We had a wonderful First Friday evening in the SoWa district and I wish that we had more time as…read morestores & studios wrapped up fairly early in my opinion. It was so nice to spend time in our son's friends studio and see how the artist created his works, displayed them and greeted all of the visitors. Each studio was unique and impressive. This visit was 10/3, but I am eager to return again in the early spring to explore further. I will say, while most artists and shop people were friendly, a few were a bit standoffish. Maybe it is exhausting hosting so many people who are flowing through all day & evening. I loved the whole concept !

I came here for an evening and was blown away by the amount of raw talent in our city. I checked…read moreout 2 full floors but was unable to see everything because there were so many studios to see. This is a really special piece of Boston, and it almost feels magical to witness so many creative minds in the same building. It's worth your time to check it out. Apparently they also have a parking lot filled with food trucks so it's a perfect date, romantic or with friends.

We visited last fall so my review is greatly delayed but, it was a fantastic gallery. The curator…read moregave us quite of bit of fascinating information about the collection. Worth a peak when in P Town. My review is for the P Town location.

This is a unique gallery. This is the new location. There is also a gallery in Provincetown. The…read moregallery has gorgeous art by Cuban artists (one of the few galleries in the US with permission to bring in and purchase Cuban art). The little gallery has such a great diversity of styles and paintings as well as a few sculptures. A great gallery to visit and in a great neighborhood for a little outing: some art, some gallery hopping, and some good food spots nearby.

Harvard Art Museums is where it's at. My daughter and I spent a couple of hours here and still…read moredidn't see everything. There are so many different exhibits, from ancient pieces to modern art, plus a lot of interactive exhibits to keep things that much more interesting. We caught the Celtic Art Across the Ages exhibit and a Critical Thinking exhibit that had hands-on activities and films. It wasn't just looking at art- we actually got to interact with it which made it way more fun. What I also loved about this museum is that cost is $0 to enjoy all this. Definitely worth checking out if you're in Cambridge, Mass.

Excellently curated art museum which also happens to be free to the public! They have a wide…read morecollection of art spanning from ancient Asia and the Middle East to contemporary work. There's also a nice gift store and a little cafe with a seating area on the first floor. You will find the usual collection of European masters (there's a couple of beautiful Picasso paintings from his blue period) but they also have a wide collection of religious iconography from the middle ages as well as ancient Buddhist and Islamic art. I highly recommend allowing yourself a couple hours to leisurely browse the collection. There are also lockers to secure your valuables.

This is a cute concept, and since this is the reason I dropped by, I'll review this highlight…read moreinstead of the Dorchester Brewery. It is more like a collection of art around the brewery, but the signs are funny and it's interesting to note paintings that were donated vs. found in a thrift store vs. found in the garbage. It ranges from funny proportions to some truly bizarre. It's a great activity to giggle at with friends or make up fun commentary on a date. It's a fun little concept, free, and open late, so it's a funs stop in. The brewery features a full bar, arcade and board games and BBQ food as well. The owner even showed us an old cigarette dispensing machine now filled with chocolate packs. There's a lot going on and it is apparent a lot of thought and creativity went into the space. It's certainly not like a traditional "museum" but sometimes you need to see some bad art to really appreciate some good art elsewhere. You'll end up laughing at something.

Okay, so museum may not be the exact right word. This is kind of like a gallery in a brewery. I had…read moreseen an ad for this place on Instagram, and filed it away in my brain. I pulled it out of the file and went to see bad art. We walked in and the guy at the bar was very nice and pointed out the "route" of the paintings. The art was so fun--some worse than others. I really did understand what some of what the artists were thinking, and in other cases I just laughed and scratched my head It's small and we weren't there more than 20 minutes, but it was fun. Btw--it's free!!!

My husband and I visited ICA Boston last weekend, when we visited Boston for his birthday. We had a…read moregreat visit. We visited to see their current exhibit, "Derrick Adams: View Master," and the exhibit was great. It's the first mid-career survey of Adams's work, and it includes more than 100 artworks spanning 25 years of his career. Most of the works are never-before-exhibited works from Adams's personal collection. Making it even more special? Adams worked with the ICA to create an immersive exhibit - the way the art was displayed was unlike any other exhibit I've seen. I also enjoyed the other exhibit they had at the time, To My Best Friend, which draws from more than 50 artworks Fotene Demoulas and Tom Coté have brought into the ICA Collection. It included works by Lorna Simpson, Sarah Sze, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, and Diedrick Brackens that I really loved. There were two smaller galleries that weren't open when we visited as they set up for two exhibitions, but there was still plenty to see at the ICA Boston when we visited. Both exhibits were great. The building is incredible - with beautiful views of Boston Harbor, a great wine + coffee bar, and an exceptional gift shop. We sat outside at the wine + coffee bar and had a couple of glasses of natural wine while looking out at the harbor. We spent a little too long in their gift shop, which has great books, art items, tchotchkes, and more. I picked up a Viewfinder made for the Derrick Adams exhibit and a hat, too. We didn't have time to take advantage of this, but there's one more thing that makes ICA Boston special: ICA Watershed, a seasonal space located in the East Boston Shipyard and Marina (this year it is open until 9/7/26). Their Watershed location is accessible by a timed water shuttle; visiting it and the shuttle is free with admission to the main ICA Boston location. We had a great experience at ICA Boston. I'd love to return on a future visit to Boston.

Went for a work event and the music was absolutely DEAFENING. Please turn the sound down! I could…read morenot hear the person sitting six inches away from me, so conversation was mostly smiling, nodding, and pretending we understood each other. We would have escaped immediately, but work obligations held us hostage. I would definitely not return due to the loud music. There's no reason to have it up that high. Thankfully, once we were inside the building, the music was less overpowering and there was some good art to look at. The art gets 4/5 stars, and the staff was very friendly, so 5 stars for them. As for the Seaport itself, it's mostly ugly, towering modern buildings, chain restaurants, and exorbitant parking prices, with plenty of suburbanites and tourists milling around. Not exactly overflowing with charm.

This charming gallery in Boston showcases exceptional art that truly enriches the city. The…read morecuration by Ally is consistently excellent, making her a standout figure in the local art community.

I stumbled upon Sloane Merrill one spring evening taking a walk up Charles Street. On a normal…read moreday, this is a lovely spot for some window shopping, but that evening their window had a beautiful, dark piece of urban impressionism from Daniele Cestari and I could see through the window some amazing samples of the same style from Gregory Prestegord's show "Safe Haven." This gallery has a bright, cheerful, simple space of white washed brick. It has just the right feeling for a gallery: low-key and welcoming but not particularly corporate or fancy. And they have excellent taste in art! Of what I've seen over a few visits (and on their website) they tend towards art with good contemporary style that isn't over the top "modern." It's a wonderful blend of realist and contemporary impressionist. There are some galleries that you go to just for amusement sake, to see what "creative" new materials are considered artistic these days. There are some galleries you go to for the browsing, just to add some color to your day walking around. This gallery is, for me, aspirational. It has exactly the sort of work I'd like to collect some day, and that I'd be happy to devote some precious wall space to!

This is a beautiful little gallery that couldn't have a better location…read more The owners are nice and their portuguese water dog, Callie, was delightful! I was so happy to stumble upon this place while walking my dog along Newbury Street. Their current exhibit is all about dogs, which is much like my idea of heaven. :) I ended up returning the second day for their dog-friendly reception. It was so well done that I have no doubt all other exhibits are equally top-notch.

I went into this gallery with the intention of finding work for a new home in the back bay. The…read moreowner was very pushy and her knowledge of contemporary art was not impressive. The assistant sat on the sideline and seemed afraid of the owner, Susan. I would not do business here-the taste level is also far less than I would expect in Boston.

An exciting event that's coming up in early 2007:…read more"Brickbottom Celebrates MacDowell" January 11-February 10 Brickbottom Gallery is honoring the MacDowell Colony's centennial year by featuring visual art created by the following local MacDowell Fellows: Karen Aqua, Toby Atlas, Michael Beatty, Erica Daborn, Liza Folman, Jane Goldman, Brian Healy, Catherine Kernan, Nona Hershey, Colleen Kiely, Suzanne Menon, Debra Olin, Amy Ragus, Lorna Ritz, Paul Santoleri, Jonathan Santos, Sandra Stark, Naoe Suzuki, Debra Weisberg, and Chantal Zakari. Schedule of special events: Opening Reception, Sunday, Jan. 21: 4-6 pm, music by "Blues Cabaret" jazz quartet; 6-7 pm music improv with Ken Field and David Sholl; 7pm animation by Karen Aqua. Writers Evening, Sunday, January 28: 7pm with Herbert Krohn, Marsha Pomerantz, Monica Raymond and Joyce Van Dyke.

Great non-profit community gallery between Lechmere and Union Square. There is almost always…read moresomething interesting on view, ranging from open-themed member shows (Brickbottom Artists' Association, which is actually open to artists beyond those living/working at Brickbottom) to small group shows organized by area artists/curators. Brickbottom Gallery is also a venue for the Somerville Toy Camera Festival. How cool is that?