Photo courtesy Morris Museum.
—Ongoing
—Morristown, New Jersey
Musical Machines & Living Dolls: Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata from the Murtogh D. Guinness Collection at the Morris Museum features 150 mechanical marvels that span 400 years, including a miniature music box that fits into an 18k gold ring and the enormous Poppers “Rex” Orchestrion, which plays a whole orchestra of instruments, powered by a complex pneumatic system.
The museum is located at 6 Normandy Heights Road. Hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission is $12; admission is $8 for seniors and for children 3 to 12, and free for members and for children under 3 years. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit (www.morrismuseum.org) or phone (973) 971-3700.
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George Gershwin at 1019 Roxbury Drive, Beverly Hills, California, March 1937, with Amedeo Modigliani’s Portrait of Doctor Devaraigne. Photo courtesy Rex Hardy. Gershwin Collection, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
—Through June 16
—Naples, Florida
In addition to his work as a composer, songwriter, and pianist, George Gershwin (1898-1937) produced numerous paintings, drawings, and photographs. George Gershwin and Modern Art: A Rhapsody in Blue at the Baker Museum is devoted to the composer’s passion for the visual arts, featuring paintings, sculptures, and other artworks.
The museum is located at 5833 Pelican Bay Boulevard. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults; $5 for students and active military with ID; free for members and those 17 and under; and free to all the last Wednesday of the month, 6 to 9 p.m. For more information, visit (www.artisnaples.org) or phone (239) 597-1900.
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A Pageant of Spectacles: Chromolithography in America.
—Through June 29
—Portland, Maine
Chromolithography is a method of color printing developed in the 19th century that enabled maps, posters, and other printed matter to present lifelike images to audiences. A Pageant of Spectacles: Chromolithography in America at the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education at the University of Southern Maine features 90 examples, including tourism photos and battlefield maps from the Civil War.
The library is located at 314 Forest Avenue. It is open by appointment, Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There is no charge for admission. To schedule a visit, see the website (www.oshermaps.org) or call (207) 780-4850 for more information.
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A detail from one of the jacquard coverlets on exhibit at the Indiana State Museum.
—Through June 30
—Indianapolis, Indiana
Blending artistry, functionality, and ingenuity, coverlets are iconic to early settler life in Indiana. Woven Together at the Indiana State Museum presents more than 30 jacquard coverlets with vibrant colors, unique patterns, and fine craftsmanship. The exhibit highlights these beautiful and practical textiles as well as the stories of the weavers who made them.
The museum is located at 650 West Washington Street. Hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, $14 for children, and free for members. Tickets purchased online are discounted $1 each. For information and additional discounts visit (www.indianamuseum.org), or phone (317) 232-1637.
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Bellows top, Davis Bellows Factory, Acton, Massachusetts, mid-1840s. Concord Museum collection, gift of Lawrence Sorli.; 2022.1.25.
—Through August 18
—Concord, Massachusetts
What Makes History? New Stories from the Collection at the Concord Museum encourages visitors to think about how and why these objects were saved so that they can be viewed decades or even centuries later. Highlights include a collection of beautiful fans and a set of intricately painted fireplace bellows produced by free black workers, among many others.
The museum is located at 53 Cambridge Turnpike. Hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults; $12 for seniors and students; $8 for youths 6 to 17; and free for members, children 5 and under, and active military. For more information, visit (www.concordmuseum.org), or phone (978) 369-9763.
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Embroidered agedyna (bench cushion), 19th century, Scania, Sweden, with a blue ground, polychrome segmented medallions, hearts, crosses, and floral motifs. Collection of Wendel and Diane Swan.
—Through September 22
—Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Swedish Folk Weavings for Marriage, Carriage, and Home 1750-1840 at the American Swedish Historical Museum features rare and artful cushions and bed covers woven and stitched by skilled women living on farms in southern Sweden, where skill in weaving and textile production were considered important household resources.
The museum is located at 1900 Pettison Avenue. It is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults; $10 for seniors, students, military, and veterans; $5 for children 5 to 11; and free for members and for those under 5. Visit (www.americanswedish.org) for tickets and additional discounts, or phone (215) 389-1776.
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Chaim Ebanks, bookbinder, and Susan Ebanks, designer, Exeter Bookbinders, Devon, England. Moby Dick; or, The Whale, published 1930. Custom binding in white chieftain goatskin leather with blind tooling, gilt lettering, and glass prosthetic eye, 2023. Purchase made possible by Arthur and Judi Rubin, 2023. Courtesy Phillips Library, Peabody Essex Museum, Rowley, Massachusetts. Photo courtesy Kathy Tarantola.
—June 1, 2024, to January 4, 2026
—Salem, Massachusetts
“Call me Ishmael” is one of the most iconic and best-known opening lines in all of literature. Draw Me Ishmael: The Book Arts of Moby Dick at the Peabody Essex Museum focuses on the art of the hundreds of editions of this classic by Herman Melville published since 1851.
The museum is located in East India Square, 161 Essex Street. Hours are Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $20 for adults; $18 for seniors; $12 for students; and free for members, youths 16 and under, and those who live or work in Salem. See the website (www.pem.org) for tickets and other information, or phone (978) 745-9500.
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Blanket chest, probably Shaftsbury, Vermont, circa 1825, eastern white pine and paint. Gift of Patricia Passmore Alley and F. William Alley. 2023.9.10.
—May 1, 2024, to November 30, 2026
—Deerfield, Massachusetts
Vermont Furniture from the Alley Collection at Historic Deerfield features an array of 18th- and 19th-century Vermont furniture recently donated by collectors William and Patricia Passmore Alley. Many examples in the exhibit retain their vibrant, original surfaces. Decoration includes solid and highly figured native wood, painted wood, ornamental painting on metal and glass, and veneer and inlay.
The museum, which opens for the season May 1, is located at 84B Old Main Street. Hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is $18 for adults; $5 for ages 13 to 17; and free for members, Deerfield/South Deerfield residents, and those 12 and under. For more information, visit (www.historic-deerfield.org) or phone (413) 774-5581.
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Admission information for these exhibitions was accurate as of press time. Please note that some venues require advance tickets. Maine Antique Digest welcomes brief announcements of exhibitions at galleries, museums, or other venues. Email to [email protected] or mail to M.A.D., PO Box 1429, Waldoboro, ME 04572.
Originally published in the May 2024 issue of Maine Antique Digest. © 2024 Maine Antique Digest
