Why an observatory?
Art and science both begin with close looking. At Blue Hill Observatory, Observers have climbed to the roof at set hours every day since 1885 to record the sky, and that habit of attention has never been broken. Artists in residence join that tradition. They work in the building, with the instruments and the archive, and alongside the people who keep the record.
How it works
Visit
See the building, the instruments, and the summit during weekend public hours.
Apply
Send a proposal. The committee reviews applications when a review opens.
Reside
Work for a season, or up to a year, alongside our Observers and staff, with agreed-upon access to the Observatory.
Share
Present the work to the public on site and online. It stays on this website after the residency ends.
Coming up
Janine Wong
Printmaker, book artist, and designer Janine Wong works with color as it changes through weather, time of day, and place. At the Observatory she will work with the light of dawn and dusk, from January to March 2027.
Sunrise at the Observatory. Photo: Joshua Polen.
Recent residents
Steven Baldino
In the Sky of Mind. Oil-on-panel cloud studies painted from the summit of Great Blue Hill.
Dana Clancy
Cloud Study. A third-floor installation inspired by the Observatory’s tools, books, and daily observation cycles.
Jane Marsching
An artist and professor whose work investigates the history, ecology, and community of a place.
Make something with 141 years of sky
Artists in the Greater Boston area are invited to apply. The next review is coming in 2027, with dates to be announced.
How to applyProgram scope