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
After 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
This 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
The 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
The
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
The
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
Located 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
Surf: 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
Journey
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"
This
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 h
ighly-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
Children 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
Dive 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
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
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
