In the Spring of 2019, Friends of Fenway Studios Founding President, Lynda McNally, initiated a conversation with the Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) associates proposing a collaborative event with the Fenway Studios artists. Working closely with MHS President Catherine Allgor, Peter Drummey, Stephen T. Riley Librarian, Brenda M. Lawson, VP for Collections, Gavin W. Kleespies, Director of Programs, Exhibitions and Community Partnerships, and Sarah Bertulli, Public Programs Coordinator, McNally expressed the many commonalities the two landmark institutions shared. Immediately, a mutual interest blossomed, resulting in a collaborative exhibition which featured the work of present day Fenway Studios artists alongside rarely seen work from a variety of Fenway Studios founding artists belonging to the MHS’s private archival collection. This inaugural exhibition titled, “Fenway Connections: An exhibition by MHS and Fenway Studios” held its opening reception on October 3rd, 2019 at the magnificent MHS locale. During the spirited evening, Fenway Studios artists and the MHS associates enthusiastically welcomed guests to the exhibition. The collaboration was more than a century in the making, and all the pieces aesthetically dovetailed in the most visually appealing way, proving the work was always meant to appear together.
In additional to the treasured friendship that formed between Fenway Studios and the MHS throughout the collaborative preparation, the MHS would extend an opportunity to house Fenway Studios’ archival materials. This tremendous gesture by the MHS will ensure the preservation of the documented history of Fenway Studios; and it is with endless appreciation to the MHS for their generosity that Fenway Studios will forever be grateful and welcomes the chance to collaborate with the MHS in the future.