Peabody Essex Museum – Page 13

Extreme Art Focus of Next PEM/PM

Jul 132014

Extreme sports are not something you would ordinarily equate with the Peabody Essex Museum, but this week you will – “pushing yourself beyond your normal limits” is the charged-up theme for the next edition of PEM/PM, Thursday July 17 from 6-9 p.m. Inspired by PEM’s headlining summer exhibition Turner & the Sea, the upcoming party channels the adventurous spirit of painter J.M.W. Turner to create an evening of high-adrenaline art and exploration.

Parkour from Wikipedia

And what better to showcase “pushing yourself” than the rage that has crossed several continents: parkour which involves getting from point A to B in the most efficient way possible but doing so by using only your body and your surroundings to propel forward.

You are of course more than welcome to explore artwork in PEM’s collection that exemplify extreme art making. And definitely make the effort to take in the Turner & the Sea collection.

But don’t forget that this is a party, so you will also have the opportunity to sample healthy superfoods and extreme coffee and enjoy high-energy music in the Atrium with Boston-based hip-hop group Viva La Hop.

And in keeping with the extreme theme, stretch yourself a bit, go outside to PEM’s Asian Garden where you can enjoy summer games and cocktails designed to activate the senses.

Admission is free of charge to members and Salem residents; fee is $10 for nonmembers at the door. For more information, call the PEM at 978-745-9500.

Wiki Spotlight on Salem’s PEM

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May 032014

Spreading the word about Salem, MA to a global audience is up to you today. The Peabody Essex Museum is holding an all day Wikipedia Edit-a-thon, 9am-5pm in the Create Space 2 area of PEM. It is open to the public and free of charge.

Native American and Chinese art collections will be the focus of the day. It will be a fun-filled event with a social purpose. And another great way to spend a Saturday in Salem doing something completely different than last week!

“We’re bringing together Wikipedia editors, museum staff and anyone interested in joining the ranks of Wikipedia’s global volunteer editor corps to share PEM’s unique resources with the world,” explains Ed Rodley in a recent Connected PEM blog.

Rodley, who is Associate Director of Integrated Media at PEM, adds “We’ll be uploading images of objects from our permanent collections, while learning how to write and edit Wikipedia articles…and meeting new friends.”

With over 4 million English language articles, Wikipedia is considered the world’s most successful online encyclopedia. Anyone with Internet access can be an editor but there are of course rules and guidelines.

Training, advice and guidance will be offered at PEM Edit-a-thon by experienced Wikipedians as well as by museum personnel.

You are advised to bring your own laptop and charger.

Lunch will be provided (pizza) plus coffee, tea and water, but you may bring your own.

For a full schedule of the day’s activities go to the PEM Edit-a-thon Wiki page where you can also sign up.

PEM Creatively Celebrates The Future

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Nov 092013

Point to one store, one attraction that proudly proclaims that there is life in Salem before, during and after Halloween and you would be looking at the Peabody Essex Museum. This is not your grandparents type of museum, nor most likely your parents. It is a vibrant, enticing, welcoming community meeting-house environment with exhibits for any age group.

Saturday Nov. 9th is a perfect example as PEM presents Future Creativity Gala from 7:30pm to midnight. There will be dining, dancing and cocktails as they celebrate the future of the creative process. Yes, in a museum. There will also be creative experience rooms which will feature opportunities to interact with guests and artists with activities designed to engage the senses.

For example, future-themed hors d’oeuvres and small plates, both sweet and savory, will be passed throughout the evening to create a unique dinner-by-the-bite culinary experience.

Matthew Aucoin will compose new work in real time. Guests become part of the process by influencing the style of his composition. Collaborators Kier GoGwilt and Nick Pope will simultaneously react to his composition through additional music and visual art. (Aucoin is PEM’s first composer-in-residence and an assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.)

Utilizing taste, touch, sound, sight and smell, Janice Wang will explore the ways we interact with food and with each other through culinary experience. Wang is interested in cognitive psychology in the dining room. (Wang is an MIT Media Lab researcher as part of Kevin Slavin’s Playful Systems group.)

But more than words are needed to explore the creativity that is the PEM. John Andrews of Social Palates posted a link on Twitter this week to the photographs he’s taken highlighting the PEM’s brand of community interaction. With an eye to the future of creativity at PEM, we invite you to also look at the recent past.

Tickets may still be available to Saturday’s event. For more information contact 978-542-1611 or email gala@pem.org. Proceeds from the Future Creativity Gala provide necessary support for the museum’s education, outreach and public programs, as well as new exhibitions.

80 Days: Steampunk Celebration at PEM

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Sep 212013

That which the world could have been, and yet can still be to some, fills the air at the next PEM/PM open late monthly evening party. Steampunk will flavor this month’s Peabody Essex Museum event which celebrates time travel and globetrotting through PEM’s extensive riveting collection of art from around the world, Thursday, Sept. 26 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm.

The museum’s after-hours program with music and dance performances, food tastings, lectures, art demonstrations and activities kicked off in the summer of 2011, and has grown in popularity ever since. Besides the fantastic art collection as an attraction, this month’s theme will also draw special visitors.

For the uninitiated, Steampunk embraces the social and/or technological aspects of the 19th century (think steam engines) at the expense of (quoting from Steampunk.com) “some deconstruction of, reimagining of, or rebellion against” parts (think punk) of the 19th Century. At least that was the launching point of this science fiction & fantasy subgenre.

It soon took on a life of its own; Steampunk burst forth onto the gaming scene, then into movies and TV. Steampunk clothing and accessories soon appeared. And then came the sub-culture of followers to the philosophy which melds ideals of creativity & self-reliance with a Victorian optimistic view of the future.

All this extra information is to prepare regular PEM/PM attendees because the PEM is inviting guests to wear their favorite Steampunk fashion and come, as the featured Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band requests, “to dance at the edge of reason, sing the song of society’s fringe and drum out whatever rhythm you are called to march to.”

Then take a Victorian-themed global quest via the PEM galleries to seek answers to art-related trivia questions. The evening includes cocktails & conversation, art making, and games, plus a tasting & demonstration by Brown Butter Bakery in Cambridge. And in attendance, a lot of costumed people celebrating a way of life.

No reservations are required. Members and Salem residents will be admitted free of charge; $10 for nonmembers. For more info call 866‐745‐1876 or visit the website at www.pem.org.

And if you really get into the swing of the Steampunk mode, there will be an after-party party at Opus Restaurant, 87 Washington St. Call 978-744-9600 or go to their website for more info.

PEM: Dirt Is Welcome Subject at Party

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May 062013

Leave it to the creative minds at Salem’s Peabody Essex Museum to unearth a really ground breaking topic for their next PEM/PM party event: DIRT!

Or more accurately, things you can do with what grows out of well-tended dirt.

On May 16 from 6:30pm to 9:30pm, you will be able to sip specialty cocktails made with fresh basil and thyme and dig right into this fabulous party that celebrates growing gardens and eating local.

The event is part of the 3rd Thursday of every month series that PEM established in 2011. Facilities stay open until 9:30pm to accommodate the varied activities. Last month the event showcased the Nick Cave experience. Over 800 people attended.

Healthy dirt

In the midst of this night’s party atmosphere, new ways to use seasonal and locally grown food will be presented. Members of both Salem Community Gard ens and Salem Farmers’ Market will be on hand to share tips for gardening and local, healthy eating.

Meanwhile, environmental artist Kyle Browne demonstrates how to create a seedbomb, a little ball made of compost, clay and seeds that can be launched into inaccessible areas such as wasteland or railways.

Want to make a work of art at PEM? Since sketching is becoming a popular pastime. PEM encourages you to grab a sketchpad to draw a costumed, live model from Modern Millie Vintage and Consignments of Salem and Newburyport.

Word is that Modern Millie is providing a styled model and this one will be appropriate to the theme DIRT.

And music will be provided by the rootsy sound of Dan & The Wildfire. These Boston-based boys from Berklee College of Music are cultivating crowds as they perform up and down the East Coast.

PEM/PM is an fun opportunity for people to explore the galleries after dark and a way to engage the community in art-making, music and stimulating conversation.

Admission is free to Salem residents (with ID), $10 for non-members. There will be a cash bar. For more info call 866-745-1876.

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