Swan Society

Behind the Scenes: Strong Women in Renaissance Italy

► Thursday 10/5/23 ► Evening ► In Person

Enjoy an insider’s perspective on “Strong Women in Renaissance Italy” with Marietta Cambareri, Senior Curator of European Sculpture and Jetskalina H. Phillips Curator of Judaica. Learn from Cambareri and designers Luisa Respondek and Tatiana Klusak about how the exhibition team brought these inspiring narratives to life in the galleries.

Up Close: Conservation of “Tiny Treasures”

► Wednesday 1/31/24 ► Evening ► Virtual

From minuscule metalwork to diminutive ceramics, the objects in “Tiny Treasures: The Magic of Miniatures” range in size from just a few centimeters to more than two feet tall. Explore the choices, research, and conservation treatments undertaken as curators and conservators worked in close collaboration to prepare for the exhibition. Co-organized with Curators Circles: Conservation and Collections.

Travel Opportunity: The Netherlands

► Saturday 3/9/24–Wednesday 3/13/24

Journey to the Netherlands for the premier European fine and decorative arts fair. Hosted in the picturesque city of Maastricht, TEFAF features the best art on the market and is an obligatory stop for museum directors, curators, collectors, and window shoppers. In Amsterdam, enjoy world-class museum of early modern European art, beautiful architecture, and fine dining with MFA curators. Co-organized with Curators Circles: Musical Instruments.

Boston’s First Judaica Gallery

► Thursday 4/11/24

► Evening ► In Person

Discover the European objects on view in the the MFA’s first gallery of Jewish art and Judaica with Simona Di Nepi, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Curator of Judaica. Opening in December 2023, the space highlights standout examples from the MFA’s growing collection of Jewish ceremonial objects, paintings, and clothing, including many new acquisitions.

Threads

Up Close: “Toshiko Takaezu: Shaping Abstraction”

► Thursday 10/19/23 ► Evening ► In Person

“Toshiko Takaezu: Shaping Abstraction” highlights the cross-cultural and multidisciplinary work of this innovative artist. Enjoy a private tour with exhibition curator Nonie Gadsden, Katharine Lane Weems Senior Curator of American Decorative Arts and Sculpture, with spotlights from Jenn Swope, David and Roberta Logie Curator of Textiles, and Ai Fukunaga, Ishibashi Foundation Assistant Curator for Japanese Art. Co-organized with Curators Circles: Art of the Americas.

Travel Opportunity: New York City

► Wednesday 10/25/23–Thursday 10/26/23

The Big Apple beckons. Enjoy the uplift of color at the Dorothy Liebes exhibition at the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, followed by a Moroccan carpet experience at Chelsea Market. An exploration of textiles and jewelry at the Museum of Arts and Design tops off the trip.

Conversation with Yasmin and Christian Hemmerle

► Tuesday 1/9/24 ► Noon ► Virtual

What do jewelry and haberdashery have in common? Over lunch, enjoy a lively conversation between Yasmin and Christian Hemmerle on what it’s like to modernize a 130-year-old jewelry house and learn about the fascinating ways that jewelry and textile history come together in Hemmerle’s 21stcentury designs. Co-organized with Curators Circles: Fashion Council.

Acquisition Highlights

► Wednesday 4/3/24 ► Afternoon

► In Person

Join curator Jenn Swope for a close look at recent textile acquisition highlights.