Happy Places for Artivores

Focus on All Things New England! [New England Focus Logo]( Happy Places for Artivores There’s no skimping on your art consumption in this land of multifaceted museums and diverse cultural places and spaces. [Logo]( [2nd Logo]( Sponsored by: [North of Boston]( and [Greater Merrimack Valley]( [NH PBS] Lacquered, laser-cut steel and a single light bulb make Pakistan-born artist Anila Quayyum Agha’s All the Flowers Are for Me one of the Peabody Essex Museum’s magical experiences. (Bob Packert/Peabody Essex Museum) From the gritty brick mill towns along the Merrimack River to the rugged seascapes of Cape Ann bathed in luminous natural light, the sights and sounds of the Merrimack Valley and North Shore have inspired creatives of all kinds for centuries. It’s no surprise, then, that there’s a cornucopia of artistic treats packed into these cities and towns. You could spend months digging into the region’s world-renowned museums, galleries, and public art installations and ducking into venues where live performances mesmerize, yet barely scratch the surface. There’s such a kaleidoscope of things to see and do. Don’t have months? Don’t worry. Let’s break this down to a highlight reel of musts, plus some bonus culture hits. Choose a handful, and design your own artful weekend away. Peabody Essex Museum, Salem: What started in 1799 as a “cabinet” of curiosities and treasures collected by sea captains has evolved into a stunningly modern museum that not only flaunts its collection of more than 840,000 works but also spans three city blocks and 22 historic buildings. Among those structures is Yin Yu Tang, the only complete Qing Dynasty house outside China—and yes, you can book a look inside. PEM’s maritime and Asian art holdings are particularly strong, but a visit isn’t just about admiring art, past and present. Thanks to interactive and inclusive programming, you might mold clay inside one exhibit, write love letters in another, or attend an after-hours party with fellow culture vultures. As keeper of the Salem Witch Trials papers, PEM also illuminates that dark chapter via a new self-guided audio tour that leads you through museum galleries and out into the streets to sites like the historic Ropes Mansion, which you’ll recognize if you’ve seen Hocus Pocus. Bonus: It’s free to wander through Salem’s Punto Urban Art Museum, an outdoor collection of more than 75 large-scale murals painted by international and local artists. After Dark: Grab your popcorn for new films and cult classics at Cinema Salem, which hosts the annual Salem Horror Fest each spring. deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln: Wander among more than 50 large-scale modern and contemporary sculptures across 30-plus acres. Outside and accessible year-round, the park’s grounds—forests, gardens, fields, and lawns that hug the edge of a pond—add an extra layer of beauty and meaning to a visit. Each season brings added attractions: snowshoe tours, nature walks, yoga, live music. Be sure to see site-specific works like the granite, steel, and pine “Watershed” by English artist Andy Goldsworthy. It’s embedded into a hillside and channels water during rainstorms to create a multisensory, always-changing experience. Bonus: Ten minutes away in Concord, tour Orchard House, the family home where Louisa May Alcott wrote her beloved novel Little Women. You’ll see the spaces where Alcott and her sisters lived, wrote, and made art, just like the fictional March sisters. After Dark: Enjoy live comedy or music by artists ranging from pop stars to the Lexington Symphony at Cary Hall in Lexington. [Just North of Boston]( This MA region contains all that New England offers. From the seashore, ski mountains, to cities and farmland to historic landmarks. This guide will give you a reason to visit any time of the year. [Read Now]( SPONSORED Cape Ann Museum, Gloucester: Cape Ann might be small—four towns, 58 square miles—but it’s had a disproportionately large impact on the art world, and that legacy is showcased at the Cape Ann Museum. Incredible pieces of fine and decorative art are on view including works by Gloucester native Fitz Henry Lane, a marine painter and printmaker whose Luminism style captures the region’s soft, golden ocean light. Admire works by contemporary Cape Ann artists, too. The museum also houses collections that tell the story of the region’s fishing and granite-quarrying industries. Think fishing baskets and blacksmith tools that are displayed alongside photographs, paintings, and ephemera. Bonus: Feel deeply inspired as you wander in and out of galleries and art studios at Rocky Neck Art Colony, one of the oldest such communities of artists in America. After Dark: On Thursday evenings in December, and resuming in late spring, tour Gloucester’s magnificent Hammond Castle by candlelight, and relive the long-gone pre-electrification era. Whistler House Museum of Art, Lowell: James McNeill Whistler’s iconic Gilded Age paintings are on view in museums around the world, from the Tate Britain in London to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., to the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. But visiting his Lowell birthplace provides something much deeper: a peek into his origins, along with a chance to see some of his lesser-known works, including rare etchings. You’ll also encounter pieces by other artists like John Singer Sargent and Arshile Gorky inside the well-restored 1823 house, which has elements of both Federal and Greek Revival architecture. The museum also serves as home base for the Lowell Art Association and hosts exhibitions and events that nurture new talent. Bonus: At Western Avenue Studios, housed in a converted riverside mill, meet some of the 350-plus resident artists who showcase their eclectic creations. Double Bonus: A historic Lowell factory is refashioned into a quirky indoor streetscape with shops, indie movie theater, farmers’ market, coffee shop, events, and more at Mill No. 5. After Dark: Enjoy a captivating night at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, which has staged productions for more than 40 years. [Addison Gallery of American Art] View fine art for free at the Addison Gallery of American Art in Andover, and keep an eye on their calendar of gallery talks, some in person and some virtual. (Courtesy of Addison Gallery of American Art/PhillipsAcademy) Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover: The collection is vast (25,000 pieces including 13,000 photographs, 25 ship models, and paintings by American masters like John Singer Sargent, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Jackson Pollock). But the price of admission to this museum on the Phillips Academy campus isn’t large at all. In fact, it’s free. Gallery talks and other educational programs? Also free. And with about 12 new exhibitions each year—a mix of traveling shows and deeper looks at works pulled from the permanent collection—you’ll never have the same visit twice. Bonus: Merrimack College in neighboring North Andover is home to the McCoy Gallery and the Thagaste Gallery, contemporary art spaces open free to visitors during business hours. Both are located in the Rogers Center for the Arts, which also hosts film screenings and live performances. After Dark: Try your hand at applying color to canvas at Painting with a Twist in North Andover. [Ad-300x250]( SPONSORED [New England]( [TRAVEL]( [FOOD]( [LIVING]( [WEEKENDS WITH YANKEE TV]( [YANKEE MAGAZINE]( [SHOP]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Pinterest]( You received this email because you signed for updates from [NewEngland.com](. If you do not wish to receive our regular e-mail newsletters in the future, please [click here to manage your preferences or unsubscribe](. *Please do not reply to this e-mail* © 2024 Yankee Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. 1121 Main Street | P.O. Box 520 | Dublin, NH 03444 [Contact Us]( [View web version](