Recent Boston Museum Exhibitions
A Tufts student ID comes with many benefits, including free entry to several Boston museums. Over the past three years, I have made countless visits to the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (ISGM), and the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA). Here are some of my favorite recent special exhibits at each museum:
Of Light and Air: Winslow Homer in Watercolor (MFA)
As the name suggests, this MFA special exhibit consists of American painter Winslow Homer’s works in watercolor. Homer was interested in natural scenes and travelled widely, and his watercolors reflect a sense of serenity and a desire to accurately observe and portray space. The exhibition was a particularly special occasion as the MFA houses a large collection of Homer watercolors, but rarely displays them due to their sensitivity to light.
The MFA is easily accessible, as students can take the Green Line train directly from the Tufts station to the Museum station. It is also located right across the street from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) at Tufts, allowing students to conveniently pop over to the SMFA Cafe to purchase a snack or meal using their meal plan. The MFA is also open until 10pm on Thursdays and Fridays, providing added flexibility for busy students.
Ming Fay: Edge of the Garden (ISGM)
On the side of the SMFA opposite the MFA is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum! They recently exhibited the work of sculptor Ming Fay, showing carefully arranged larger-than-life sculptures of various fruits, vegetables, and seeds. The exhibit is laid out to guide viewers through the space. One starts in a room with seemingly realistic (though oversized) objects and progresses through the exhibit to increasingly abstract ones. The objects were chosen for their personal significance to the artist. Viewers are invited to include their sense of smell in their experience of the exhibit as boxes of spices are placed on the wall for smelling. The ISGM’s seasonal exhibition rooms have large windows that fill the space with natural light, making the experience very pleasant.
The rest of the museum is well worth exploring as the building is rich in history, and the grounds are carefully landscaped. The work in the museum was purchased and curated by Isabella Stewart Gardner herself, making a visit to the museum an exercise in imagining her experiences, interests, and thought processes.
An Indigenous Present (ICA)
An Indigenous Present at the Institute of Contemporary Art features carefully curated and written-about works in a variety of media, ranging from drawing and painting to installation, sculpture, and video, all united by their contemporary status and by being created by Indigenous American artists. The exhibition focuses on abstraction as a means of communicating an experience.
The ICA is located in the Seaport District of Boston, accessible from Tufts via the Green Line and a transfer to either the Red or Silver lines. The Seaport area also has lots of restaurants to try and, in the winter, hosts an art market called Snowport. The ICA is right next to the water, offering a great view from inside or outside the museum.
Boston museums continually show thoughtful and enjoyable special exhibitions, and the train and a Tufts ID make taking advantage of those exhibitions a breeze!
