Art

It's time for the forth annual Messy Art Night in Essex on Feb 1st! Last year’s event was a huge success.  Over fifteen local artists showed off their work to 150 excited kids and parents, taught them to try new techniques and helped them have fun making their own art.  It was amazing!

Have you ever wished you could touch a whale? From the inside? Internationally renowned Whale Specialist and Educator, Cynde McInnis, introduces us to her 43 foot inflatable Humpback Whale Nile, and teaches us all about the beloved marine mammal. Enrollment is limited! Please register with the library!

The super talented and uber funny E.S. Redmond will be visiting The Newbury Town Library to read from her newest book, "The Unruly Queen." Ms. Redmond will also lead us in a craft and be available to sign copies of her books, which will be on sale at the library, courtesy of Jabberwocky Books. The event is FREE! Please call to register!

Come learn all about octopi at the next New England Aquarium Blue Discoveries Family Day! Learn more about the blue planet through art, science and storytelling at the in the Blue Discoveries Program. Programs highlight Aquarium favorites as well as Aquarium hidden treasures. All activities are included with Aquarium admission. This is a drop in program for select Saturdays and Sundays throughout the year. There will be opportunities to showcase environmental programs happening in schools or in local communities during a Blue Discoveries Family Day. 

Winter is a great time to focus on birds. They are so visible with trees foliage removed, they are so in need of feeding, and they are going to be coming to the Manchester Library as live and paper birds this month! Please register. Our second bird program will focus on the art of Origami birds with Laura Geggis, a favorite of ours, coming back with her unique paper art instruction that works both audibly and visually for so many students.

The MIT Museum shows an exhibit of the art and science of holography with The Jeweled Net: Views of Contemporary Holography. The exhibition created in conjunction with the 9th International Symposium on Display Holography, co-sponsored by the MIT Museum and the MIT Media Lab. Over 20 holograms created by international artists, as well as several from the MIT Museum collections, will be on display, and will remain open to the public through September 28, 2013.

Rockport New Year's Eve will have plenty of fun and entertainment for families starting at 6 pm and running all the way through to the count down and ball drop in Dock Square at midnight! There will be magicians, puppet shows, and even a drum parade with a green dancing dragon.  This all happens with a backdrop live performances of dance & music ranging from classical music, jazz, reggae and rock & roll! So buy your buttons, come to Rockport, and get ready for a fun evening to ring in the New Year as a family!

Celebrate local author, illustrator and artist Virginia Lee Burton with story time, playing and art making in the Children's Activity Center. Burton authored and illustrated some of the most memorable books ever written for children, and won the 1942 Caldecott Medal for The Little House (Sandpiper Books) .

Peabody Essex Museum is host to one of the finest examples of Gothic tapestry in existence now through the end of 2012!  Come see this set of four massive, 36 foot-long tapestries that depict the North African military campaigns of Portugal's King Alphonse V during the crusades in the 15^th Century.  Experience medieval life through this tapestry with depictions of knights, ships, fortresses, weaponry, armour, attire and other details of the period. The four tapestries were recently restored to their finest condition in centuries, and are presented at PEM as an immersive, two-gallery experience before returning to Spain.