The first post of this new editorial season is going to come from Dominique, discussing three Boston museum exhibits this summer that hone in on social provocation, demonstration, and change. Here is a cursory look at (in my opinion) the most socially contemplative and thought provoking installations and exhibits around Boston this summer, that will call you to stop and reflect upon prevalent topics such as immigration, mental health, and forms of resistance. But hey, if your travels don’t pull you to Boston this summer, this will also provide a basis for these exhibits which you can further explore through the omnipotent internet.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston “I must tell you what I saw” Objects of Witness and Resistance.

On Display until July 30, 2017

This extremely powerful exhibit hosts a wide array of objects meant to provoke conversation regarding genocide, mass violence, and responses to these types of hate crimes around the world. The exhibit expands through millennia ranging from ancient depictions of war and Babylonian deportation to J.M.W. Turner’s Slave Ship to the Armenian Genocide. This exhibit is bold, only housing eight paintings, but it is provocative. The pieces demand discussion and beg to be strung together in a timeline that acknowledges the atrocities and devaluation done to people who fall under the category of “different” or “oppressed” in comparison to the majority population at any given time.

Museum of Science “Many Faces of our Mental Health”

Opens May 27.

99 facial portraits will be on display throughout the summer at the Museum of Science depicting the appearances of those who suffer from bipolar disorder and/or schizophrenia, and individuals who are a support system for those suffering from mental health conditions. The exhibit also features more biological components of mental health, such as DNA models that highlight specific genes and traits, and data that explore findings in professional research regarding mental health. The exhibit balances the more human side of mental illnesses with the biologically based research of diseases, which does an excellent job of encompassing a holistic understanding of mental health.

Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston- Nari Ward’s “Sun Splashed”   

On view until September 4,2017

Jamaican-born artist Nari Ward takes a materialistically fresh approach to the social topics of citizenship, urban spaces, and immigration with his found-object installations. The media in this exhibit is unique to say the least. There is a compilation of photography, sculptures, film, and installations made from shopping carts, and a fire escape. The pieces in this exhibit are meant to be reflected upon from their very material makeup to their spatial placement. What does it mean to be an immigrant? What defines urban life? These are all questions to be asked.

Hopefully these will exhibits will make it on your summer museum list and will evoke a response to the social conversations they are trying to induce.