Artists Beyond the Desk is a subcommittee of the MIT Working Group for Support Staff, supported by the Council for the Arts at MIT and in-kind contributions from Audio-Visual Services, Copytech, and MIT Music and Theater Arts. ABD’s all-volunteer membership is drawn from the membership of the Working Group and for over three decades has presented a Wednesday lunchtime concert series, readings, visual art exhibitions, and sponsored arts groups on campus such as the Meridian Singers. Although some members of ABD are themselves artists and performers, most are not and view membership in the group as a way of giving back to MIT by organizing arts programs, activities, and events on campus, for the good of the community—please send us a message at ABD at mit.edu if you would like to join us.

In addition to its own activities, ABD is proud to sponsor the MIT Folk Dance Club and the MIT Meridian Singers.

ABD's Origins
In 1985, Anne Armitage sponsored a brown-bag seminar during IAP entitled, "The Artist Behind the Desk." From this seminar grew the collaborative effort of the Working Group member Marie Stuppard and MIT Vice President Constantine Simonides. In 1987, the first Artist Behind the Desk Series was born. Since then, the MIT ABD Committee has presented hundreds of readings, exhibitions, and performances at MIT.

See lists of Past performances