General admission for children 17 years and under is always free

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Join us on the first Thursday of every month for a restorative evening of discovery, community, and celebration. Museum admission is free from 3 pm through 9 pm and interactive programs kick off at 5 pm. Come dressed to impress in all that glitters and be creative with gold attire during this extra special Free First Thursday: Gold Night!

Discover the power of gold in art throughout the galleries and our current exhibition Metal of Honor: Gold From Simone Martini to Contemporary Art. Hear from Boston-based Nepali artist and Neighborhood Salon Luminary IMAGINE (aka Sneha Shrestha) as she talks about her work, make art with Polly Thayer Starr Visiting Studio Artist Jaypix in the Studio, and unwind to music in the Courtyard. Immerse yourself in art, architecture and seasonal horticulture displays in the Palace. The Café is open late for dinner and drinks.

  • Art-Making | 5 - 8 PM

    Bertucci Education Studio

    Embellish a golden frame and draw a portrait of someone you’d like to honor with Polly Thayer Starr Visiting Studio Artist Jaypix. Prompts and materials will be provided.

  • Performance: DJ | 5 - 7 PM & 7:30 - 8:30 PM

    Courtyard

    Unwind to golden oldies with DJ Mez in the Courtyard.

  • Film Screenings | 5:30 PM and 6:45 PM

    Artist Talk | 7:00 PM

    Calderwood Hall

    Watch a short film featuring Boston-based Nepali artist and Neighborhood Salon Luminary Sneha Shrestha (also known as IMAGINE) as she shares how she uses gold in her work, how she created the site-specific sculpture Calling The Earth to Witness for the Gardner’s Bertucci Education Studio, and how she found inspiration for this new work in sacred and regal objects from Nepal and the Gardner Museum’s historic collection.

    Following the 6:45 pm screening, join a conversation at 7:00 pm with Sneha Shrestha and Pieranna Cavalchini, the Gardner’s Tom and Lisa Blumenthal Curator of Contemporary Art. Hear more about IMAGINE’s creative practice and current and upcoming projects in Boston and beyond.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Photo of a woman with curly hair in front of a blue painting.
Photo of a person in a blue hat and a blue shirt with a blurred background.

Sneha Shrestha, also known as IMAGINE in the art world, is a Nepali artist who incorporates her native language and meshes the aesthetics of Sanskrit scriptures with Newari festival influences. She has shown her meditative works in several exhibitions, commissioned works and public walls around the world from Kathmandu to Boston.

 

Her painting "Devi" was recently acquired by the Worcester Art Museum and her show Mindful Mandalas was on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Currently her interactive installation “Love and Maya” is on view at the Boston Children's Art Museum. Her newest work is a thirty-foot sculptural piece commissioned by the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum currently on view. She was recognized by WBUR as one of the 25 millennial artists of color impacting Boston. Shrestha’s work is held in the private collections of Facebook, Google and Fidelity Investments.

 

 

Sneha established Nepal’s first Children’s Art Museum to provide a creative space where children and youth can develop 21st century skills through project based art experiences. Sneha received her Master’s from Harvard University. Besides creating larger than life murals and paintings, Sneha passionately supports Asian art by working as the Arts Program Manager at the South Asia Institute at Harvard.

 

 

Photo courtesy of the artist.

 

"My name is Jaypix belmer. I am clear and mindful using my gifts of vision to amplify, preserve, connect and love."

 

Identifying as a non binary black, Indigenous person of color, Jaypix is a Boston based documentary photographer whose work captures the “visual soul of their subjects.” Born in Boston, Jaypix focuses on the unconsidered people and places in our everyday lives. Jaypix’s professional style combines innovative design and artistically bold portraits that shine a light on individuals, enabling confidence towards the pursuit of their own vision. Being able to capture a feeling rather than a moment is a unique aesthetic evident throughout their work. Jaypix has an extreme commitment to storytelling. Through dialogue, Jaypix establishes a strong relationship with the people they photograph, which results in creative image-making.

 

 

Photo courtesy of the artist.

 

Tickets

Advance registration is encouraged for free timed entry tickets for Museum general admission.

Registration opens two weeks before the event for the general public and four weeks in advance for members. Reserve your tickets online by clicking the button above.

Limited tickets will be available in-person at the Museum’s main entrance, starting at 3 pm, the day of the event. Please note that day-of tickets are not guaranteed.

Free Admission is generously supported by Fidelity Investments.

Free days are supported by the Liberty Mutual Foundation.

Studio activities are made possible by the Polly Thayer Starr Charitable Trust.

Polly Thayer Starr (1904-2006) was an accomplished artist who captured the culture and whimsy of her native Boston with a unique combination of detail, emotion, and curiosity. For more, visit the Polly Thayer Starr Charitable Trust online at www.pollythayerstarr.org.

The Neighborhood Salon is supported in part by the Barr Foundation ArtsAmplified Initiative and the Polly Thayer Starr Charitable Trust.

Education and community programs receive support from the Vertex Foundation, Rowland Foundation, the Yawkey Foundation, The Beker Foundation, Liberty Mutual Foundation, GRoW @ Annenberg, The Hamilton Company Charitable Foundation, Thomas Anthony Pappas Charitable Foundation, and Janet Burke Mann Foundation.

The Museum receives operating support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which is supported by the state of Massachusetts and the National Endowment for the Arts.