Harvard Art Museums Launch New Monthly Evening Program

The Harvard Art Museums today announced the new program Harvard Art Museums at Night, a monthly evening of art, fun, food, and more; the events will be free and open to everyone. The program will be offered from 5 to 9pm on the last Thursday of each month (holidays permitting), beginning April 28.

The At Night events will bring the museums’ interior Calderwood Courtyard to life with a festive mix of local talent and community partners. Guest DJs and musicians will help set the mood, and local vendors and makers will be on hand to create a town square atmosphere in the courtyard. Jenny’s Cafe will be open during each At Night, selling a selection of drinks and snacks made by The Catered Affair, the museums’ in-house caterer. Hand-crafted coffee and tea drinks, wine, beer, and sometimes even themed beverages will be available. Visitors will also be able to browse the museums’ shop, featuring books, jewelry, textiles, and a range of gift items for the home or office.

“I am delighted to announce this new initiative that opens our doors at night to all visitors,” said Martha Tedeschi, the Elizabeth and John Moors Cabot Director of the Harvard Art Museums. “In addition to our existing Free Sundays program, we are thrilled to offer free evening hours for those who might not be able to visit us during the day. We are planning for lively evenings that support local artists, musicians, and small businesses. On behalf of our entire team, I extend a warm welcome to all visitors to join us At Night, mingle in the Calderwood Courtyard, and stroll through the galleries with friends both old and new.”

All collection and exhibition galleries will be open for visitors to view paintings, sculpture, works on paper, design objects, coins, and artists’ materials ranging from antiquity to the present and originating from the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Highlights currently on display include works by Ai Weiwei, Barkley L. Hendricks, Gustav Klimt, Louise Nevelson, Georgia O’Keefe, and Vincent van Gogh. Visitors will also find objects and galleries that are part of the museums’ ReFrame initiative, which shines a light on difficult histories, investigates untold narratives, and experiments with different approaches to storytelling. Highlights in the ReFrame series include Kehinde Wiley’s painting Portrait of Asia-Imani, Gabriella-Esnae, and Kaya Palmer (2020), Rashid Johnson’s mixed media painting Untitled Broken Crowd (2021), Gego’s sculpture Dibujo sin Papel 85/1 (Drawing without Paper 85/1), and a recently renovated and reinstalled East Asian art gallery, featuring early modern Japanese paintings as well as painted scrolls, ceramics, jewelry, and textiles selected to highlight the challenges and achievements of women in China and beyond.

Exhibitions on display during the April 28 At Night include (click each title for details):

• Prints from the Brandywine Workshop and Archives: Creative Communities
• White Shadows: Anneliese Hager and the Camera-less Photograph
• Social Fabrics: Inscribed Textiles from Medieval Egyptian Tombs
• Himalayan Art: Art of the Divine Abode
• Clay—Modeling African Design

Museum staff and Harvard students will be on hand to answer questions and help visitors find their way.

The first At Night program, on Thursday, April 28, will help kick off Harvard University’s Arts First, a four-day campus-wide festival of artistic creativity that runs through May 1. The next At Night will be held on Thursday, May 26, coinciding with the date of Harvard commencement. Advance ticket reservations are encouraged and can be made through the museums’ website two weeks ahead of each At Night program; check the calendar for individual event listings: harvardartmuseums.org/calendar. Walk-in visitors are welcome, but please note that space may be limited due to capacity. Visitors should enter the museums through the entrance on Quincy Street, across from Harvard Yard.

The Harvard Art Museums are accessible via the Harvard Square station on the MBTA Red Line, as well as via several local bus routes. Parking is available at meters on the street and in the nearby Broadway Garage, located one block away from the museums at 7 Felton Street, Cambridge. Permits for parking in the Broadway Garage must be purchased online, through the Harvard Campus Services system; the permits range from $10 to $20.

About the Harvard Art Museums
The Harvard Art Museums house one of the largest and most renowned art collections in the United States, comprising three museums (the Fogg, Busch-Reisinger, and Arthur M. Sackler Museums) and four research centers (the Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, the Center for the Technical Study of Modern Art, the Harvard Art Museums Archives, and the Archaeological Exploration of Sardis). harvardartmuseums.org

The Harvard Art Museums receive support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Hours and Admission
Open to all Tuesday–Sunday, 10am–5pm; closed Mondays and major holidays. Advance reservations are currently required for all visits. Admission: $20 adults, $18 seniors (65+). Free to all visitors on Sundays; on other days, free to: members, all students (with valid ID), youth under 18, Cambridge residents (proof of residency required), Harvard ID holders (plus one guest), active duty military personnel (NEA Blue Star Museums), and individuals with SNAP benefits or an EBT card. On Saturdays, 10am–noon, Massachusetts residents receive free admission (proof of residency required). For further information about visiting, including important COVID-19 policies, see harvardartmuseums.org/visit.

For more information, please contact
Jennifer Aubin
Public Relations Manager
Harvard Art Museums
617-496-5331
jennifer_aubin@harvard.edu