Creativity has always been central to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s mission. In 1903, Isabella established the Museum’s first artist residency by inviting John Singer Sargent (American, 1856–1925) to use the Gothic Room as his studio. Building on our founder’s bold legacy of supporting artists and celebrating creative talent in all its forms, we foster and catalyze new initiatives in the visual arts, music, horticulture, and beyond. We work with artists to produce new content and connect with each other across disciplines. At every stage—from ideation to creation to display—we challenge ourselves to embrace the possibilities of collaboration, both internally and externally, and to unite social relevance and scholarly rigor within the study of art, past and present.
