Boston is mostly known for its richness of historical parts, but the art section is standing for its own as the city is the home of some of the nation’s finest art museums.
Hereinafter is a list of some of the interesting art museums in Boston.
We also recommend checking out the WWP calendar to see events and art exhibitions #MadeByWomen.
Founded in 1870, but moved to its current location in 1909.
It is the fifth largest museum in the US and has more than 450,000 works of art (we do not know how many are made by women, but we can guess it is not equally divided).
The museum offers permanent and rotating exhibitions presenting many different art movements of the past and present, a Japanese garden, guided tours, talks and drawings in the galleries, as well as performance art, family-friendly events and more.
Open daily, free on Wednesdays since 4 PM, as well as on five open house days.
For more information check the museum’s website.
The Institute of Contemporary Art
25 Harbor Shore Drive, Boston, MA 02210.
The museum was founded in 1936 with a mission to present changing contemporary art. It changed its name several times and moved between different homes around Boston until in 2006 it arrived at its current location on South Boston, overlooking the harbor.
This change was done by its iconic female director Jill Medvedow, who also developed art programs and led the acquisition of its first permanent collection.
The museum offers rotating exhibitions, events, tours, concerts and more.
Since 2018, the museum opened another venue, the ICA Watershed (free admission) located at 256 Marginal St., open from May 26th till September 2nd.
The venue presents a large scale of art.
If you take the water shuttle, reserve in advance (the admission is included in the ICA Admission).
Closed on Mondays, free on Thursdays from 5 PM to 9 PM, as well as on the last Saturday of the month.
For more information check the museum’s website.
The museums are part of Harvard University combined in 2008 to a single building – the Fogg Museum, founded in 1895 and is the largest among the three, the Busch-Reisinger Museum, founded in 1903, and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, founded in 1985, as well as four research centers.
Among its 10 directors, 3 were females – the first was Agnes Mongan (between 1968–1971), who is one of the first female curators at a major art museum in the US.
The museum presents permanent and rotating exhibitions, art talks, tours, events and more.
Open daily, free only to all students and Cambridge residents.
For more information check the museum’s website.
Opened in 1903 and was one of the first museums in the country that was founded by a woman who also set this place her home.
The museum’s building is designed like a Venetian Renaissance palace with an interior garden courtyard covered by a glass.
The museum presents a different variety of artworks from painting, ceramics, textile, to rare books and furniture. Also, it has a section for rotating exhibitions and hosts occasional events.
Closed on Tuesdays.
Free for Isabellas or on the visitor’s birthday (with ID).
For more information check the museum’s website.
A different kind of art museum dedicated to bad art.
Since 1994 the museum was able to collect more than 700 pieces which are presented in traveling exhibition as well as on rotations on the walls of the museum’s main gallery, located in the basement of Somerville Theater.
The museum is free and open whenever the Somerville Theater is open.
For more information check the museum’s website.
Galleries
Art Galleries are spread all over the city, but many are concentrated in Newbury Street and Harrison Ave. This avenue is a part of the SoWa Art and Design District, a bubbling neighborhood with an artistic vibe, which also hosts open houses every first Friday and a Vintage Market on Sundays.
Both streets are also great shopping destinations, offering unique boutiques, restaurants, and nightlife places.
Street Art
Boston’s street art scene is blooming in many of the city’s neighborhoods, adding a touch up to some of the old looking areas. Note that in comparison to male artists, female street artists are still less present on the city’s walls, but the numbers are increasing every year with local female street artists expressing their art through different murals all around.
Among the open galleries presenting street art in Boston are Graffiti Alley and Underground at Ink Block.
Graffiti Alley in Central Cambridge is a narrow corridor, providing since 2007 a place to local artists to express themselves without the fear of being caught, and the works that are presented there are changing daily.
Underground at Ink Block is the city’s new urban playground with an open murals gallery, located under the highway between Boston’s South End and South Boston neighborhoods (on 90 Traveler St.).
Among the female artists who present their artworks over there, are Sneha Shrestha, Thy Doan, Silvia Chavez, and Soraya Marquez.
Check out WWP #MadeByWomen street art itineraries in Boston area to follow the locations where females street artists present their works.
