The Professional Arts Consortium (ProArts) was incorporated in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1984. Read below to find out more about how ProArts came into being and the diverse programs run by ProArts throughout the years.

Spring 2005
Launch of online neighborhood ProArts Connect, found at www.proarts.org.

Fall 2004
New ProArts Website, www.proarts.org, launched.

Spring 2004
Emerson College hosts interdisciplinary, inter-institutional course entitled, “Invisible Cities, Interventions.”

April 2003
ProArts hosts “Defining the Future of ProArts Conference” at the Boston Architectural Center.

February 2001, April 2002
ProArts holds “Chairing the Academic Department” conference in collaboration with the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.

June 2001
Boston Arts Academy celebrates its first graduating class

September 1998
Boston Arts Academy opens its doors.

October 1994
Boston School Committee notifies ProArts that proposal submitted for arts high school, the Boston Arts Academy, submitted in September, has been accepted by the city.

January 1993
First “Careers in the Arts” program held at the Museum of Fine Arts.

October 1990
Berklee College of Music accepted as sixth member of the ProArts Consortium, effective January 1, 1991

May 1985
ProArts sponsors the first of two annual teachers conferences for arts educators in the area.

April 1985
ProArts joins Mass Higher Education Consortium (MHEC) with provides substantial savings for members via access to state contracts.

June 1984
ProArts Summer, a six-weeks residency program for artistically talented high school students in Massachusetts, sponsored by the Consortium and funded by the State Board of Regents and the Mass Council for the Arts and Humanities. The program is offered again for two more years.

May 21, 1984
Professional Arts Consortium, consisting of the Boston Architectural Center, Massachusetts College of Art, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Emerson College, and the Boston Conservatory of Music, incorporated in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Fall 1983
Cross-Registration begins at all five Consortium institutions.
First collaborative course, “Situations in the Contemporary Arts,” offered through MassArt.

July 1983
Arts Festival sponsored by the Consortium held on Peddocks Island

May 1983
Proposal for developing a summer arts program for high school students submitted to the Massachusetts Board of Regents.

Fall, 1982
Berklee College of Music invited to attend meetings of the Task Force and participate in activities.

September 1982
Art House, an inter-arts residency program, begins with a director and 50 students from the BAC, MassArt, the SMFA, and Emerson College. The Program is housed in the Emerson dormitory, Fensgate.

November 1981
Academic Deans of the Boston Consortium of Professional Arts being meeting to discuss a joint seminar course, “Contemporary Issues in the Arts.”

September 1981
The Beaudoin Report or “Consortium Task Force Final Report,” written by D. Bee Beaudoin in conjunction with Task Force members from the Boston Architectural Center, Massachusetts College of Art, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Emerson College, and the Boston Conservatory of Music is completed. The study for an arts consortium recommends goals, area of cooperative activities, and benefits to the member institutions and to the Boston area. (It was noted that the New England Conservatory of Music also participated in formal discussions concerning the Consortium over this period.)

September 1980
A Task Force of the Boston Consortium of the Professional Arts, appointed by the CEOs of the Boston Architectural Center, Massachusetts College of Art, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Emerson College, and the New England Conservatory of Music meets to study collaborative programs among these institutions.

August 1980
The Presidents of the Boston Architectural Center, Massachusetts College of Art, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and the New England Conservatory of Music submit to the City of Boston a proposal that would transform Peddock’s Island in Boston Harbor into an “Art Park.” The concept for the park included an art camp to provide arts training for talented young people, weekend arts festivals, continuing education courses, and conferences. Although supported by many, including the Massachusetts Council on the Arts and Humanities, the proposal was not accepted.