Kendall Community Window Painting: Main Street

The Kendall Square Association, in partnership with the City of Cambridge, is thrilled to host our inaugural Kendall Community Window Painting event on Saturday, October 28th (rain date: Sunday, October 29th) from 12 to 3 pm. 

Whether you have been to Kendall before or not, this event seeks to bring Greater Cambridge together in a celebration of creativity, color, and community. Through creating science- and nature-inspired window paintings along Main Street, we hope students will feel better connected to Kendall Square, displaying their art for all to see. Register now!

Event Details:

Any Cambridge student in grades 3 through 8 is eligible to partake in the festivities. Each participant will have a 2’ x 3’ taped-off area for their own science- and nature-inspired painting. Students will be able to work on their paintings from 12 – 3 pm on the day of the event. Refreshments for students and families will be provided.

The painted windows will remain on Main Street for approximately one week following the event. In the case of inclement weather, participants will be notified via email of a rain date change no later than Thursday, October 26th.

• WHO: Cambridge students, families, businesses and community organizations
• WHAT: Painting the windows of Main Street
• WHEN: October 28th, 2023 from 12 – 3 pm (rain date October 29th)
• WHERE: Main Street in Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA
• WHY: To build community through creativity

Supplies will be provided to all registrants free of charge. They include:

• Tempera Paint
• Tempera Markers
• Brushes
• Paint Palette
• Water cup (to rinse brushes)
• Newspaper (to cover buildings and sidewalks)

While we try to consider each artist’s height for window assignments, if you’d like to bring a low step-stool (no ladders permitted), that is allowed.

Painting Guidelines:

Each student should feel inspired to paint whatever nature- and science-inspired painting they envision. With this in mind, here are some general guidelines each painter should follow during the event:

• Students must be supervised by a parent or guardian at all times.
• To ensure that every window remains the way we found it, please only use KSA-provided art materials during the event. Please leave the glitter, Sharpies, and other supplies at home. 
• While we encourage you to think outside the box, please keep your creativity inside your own 2’ x 3’ taped-off canvas. Please avoid getting paint on the buildings and sidewalks.
• Please clean up after yourselves when you are done painting. There will be trash receptacles near every paint site. 
• The KSA reserves the right to remove any paintings that detract from the goals of this community event (e.g., paintings with violence, profanity, etc.).

Registration Information:

To secure your spot in this event, please register using this form. 

All registrants will receive an email on or around October 23rd with more information regarding window assignments and FAQs. If something comes up and you cannot attend the event, please kindly let us know so we can have accurate attendance numbers. By registering, you acknowledge that you or your child/their painting may be photographed during the event. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to blake@kendallsquare.org for more information. 

This event would not be possible without the spacious windows and gracious support of BXP, CBRE, The Koch Institute at MIT, and MITIMCo. 

Interested in volunteering? Fill out this form.