News – Page 10 – Salem Main Streets

Sizing Up Salem This Sunday – 3 Diverse Events

History, Salem Event, Salem Festivals No Responses »

Sep 142014

What can we tell you that has not been said previously? Salem thy name is diversity. Yes, we are world-famous for our month-long Haunted Happenings festival of events for Halloween. But on any weekend day, there is much more than monsters and mayhem. For example, on Sunday you can check out three special events spotlighting spice, steampunk and cars

Spice, as you may or may not know played a major role in Salem’s early seafaring history and it revisits our city this weekend for the Salem Spice Festival 2014 at Pioneer Village.

Spices, herbs and teas will be explored in culinary and medicinal usage to spotlight Salem’s long and fascinating history with exotic spices from around the world.

As always with most festivals in Salem, there will be arts and crafts, food, demonstrations, live music, lectures, workshops and storytelling featured as well. Salem Food Tours had a very nice photo essay of yesterday’s activities on their Facebook page.

This is a ticket free event (but they won’t turn away a donation). For more info on Pioneer Village at Forest River Park call 978-744-8815 or write to info@pioneervillagesalem.org .

Photo courtesy Social Palates

Steampunk is a grand perception of the future from a point in the Victorian past; science fiction dealing with 19th-century societies dominated by historical or imagined steam-powered technology. But the concept jumped off the written page to become a style of life for followers. It influences their art, fashion, music, jewelry and so forth.

The Salem Arts Association is showcasing “Gears, Grit and Gaslights: Steampunk in Salem,” a juried art show running now through to Sept. 28th on Artists Row, New Derby St.

Special juror for this show will be Victorian Lady Lisa, known locally and nationally for her Cape Ann cable TV show, All things Victorian and her book, International Steampunk Fashions. She is currently writing a second book on Victorian/Edwardian fashion. A third book, with steampunk designer/model phenom Karo, is also being planned.

Cars— fast ones, pretty ones, and perhaps a strange one or two will be parked along the Essex St Pedestrian Mall walkway on Sunday for your visual delight. The Village Tavern will be hosting its 1st Annual Antique Auto Show, featuring North Shore Old Car Club members displaying “styling” antique cars.

From noon to 5 pm you can look under the hood (sorry, no kicking of tires) and chat with owners who love their antique cars. There will be live music by the Olde Village Fountain and all proceeds raised will be donated to the Salem Veteran’s Services.

See, Salem is not just a bunch of hocus pocus…

Master of the Mobiles Art Form on Display at PEM

History, Salem Event No Responses »

Sep 022014

Alexander Calder, Southern Cross (maquette), 1963. Calder Foundation, New York; Mary Calder Rower Bequest, 2011.
© 2014 Calder Foundation, New York Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo Calder Foundation, New York Art Resource.

No sooner has the vastly popular Turner & the Sea exhibit moved out of the Peabody Essex Museum than another critically interesting one fills the void. This time, PEM is fortunate to be the exclusive East Coast venue for Calder and Abstraction: From Avant-Garde to Iconic. This exhibition brings together 40 sculptures by Alexander Calder, one of the most influential and innovative artists of the 20th century. It will run from Sept. 6 to Jan. 4, 2015.

Organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and in collaboration with the Calder Foundation it showcases mobiles, stabiles and maquettes made between the 1930s and the late 1960s, celebrating Calder’s pivotal contributions to modern art and his revolutionary approach to sculpture.

Opening Day Events (9/6/14, free with admission)

11 am – noon Panel Discussion: Redefining Sculpture, Morse Auditorium
Join Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, PEM’s James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes Chief Curator, as she hosts a panel discussion with Stephanie Barron, chief curator of modern and contemporary art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and curator of the exhibition, and Jed Perl, art critic for The New Republic and author of a forthcoming Calder biography. Reservations by September 5.

Herbert Matter, Calder in his Roxbury Studio, 1950s. Calder Foundation, New York. © 2014 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo courtesy of Wadsworth Antheneum Archives.

Noon – 4 pm Art Making: The Simple, Expressive Line, Atrium
A master of the simple, expressive line, Calder’s gift is clear in his first book Animal Sketching. Try your hand at creating a character inspired by Aesop’s fables.

12:30 and 3 pm Gallery Tours: Calder and Abstraction, Meet at information desk
Join our docent guides for an in-depth tour of Calder’s mobiles and stabiles. Tickets available day of program.

1 pm Film: Works of Calder, Morse Auditorium
This short film, with music by John Cage, illustrates how the artist drew on nature as a source of inspiration. Tickets available day of program. A Q&A with author Jed Perl follows the film.

2 pm Film: Calder: Sculptor of Air, Morse Auditorium
This film, directed by François Lévy-Kuentz, retraces Calder’s unique artistic quest and explores his masterpieces. For older teens and adults. Tickets available day or program.

This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. Carolyn and Peter S. Lynch and The Lynch Foundation provided generous support. The AMG Foundation sponsored the exhibition. Eaton Vance Investment Counsel and the East India Marine Associates of the Peabody Essex Museum provided additional support. In-Kind Media Partner: WBUR, Boston’s NPR news station

Calder and Abstraction: From Avant-Garde to Iconic is to be located in the Dodge Gallery 2. For additional details, contact PEM at 978-745-9500.

September Salem Days Invite Residents to Boston Museum

Salem Event No Responses »

Aug 302014

Far be it from Salem Main Streets to advise anyone NOT to visit a Salem attraction— but this one time our advice to residents is go to Boston! The Museum of Science welcomes Salem residents FREE of charge for the entire month of September. And if your visit is on either of two specific days, the train ride to Boston will also be without charge.

September Salem Days provides residents the opportunity to walk through the Boston Museum of Science. And there is a great deal to see: 700 interactive exhibits, live presentations, indoor lightning show and hands-on demonstrations.

This program is supported by the City of Salem and Mayor Kimberley Driscoll, and funded by the Norman H. Read Trust (thank you very much!).

The program includes free Exhibit Halls, Planetarium, and Omni Theater passes for all Salem families, individuals, and children. Passes have already been mailed to each Salem household; admission is for one visit and up to four individuals per pass.

If you did not receive the passes or need additional ones, you can go to distribution centers located at Salem City Hall, Salem Public Library, and the Salem Parks and Recreation Department. Passes will also be distributed in classrooms at the Salem charter and public schools.

Exhibit Hall passes must be presented at the Museum entrance with a valid Massachusetts driver’s license or identification card indicating you are a Salem resident.

But Charles Hayden Planetarium and Mugar Omni Theater passes must be exchanged for a timed ticket with valid identification. Salem residents must obtain these passes in the mail or from a distribution center before going to the Museum.

Train rides are all month, but the special ones are on 9/6 and 9/27

The free ride offer is only valid for the 10:38 am North Station bound trains on 9/6 and 9/27. (Suggest you get there early to get the special ticket and don’t forget proof of residency.)
The 9/27 ride will be led by Mayor Kimberley Driscoll and family,
Museum of Science staff and volunteers will accompany passengers on both train rides to provide interpretive and hands-on science activities during the rides.

Museum hours in September are Saturday through Thursday, 9 am – 5 pm and Friday, 9 am– 9 pm. Closed Sept. 2, but open on Labor Day, Sept. 1, from 9 am –7 pm. For more info go to http://www.mos.org or call 617-723-2500.

Turner & the Sea Hours Extended

History, Salem Event No Responses »

Aug 272014

“Fishermen at Sea” (courtesy Peabody Essex Museum)

The Sea and Salem Mass. have had a rich historical association, thus it comes as no surprise that the current Turner & the Sea exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum has been critically and publicly acclaimed. And to give everyone a good, last chance to see it for the first time or 2nd or 3rd, viewing hours have been expanded for Wednesday & Thursday nights (August 27 & 28) to 9pm. The showing ends on September 1, 2014

This represents the largest U.S. exhibition of Joseph Mallord William Turner’s maritime paintings. The exhibition features more than 100 works encompassing oils, watercolors, prints and sketches from the 1790s to the mid-1800s.

This first full-scale examination of Turner’s lifelong attraction to the sea follows the artist’s evolution from precocious young painter to one of the most important, controversial and prolific masters of his art.

Here are some comments from attendees:

—The fury, the power, the light!

—What a stunning, powerful exhibit – actually brings me to tears, it is so awe-inspiring. To see the breadth of his work, and in context with the work of other painters, and the sketches…I will be back many times to take it all in. Thank you.

— I can’t help but feel that this is the show PEM was born for…

And one that quite succinctly says it all…

— Feeling soaked and motion sick. I wiped salt from my face.

PEM members, Salem residents and children 16 and under are always admitted for free. For the extended hours of Aug. 27 and 28 there will be a discounted admission of $10 after 5 pm. For more info, call 978-745-9500.

Playback Time at PEM; Interacting with Games of History

History, Salem Event No Responses »

Aug 182014

Museums are neither boring, nor dreary, nor dark places! At least not the one in the downtown district of Salem, MA. Our very own Peabody Essex Museum is big, bright, and very community oriented. Admission is always free of charge to Salem residents (with ID) and members; it is also free Tuesday-Friday 10am – 5pm for people who work in Salem (with pay stub or other proof) but live elsewhere. Fees for non-members: adults $18, seniors $15, students (with ID) $10, youth (16 and under) free.

Take this week for example. On the 3rd Thursday of every month, the PEM invites the community to come in after hours for a late night fun-themed party. Yes, we said a party in the museum. Throwback Games Night set for this Thursday from 6-9pm will present hands-on interaction with electronic and board games of the 70s and 80s.

Some samples from the shelves of Mud Puddle Toys

Among the games scheduled: (some of which you can actually see on the shelves of Mud Puddle Toys in downtown Salem)

Twister
Rubicks Cube
Uno
Pick up Sticks
Ouija Board
Atari
Operation
Perfection
Sorry!
Trouble
Payday
Arcade Legends
Ms. Pac Man/Galaga
Air Hockey
“Giant” Mouse Trap

These will be available to be looked at, touched, read about, discussed— and played!

And since it would be rude of a host to not provide refreshments, the museum will have (in keeping with the theme of games and quick munchies) mac & cheese, Rice Krispies, Yoo Hoo, and a few other treats.

Cocktails and conversation, art making and music, culinary demonstrations and surprising experiences add up to great night out whether you are a resident or visitor looking to extend a day trip into an evening. And for this special PEM/PM event, non-members pay only $10 admission.

Have further questions? More details available at PEM website or by calling 978-745-9500.

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