School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University

Students in modeling class in May of 1896 at the School of Drawing and Painting (now SMFA). Tarbell and Weston had recently taken lead at the school, introducing advanced classes and a strict focus on professionalism.

Discover more about SMFA's 150 years of history - timeline on website, link in bio.

Image credit: School of the Museum of Fine Arts records, UA133, Tufts Archival Research Center (TARC), Medford, MA.

An Hà, BFA 26, often works with found materials that inform the direction of his pieces. Há shares, "Art is one of the few fields where you can embrace intuition as a skill."

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During World War I, attendance at SMFA - then the Museum School - declined, a coal shortage temporarily closed the school, and tight finances had the Board considering closing the school altogether. Read more in "The Museum School at War," the latest installment in our 150th anniversary story series.

73 SMFA students participated in this year's senior thesis show, Until We Run Out of Space. Thank you to everyone who joined us for the closing reception last week celebrating these students and their work.

Photography by Peter Gumaskas for Tufts University

Congratulations to all graduating MFA students on the success of their show "Passages" and receiving their hoods

Photography by Peter Gumaskas for Tufts University

It’s the 1980s at SMFA. 230 the Fenway has just been renovated and doubled in size. Bess assumes her place greeting students at the front entrance. The school’s new Atrium quickly becomes a prime location for art performances by groups like the Mobius Art Group and later, Kaiju Big Battel, who staged wrestling matches with costumed characters and monsters.

It’s our 150th! Follow along with the timeline on our website.

Image credit: Keitaro Yoshioka Photography, circa 1980s. Image courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center (TARC)

Have you seen these colorful monsters roaming the city? SMFA senior Luz Palou García’s creatures are playful reminders that softness and vulnerability can bring us together.

You can see Luz's work in the 2026 SMFA Senior Thesis Exhibition, alongside the work of 73 other undergraduates. Join us for the exhibition reception and an end of the year celebration on May 16 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at SMFA.

Luz Palou García’s Fantastical Creatures Last year, Luz Palou García, A26 (BFA), donned a colorful pom-pom-covered monster suit and headed out into the city. Her tufted creature turned heads as it wa

Review boards are nearly here! SMFA was one of the first schools in the country to introduce review boards into the curriculum. They can be an adjustment for students and faculty accustomed to a more traditional structure, but as Professor of the Practice Charles Goss says, “It’s about becoming an entrepreneur in creativity.”

Good luck to all SMFA students wrapping up the semester!

Review boards: The ethos of an SMFA art education | School of the Museum of Fine Arts | Tufts University Breadcrumb News & Stories Review boards: The ethos of an SMFA art education Compiled by Danna Lorch | April 8, 2026 Related Faculty Charles Goss Chantal Zakari Image The Museum School (now the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University) was one of the first schools in the country–if not...

Don’t miss your opportunity to experience life as a college art student! Applications close Friday, May 1 for SMFA’s summer pre-college program for high school students.

Learn from practicing artists. Expand your artistic skills. Develop your portfolio.

Through the City Studio Program at SMFA at Tufts, Junior Diaz built a portfolio, found mentors, and discovered confidence in his artistic voice. Now he’s a first-year BFA student at Tufts.

Art Became His Language Junior Diaz, A29 (BFA), came to the United States from the Dominican Republic as a teenager. He spoke little English. Instead, he communicated through art. One