24 New Art Exhibits You Must See in Boston in 2024
When:
Thursday, Mar 14, 2024 9:00a -
Tuesday, Dec 31, 2024 9:00p
Thursday, Mar 14, 2024 9:00a -
Tuesday, Dec 31, 2024 9:00p
Where:
Boston
Surrounding areas
Boston, MA
Admission:
$Varies
Categories:
Art, Date Idea, Good for Groups, History, Kid Friendly, Meetup, Nature, Photoworthy, Rainy Day Ideas
Event website:
https://joyraft.com/event/23-new-art-exhibits-you-must-see-in-boston-in-2024-boston-452372
Relish in the beauty of Boston and the art throughout the city with this guide of the best current, upcoming, and permanent exhibits at museums and galleries!
By Yelena Nicolle Salvador
CURRENT TEMPORARY EXHIBITS
1) Patterns in Bloom: An Orchid Exhibition
Where: New England Botanic Garden
When: Now until Mar. 17
Info: See the beauty of 2,000 orchids and their patterns at this exhibit. You’ll be able to marvel at their bright colors and joys of spring!
2) Bouquet
Where: Blue Triangle Gallery
When: Now until Friday Apr. 12
Info: Take a stop at this new gallery right by Chinatown in the Historic Textile District. This exhibit focuses on spring, nature, and Women’s History Month!
3) WINTERACTIVE
Where: Downtown Boston
When: Now until Sunday Apr. 14
Info: Explore Downtown Boston and see the infamous clown heads peering down at you and the mystical unicorn. It is such a fun way to get steps in and take photo ops with friends. Catch all of the displays before the Boston Marathon weekend, when the exhibition ends!
4) Getting Around Town: Four Centuries of Mapping Boston in Transit
Where: Boston Public Library
When: Now until Saturday Apr. 27
Info: Follow the history of Boston’s notorious T. The best part about this exhibit is that it includes a reimagined map of the MBTA with publicly-voted names for infamous stops: Boylston is “Screech from the Heavens,” which we all know too well.
5) Raqib Shaw: Ballads of East and West
Where: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
When: Now until Sunday May 12
Info: There’s no other word for me to describe this one: otherworldly. Relish in the colors and every detail of these vibrant pieces that feel like huge puzzles where new moments are found in every corner.
6) The Lost Generation: Women Ceramicists and the Cuban Avant-Garde
Where: McMullen Museum of Art
When: Now until Sunday June 2
Info: Explore this exhibit that showcases the work of experimental female ceramicists and male painters from Cuba. What makes this so unique is its emphasis on bilingualism since all works have an English and Spanish translation - highlighting the intersections between language, culture, and art.
Where: Institute of Contemporary Art
When: Now until Sunday Aug. 4
Info: Take a moment to feel connected to the beauty of the ocean and water. In this immersive experience, you’ll follow the perspective of a sperm whale through real-time videos and calm scoring. And you’ll be supporting a MA-native artist!
Where: Museum of Fine Arts
When: Now until July 2025
Info: One of my favorite exhibits around Boston, this one has made me rethink how to define care, whether it be towards loving myself, supporting others, and doing the smallest of tasks. I love that there are different kinds of chairs where you are able to ponder, rest your mind, body, and soul, and simply show care by enjoying the work of other artists.
UPCOMING EXHIBITS
1) Framing Freedom: The Harriet Hayden Albums
Where: Boston Athenaeum
When: Tuesday Mar. 20 until Saturday June 22
Info: Discover the history of Black abolitionists in Boston with this special exhibit. You’ll gain a new perspective on social justice movements led by African-American Bostonians during the Civil War era. Pro tip: If you don't have a membership at the Athenaeum, you can go on an Art and Architecture Tour for $15.
Where: Museum of Fine Arts
When: Sunday Mar. 24 until Sunday July 28
Info: I’m excited for this one! This multi-sensory and multimedia-based exhibit explores South Korean culture, history, identity, and influence. You’ll find a lot of textile pieces from costumes to needlework, as well as immersive blends of music, video, and more.
Where: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
When: Monday Apr. 1 until Saturday Apr. 13
Info: This iconic orange flower that has vines as long as twenty feet will make its annual debut to mark the arrival of spring at the Gardner Museum. The nasturtiums are nurtured carefully for almost a year and then displayed – a tradition that has been in place since 1904.
4) Dress Up
Where: Museum of Fine Arts
When: Saturday Apr. 13 until Monday Sept. 2
Info: Textiles are an art form we shouldn’t forget. Explore the messages within the threads and beads of clothing, jewelry, and accessories in this exhibit. You’ll be immersed in the intersections of fashion, culture, and identity.
5) Art in Bloom
Where: Museum of Fine Arts
When: Thursday Apr. 25 - Sunday Apr. 28
Info: Welcome spring with beautiful flower arrangements that are created by New England floral designers. Join the MFA for its 48th Annual Art in Bloom exhibition where there will be 45 colorful bouquets inspired by art pieces at the museum.
Where: Institute of Contemporary Art, Watershed
When: Thursday May 23 - Monday Sept. 2
Info: Follow the voyage of 140 life-sized sculptures of every age, ability, and occupation by Hew Locke. This installation explores themes of British colonialism, Caribbean carnival, power, and history.
7) Displacement
Where: MassArt Art Museum
When: Thursday June 27 - Sunday Dec. 8
Info: This immersive exhibit will take you on a journey through sounds, smells, and visuals. The pieces navigate the relationship between humans and their environments.
8) Dalí: Disruption and Devotion
Where: Museum of Fine Arts
When: Saturday July 6 -Sunday Dec. 1
Info: Lose track of time (literally and figuratively) as you explore the famous work of the melting clock artist, in conversation with his own inspirations and artists who explore the avant-garde.
PERMANENT EXHIBITS
Where: Harvard Museum of Natural History
Info: This is one of my favorite hidden gems of Boston. See these delicately hand-crafted glass flowers, ranging from pitcher plants to the intricacies of plant anatomies. It is a breathtaking exhibit to marvel at – you won’t believe that these are really made of glass!
Where: Museum of Fine Arts
Info: I love the impressionist art style that showcases brushstrokes and texture – it captures the perfect blend of imagination and realism without focusing too much on perfection. You’ll be transported into different worlds at the exhibit of the great painter, Monet.
Where: WNDR Museum
Info: It’s hard to pick just one must-see exhibit at this museum, so here’s your excuse to see them all, especially “Let’s Survive Forever,” an infinity room where you will get lost in the magic of mirrors. You get one minute in this exhibit, so be sure to take a second to put your phone away and take it all in.
4) The Mapparium: How Do You See the World?
Where: Mary Baker Eddy Library
Info: See the world frozen in time in 1935. The colors and to-scale continents will leave you speechless. You can participate in the “whispering gallery” where you can talk on one side of the world and be heard on the other.
Where: Museum of Science
Info: Experience an Arctic journey with digitally immersive sights and sounds and a real touchable ice wall, all tailored to change with the hour and season, allowing you to become a polar explorer navigating virtual ice fields and searching for wildlife with interactive tools.
6) Earth & Planetary Sciences Gallery
Where: Harvard Museum of Natural History
Info: Geodes, rocks, gems. This collection of rare minerals is huge and sparkling. You’ll be in rooms full of hundreds of rock specimens that cover all colors of the rainbow. A favorite exhibit within this gallery is the mineral eggs – beautifully small, polished minerals!
7) MOBA Zoo
Where: Museum of Bad Art
Info: This exhibit is full of funny interpretations of animal portraits and more. You’ll enjoy strolling through this gallery with a brew in hand – laughs guaranteed since the pieces each have a silly description!
8) Public art
Where: Boston
Info: Enjoy the wonders of Boston and the outdoors by strolling through the city to see these colorful murals.
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Main photo by The Mapparium, WNDR Museum, the ICA, and Travel Like A Local
