OPEN CALL: FOCUS ON TIME

Focus on TIME: September 2025 - August 2026

Location: The MIT Museum

In support of the MIT Museum’s mission to welcome all to participate in MIT’s unique culture of problem-solving and playful creativity, we seek proposals for innovative public programs that explore humanity's relationship with the theme of TIME.

ABOUT THE THEME

What is time? How do we measure, understand, and perceive it? From circadian rhythms to wormholes, from atomic clocks to time travel, our year-long focus on TIME at the MIT Museum will invite audiences to experience programs, educational workshops, and installations, exploring our complex relationship with time.

We are especially eager to review program proposals that demonstrate a meaningful connection to the theme of TIME and that bring a thought-provoking or unexpected perspective to it - we are interested in projects that connect art, science, technology, and design. We value programs that invite audience participation and engagement in new and inventive ways.

Topics may include, but are not limited to: Space Time, Time Measurement, Time perception, Deep time, Futures, Memory, Quantum time, Cyclical time, Musical time/tempo, Time travel, and Circadian rhythms.

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

Who is our audience? The programs should be accessible and thought-provoking for a wide variety of visitors. Please note that the Museum’s target audience is curious teens (middle school and above) and adults.

Who can apply? We encourage public programming proposals from artists, scientists, engineers, designers, and other creative practitioners. Students, staff, and faculty at MIT, as well as leaders and creators from the broader community, can all apply.

What type of projects are accepted?

We welcome innovative programmatic proposals from across disciplines and formats. This could include hands-on workshops, films, lecture series, master classes, talks, music, VR/XR, LARP, demonstrations, performances, installations, and maker programs. Programming that brings together art and science in innovative ways is especially encouraged.

What budget is available? Materials and other expenses for projects supported by the open call can typically be funded up to $1,000. We welcome proposals that work to a smaller budget or have a larger budget and other sources of funding.

What public programming spaces are available at the MIT Museum?

The public programming spaces at the Museum include:

The Exchange
An amphitheatre space with a two-story digital screen and built-in stadium seating.
Capacity: 100

The Phillip Sharp Room
A large conference room with a flexible floor plan that includes state of the art audio video equipment.
Capacity: 80

Learning Labs
Two classroom spaces with flexible floorplans.
Capacity of each classroom: 30

Proposals for digital/online projects are also welcome.

There are additional open areas and exhibitions in the Museum, and roving carts, that could potentially be utilized as sites for programs, with additional discussion.

How to Apply: Summary
Please submit your application below. Applications must include:

Event name
A description of the public program
Intended audience
Practical considerations
Budget
Marketing and promotion
If applicable, include supporting documentation.

How to Apply: Details

Project description: Describe your public program. What element of TIME does your project address and why is it interesting? [max. 150 words]

Intended audience: Who is the target audience? Are you trying to reach academics, students, professionals, teens, families, or other groups? [max. 150 words]

Practical considerations: What are the technical or other specifications for this public program? [max. 150 words]

Budget: Give us a rough indication of the budget needed to cover expenses related to the public program. Applicants should specify any required materials or resources for their project. You can also mention if the project is funded by other sources. [max. 150 words]

Marketing and promotion: How will you help us promote this program to the intended audience?

What is the application review process? We look forward to your submissions and the opportunity to showcase thought-provoking programs that examine the theme of TIME. Applications will be reviewed by MIT Museum staff, together with members of the Museum’s advisory group on the theme of TIME. Advisory group members include:

Marilyne Andersen, EPFL
Stuart Candy, Futurist
Peter Fisher, Physicist, MIT
David Kaiser, Physicist and Historian of Science, MIT
Cristina Parreño Alonso, Architect, MIT
Kevin Slavin, Entrepreneur, ex MIT Media Lab
John Werner, TEDxBoston, Link Ventures
We will be considering applications from May 1 through June 30, and we may contact you with questions during that period. We expect to finalize the accepted list of projects by August 2025.

Criteria:

The applications will be assessed based on the following criteria:

Creativity: Is the program original, innovative, and thought-provoking? Does it invite audience participation and engagement in new and inventive ways?

Relevance to the MIT Museum mission and the theme of TIME: Does the public program align with and contribute to the concept and goals outlined and support the MIT Museum’s mission?

Relevance to target audience and potential for impact: Does it speak to our target audience of curious young adults (middle school and above) and adults? Will it be impactful on audiences and achieve wider resonance and attention?

Diversity of Topics: Does the program help the Museum reach its goal to offer diverse content and formats?

Cultural, Social, and Ethical Sensitivity: Is the content respectful, inclusive, and mindful of diverse perspectives and ethical considerations?

Feasibility: Is the public program technically and logistically viable within the museum’s space, resources, and timeline?
About the MIT Museum

The MIT Museum aims to connect curious minds to MIT’s unique culture of problem-solving and playful creativity, bringing together science, technology, art, and design in surprising ways to explore our future.

In addition to exhibitions, programs, a maker hub, and learning labs, the museum invites visitors to take part in ongoing research while demonstrating how science and innovation will shape the future of society. The museum is located in the heart of Kendall Square in Cambridge, MA.

Highlights of the Museum include freshly conceived exhibitions featuring objects from the Museum’s prodigious collections of over 1.5 million objects, along with loans of art and other objects; the Lee Family Exchange event space for public dialogue and conversation; the hands-on Heide Maker Hub, where audiences can create and invent; and an expanded Museum Store.

Get in touch:

Have questions about the open call or the Museum’s focus on TIME? If you require more information, please contact Kate Silverman Wilson, Manager of Public Programs, at kswilson@mit.edu.