Museum Art Excursion to the Peabody Essex Museum

Spend a glorious autumn day with fellow art and literature lovers in historic Salem, Massachusetts! The Museum’s day-long excursion will begin at the Peabody Essex Museum with a guided tour of the highlights of their vast permanent collection. Founded in 1799, PEM is the nation’s oldest continuously operating museum, and among the first museums in America to collect works of art and culture from around the world. Its collections of contemporary and historic American, Asian, Maritime, Oceanic, Native American, and African art and culture, as well as its archival library and historic American and Chinese houses, are among the finest of their kind.

After enjoying a delicious catered box lunch at the Museum, group participants can choose to wander the galleries self-guided, or join us for a guided tour of the special exhibition Order of the Imagination: The Photographs of Olivia Parker. This exhibition is the first to present a comprehensive overview of Parker’s extensive 40-year career, and features more than 100 intricately composed works that reflect the artist’s wide creative range and unflagging curiosity.

Then, we’ll head to Salem Harbor for a guided tour of The House of Seven Gables, built by merchant and ship-owner John Turner in 1668. One of America’s most beloved historic homes, The House of the Seven Gables is best known today as the setting of world-renowned American author Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851 novel. We’ll enjoy a self-guided visit of the other historic properties and gardens on their campus, including Nathaniel Hawthorne’s birthplace. (Dig in by reading his famed Gothic novel prior to our trip!)

Sunday, October 20, 2019 Itinerary:

8 am:  Depart from the Newport Art Museum on a coach bus

11 am:  Docent led Tour of the Peabody Essex Museum’s Permanent Collection Highlights

12 pm: Catered box lunch at PEM

12:45 pm:  Docent led Tour of Order of the Imagination: The Photographs of Olivia Parker or self-guided visit to PEM galleries
2:30 pm:  Docent led Tour of The House of Seven Gables, followed by self-guided walking tour of the gardens and campus

4:30 pm:  Depart from The House of Seven Gables

7 pm:  Approximate arrival back at the Newport Art Museum