Newport Mansions

Through January 12: Wild Imagination: Art and Animals in the Gilded Age. During the Gilded Age (1865–1914), Americans’ relationship with animals transformed in lasting ways. Wild Imagination explores how this exciting, tumultuous era shaped our modern attitudes towards animals, from pampered pups to wondrous sea creatures. A broad range of artworks, photographs, scientific specimens, and other objects reflect vital period developments including the dawn of the animal rights movement, the surge in pet keeping, the popularization of natural history pursuits like birdwatching, and the golden era of zoos and circuses. They also reveal the stories and experiences of individual creatures who continue to capture our imagination.

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Armenian Museum of America

Ongoing: Filtered Identity: The Art of Tigran Tsitoghdzyan. Tigran is a New York-based artist whose photo-realistic paintings merge an interest in classical and modern art with an emphasis on his own experiences as a father and an immigrant. He has exhibited widely including Art Basel Miami, Cube Art Fair in Times Square, and globally in cities such as Dubai, Singapore, Zurich, and Brussels.

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Three Stones Gallery

September 11–October 20: Edge of Dreams. Patricia Ganek’s paintings radiate with an impasto style. Natasha Dikareva’s surreal sculptures are conduits to contemplation. Lyca Blume’s paintings, inspired by kintsugi (mending with gold), evoke healing the psyche through dreams. Reception: Saturday, September 21, 6–8 p.m. Opening: October 23: Belle Terre. Jonathan MacAdam’s paintings capture the tranquility of New England landscapes. Jennifer Johnston’s abstract photographs highlight elements that shape the land. Colleen Pearce’s paintings interpret geological formations and plants. Reception: Saturday, November 2, 6–8 p.m.

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Mattatuck Museum

The museum showcases American art and cultural history through its collection of over 15,000 objects, provides access to a research library and archives, hosts lectures, workshops, and community events, and offers spaces for corporate, wedding, and holiday rentals. Through January 5: Poskas, Father and Son. Through January 12: Federico Uribe’s Menagerie. Ongoing: O’Keeffe in Conversation. Opening January 12: Mixmaster 2025: Juried Members’ Exhibition. Opening January 19: Gordon Parks, Homeward to the Prairie I Come. Opening celebrations: Sunday, January 19.

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The Current

Opening January 16: Timothy Curtis: Two Hundred Years of Painting. Curtis will explore the relationships between Pennsylvania Dutch Stoneware of the 1860s in Philadelphia, 1960s graffiti writing in the same area, and his own artwork, highlighting the thread of influence in one region over 200 years. View original stoneware and new paintings by Curtis, along with a special area dedicated to celebrating the lives and work of 1960s African American Philadelphia graffiti writers.

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Clark Art Institute

Winter is the ideal time to visit the Clark! A renowned collection of paintings, works on paper, sculpture, and decorative arts fills the galleries. Outside, the walking trails wind through a serene wintry landscape. Borrow a free pair of snowshoes to explore the campus. Opening November 23: Abelardo Morell: In the Company of Monet and Constable. Opening December 14: Wall Power! Modern French Tapestry from the Mobilier national, Paris.

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New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill 

November 23, 2024–January 5, 2025, evenings: Experience Night Lights: Color Cascade, a breathtaking light display celebrating the magic and beauty of the winter season. Wander through formal gardens and conservatories illuminated by more than a quarter million artfully arranged lights. With displays showcasing a creative new theme each year, this dazzling, one-of-a-kind spectacle is unmatched in the region. Festive activities such as outdoor skating, s’mores roasting, and holiday shopping promise an unforgettable experience for visitors of all ages.

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Williams College Museum of Art

Through December 22: Teddy Sandoval and the Butch Gardens School of Art is the first museum retrospective dedicated to Teddy Sandoval (1949–1995), a central figure in Los Angeles’s queer and Chicanx artistic circles who was an active participant in avant-garde movements. Through December 22: Pallavi Sen: Colour Theory is an immersive installation of new work by interdisciplinary artist and Williams College assistant professor of art Pallavi Sen.

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Nantucket Historical Association—Whaling Museum

Through December 31: Tony Sarg: Genius at Play is the first comprehensive exhibition exploring the life, art, and adventures of Tony Sarg (1880–1942). Known as the father of modern puppetry in North America and the originator of the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade balloons, Sarg was an accomplished illustrator, animator, designer, and nimble entrepreneur who summered on, and took inspiration from, Nantucket for nearly twenty years. Organized and in partnership with the Normal Rockwell Museum. Made possible in part by funding by the National Endowment for the Arts.

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Mitchell-Giddings Fine Arts

Ongoing: Decade: 2014–2024, commemorating Mitchell • Giddings’ 10th anniversary with an exploration of printmaking by Matt Brown, Liz Chalfin, Elaine de Kooning, Eric Fischl, Stephen Hannock, Emily Mason, Jules Olitski, James Stroud, Dan Welden, and others. Opening a fine art gallery in 2014 provided owners Petria Mitchell and Jim Giddings an ideal opportunity to share conversation among artists, collectors and lovers of the visible creative act.

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Hall Art Foundation

The Hall Art Foundation is a museum of contemporary art with a sculpture park and café. Exhibitions are held seasonally, from May through November. On view this year: Barbara Kruger; Ed Ruscha; Sherrie Levine; Doomscrolling by Zorawar Sidhu and Rob Swainston and Icarus Rising by Robert Longo. Advance reservations recommended, yet not required. General admission: $15 adults; $5 children 12 and under.

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SONO Arts at The Norwood Space Center

The Norwood Space Center will celebrate the holidays with vendors, food trucks, and Salvage Angel’s Holiday Stroll. SONO Arts—the resident artists—will open their studios in Building 6 and guest artists from Norwood and surrounding communities will join them for an art exhibition. Free and open to the public. To learn more, visit Norwoodspacecenter.com/events.

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Currier Museum of Art

Ongoing: Jean-Michel Basquiat and Ouattara Watts: A Distant Conversation brings together six artworks by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988), one of the most celebrated and influential artists of his generation, and seven large canvases by New York-based Ivorian painter Ouattara Watts (b. 1958). Ongoing: Dan Dailey: Impressions of the Human Spirit. Ongoing: Olga de Amaral: Everything is Construction and Color.

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Krakow Witkin Gallery

Through December 7: Jo Sandman: Folded Fabric. Saturday, November 9, 2 p.m.: Gallery talk with Jennifer M. Swope (David and Roberta Logie Curator of Textiles, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) and Katherine French (curator, Sandman Legacy Project, and Director Emerita, Danforth Museum of Art). Reception to follow. Through December 7: Aiko Miyawaki: Work; and Robert Gober: One Wall, One Work. Saturday, November 30, 10 a.m.: Annual AIDS benefit (online only).

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Spectrum Art Gallery and Artisan Store

Voted Best Gallery for Art and Gifts on the Shoreline with painting, mixed media, sculpture, photography. November 22, 2024–January 11, 2025: Let There Be Love. As 2024 ends, the world trembles with war, racism, health and climate change. Yet, we still hope compassion, empathy and love exist. Show spotlights this with fine art and photography and Artisans Store with seasonal pottery, glass, fiber, home décor, jewelry, gift cards, and handmade ornaments on six-foot holiday tree. Shop online: SpectrumAnytime.com with U.S. shipping.

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