Worcester Art Museum Announces Fall/Winter Programs and Public Events

“We are excited to offer such a wide variety of tours, talks, and events this fall and winter at the Museum!” says Aileen Novick, Manager of Public and Education Programs. “There is something for everyone here and we are thrilled to be partnering with so many amazing community organizations like the India Society of Worcester, Worcester JCC, and the Jewish Federation of Central MA, to bring a variety of opportunities for exploration, discovery, and learning.”

Free Admission Opportunities

Diwali Celebration
November 3, 10 am–3 pm
Free admission
Diwali is the celebration of light over darkness and of knowledge overcoming ignorance and is among the most popular of India’s national holidays, bringing families and communities of many different spiritual backgrounds together. Activities will include dance and musical performances, lamp lighting, Henna art by Meghna and Wahi, special docent-led tours, Indian cuisine, and more. This free event is held in partnership with the India Society of Worcester.

Hanukkah at WAM
December 8, 10 am–4 pm
Free admission
The Museum partners with the Worcester JCC and the Jewish Federation of Central MA to host this full day of programing and performances that celebrates Hanukkah with activities for all ages. Enjoy music, live cooking demonstrations, LEGO art activities, and presentations on the history and traditions of this Jewish holiday. Free admission for both the Diwali Celebration and Hanukkah at WAM is supported by Sandy Hubbard and Thomas J. Logan, and Saint-Gobain.

Tours and Talks

Every Sunday at 1 pm, the Museum offers guided tours of the galleries. Led by docents, these tours offer visitors a trip through the collection to discover highlights of the vast collection. Every Saturday, tours of special exhibitions are offered from 1 to 2 pm.

The Museum hosts talks throughout the year by artists and experts on a wide variety of subjects. This fall artist Scott Strong Hawk Foster will give a talk centered around celebrating the “why” behind his work and what drives him to creatively use his camera to speak the truths and highlight the beauty, pride, and resilience of the Eastern Woodlands People of Southern New England. Scott Strong Hawk Foster’s Ways of My Ancestors – We are Still Here is a Native American photography series on view November 6, 2024–May 11, 2025.

Concerts, Performances, and Family Fun

This fall and winter, enjoy art making opportunities in the studios, performances and pop-ups in the Renaissance Court, and more. These and many other opportunities will be a part of the upcoming season and available at the Museum. To learn more visit worcesterart.org/events.

Merrimack Valley Ringers
December 15, 2 pm
Free with admission
A spectacular chorus of bells will be ringing out carols across the Renaissance Court as visitors explore the galleries.

Musical performance: Arianna Falk, Peter Sulski, and Worcester’s Neighborhood Strings.
December 22, 2 pm
Free with admission
Arianna Falk, cello, and Peter Sulski, viola, are joined by Worcester’s Neighborhood Strings for a special holiday performance in the Museum’s Renaissance Court surrounded by artworks from around the world.

Musical performance: Children’s concert with Anna Sobel
December 29, 2 pm
Families are welcome to join this interactive concert for children. They can listen, sing along, and join in the performance using shaker instruments they can make in the studios prior to the concert. Advance registration recommended. Learn more at worcesterart.org

Ice Carving
January 5, 11:30 am
Watch an ice sculpture take shape, inspired by art now on view at the Museum. With Chip Koser, South Cape Ice Sculptures.

Exhibitions

Im/Perfect Modernisms: Asian Art and Identity Since 1945, explores how artists in Asia have engaged with the realities and legacies of colonization, war, and cultural transformation in the modern era. Thought-provoking, observant, and at times subversive, the 21 artworks in this exhibition demonstrate the range and originality of modernist styles created across Asia, which have often been devalued by Western art historical narratives. Im/Perfect Modernisms draws exclusively from the Museum’s collection, and over half the featured works will be on view for the first time at WAM. The exhibition will include works by renowned artists active in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, including Shigeo Fukuda, Zhang Huan, and Bharti Kher. On view now.

Twentieth-Century Nudes from Tate, is a special exhibition of iconic paintings on loan from Tate in London. This show explores how the nude—a central subject in Western art since the Renaissance—was used by artists in the 20th century to explore formal concepts as well as challenge viewers’ preconceptions about age, race, gender, and sexuality. Included will be major works by some of the most recognized artists of the 20th century, such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Vanessa Bell, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Alice Neel, Barkley L. Hendricks, and many more. Opening November 23, 2024.

Flora in Winter

Flora in Winter will return for the 22 year, celebrating lively color and creativity at the Museum. This four-day Museum-wide takeover of floral arrangements kicks off Thursday, February 27, and continues through Sunday, March 2, with a special After Hours on Saturday night. One of the region’s most anticipated events of the year, Flora in Winter displays floral arrangements inspired by art from WAM’s global collection. Visitors can explore the galleries while encountering dynamic floral designs by some of the area’s most talented floral artists.

About the Worcester Art Museum

The Worcester Art Museum creates transformative programs and exhibitions, drawing on its exceptional collection of art. Dating from 3,000 BCE to the present, these works provide the foundation for a focus on audience engagement, connecting visitors of all ages and abilities with inspiring art and demonstrating its enduring relevance to daily life. Creative initiatives—including pioneering collaborative programs with local schools, fresh approaches to exhibition design and in-gallery teaching, and a long history of studio class instruction—offer opportunities for diverse audiences to experience art and learn both from and with artists.

The Worcester Art Museum, located at 55 Salisbury Street in Worcester, MA, is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm. For information on admission and discounts, visit https://www.worcesterart.org/information/hours-and-admission. Museum parking is free.