museums

M u s e u m s

Massachusetts

Connecticut
Rhode Island

DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park: 51 Sandy Pond Road, Lincoln, web: www.decordova.org, 781-259-0505

Fuller Museum of Art (FMA): 455 Oak Street, Brockton, MA 02301, FMA is a small museum of contemporary art located in Brockton, on Porter's Pond. The FMA houses a permanent collection of 19th and 20th century art and provides exhibitions of contemporary artists, regional and international. The Fuller Museum primarily serves the region south of Boston and north of Providence. The mission of (FMA) is "to teach and inspire the awareness, knowledge, and creation of art as a unifying force in a changing society." e-mail: fullermuseum@fullermuseum.org, web: http://www.fullermuseum.org/, 508-588-6000

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: 280 The Fenway, Boston, 02115, Artistic excellence since 1903. web: www.gardnermuseum.org, 617-566-1401

John F. Kennedy Library and Museum: Columbia Point - Boston, 02125, The John F. Kennedy Library and Museum is dedicated to the memory of our nation's thirty-fifth President and to all those who through the art of politics seek a new and better world. e-mail: kennedy.library@nara.gov, web: http://www.jfklibrary.org/, Calendar, 617- 929-4500, TTY: 617-929-1221, Toll Free: 1-877-616-4599, Fax: 617-929-4538

Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA): 87 Marshall Street, North Adams, 01247 MASS MoCA is the largest center for contemporary arts in the United States. The institution is dedicated to the creation and presentation of provocative visual and performing arts pieces, and of works that blur conventional distinctions between artistic disciplines. In addition, MASS MoCA functions as a laboratory for the contemporary arts, fostering experimentation by artists, encouraging collaborations among institutions, and allowing visitors a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process. Gallery Hours: daily, from 11 am-5 pm, closed Tues Tours : Sat & Sun at 1pm & 3pm Summer Hours (June 1 - October 31): daily, 10am-6 pm, web: http://www.massmoca.org/, 413-664-4481, Fax: 413-663-8548

Museum of Fine Arts (MFA): 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, 02115-5523, web: http://www.mfa.org/home.htm, General Museum Information and Weekly Events, 617-267-9300

Museum of Science: Museum of Science Science Park, Boston, 02114, The mission of the Museum of Science, Boston is to stimulate interest in and further understanding of science and technology and their importance for individuals and for society. web: http://www.mos.org/, 617-723-2500

New England Aquarium: Central Wharf, Boston, web: www.neaq.org, 617-973-5200

Springfield Museums at the Quadrangle and Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden:
220 State Street (Corner of State and Chestnut Streets) Springfield, 01103, web: http://www.quadrangle.org, and http://www.catinthehat.org, 413-263-6800

Connecticut Valley Historical Museum - The Quadrangle, Built in 1927, the stone Colonial Revival building houses artifacts and documents which tell the story of the region from 1636 to the present. Changing exhibitions highlight various aspects of the Pioneer Valley's rich 350-year history, much of it told through the Museum's collection of hand-crafted furniture, pewter, silver and portraits by itinerant artists. Genealogy and Local History Library attracts researchers and family historians from around the country.

Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden - The Quadrangle, Life-sized bronze sculptures of Dr. Seuss and many of his favorite characters.

Clustered together at the corner of the Quadrangle green near the Springfield Library are three large sculptural groupings:

Dr. Seuss and the Cat in the Hat: Theodor Geisel at his drawing board, with the Cat in the Hat at his side.

Horton Court: A 14-foot Horton the Elephant stepping out of an open book, accompanied by Thing One, Thing Two, Sam-I-Am, Sally and her brother, and Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose.

The Storyteller: A Seussian storytelling chair, backed by a 10-foot-tall book with the text of Oh, the Places You'll Go! with Gertrude McFuzz perched on top and the Grinch and his dog, Max, peeking around the side.

At the far corner of the Quadrangle is The Lorax, which stands on a stump in front of the Springfield Science Museum with his warning "Unless...," underscoring that museum's environmental education mission.

Next to the Museum of Fine Arts is the Seussian Yertle Garden with a 10-turtle-tall tower from Yertle the Turtle surrounded by winding granite pathways and imaginative landscaping.

George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum - The Quadrangle, Opened in 1896 in the style of an Italian palazzo, the museum houses the vast, eclectic collection of its Victorian namesake and includes Japanese arms and armor, screens, lacquers and ceramics; Islamic rugs and decorative arts; a large collection of Chinese cloisonné; a Shinto wheel shrine; a Classical Casts gallery; and 19th century American paintings.

Museum of Fine Arts -The Quadrangle, Collection includes American art from the 18th through the 20th centuries. Highlights are Winslow Homer's The New Novel and Promenade on the Beach, Frederic Church's New England Scenery and Erastus Salisbury Field's Historical Monument of the American Republic. Also 14th-20th century European paintings with strengths in French, Italian and Dutch and including works by Degas, Pissarro, Gauguin, Monet and Gericault. Museum Shop and Café.

Springfield Science Museum - The Quadrangle, Exhibits include the multi-level R.E. Phelon African Hall emphasizing the diversity of the continent's wildlife and cultures; Dinosaur Hall with a full-sized replica of Tyrannosaurus rex; habitat groupings of mounted animals; Native American artifacts; a planetarium; the Solutia Eco-Center with live animal habitats; and an exhibit on the Springfield-based aviation pioneers, the Granville Brothers.

Worcester Art Museum: 55 Salisbury Street, Worcester, web: http://www.worcesterart.org/index.html, 508-799-4406