Shelter in Place

As soon as the COVID-19 lockdown started, Boston-based artist Eben Haines dusted off a scale model of a contemporary art gallery and made an open call over social media for the work of other Boston-based artists who wanted a place to show their work despite social distancing measures. Using a scale of one inch to one foot, Haines has staged multiple exhibitions of artists across media, drawing interest from across the world. Many viewers do not immediately recognize the installation as a model, instead engaging as if the gallery were of full size. 

A provocative analogue means to engage and support contemporary artists that meets the digital in its form of presentation and dissemination, the Shelter in Place Gallery is an historical marker of this moment of crisis as well as a convincing artistic response to it. Moreover, Haines' skills are usually put to work at the MFA where he works as an exhibition designer, demonstrating that contemporary artists are part of the Museum's DNA beyond its gallery walls. Born in Boston, MA in 1990, he received his BFA with honors from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2013.