Frank Avruch: Boston's Man About Town

 

Boston Museums

Updated June 30, 2009

Museum of Fine Arts

Now on View:

Viva Mexico! Edward Weston and His Contemporaries
Now – November 2, 2009

Early modernist works by legendary 20th-century photographer Edward Weston form the core of this exhibition, which features a select group of rare prints made during Weston’s time in Mexico City between 1923 and 1926. Heroic portrait heads, avant-garde nudes, urban views, rural landscapes, and images of Mexican toys and folk objects are among the subjects he captured. Also included are photos by Weston’s lover and apprentice, Tina Modotti; his son, Brett Weston; Mexican photographer Manuel Alvarez Bravo; and American photographer Paul Strand.

Vida y Drama: Modern Mexican Prints
Now – November 2, 2009

Vida y DramaAfter the 1910 Mexican Revolution, printmaking workshops thrived in Mexico City and prints played an important role in the formation of modern Mexican visual style. This exhibition explores the bold and socially conscious graphic arts of Mexico from 1920s - 1950s. Lithographs, linocuts, and woodcuts by some of the biggest names in modern Mexican art—Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Albert Beltrán—are among the 25 prints drawn from the MFA's extensive collection of works on paper.

“Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese: Rivals in Renaissance Venice”
Now- August 16

Tintoretto Self PortraitThis is the first major exhibition dedicated to the artistic rivalry of the three greatest Venetian painters of the sixteenth century -- Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese. They created a body of work that defined a “Venetian style” through loose technique, rich coloring, and often pastoral or sensual subject matter. These elements inspired countless later artists, promoting a Venetian current in painting up to the twentieth century. The exhibition includes approximately sixty paintings from important museums in Europe and the United States, as well as pictures that have remained over the years in the settings for which they were painted—churches in Venice.

NOTE: The MFA is expanding its evening offerings on Thursdays and Fridays to give visitors more opportunities to view the entire collection. All Museum galleries will be open from 10 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. (Previously, just the Museum’s West Wing was open on Thursday and Friday evenings.)

Save some moola! Admission is free on Wednesdays from 4 to 9:45 p.m. And Thursday and Fridays the West Wing admission is discounted $2 from 5 to 9:45 p.m. For information on above listed exhibits and other museum programs, check their Web site.
Museum of Fine Arts
465 Huntington Avenue
(617) 267-9300

DeCordova ExteriorThe DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, MA is situated on rolling hills and is one of the area's prettiest sites. The sculptures that dot the grounds have never looked better. Ten New England artists who work in a variety of media including drawing, photography, sculpture, and printmaking will have their work on display. Regular museum hours are Tuesday - Sunday 10 - 5.
For more information: www.decordova.org.

DeCordova Sculpture Park
Dorothy Dehner, Fortissimo, 1993The DeCordova Sculpture Park, encompassing 35 acres of rolling woodlands and lawns, is the largest park of its kind in New England (see Park Map)., a constantly changing exhibition of large-scale, outdoor, contemporary American sculpture.The Sculpture Park is open to the public every day of the year from dawn 'til dusk, and contains approximately 75 artworks at any given time (see Park Artists). Admission to the Sculpture Park is charged during Museum Gallery operating hours only (Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm). Outside of these times, access to the Sculpture Park is free. Admission to the DeCordova Campus is $12 for adults, $8 for seniors, students, and children ages 6-12; children 5 and under are admitted free. DeCordova Members, Lincoln residents, and Active Duty Military Personnel and their dependents are admitted free.

The Gardner Museum

Gardner Museum CourtyardThe Gardner is a jewel of a museum, one block away from the venerable Museum of Fine Arts. This Venetian palace, once the home of Mrs. Jack Gardner, houses some fine art by master painters.The Gardner is one of Boston's artistic jewels with one of the most beautiful courtyards in the city. Fresh flowers greet the visitor to announce the different seasons with exotic displays, and there are guided tours Fridays at 2:30 p.m., limited to the first 20 people. On Sunday afternoons at 1:30 p.m. there are classical concerts in the Music Room overlooking the Courtyard, and one of the city's best-kept secrets is the charming "Gardner Cafe." (See review.)

The museum is open Tuesday - Sunday 11 a. m. - 5 p.m. Admission is $10 ($11 on weekends), seniors $7, children $3, ages 11 and under, free. For more information: www.gardnermuseum.org.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
280 The Fenway, Boston
(617) 566-1401

The Museum of Bad Art - Masterworks
by Michael Frank, Louise Reilly Sacco

Museum of Bad Art posterLocated in the basement of a theater, the Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) is a unique institution dedicated to the celebration of artistic effort, however misguided. The Museum of Bad Art: Masterworks presents a pulsating collection of more than seventy never-before-published pieces of artwork from MOBA’s permanent collection. Comprised largely of canvases found discarded on curbside trash piles or obtained for a pittance at thrift stores, this innovative compilation occupies a niche previously ignored in the international community of art collection, preservation, and interpretation. If the subjectivity of art appreciation were ever in doubt, this astonishing assortment of artistic commentaries will fan the flames of controversy. It is clear that many of these artists suffered for their art; now it’s your turn.

 

On The House: Four Boston museums offer FREE Admission Times:

  • Harvard Museum Of Natural History: Free Sundays 9am to noon, Wednesdays 3 to 5 pm September to May.
  • Institute Of Contemporary Art: Free Thursdays 5 to 9 pm.
  • MIT Museum: Free on the 3rd Sunday of every month.
  • Museum of Fine Arts: Free or by voluntary contribution on Wednesdays 4 to 9:45 pm.

 

Peabody Essex Museum in Salem

Steinbach PhotoSurf: Photos by Joni Sternbach  Now - Oct 4
Utilizing 19th century tintype photographic techniques, emerging artisit Joni Sternbach captures portraits and seascapes along American coastal regions. For her premiere solo museum exhibit, she presents a recent body of work focused on tintype portraits of surfers.

 

For more information on this and the other exhibits at the museum, as well as directions and hours: www.pem.org.

Museum of Science

Ongoing:

Catch Bugs
Insect imageJourney to a world where raindrops fall like cannonballs and danger lurks around every corner. Bugs! brings you down to size to follow the lives of a butterfly and a praying mantis in the lush Borneo rainforest. Think you know some big eaters? Before transforming into a butterfly, our star caterpillar munches through enough citrus leaves in a few weeks to increase its weight 100 times over! A mini-mantis hatched with 200 brothers and sisters quickly becomes a lethal hunter-even as it struggles to evade predators larger than itself. Perspective-bending presentations of Bugs! are now running regularly in the 3-D Digital Cinema.

3-D Digital Cinema
The museum's latest venue is now open in Wright Theater! Thanks to a newly installed digital projection system, the Museum now offers film presentations in 3-D. Using polarized light rather than traditional red/blue lens filters, the high-definition system offers Museum audiences dramatically crisp images and an exciting new presentation format to experience in the Exhibit Halls.
20-minute presentations of the debut film, Bugs!, are now showing regularly on the new high-definition system.

Butterfly Garden
Do you cower when a bee buzzes nearby...cringe at the sight of a beetle...recoil when a housefly lands on the kitchen table? But when a bright yellow butterfly meanders past you in the park, does your face light up with appreciation and wonder? Flitting among flowers like airborne jewels, butterflies have long captivated human beings. Exquisitely patterned, richly colored, and delicately formed, they are yours to enjoy at an exciting new exhibit at the museum.

Also at the Science Museum:

The Computing Revolution
How do new technologies affect our world? Can we predict their impact? Featuring artifacts, interactive exhibits, and compelling human stories, this new permanent exhibit re-creates milestones of computing, using past examples to ask questions that are relevant today.

The Charles Hayden Planetarium is featuring the high-tech, celestial adventure "Skyfire: Wonder of the Atmosphere," a multi media presentation of tornadoes, lightning, thunder and more. It's a wonderful tour of weather featuring all the elements. Shown at various times during the day through mid-April.

"Human Body Connection"
This popular exhibit is now on the second floor of the Green Wing and contains exhibits on anatomy, physiology and health. There are a variety of activities including building models, using a microscope, and conducting small experiments. There is also a chick hatchery, where live chicks hatch from actual eggs. It's no coincidence that the hatchery is located across from the exhibit on birth.

Natural Mysteries Exhibit:
Making use of some 6000 artifacts from the Museum's extensive natural history collections, this exhibit draws you into a series of unique environments filled with physical clues. Venture into a desert, a historic schoolhouse or a tropical beach. You'll find that scientific classification skills are the key to solving some intriguing puzzles.

The Virtual Fish Tank, which has been installed near the Wave Tank now at the Science Museum. This new exhibit immerses visitors in a1700 square-foot virtual undersea world where they create and interact with their own virtual fish to discover new insights into how complex living systems work.

"The Light House: Beaming, Bouncing and Bending Light"
LighthouseThis most recent permanent exhibit sheds light on optics, color and the nature of light. A shimmering light house greets the visitor as he explores a series of fascinating mirror effects. There are 18 hands-on activities, including optical pin ball, prisms, and how color is made.

"Messages" lets you discover why communication is central to everyday life. There are a number of interactive exhibits, including "Meaning with Music," where you can select a music soundtrack to go with silent video footage. In "Language To Go," visitors pretend to take food orders from people around the U.S. representing different kinds of regional speech. For example, is a hoagie the same as a sub or a hero sandwich?

"Science in The Park" puts a new twist on playing in the park by offering interactive science experiences. Activities on a seesaw and swing prompt us to wonder what forces are at work while we play. Children at all levels will enjoy the different ways to explore the pushes and pulls that set things in motion. It's fun and of course educational at the same time. Mom and Dad will enjoy getting involved as well.

The museum is also the home of the Charles Hayden Planetarium, a high-tech celestial adventure and the most technologically advanced planetarium in New England. Now through mid -April: "Skyfire: Wonders of the Atmosphere." There are also laser shows at various times, so check the schedule on their Web site.

Museum of Science, Boston
(617) 723-2500

Museum of Science Omni Theatre

Now showing:

  • Amazon - Through July 16
    Follow the Amazon River from its source in the high Andes, through the rain forest, and into the majestic Amazon basin. Join an American scientist and a native medicine man on their parallel quests to find healing plants. Dr. Mark Plotkin is a real-life ethnobotanist, a scientist who studies cultures and plants. As Plotkin travels upriver, a fictional shaman named Julio Mamani descends from the Andes. Both the scientist and the traditional Indian shaman contribute to finding medicinal plants that may yield cures for disease.

    Throughout the film, images of the Amazon sprawl across the larger-than-life IMAX Dome screen. Footage of enigmatic Machu Picchu, river rapids and waterfalls, stunning wildlife, and cultural customs helped Amazon earn a Best Documentary Film (Short Subject) Academy Award nomination.

  • Roving Mars

    Take an awe-inspiring journey to the great Red Planet as you follow the creation, launch, and success of NASA's Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Narrated by Steve Squyres, chief scientist on the project, Roving Mars captures the machines' launch, the tense wait for the all-important first signal indicating they are still "alive," and the stunningly clear pictures of the Martian landscape they send back to the control room as they roll off their platforms.

    Watch Spirit and Opportunity find indications of water in the Martian rocks as they last far beyond their 90-day life expectancy, becoming the most successful NASA mission in decades.

Also Playing:

  • Mystic
  • Adrenaline Rush: The Science of Risk - Through August 1

Museum of Science
(617) 723-2500


Harvard College Museums

World-famous Harvard just across the Charles River in Cambridge has three art museums, the Fogg, the Sackler, and the Busch-Reisinger. All three offer FREE admission on Saturdays from 10 a.m. - noon. All other times, one admission gets you into all three.

  • The Fogg Museum, 32 Quincy St.
  • The Sackler, at 585 Broadway
  • The Busch-Reisinger in Werner Otto Hall - enter through the Fogg.

The Children's Museum

 

The newly-renovated Children's Museum is now open!

One of Boston's most pupular museums is this hBoston Black imageighly-acclaimed children's oasis with four floors of interactive exhibits for all ages. One of their newest interactive exhibits is "Boston Black...A City Connects," an interactive exhibit about the diversity of Boston. Here you can get involved in Boston's vibrant communities by decorating a float at the Carnival Garage, share in a celebration of Caribbean culture, shopat the Colmado Store, style hair at African Queen Beauty salon, and dance at a Cape Verdean cafe.

Children's Museum hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The museum is closed Mondays, except school vacation days and holidays. Special admission prices on Fridays 5 -9 p.m.-- all visitors $1. Other times, tickets are: $6 kids and seniors, others, $7. For the latest on the many varied activities available, check out their Web site or call the "What's Up Line" at (617) 426-8855.

For those traveling to and from Logan Airport in Boston, check out the museum's airport satellite in the C terminal at Logan Airport. The Kidport Exhibit has climbing structures related to airport themes and will wile away the waiting time between planes.
The Children's Museum
300 Congress Street
(617) 426-6500

New England Aquarium

Walk Like a Penguin imageChildren and adults alike will enjoy the penguins at the Aquarium! The exhibit 3 different species of penguins, with over 60 of the charming creatures in a 150,000-gallon tank. Visit the Penguin Pages on their Web site for lots of great information about penguins, both at the Aquarium and around the world, and find out how you too can learn to walk like a penguin!

The Aquarium is one of the city's most popular attractions, and the bustling Boston Waterfront location is a treat for young and old. The Aquarium is open Monday - Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Saturday, Sunday, and holidays 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Admission is $12, Juniors 3-11 $6, Children under 3, free, and Seniors $10.

Aquarium's IMAX Theatre
The giant screen - 65 feet high by 85 feet wide - is taller than a six story building! The slight curvature of the screen extends to the edge of your peripheral vision.

Now Playing:

Dolphins and Whales 3D: Tribes of the Ocean
Dolphins and Whales posterDive into a new immersive and highly emotional adventure with Jean-Michel Cousteau’s DOLPHINS AND WHALES 3D, which will take you from the dazzling coral reefs of the Bahamas to the warm depths of the waters of the exotic Kingdom of Tonga for a close encounter with the surviving tribes of the ocean. Stunning images captured for the very first time in 3D will allow you to discover their lives and habitats as never-before-seen. An unforgettable voyage with these graceful, majestic yet endangered sea creatures, narrated by Daryl Hannah.

Also Playing:

  • Wild Ocean 3D
  • Under the Sea 3D
  • U2 3D
  • The Dark Knight

For complete information on the Aquarium exhibits, visit their Web site.

New England Aquarium
Central Wharf
(617) 973-5200

Sports Museum of New England

Sports Museum Image

They seem to have finally found a permanent home for sports fans who crave the various bits of memorabilia collected through the halcyon days of the Bruins, Celtics and Red Sox. Videos and interactive exhibits will keep the rabid fan busy for hours. The museum is now located on the upper levels of the Fleet Center in Boston. Hours are Tues.- Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sun. Noon - 5. Admission: $6, seniors and children, $4.
Sports Museum of New England
(617) 787-7678

Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
Olmsted Site

Not a museum in the strictest sense, this hidden treasure on a winding street in nearby Brookline is worth a visit. Olmsted was the man responsible for the major greenspace known as the "Emerald Necklace" that meanders from one end of Boston to the other. Open to the public only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., it is run by the National Park Service, who acquired the home primarily to have access to the hundreds of thousands of plans, drawings, and photos that are a treasure-trove for landscape architects and those who simply treasure open green spaces. The friendly staff will no doubt have information on park areas from your own home town. Open only by appointment for research during the week. For more information, call or visit their Web site.
Olmsted National Historic Site
99 Warren St, Brookline
(617) 566-1689