They’re wicked cultured.
Last month in Boston, the storied Museum of Fine Arts opened a new exhibit called “Something’s Brewing.” It traces the economic and social impact of tea, coffee and chocolate in the Bay State, including the famous Boston Tea Party in 1773.
The historical show features priceless vessels like hand-hammered silver teapots, polished oak serving trays and swan-carved urns inlaid with dark wood, all dating back to the time of the Founding Fathers.
It also includes a disposable cup from Dunkin’.
“This gallery looks at tea, coffee, chocolate, and [yerba] mate through objects created to make, serve, and drink them,” says a Museum of Fine Arts press release, noting that by the 20th century, coffee had completely surpassed tea as the caffeinated drink of choice.
According to the MFA’s social media team, “It’s a not-so-subtle nod to the fact that Boston has been running on coffee for centuries.”
And as the ads — and Casey Affleck — constantly remind us, “America runs on Dunkin’.”
While other pieces in the show are silver and glazed earthenware, the Dunkin’ cup is listed by curators as “Double-walled paperboard [and] #5 polypropylene,” a thermoplastic coating that keeps your coffee cup from getting soggy.
Dunkin’ is a historic New England entity, opening its first location — then called Dunkin’ Donuts and serving as a Quincy, Mass. cafe — way back in 1950. Over the years, it has become an international hub for giant iced coffee drinks, with celebrities like Sabrina Carpenter, Kylie Jenner and, of course, the Affleck brothers serving as faces of the brand.
Nike, Tarte Cosmetics and Native have all collaborated with Dunkin’ on limited-edition merchandise; recently, the donut hub also released a line of sweatshirts and hair clips with the Gen Z label Parke.
But while adored, a Dunkin’ item isn’t usually considered art. In fact, a 2024 April Fools’ prank at Boston College showed Dunkin’ cups and bagels installed in a fake museum exhibit at the Burns Library.
Now, perhaps, the joke is on them.
At the Museum of Fine Arts, the chosen Dunkin’ cup is listed as a “loan in honor of Erica Hirschler,” one of the Museum of Fine Arts’ own chief curators.
Which means she may be able to write off the artful donation — currently a whopping $3.19 at the chain’s locations nationwide — as a philanthropic donation in 2027.
There’s a joke here somewhere about coffee beans and Beantown… but we need another hit of Dunkin’ coffee to find it.
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