About

The Wiesner Building photographed from across Ames Street on MIT campus

I.M. Pei, Wiesner Building, 1985. Photo by Chuck Mayer Photography.

The List Visual Arts Center is a creative laboratory that provides artists with a space to freely experiment and push existing boundaries.

As the contemporary art museum at MIT, the List Center has three gallery spaces where curators present a dynamic program of six to nine contemporary exhibitions annually. Typically, the List Center offers an artist their first museum solo presentation. Exhibitions are accompanied by a broad range of educational programs for the public and the MIT community, special events, and scholarly publications.

The galleries and all programs are free and open to the public. 

Beyond exhibitions and programs, the List Center also maintains MIT’s permanent art collection which includes the Institute’s Public Art Collection, the Student Lending Collection, and the Campus Lending Collection. 

Mission Statement

The List Visual Arts Center, MIT’s contemporary art museum, champions groundbreaking art and artists to inspire people at MIT and around the world.

The MIT List Visual Arts Center is W.A.G.E.-certified.


History

On October 2, 1985, the List Visual Arts Center officially opened in the I.M. Pei-designed Wiesner Building. Artists Scott Burton, Kenneth Noland, and Richard Fleischner collaborated with Pei to create a space dedicated to experimentation and interdisciplinarity—a defining spirit that continues today.

In celebration of the 40th anniversary, explore the milestones that have shaped the List Center’s history. 

List Center 40th Anniversary

Black and white image of I.M. Pei and Scott Burton look over a model of the List Center building

I.M. Pei (left) discussing the Wiesner Building with sculptor Scott Burton.

Land Acknowledgement

In 2020, the MIT Indigenous Peoples Advocacy Committee (IPAC) in part with MIT’s American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), Native American Student Association (NASA) and other Indigenous MIT students/alumni have developed the following land acknowledgement statement.

“MIT acknowledges Indigenous Peoples as the traditional stewards of the land, and the enduring relationship that exists between them and their traditional territories. The land on which we sit is the traditional unceded territory of the Massachusett and Wampanoag Nations. We acknowledge the painful history of genocide and forced occupation of their territory, and we honor and respect the many diverse indigenous people connected from time immemorial to this land on which we now gather.”

Learn more information about MIT’s land acknowledgement.

Support and Membership

Your support matters now more than ever. Help the List Center navigate the changing world as we offer in-person, virtual, and hybrid experiences that keep us connected.

Members gather in a gallery. In the forefront is artwork that includes photographs of architecture and nature.

Past Exhibitions