The Jar fosters diverse human connection through art, dialogue and dinner with strangers

Celina Colby

Celina Colby is an arts and travel reporter with a fondness for Russian novels.... VIEW BIO

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On a crisp spring evening in early May, several dozen people from all ages, backgrounds and walks of life gathered in Simmons Hall, an eye-catching MIT residence hall designed by Steven Holl. Inside the apartment of an MIT professor, the group of strangers observed artworks, ate dinner together and engaged in meaningful discussions about their joys, their conflicts and their traumas.

Despite the venue, this wasn’t a college-organized function. It was a salon-style event hosted by The Jar, an organization designed to foster human connection, diverse environments and equitable access to arts and culture.

Established in 2019, The Jar uses a method called convening to bring people together. Here’s how it works: A convener buys a ticket to a Jar event; the cost is usually $40 for salon events and $60 for performances. This ticket includes four people, the ticket holder, their plus-one (a spouse, friend, family member) and two additional guests. The convener is instructed to bring two additional people who look, live or pray differently than them, people they’d perhaps like to get to know better.

Participants enjoy a comedy performance at a Jar event. PHOTO: ANNA OLIVELLA, C/O THE JAR

“The convener model, in many ways, was a solution to this problem of loneliness, to the problem of segregation, to the problem of a lack of diversity,” says The Jar’s founder, Guy Ben-Aharon. “The Jar created a structure for people to create the change that they want themselves.”

At both styles of events — salon and performance — the guests mingle for a bit before experiencing some type of art. It might be a comedy show or a concert performance or a host showcasing a beloved painting. Salons are always hosted by an individual in their home for an especially intimate experience. After experiencing the art, which is something of a facilitator, a cultural common ground for the guests, the crowd rotates in structured groups and responds to open-ended questions to stimulate personal connection.

There’s something very liberating about discussing big ideas and personal moments, at your own comfort level, with perfect strangers. The model also facilitates people of all ages, races, backgrounds and interests meeting each other.

“Just walking into a diverse room, for me as a woman of color, just walking in is a treat,” says Samantha Tan, who has been convening with The Jar since its launch in 2019. “I’ve been touched and changed by so many people’s stories.”

Boston doesn’t lack diversity, but it’s notoriously segregated. The Jar creates rooms that are almost never encountered organically in the city and they now have the numbers to prove it.

The Jar worked with a consulting firm to generate a Qualitative Impact Report, published this year, with hard data about their events. The results showed that in 2019, white attendees made up 84% of attendance to arts events in Boston, with only 4% Black attendees, 5% Hispanic or Latino attendees, and 7% Asian attendees. At The Jar events, only 38% of attendees are white, while 12% are Black, 12% are Hispanic or Latino, and 22% are Asian.

PHOTO: ANNA OLIVELLA, C/O THE JAR

The trend of diverse rooms continues in the data across faiths, ages, years lived in Boston, queer- and disabled-identifying individuals and other factors. Whereas arts spaces in the city generally only represent a small part of the population, The Jar events show a much wider, more accurate picture of who lives here.

Part of the data-gathering process included getting feedback from people who have participated in The Jar. Ben-Aharon recalls a particularly memorable story about a Jar convener who recently had a birthday brunch and every guest was someone he had met at a Jar event, an illustration of long-lasting connections made.

With data backing up the success of their approach, the team at The Jar hopes to entice even more Boston locals to experience their events and meet new people. As the organization continues to grow, the model could be used for any number of diversification and inclusivity efforts, but for now it’s still about Bostonians connecting with each other.

“Unlike many other initiatives that dictate what happens in the room, The Jar is really rooted in the kindness of people and the generosity of people who go out on a limb and develop a new practice in their life to comfortably be with people who they already know, and maybe a little uncomfortably be with people they don’t know,” says Ben-Aharon. “If you want an excuse to get to know new friends, this is the place for you.”