As the nation marks its 250th birthday, one of Boston’s most beloved museums is also going through *** kind of rebirth. The Museum of Fine Arts is debuting *** new gallery designed to help visitors rethink how they view art in the Americas. Our Jessica Brown got *** tour and some fascinating insight into the pieces now on display. There’s no more patriotic iconic object than Paul Revere’s Liberty Bowl made right before the revolution commemorating one of the big acts of defiance against the British king. History is on full display in the reimagined Art of the Americas wing at the MFA. The dollar bill portrait comes from that. Step inside the gallery called Power and Resistance, and you’ll immediately notice something new. Here’s Revere, and it’s next to *** work by the enslaved potter Dave or David. Drake, who famously put poems on his pots, signed his pots at *** time when literacy was illegal for an enslaved person in South Carolina. MFA Chief of curatorial affairs and conservation, we see portraits. Ethan Lasser says that contrast is at the heart of the new exhibition. We’ve been thinking for *** long time, how do we want to commemorate the 2250th of the US, our big birthday coming up. We wanted to show our collection in new ways and also to show. Works of art not shown before, works by contemporary artists who are thinking about our history. It’s also *** lot more of an inclusive gallery experience when they come here. There’s *** lot more art by Native American artists. There’s *** whole gallery about Asia and the Americas. There’s lots of work by African American artists from this period. We wanted to tell the full story of how artists shaped our history, our sense of the past when this new United States is. Thinking about who we are talking about my favorite that includes one that draws Lasser in every time he visits this wing, *** 17 ft long painted screen made in Mexico in the 18th century. So imagine *** big home and this would have divided *** room, coats of arms, we’re still learning who that represents in every gallery we invite you to spend time contemplating the work. There’s an audio tour you can listen to, and we want our visitors to help us. Think about what each scene represents. We spent *** lot of time looking at art, thinking about what has the most power and impact. The collection has changed, and most importantly, our visitors have changed and our city has changed, and these galleries speak to *** new moment. The new Art of the Americas Wing is now open so you can explore all those amazing works, old and new. Lasser told me the museum is always changing and evolving, so there will always be something new to see at the MFA. I’m Jessica Brown, WCVB News Center.
New galleries at Boston’s MFA offer different look at history during 250th celebration
The Museum of Fine Arts reimagined one of its most beloved wings with never-before-seen works of art
Updated: 6:31 PM EDT Jul 4, 2026
A beloved Boston museum is taking a fresh look at art and the nation’s history as it unveiled reimagined galleries displaying some never-before-seen works from its collection. NewsCenter 5 toured the new exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts with Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Conservation Ethan Lasser. “We’ve been thinking for a long time, how do we want to commemorate the 250th of the U.S., our big birthday coming up?” Lasser explained. “We felt we wanted to show our collection in new ways and also to show works of art that maybe have been in the basement, not shown before, works by contemporary artists who are thinking about our history.”Lasser said the MFA also felt it was important to make the new Art of the Americas wing feel more inclusive. “There’s a lot more art by Native American artists. There’s a whole gallery about Asia and the Americas. There’s lots of work by African American artists from this period,” he said. “We felt that we wanted to tell the full story of how artists shaped our history, our sense of the past, how artists were right there at the table when this new United States is thinking about who we are.”The new wing, Lasser said, is all about digging into the museum’s expansive connection and figuring out how to connect historic works to the art of today.”We spent a lot of time looking at art, thinking about what looks good next to what, what has the most power and impact,” he said. “Our visitors have changed, and our city has changed, and these galleries speak to a new moment.”
BOSTON —
A beloved Boston museum is taking a fresh look at art and the nation’s history as it unveiled reimagined galleries displaying some never-before-seen works from its collection.
NewsCenter 5 toured the new exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts with Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Conservation Ethan Lasser.
“We’ve been thinking for a long time, how do we want to commemorate the 250th of the U.S., our big birthday coming up?” Lasser explained. “We felt we wanted to show our collection in new ways and also to show works of art that maybe have been in the basement, not shown before, works by contemporary artists who are thinking about our history.”
Lasser said the MFA also felt it was important to make the new Art of the Americas wing feel more inclusive.
“There’s a lot more art by Native American artists. There’s a whole gallery about Asia and the Americas. There’s lots of work by African American artists from this period,” he said. “We felt that we wanted to tell the full story of how artists shaped our history, our sense of the past, how artists were right there at the table when this new United States is thinking about who we are.”
The new wing, Lasser said, is all about digging into the museum’s expansive connection and figuring out how to connect historic works to the art of today.
“We spent a lot of time looking at art, thinking about what looks good next to what, what has the most power and impact,” he said. “Our visitors have changed, and our city has changed, and these galleries speak to a new moment.”