April Vacation Week
10:00 am–4:00 pm
All are invited to April Vacation Week for free activities exploring connections between the people, places, and art made in Massachusetts.
All ages and abilities are welcome; children must be accompanied by an adult. No registration required. See Visiting with Kids and Family for more information.
Events and Activities
Drop-In Art Making
Miniature Baskets
Gallery LG36
Wednesday–Saturday, 10 am–4 pm (last entry 3:45 pm)
Baskets are functional objects that can also be elevated to an art form made with skill, imagery, and surprising material choices. Learn how to weave a small basket while discovering some of the techniques and materials New England–based artists have used.
Cross-Stitch Samplers
Galleries 137 and 138
Wednesday–Saturday, 10 am–4 pm (last entry 3:45 pm)
Join Museum educators in the meditative practice of cross-stitch! Stop by the galleries to pick up an art kit and learn to stitch your own sampler using a template or a design of your own.
Jewelry Inspired by Massachusetts Artists
Shapiro Family Courtyard
Wednesday–Friday, 10 am–4 pm (last entry 3:45 pm)
Design your own jewelry inspired by the Museum’s rich collection of local treasures. Use charms, pendants, jewels, and inscriptions to craft something that reflects your identity.
Candles in Massachusetts: Then and Now
Druker Family Pavilion, Room 159
Wednesday–Saturday, 10 am–4 pm (last entry 3:45 pm)
Candles have been providing light, warmth, celebration, ceremony, and comfort for more than 5,000 years. Join us in creating and decorating candles inspired by candle makers from the Massachusetts region.
Scrimshaw
Druker Family Pavilion, Room 160
Wednesday–Saturday, 10 am–4 pm (last entry 3:45 pm)
Ages 12 and up
Scrimshaw is the art of engraving whale bone with intricate, often nautically themed, designs. People in Massachusetts have been making scrimshaw for hundreds of years. Stop by to try your hand at “scrimshandering” using a synthetic material to carve your own locally inspired design!
Making Egg Tempera Paint
Saturday, 10:30 am and 2:30 pm
Riley Seminar Room
Join Sarah Mastrangelo, Cy Twombly Associate Conservator of Modern and Contemporary Art, for a brief history of the use of egg tempera in both historic and modern paintings, and a demonstration of how traditional egg tempera paint is made. Discuss the manufacture and processing of some pigments and get a feel for the difference between egg tempera and a contemporary paint medium like gouache.
Story Hour
Wednesday–Saturday, 11:30 am and 1 pm
Riley Seminar Room
Drop by for an interactive children’s story program. Stay for one story or for the whole hour.
Available on Friday, April 25, 1 pm
Family Tours
Wednesday–Saturday, 11:30 am and 1:30 pm
Meet at Sharf Visitor Center
Join us on a family-friendly tour that takes a closer look at the art of John Wilson and other innovative Massachusetts-based artists. Tours are 30 minutes and fun for all ages!
Available on Friday, April 25, 11:30 am
Artist Demo with Erica Nelson Menard
Friday, 12:15 and 2 pm
Gallery LG34
Erica Nelson Menard (Penobscot) is a traditional Penobscot basket maker. As a young child she observed her grandmother Philomene Saulis Nelson preparing materials for her ash and sweetgrass baskets and loved the vibrant colors. Many years later Erica apprenticed with her mentor and cousin, Theresa Secord, when she was able to use her grandmother’s basket molds and could feel her guiding presence. Erica’s inspiration and ancestral designs come from the Penobscot-style baskets produced by Philomene and Theresa. Erica likes to weave ash and sweetgrass boxes, sweetgrass flats, and other baskets with braided sweetgrass in the family style.
Available on Friday, April 25, 12:15 pm
Wheelchair accessible