Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

When she joined the Gardner Museum, our Director Peggy Fogelman asked herself a question — “who was the public to whom Isabella bequeathed her Museum? Was Boston around 1900 anything like the Boston we know today? What civic issues did Isabella care about and how might that inform the Museum’s future?” It is the privilege and responsibility of every Gardner Museum director to interpret Isabella’s legacy for a new era and new generations of Bostonians, to ensure its relevance and sustainability in a changing society. This can be uniquely challenging in a museum that cannot collect and cannot rearrange the works of art within its historic galleries. 🔗 Read Peggy Fogelman's reflections on the legacy of the Museum’s founder, who was ahead of her time, and continues to inspire in more ways than she could have imagined. → https://lnkd.in/ejbuxkFc . . . #isabellastewartgardner #gardnermuseum

We are so grateful to The Theater Offensive for an incredible partnership as our first-ever Community Organization-in-Residence. Over the past year, we’ve collaborated on powerful projects—including programming and interpretation for this summer's exhibitions—that celebrated LGBTQIA+ stories and voices, creating a space for dialogue, creativity, and connection. Your passion, artistry, and commitment to uplifting queer and trans communities have left a lasting impact at the Gardner, and we look forward to building on the foundation we’ve created together!

📢 One of our most recognizable galleries is getting a facelift. For more than 25 years, we have been dedicated to restoring our historic galleries to their original splendor, as intended by our founder Isabella Stewart Gardner. The Dutch Room is the final major gallery to undergo a complete restoration. The room will remain open throughout the multi-year restoration, and while many objects will be treated in our cutting-edge conservation lab, other initiatives will take place right in the gallery. Visitors will be able to watch as our conservators reupholster the walls with reproduction textiles, refinish the floor tiles, and clean the 16th century painted wood ceiling. Over the next two years, we’ll also be sharing updates, photos, behind-the-scenes peeks, and exciting stories on our website and across our social media. From interviews with the conservators to deep-dives into Isabella’s thought process, you’ll be able to follow along with this remarkable project as it unfolds. Read More: https://lnkd.in/e_6wPXe7

Our upcoming facade exhibition, Mickalene Thomas’s "Sandra, She’s a Beauty (2009)" is a Boston Art Review Editor's pick for this fall. See her for yourself beginning October 1st! https://lnkd.in/e7wW_xUg

📌 The Larger Landscape Conversation: Monumental Moves | September 26th @ 7PM Join leading changemakers and designers as they unpack one of the most pressing issues in the contemporary urban landscape: the question of monuments, commemoration, and collective memory. 🔗 More information and tickets → https://lnkd.in/gU2fvEZW _________________ 📍 Meet the Panelists: Sue Mobley — Director of Research at Monument Lab and former Co-Director of the Panel of Experts for the New Orleans City Council Confederate Streets Renaming Commission. Jha D. Amazi — Principal at MASS Design Group and leader of the Public Memory and Memorials Lab. Signe Nielsen — Recipient of over 100 design awards for public open space projects, and former President for the Public Designs Commission of New York City. The Larger Landscape Conversation series is hosted by Charles Waldheim, Gardner Museum Ruettgers Curator of Landscape and Harvard GSD Professor of Landscape Architecture.

🪻 A glimpse of Bellflowers in Isabella's Courtyard for your Monday. 📷: @fio.nature on Instagram

#Didyouknow that our Sunday afternoon concert series is the longest running museum music program in America? It's true! The program series dates back to 1927 — but music has been an integral part of the Gardner experience since it opened with a performance by members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1903. Check out the upcoming Fall season, and grab your tickets before they sell out! https://lnkd.in/eKyJVPe5

From Greenwich Village in the heart of New York, renowned portrait photographer Mark Seliger (he/him) developed trust with trans sitters to celebrate transgender individuals, share their stories with the world, and capture the spirit of the New York City neighborhood significant to their life journeys. 📌 On Christopher Street: Transgender Portraits by Mark Seliger is on view in the Hostetter Gallery until September 8. ___ 📽️: @davidperezcaviedes | David Perez 🎨: Mark Seliger Studio

Isabella Stewart Gardner’s presence lingers so large that it's hard to believe that July 17 marks the centennial of her death. Isabella was a bold, charismatic, inimitable champion of the arts, the city of Boston, and her own unique, remarkable vision. From her scandalous appearance at the symphony sporting @redsox paraphernalia, to the time she took a lion out for a walk, to the countless artists she supported and concerts she hosted within the Museum's walls, Isabella skillfully arranged her collection — and her life — in ways that continue to inspire and enthrall people across the world. Today, the Museum exists as Isabella's greatest gift and legacy, bequeathed for "the education and enjoyment of the public forever." Over a century after the Museum first opened, Isabella’s spirit remains at its very heart— you need only step through our doors to feel it.

Are you a Boston Public Schools educator? Experience a day of peace and inspiration at the Gardner Museum, free of cost. RSVP by May 16, 2024 → https://lnkd.in/eJWu_AFs This special event on May 18, co-sponsored by the Boston Teachers Union, is designed for Boston Public Schools teachers of all ages and subjects, and offers interactive gallery visits, mindfulness experiences, and a delightful breakfast. Relax, connect, and rejuvenate yourself.