjoy a peaceful pause. Explore our spiritually-focused books, magazines, puzzles and other resources for the young and young-at-heart.
2 p.m. — Praying For the World with the Christian Science Monitor. Join us for a thoughtful discussion of timely articles from the global newspaper, The Christian Science Monitor. These weekly reading, research, and discussion groups help participants to engage deeply and prayerfully with important world issues. Our topic this week is "Finding resilience". We'll discuss stories of those facing enormous challenges and finding ways forward with grace and grow.
11:00am & 2:00pm
Massachusetts Historical Society Walking Tour
The Christian Science Plaza
1154 Bolyston Street
The MHS will join its neighboring cultural institutions for a day of free history, art, music, and cultural happenings in the Fenway neighborhood. With over 20 different museums, venues, colleges, and organizations participating, there will be something for everyone. Join us for a walking tour of the Fenway neighborhood starting at 11:00 AM and again at 2:00 PM. Tour participants will meet at the MHS building at 1154 Boylston Street, Boston 02215.
SOLD OUT
12:00pm
Boston Symphony Orchestra Community Showcase
Steps of Symphony Hall
301 Massachusetts Ave
Performances of students from partner organizations around the city, including the BSO BEAM Consortium (Bridge to Equity and Achievement in Music), Project STEP, and the Boston String Academy. Performances will take place starting at 12:00 under the Symphony Hall Marquee on Massachusetts Avenue.
12:00pm - 4:00pm
Mass Art Art Museum Open House
MassArt Art Museum
621 Huntington Avenue
MAAM is reopening! You're invited to celebrate with us. Come experience our immersive exhibitions and enjoy a day filled with artmaking, music, and performances.
-
Music: Noodle & Doodle with Adi Sun
-
Performance: Observation / Transformation
-
Art Making: A special artmaking activity led by MassArt students will explore your creativity while channeling MAAM exhibition themes.
​​
Pre-registration required. Visit MAAM for registration and full schedule.
12:00pm
Zilli Misik & Guest Artists Drumming Workshop
The Christian Science Plaza
1154 Bolyston Street
Join us between 12-2pm for Interactive musical conversations and storytelling before Zili Misik's concert at 3pm! Workshops led by Kera Washington (of Zili Misik), Letta Neely (spoken word artist and author) and Harrison Tei (Sankofa Drum & Dance). Retracing routes of resistance and focusing on black colonial abolitionists who led in the march towards Emancipation, we will explore stories of thriving black Bostonians and musical soundscapes in Ghanaian drum & dance, as we contemporarily continue our freedom march. Link to register below. We will provide sanitized drums.
12:00pm - 4:00pm
Exhibition at Trustman Gallery at Simmons University
Simmons University
300 The Fenway
Trustman Art Gallery is proud to present WATER MEMORY, featuring works by Soyoung L Kim, and on view from September 2 through October 15, 2021. Inspired by women in literature, Kim explores the fluid and transformational nature of both water and memory in her newest body of work. In Kim’s art—from the sweeping blue paint strokes suggesting abundance, to the papier-mâché sculptures implying scarcity in their resemblance to desert vegetation—water leaves its mark. It is a natural analogy to our memories, which cut deep channels back to our beginnings.
12:00pm
Bow Sim Mark Tai Chi
The Christian Science Plaza
250 Massachusetts Avenue
Founded in 1976, the Bow Sim Mark Tai Chi Arts Association is one of the oldest Tai Chi schools in Boston. Grand master Marks students are proud to carry on her legacy, teaching and performing around the city.
12:30pm - 1:30pm
Grooversity
Christian Science Plaza
250 Massachusetts Avenue
Grooversity is an innovative and creative drumming project envisioned by Brazilian percussionist Marcus Santos to promote music as an educational resource, entertainment, and as a catalyst for social change. Grooversity is focused on community outreach for positive outcomes while targeting global diversity awareness.
Grooversity’s performance is sponsored by Berklee College of Music.
1:00pm
New England Conservatory Musical Celebration
New England Conservatory
255 St. Botolph Street
Join us for a musical celebration featuring students from the New England Conservatory (NEC), taking place right outside the NEC Student Life and Performance Center located at 255 St. Botolph Street.
1:00pm - 3:00pm
Fenway Victory Gardens Information Table & Scavenger Hunt
The Fenway Victory Gardens
1200 Boylston Street
*Flag pole within the Fenway Victory Gardens
Talk with Gardeners about the Fenway Victory Gardens history, mission, and current activities. Participate in a scavenger hunt as you walk through and explore the Fenway Victory Gardens.
1:30pm
Northeastern University Madrigal Singers
The Christian Science Plaza
250 Massachusetts Avenue
The Madrigal Singers is a vocal group that focuses on a capella chamber singing. We form a friendly community around the love of music and performance. With a varied repertoire ranging from medieval love songs to modern melodies, NUMadS aims to provide Northeastern Students with the opportunity to engage more closely with unique styles of music. We will be performing traditional Madrigal pieces along with contemporary choral favorites.
2:00pm
Northeastern University Eon Dance Troupe
The Christian Science Plaza
250 Massachusetts Avenue
Eon Dance Troupe is a classical, ethnic, and fusion performance troupe that strives to promote awareness of the rich culture, history, and diversity within Chinese dance. Eon brings Chinese traditional and modern dance to the forefront of Northeastern University and to the Greater Boston
2:30pm
New England Conservatory Musicians Showcase
The Christian Science Plaza
250 Massachusetts Avenue
Enjoy a variety of performances from talented New England Conservatory (NEC) musicians — featuring student singer/songwriter Emily Mitchell's trio, NEC's Contemporary Improvisation Department Celtic Jam Band, and some of NEC's finest jazz performers.
3:00pm
Zili Misik Music + Dance Performance
The Christian Science Plaza
250 Massachusetts Avenue
Join Kera Washington and her all-female identifying band of musicians and dancers playing music from the African diaspora for a rousing end to cap off the 20th anniversary Opening Our Doors Festival. Drumming + dancing workshops will be held earlier during the day. Stay tuned for link to pre-register. Join us on the lawn on The Christian Science Plaza for the final performance of the day!
