Free Day at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Juneteenth
When:
Friday, Jun 19, 2026 11:00a -
5:00p
Friday, Jun 19, 2026 11:00a -
5:00p
Where:
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
25 Evans Way
Boston, MA
Admission:
FREE
Categories:
Art, Date Idea, History, Social Good
Event website:
https://www.gardnermuseum.org/calendar/juneteenth-2026
Juneteenth @ the ISGM - Born in the Purple
Free Admission Generously Supported by Linda Cabot and Ed Anderson
The Gardner will honor Juneteenth, the oldest nationally recognized commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, with a free day of performances, conversations, and activities curated in collaboration with SIDE Presents: Born in the Purple.
Purple sits at the intersection of the Juneteenth flag’s red and blue, of spirituality and mourning, of Alice Walker’s literary legacy, and of the regal, creative, resilience of Black life. It is a color that holds joy and weight at the same time.
To be "born in the purple" once described those born into royalty. Born in the Purple reclaims that inheritance—a reminder that royalty is not granted but remembered: carried in lineage; expressed in how we gather, adorn, and create; and reflected back to us in one another.
As you enter each space in the Museum, consider the question it asks and the ways in which the answer may lead to connection and a better future for us all.
Program
The Royal Jubilee
12–4 pm, Courtyard
Where is your royal jubilee—a place where you feel loved, seen, welcomed?
Enjoy a live performance by vocalists from Berklee College of Music, Keeme Tajudeen, Brooklynn, Aaron Michael, Aniyé Music, and Isaiah Burke, each bringing their own voice to the Courtyard with music rooted in spiritual tradition and Black musical lineage.
The Grounds
12–4 pm, Jordan Garden
Who do you consider music royalty?
Mez.wav sets a daylong soundscape across the Grounds—an outdoor space to rest, gather, and find ease together. A reminder that rest, too, is a form of freedom.
Knotted in Freedom
12–4 pm, Bertucci Education Studio
What do you wear—literally or figuratively—that reminds you of your freedom?
Led by crochet artist Bejeana, use conch shells and purple-toned yarn to craft a handmade brooch that reflects the weaving as an ancestral practice and the conch as a symbol of water, resistance, and connection.
Royal Reflections
12–3:30 pm, Living Room
3:30-4 pm, Throughout the Palace
Reflect on a time when you felt your highest self. Step into your portrait.
Sit for photographer Sam Williams (Nine Acre Photography) in the Living Room—an invitation to be seen, the way royalty always has been.
