Join us this July at the MIT Museum for an exploration of the dynamic intersection between the digital and physical worlds.

Discover the pioneering work of MIT Professor Hiroshi Ishii, whose research with the Tangible Media Group at the MIT Media Lab has transformed how we interact with technology.

Experience live demonstrations of three of Ishii's iconic projects — Sandscape, inFORM, and TRANSFORM — on view in our galleries.

Next, head to our Learning Labs for some hands-on play. Design and code your own musical instrument or explore a modular toolkit with flexible mesh structures for interactive, expressive, and collaborative creations. Then, swing by the Maker's Hub to unwind and relieve stress by crafting your very own DIY stress ball.

Enjoy Japanese café-style snacks and drinks available for purchase from Pagu.

Artificial intelligence is changing the game in science — supercharging discovery and driving breakthroughs at a pace we've never seen before. From biology and chemistry to physics, AI is now woven into nearly every corner of research, helping scientists work smarter, faster, and more precisely.

Join us for our next After Dark event for an evening of discovery, hands-on exploration, and engaging conversation. Meet pioneering researchers and get an up-close look at the technologies shaping the future of science.

Delicious dumplings from Mei Mei and local brews from Arlington Brewing Company will be available for purchase.

Presented in collaboration with the MIT Jameel Clinic.

It is said that Monsters reside in spaces not well understood. Join us in June as we navigate unchartered waters and explore unusual creatures real and imagined.

Meet curators Elisabeth (Libby) Meier and Florencia Pierri for an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of our Monsters of the Deep exhibition and examine related prints up close.

Embark on an adventurous journey with engineer Martin Klein as he shares his quest to uncover the secrets of the Loch Ness Monster using sonar technology.

Collaborate with other guests to build your own Exquisite Corpse inspired creature.

Write your way to unpacking the unknown with the Native Plant Trust's mashup of specimens, botanical texts, and writing prompts.

Explore the interchange of neuroscience and folkloric monsters with psychologist and author, Sarah Rose Cavanagh.

Finally, Glen 'Squid Man' Gawarkiewicz will entertain with fascinating facts and tales of sea monsters from classical times.

Beverages by Momma's Grocery and small bites by Tandor and Curry will be available for purchase.

Swoop in and connect with your extended flock for an evening celebration of all things avian.

Here's the line-up:

• What does an engineer see when she looks at a bird? Find out with renowned MIT Professor Lorna Gibson as she explores fantastic feathers and remarkable bills.
• Create your own vibrant bird-inspired art using gel plates and artist-quality printmaking supplies with the Nest, Mass Audubon's Art Studio and Maker Space.
• Join representatives from MIT's Beery and Broderick Labs to explore how technology and generative AI can play a role in bird research, appreciation, and conservation.
• Test your knowledge of bird identification, migration patterns, and more through engaging digital and analog games with the MIT Game Lab.
• Enjoy a special pop-up exhibition curated by the Museum of American Bird Art, featuring the beauty and wonder of birds through the eyes of artists!
• Meet author Rosemary Mosco and check out her new book, The Birding Dictionary.
• Plus so much more!

Delicious dumplings from Mei Mei and local brews from Lamplighter will be available for purchase.

From 5:00 - 7:00pm, After Dark guests are also invited to join Birding 101, taking place in the MIT Open Space. The tours are available on a first come, first served basis.

Come to the MIT Museum this April as we unravel the mysteries of the deep sea and explore the great unknown.

Join artist Keith Ellenbogen for an extraordinary journey beneath the waves as he unveils a window into our local waters through photography.

Catch a talk with MIT Professor Julien De Wit on how scientists are searching for signs of oceans (and life!) beyond our solar system.

Plunge into the world of aquatic robotics with MIT Sea Grant or experience the dawn of sight as you journey through the ocean's history with the MIT Media Lab's Camera Culture group.

Plus, join MIT graduate student James Vincent Brice in a hands-on wave flume demonstration.

Tasty Spanish and Japanese inspired eats from Pagu, and local beer from Small Change Brewing Company will be available for purchase.

This March we're offering a special edition of our popular After Dark event in collaboration with MIT's Artfinity Festival of the Arts.

As part of Artfinity, this month's After Dark will celebrate the artistic and cultural community at MIT and is free and open to adult members of the public (18+).

Enjoy a variety of hands-on making demonstrations, conversation, and interactive play accompanied by live music and a pop-up cash bar. Come explore, create, and connect; whether you're an artist, a tech enthusiast, or simply curious, there's something there for you.

Don't miss this expanded celebration of art in all its forms, including activities available in the museum throughout the evening:

• Live DJ sets
• Food and drink available for purchase
• The galleries are open, including two exhibitions of work by MIT faculty.
  • Rania Ghosn's Cosmograph: Speculative Fictions for the New Space Age, and exhibition that brings art and science together to examine possible futures where outer space is both a frontier for human exploration and a new territory for exploitation and development by private enterprise.
  • Professor and Director of the Art, Culture and Technology program, Azra Akšamija's Hallucinating Traditions is a 5-channel video installation that utilizes AI to envision future iterations of traditional fashion. Akšamija's speculative designs blur cultural and temporal boundaries, prompting viewers to reconsider the notion of "traditional" as a construct of the imagination.
• Engage in a unique drawing experience with a Flash Portrait Session! You'll be paired with a stranger to carefully observe and draw them without looking at your paper or lifting your pencil. This will provide a preview of MIT Face to Face, a collective event and pop-up exhibition inspired by Congregation, an artwork by Es Devlin, the 2025 Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts recipient.
• Challenge traditional ideas of solo artistry by embracing play and co-creating new forms alongside artist and MIT graduate student Coco Allred.
• Design textile patterns inspired by plant intelligence and explore how plants adapt to climate change, pollution, and migration with MIT Future Heritage Lab's Telltales of Tide and Terra co-creation project.
• Join us in creating climate critters as we think about sustainability with Interwoven, a data visualization exercise with Sara Wilson, Supreetha Krishnan, and Marwa Al Alawi.
• Take a closer look at Gaze to the Stars by award-winning designer Behnaz Farahi and her team at the Critical Matter Group at the Media Lab, which transforms the MIT dome into a living canvas that reflects the resilience and aspirations of those who have shaped, and been shaped by, the MIT experience. Join Farahi to explore how she is using technology in critical and transformative ways—sparking the imagination, provoking conversation, enhancing perception, augmenting social interaction, and empowering voices that have not been heard. The talk will be introduced by MIT Director Michael John Gorman.

No registration necessary; admission is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Space is limited.

Please note that backpacks and large bags are not permitted. A limited number of free lockers are available on first-come, first-served basis.

Join us for a night of humor, media literacy, and creative deception at our February After Dark. In a twist on "Two Truths and a Lie," three comedians challenge your gullible gauge to spot the one true news story.

MIT's Rand Lab will showcase interactive tools to help you spot fake news in real-time.

Explore deception in the animal kingdom up close and personal with Professor Bugman. Use our microscopes to explore specimens of animals that use deception for self-preservation.

Drinks from Marzae Wine and Philippine snacks from Lola's Pinoy Pastry will be available for purchase.

Come for fun, stay for creativity, and leave with a sharper eye for truth in today's media.

This event is co-hosted with MIT's Knight Science Journalism Program.

For our first After Dark of 2025, we're bringing together tinkerers, creators, and innovators to explore the art of making. Join us to design your own sew-able electronics, build with mechanical metamaterial, and make collaborative modular origami sculptures.

We'll also be showcasing the work of ingenious local makers, including DIY pinball machines and more.

Craft beers from Arlington Brewing Company and handmade lasagna from Mostly Pasta available for purchase.

Check out What's Happening Where during After Dark: DIY.

Before we dive into the New Year, join us for a night of nostalgia as we travel back to the '90s. Catch a performance of '90s video game music, try your hand at retro board games and consoles, and make your own (fuzzy) copy of Dolly the sheep to take home.

Take in a talk on '90s era space exploration with former Astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman and then test your knowledge with some out of this world trivia.

Dress to impress in your favorite '90s fashion, while enjoying sets by DJ Philip Tan. Local beers by Lamplighter Brewing Company and Jamaican eats from Cocobelly Bites will be available for purchase.