A Few of Our Favorite Things: Selections from Childs Gallery

This holiday season we’ve asked our staff to share their&nbsp;favorite&nbsp;works of art at Childs Gallery. The resulting exhibition,&nbsp;A Few of Our&nbsp;Favorite&nbsp;Things, highlights an eclectic selection of&nbsp;beloved items and forgotten treasures&nbsp;from the gallery’s extensive inventory. Most of the staff are art collectors themselves, representing a wide range of personal tastes, expertise, and collecting interests. We are thrilled to share a few of our&nbsp;favorite&nbsp;things and hope that you might find a shared vision or&nbsp;favorite&nbsp;of your own to add to your collection.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Childs Gallery’s&nbsp;storied&nbsp;inventory has been growing and evolving since the gallery was first established in 1937. We focus on fine American and European artwork, including paintings, drawings, watercolors, prints, and sculpture, from the Renaissance through Contemporary. Only a small fraction of this inventory is ever on view at one time in the gallery’s exhibition spaces. As we move from one thematic or solo exhibition to the next, the full range of our offerings is often not immediately apparent to our clients.&nbsp;A Few of Our&nbsp;Favorite&nbsp;Things&nbsp;provides us with the perfect opportunity to open up our storerooms and display the exciting breadth of our&nbsp;artwork. Our&nbsp;comprehensive&nbsp;holdings are particularly appealing to today's eclectic taste, as it's the collector's eye, not the historic period or medium, which makes for a cohesive and personalized collection. Our inventory features superb paintings and sculpture from the past 200 years with an emphasis on mid-20th century American Modernism, Abstract Expressionism, Boston Expressionism, Social and Magic Realism, women artists of the last century, queer artists, and other important genres and movements. While Childs is historically known for a&nbsp;broad&nbsp;collection of Marine Art and New England Impressionism, our current holdings also reflect the changing tastes of our clients, as well as new scholarship on artists and art historical periods. We seek to bridge the art of today with the great artists of previous centuries.&nbsp;

Childs Gallery

Bricks of Boston: Watercolors by Adam Van Doren

Childs Gallery is pleased to present Bricks of Boston: Watercolors by Adam Van Doren. The exhibition marks the artist and author’s third solo show with Childs, and the first dedicated solely to images of ‘The City on the Hill.’ Van Doren has traversed Boston and beyond capturing images of the area’s storied architecture: historic churches, government buildings, libraries, bridges, and more. A trained architect himself, Van Doren handles his subject matter with a master’s eye but also that of an artist, sensitively capturing the spirit of some of Boston’s most hallowed grounds. Though based in New York, Van Doren travels frequently to paint – his finished works often serving as illustrations for books such as In the Founder’s Footsteps: Landmarks of the American Revolution, The House Tells the Story: Homes of the American Presidents, and The Stones of Yale. Always attuned towards eye catching architecture, Van Doren has this time turned his brush specifically to Boston. The exhibition travels through the city and its surrounding areas - including images of Harvard University and Martha’s Vineyard - to capture the unique character of quintessential New England architecture. As one of the United States’ oldest cities, Boston’s architecture encompasses several different periods, styles, and movements; Van Doren deftly paints many superb examples of these with his trademark expressionist flourish. Bricks of Boston: Watercolors by Adam Van Doren will be on view in our upstairs gallery December 6, 2024, through February 9, 2025. A reception with the artist will be held Saturday, December 14, 2-4pm.

William Evertson: SCOTUS 6

William Evertson’s recently completed series of woodblock prints, SCOTUS 6, takes aim at the six conservative members of the United States Supreme Court: John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. The prints in SCOTUS 6 continue Evertson’s interest in asserting political activism through visual media. Using collaged imagery, Evertson blends appropriated historical art with contemporary references, creating familiar yet irreverent scenes packed with biting socio-political commentary. The effect is humorous but also (and more importantly) contemplative as the prints raise serious questions about the integrity of the Court’s decisions and its drastic reshaping of settled law. Recent cases decided by the Court’s conservative majority have altered long-standing precedents including overturning Roe v. Wade, granting presidential immunity, restricting the government’s ability to regulate, and loosening environmental laws.&nbsp;Evertson’s prints waggishly critique the Court, sounding the alarm at a critical moment for the nation’s future.&nbsp; Please join us for an opening reception with the artist, Saturday, October 5, 2-4pm. The exhibition is on view in our upstairs print department October 4 through December 1, 2024.

Robert S. Neuman: Under the Spanish Sun

American abstract artist Robert S. Neuman first visited Spain on a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1956. The experience was profound for Neuman, prompting major stylistic changes, as well as inspiring a second visit for his honeymoon in the late 1970s. Robert S. Neuman: Under the Spanish Sun presents the artist’s work from both sojourns and explores his distillation of Spanish culture onto canvas. Surveying these two distinctive yet innately related periods within the artist’s oeuvre, the exhibition affirms Neuman’s strong connection to Iberia – his fascination with Spain’s inherent mysticism and spirituality translating into abstracted planes of color, form, and light. &nbsp; Neuman’s first trip to Spain found the artist centered in Barcelona, the northeastern capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia. There, Neuman was deeply moved by the particular atmosphere of the city, noting specifically that Barcelona’s light projected dazzling effects onto other colors, even seemingly dull neutrals: &nbsp; “The light around Barcelona was very interesting. Any little thing seems to be very chromatic. I started painting with…these beautiful grays. I hadn’t painted with gray before because I thought it was a neutral color, but the atmosphere and the light were such that even grays seemed to contain a great deal of color.” &nbsp; In the Barcelona paintings Neuman strove to capture this unusual effect of light, as well as the spiritual essence he felt implicitly tied to the country through its history of religious pluralism. Catholicism, Judaism, and Islam all thrived at different points in Spanish history though they were frequently violently at odds with one another. These paintings, such as Muro Catalano and (Untitled) Flag exhibit hues which deftly mimic the early dawn and dusk hours of northern Spain. The colors are pleasing, yet the paintings themselves hold within a buzzing energy reverberating from frenetic planes of black, which bisect the canvases. These strokes of inky darkness are perhaps Neuman’s allusions to the country’s turbulent history of zealotry, war, and persecution, or maybe a suggestion of the mysticism ingrained in such religious fervor, or both. They also reflect the influence of prominent Spanish artists such as Albert Ràfols-Casamada, Antoni Tàpies, and J.J. Tharrats, whose studios Neuman frequented at the time and notably used ‘violent colors and huge brush strokes’ in their paintings. &nbsp; Neuman returned to Spain in the late 1970s, this time settling in Granada, the capital of Andalusia, for his honeymoon. Here, again, Neuman was taken with the perceived effects of light, this time observing its play within the intricate architecture of the Alhambra, a 13th century Moorish palace complex and home to the Nasrid dynasty before its fall to the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand II and Isabela I in 1492. Neuman was entranced by the palatine structure’s famous colonnades which through slender columns produced broken bands of light, creating a repeating pattern of views and interruptions on the Alhambra’s time-worn walls. From these rays of light, lines of seeing and not seeing, Neuman developed a specific reoccurring visual language for his Alhambra series – striations of color paired with columnar forms of white representing the palaces walls and pillars and the effects of sunlight on such architecture. &nbsp; Many of the Alhambra paintings were produced after the artist’s return to the United States, with the elements of time and physical distance cultivating interesting effects in the resultant works. These later pieces, such as Alhambra Drawing, see Neuman venturing further into abstraction than previous iterations in the series. The columns begin to shift, tilting as if demonstrating the passage of sunlight through the day, and cut across riotous backgrounds of bursting strokes and splotches of color. Neuman would continue to work within the series for years after his return, using his paintings, drawings, and studies to further explore Spain’s rich atmosphere and history through an increasingly abstracted Alhambra vernacular. &nbsp; In Spain Neuman found inspiration to examine, breakdown, and rethink the major elements of his paintings: color, light, and composition. Though not a religious man himself, the artist’s time in Barcelona and Granada was tantamount to an artistic spiritual experience, allowing Neuman to encapsulate the soul of a country through his abstracted vision of its distinctive culture and history. &nbsp; Robert S. Neuman: Under the Spanish Sun is on view September 20 through November 17, 2024. An opening reception will be held Friday, September 20, 6-8pm

Surreal Spaces

Surreal Spaces explores fantastical interiors and exteriors dreamed up by some of today’s most imaginative printmakers. Featuring works by artists including David Avery, Erik Desmazières, Annemarie Petri, and Gerard Trignac, among others, the exhibition presents images both dreamlike and nightmarish – bizarre visions drawing the eye and mind into intricately beautiful new worlds. The exhibition will be on view in our upstairs print department August 9 through September 29, 2024.

Jason Berger: American Fauve

Jason Berger: American Fauve&nbsp;traces the artistic lineage of Jason Berger (1924-2010), drawing connections between the Boston Expressionist painter and his Fauvist antecedents. Known for his exuberant landscapes and joyful outlook on life, Berger’s use of vibrant, saturated colors and expressive brushwork place him firmly within the legacy of Fauvism.&nbsp; Led by Henri Matisse (1869-1954) and André Derain (1880-1954), Fauvism was an early 20th Century art movement concerned with the expressive potency of color. Working together in the south of France in 1905, Matisse and Derain introduced highly saturated colors and bold, undisguised brushwork into their paintings, favoring simplification and abstraction over naturalistic representation. The paintings caused a sensation when they were exhibited at the Salon d’Automne in Paris later that year. Initially ridiculed for their bold coloration and seemingly wild paint application, art critic Louis Vauxcelles dubbed the group Les Fauves, or “the wild beasts”.&nbsp; Following his graduation from Boston’s School of the Museum of Fine Arts in 1949, Berger was awarded the school’s European Traveling Fellowship and departed for France. He eagerly absorbed the work of the Fauves and other French modernists; “It was a significant time to go to Europe since Bonnard, Matisse, Dufy, Picasso, and Braque were all still living there and showing their work.” In 1952, after viewing an exhibition of Matisse’s cut-outs at the Maison de la Pensée, Berger was fortunate enough to run into the aging artist at a nearby café. By the early 1950s, Berger had thoroughly fallen under the influence of the Fauves. Gone was the dark, moody palette of Boston Expressionism, which he had previously embraced – and in its place,&nbsp;a riot of pure color.&nbsp;Paintings such as&nbsp;Hotel Lobby, Patzcuaro, 1972/74&nbsp;bring to mind Matisse’s Fauvist icon&nbsp;Open Window, Collioure, 1905. Both compositions are sited on the threshold, interior scenes unfolding upon views of the natural world. Like Matisse, Berger employs a maximum intensity of color, relying on broad areas of complementary hues to create contrast and spatial depth. Expressive color, line, and brushwork activate both compositions, drawing the viewer into the space. For Berger, just as Matisse, the open window or doorway became a central motif in the artist’s oeuvre.&nbsp; Jason Berger: American Fauve&nbsp;celebrates Berger’s Fauvist palette, bringing together outstanding examples of the artist’s landscapes and studio paintings. Fauvism offered Berger a visual language to express his unique joie de vivre, allowing his paintings to blossom with vibrant pigments and a sense of joyful spontaneity. The exhibition is on view in our main gallery space through September 15, 2024.

Beau McCall - REWIND: MEMORIES ON REPEAT

Beau McCall's REWIND: MEMORIES ON REPEAT spotlights the Black LGBTQ+ experience in America from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, during the LGBTQ+ rights movement, the height of disco music, and the AIDS crisis. McCall tells this story by honoring the legacy of ten of his deceased friends through collages composed of archival photos, papers, and images from his button-embellished artwork. Additionally, the exhibition includes rarely viewed archival materials and select collages from McCall’s 'Diva Worship' series, which celebrates iconic divas who have inspired, empowered, and captivated the Black LGBTQ+ community. The exhibition is curated by Souleo. Please join us for a reception with Beau McCall and Souleo,&nbsp;Saturday, June 1, 4-6pm. The reception is presented in collaboration with The History Project, an independent community archive focused exclusively on documenting and preserving the history of New England’s LGBTQ+ communities and sharing that history with LGBTQ+ individuals, organizations, allies, and the public.

Ruth Eckstein: Collaged Elements

Abstract modernist Ruth Eckstein was renowned as a master of both painting and printmaking, and frequently pushed the boundaries of both through the incorporation of collaged elements: additions of paper cutouts, wooden pieces, rope strands, and other design embellishments. Ruth Eckstein: Collaged Elements considers these mixed media works throughout the many decades of Eckstein’s career, highlighting the artist’s adept hand at interweaving layers, texture, and color into deceptively minimalist artworks. Of her work, Eckstein explained: “I do not like being confined to a single medium. I like the excitement that comes from switching modes. I like to ‘walk’ around an idea, deal with it in various ways.” Eckstein thus enjoyed freely moving between various media and techniques, yet often threaded ideas together into series which stretched across painting, collagraphy, etching, and screen printing. Though Eckstein created&nbsp;prolifically within each of these media, her finished works were very rarely easily defined as one or the other. Rather, they were amalgamations of artistic techniques, connected through themes, and ornamented with the addition of collage. Ruth Eckstein: Collaged Elements celebrates the artist’s genre defying works, using collage to craft sculptural paintings and layered prints into compelling arrangements of dimensional abstraction. The exhibition is on view May 24 through July 21 with a reception Sunday afternoon, June 9, 2-4pm.

Carol Wax: Extraordinary Objects

Carol Wax’s masterful mezzotint engravings depict the ordinary as extraordinary. Using dramatic lighting effects, exaggerated perspectives, and a dose of wit, Wax transforms commonplace objects into astonishing icons, cleverly revealing “the anima in the inanimate”. Wax originally trained as a classical musician at the Manhattan School of Music, earning a bachelor's degree in 1975 with a major in flute performance. While continuing to work as a musician, Wax took printmaking courses at the Lake Placid School of Art during the summers of 1975 and 1976. She subsequently studied at the Pratt Graphics Center in New York City, where she was first introduced to mezzotint engraving. Developed in the 17th century, images in mezzotint engraving are achieved by roughening a copper plate using a tool with a curved serrated blade, called a rocker. The rocker’s teeth plow up a field of burrs that, when inked, produces a rich black background. Images are drawn by erasing the burrs in increments so they hold less ink to print as lighter tones and print white where burrs are removed entirely. The resulting wide range of tonal gradations and textures made it ideal for reproducing paintings. Though mezzotint fell out of favor in the 19th century with the advent of photography, it experienced a resurgence as a means for creating original works of art in the 20th century due in large part to the publication of Wax’s book The Mezzotint: History and Technique. In addition to her virtuoso work as a mezzotint artist, Wax is regarded as an authority on the history of the medium as well. Her groundbreaking publication on mezzotint is the result of the artist’s frustrations with the limitations of technical knowledge available in the 1980s. This led Wax to conduct her own research into historical techniques, uncovering methods long out of use that could be revived for contemporary artists. The updated and expanded upon Second Edition of The Mezzotint: History and Technique, recently published by Schiffer Books, will be available for sale throughout the duration of the exhibition. Extraordinary Objects highlights Wax’s use of mezzotint’s unique qualities to reinvent antiquated machinery and vintage wares into lively gadgets and anthropomorphic objects. In her words, the work “…speaks to an inner life perceived in inanimate objects.” Marrying the hardness of everyday items with the soft richness of mezzotint, Wax’s subjects take on a life of their own, often with cheeky titles further humanizing the cameras, fans, phones, and other objects appearing in her work. Venturing through several decades of the artist’s prints, Carol Wax: Extraordinary Objects is on view in the Childs Gallery Print Department April 5 through May 24, 2023.

Portals & Passages: Works by Robert Freeman & Max Stern

Portals &amp; Passages explores liminal space through the paintings of Robert Freeman and photographs by Max Stern. Both artists depict images sited on the threshold: windows, doorways, tunnels, tree-lined walkways, and other found openings. Such portals and passages function as transitional spaces that connect or separate worlds: interior and exterior, known and unknown, before and after. As such, these intermediary places can represent exciting possibilities or harrowing rupture. A simple door can be a portal to freedom or a formidable barrier, a symbol of hope and catharsis or estrangement and loss.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Robert Freeman’s paintings explore the darker side of liminal experience. Inspired by a recent trip to Ghana, his work depicts the slave castles at Elmina and Cape Coast, fortresses used to hold enslaved Africans as part of the transatlantic slave trade. Freeman’s paintings attempt to process the grief and anger he felt after visiting the dungeons where his ancestors were held captive. His paintings portray Doors of No Return, the final passages through which enslaved people were taken from the castles to the slave ships bound for the Americas. These doors are potent symbols of the enslaved person’s ruptured experience – actual physical thresholds marking the boundary between the enslaved person’s life before and the brutal unknown life of slavery beyond. Max Stern’s photographs present&nbsp;a multifaceted experience of liminal space, focusing on the potential of unknown possibilities. Stern is captivated by a still photograph’s ability to suggest or tell a story. His images of&nbsp;portals&nbsp;and passageways stimulate curiosity, inspiring myriad questions in the mind of the viewer: What is on the other side? Where does this lead? What will happen next? A glimpse of a hidden garden through a hedge or a group of figures silhouetted against a sunlit archway begs the viewer to fill in the blanks. While Stern’s photographs capture the tension and anticipation of intermediary space, it is with a thrill of wonder and curiosity for what lies beyond. Join us for an opening reception with the artists, Thursday, March 14, 6-8pm.

Henry Botkin Watercolors

Best known for his work in and promotion of Abstract Expressionism, Boston-born artist Henry Botkin was also a prolific watercolorist during the earlier stages of his productive, decades-long&nbsp;career. After spending seven years immersed in the Parisian art scene&nbsp;(a&nbsp;sojourn partly supported&nbsp;by his cousins George and Ira Gershwin), Botkin returned to the United States heavily influenced by the impressionistic flourishes of European Modernism.&nbsp;Henry Botkin Watercolors&nbsp;presents works from this post-European period of the mid-1930s and early 1940s, where the artist explored&nbsp;a variety of genres including landscapes, harbor scenes, and still lifes, through a Modernist lens.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Starting in the 1940s, Botkin would shift his style towards&nbsp;figurative&nbsp;abstraction, before completely abandoning representational imagery in favor of purely abstract art. This exhibition&nbsp;thus illuminates a little&nbsp;shown period of Botkin's while also highlighting&nbsp;a lesser explored, but thoroughly engaging media&nbsp;for an artist most often associated with painting and collage. Henry Botkin Watercolors&nbsp;is on view in our upstairs gallery February 16 through March 30, 2024.

Lee Essex Doyle: Dancing on the Ceiling

Lee Essex Doyle’s mastery of light, color, and pattern is on full display in her latest series of mixed media paintings, Dancing on the Ceiling. These luminous paintings depict jewel-like lanterns and radiant chandeliers – architectural details drawn from her extensive travels across India, Africa, and Europe. Doyle deftly captures the play of light and shadow across richly patterned surfaces, blurring the line between representation and abstraction to dazzling effect.

Chuck: Photographs by George Platt Lynes

The distinct figure of Charles 'Chuck' Howard can be found in the works of artists such as Bernard Perlin, John LaFarge, George Tooker, Jared French, Margaret French, and Paul Cadmus. However, it was his time as model, muse, and lover of George Platt Lynes that yielded perhaps the most intimate and striking depictions of the late Howard. A veteran, fashion designer, and restaurateur, Howard became a highly sought after model and central social figure of Queer Modernism in New York City.  Photographer George Platt Lynes was famous in his lifetime for his commercial photographs in fashion magazines and work with the American Ballet Theater. Throughout his mainstream career, Lynes secretly produced a substantial body of nude and homoerotic photography. Though kept secret due to obscenity laws of the time, Lynes considered these private photographs to be his finest work.  His models were often friends, lovers, and acquaintances - gay artists, dancers, and writers from Lynes’ social circle. Chuck: Photographs by George Platt Lynes presents a rare collection of vintage photographs dating circa 1948 - 1951 that celebrates the collaborative work between George Platt Lynes and Chuck Howard. Featuring both studio poses and candid shots, Chuck reveals the spectrum of Howard's skills as a model and offers a unique and intimate look into his somewhat brief but impactful relationship with Lynes.    Join us for an opening reception Wednesday, December 13, 2023, 6-8pm.

Interlaced: The Fabric of Art

What makes one object a work of art and one object a work of craftsmanship? The answer is steeped in decades of discourse that touches on issues of economic, gender, and racial inequity.  Interlaced: The Fabric of Art is an exhibition of fiber artists connected through a shared commitment to the rigor of craftsmanship and high quality artistic and aesthetic achievement. Objects thought of as functional become aesthetic and the aesthetics then beget further functionality. What is a tea towel you don’t wipe the corners of your mouth with? A quilt that doesn’t live on your bed? A pair of swimming trunks you cannot wear to the beach? The materials at play in fiber arts inevitably evoke questions of materiality, domesticity, social class, and accessibility, and textile exhibitions often find themselves laden under this framework. Examining the contextual realities surrounding fiber works is, of course, not only incredibly important but also integral to the history of the artform. Interlaced acknowledges this truth, but also strives to further ask its audience to consider the aesthetics on display. The exhibition elevates the work of textile artists beyond the trappings of the often singular function of social commentary and into an overdue position of holistic artistic expression. The materials are not separate from the work. The artist's hands are present. The alchemy of this reality is the object in front of you. In Interlaced, artistry is just as paramount to the experience as the who and the why – the artistic value inseparable from the historical context. Though fiber shows are not new to Boston, Interlaced marks the first exhibition of its kind at Childs, one solely highlighting textile arts. The show does, however, follow the gallery’s longstanding practice of featuring traditional artistic media both by historic and contemporary artists. Paintings, sculpture, photography, prints, and various other works on paper have been on view throughout the gallery’s eighty-six years in operation; Childs is pleased to now add fiber arts to our storied inventory. The exhibition will include art quilts by Rodger Blum, lace work by Pierre Fouché, weavings by Christine Jablonski, needlepoint by Natalie Hays Hammond, an appliqué by Samuel Ojo Omonaiye, and additional works by Patrick Carroll, Alexander Davis, Fidencio Fifield-Perez, Andrew Sedgwick Guth, Joan Hall, and Alison Saar.  Please join us for an opening reception with several featured artists in attendance, Friday, November 17, 2023. Interlaced: The Fabric of Art is on view November 16, 2023 through January 6, 2024.

David Avery: Macabre Minutiae 

Revisiting the works of Old Masters with the intricate detailing of a contemporary sardonic eye, David Avery’s etchings are witty updates of classic motifs. 'Macabre Minutiae' presents prints from the artist exploring the foibles and follies of the modern world through the complex and endless possibilities of the etching medium.

S22: conversations

Wondering what to do in Boston? Places to eat? Free activities? Good for a group? Date night spot? Girls night out? The best things to do? Ask Joyraft!

Best places to go in Boston? Things to do? Places to eat?

Questions & answers about things to do in Boston

Recs 💬

Community recs 💬

S4: top picks

The most fun, cool and unique things to do in Boston. Can’t miss events, shows and experiences. Concerts, restaurants, bars, free things in Boston and beyond.

The most fun and cool events happening around Boston

Hot and new things to do in Boston

Hot & new

Hot & new 🔥

S11: happening this weekend

What to do in Boston this weekend? From festivals, concerts, performances, free events, screenings and more, Joyraft has the best things to do in Boston.

25+ things to do in Boston/Cambridge/Somerville this weekend

Things to do in Boston this weekend

This wknd

This weekend for you

S21: roundups

Our top picks: outdoor dining, free events, spring festivals, best bars, upcoming concerts, museum parties - the latest in and around Boston.  Slug: joyraft-top-picks-best-things-to-do-boston-ma

Top picks of the best things to do in and around Boston

Joyraft picks: Boston’s best things to do

Roundups ⭐️

Curated by Joyraft ⭐️

S28: calendar experiences

This week in Boston

This week in Boston 📆

This week 📆

S20: c+d experiences

Discover new, unique events and experiences happening in and around Boston. Perfect for date night, good for a group or with a friend. Be the first to know.

The newest events happening in and around Boston

The newest events on Joyraft

Just added

Just added to Joyraft

S16: editor picks

The most unique and can’t miss things coming up in Boston / Cambridge / Somerville and beyond. Festivals, food, drinks, fairs, concerts, art and free activities.

Unique and Can’t Miss Things to Do in Boston

Can’t-miss things to do in Boston 🚨

Can't-miss things to do 🚨

S2 (A): top experiences

The most popular things to do on Joyraft. Concerts, restaurants, bars, events, parties, openings, kid friendly, date ideas, free things in Boston and beyond.

Top 20 things to do in Boston

Top 20: Joyraft’s most popular

Top 20

Top 20 on Joyraft

S3 (A): trending experiences

Discover can’t miss events and things to do in Boston. The most fun, unique and cool events coming to the Boston area this spring and summer.

The hottest events happening in Boston

Trending events on Joyraft

Trending 📈

S17: interest based

Your guide to everything free in and around Boston. From events, to fairs, to festivals, to outdoors. Joyraft has all the free events happening near you.

100+ free things to do in Boston and beyond

Free things to do in Boston

Free things to do

S19: interest based

Discover kid-friendly fun in Boston, Massachusetts, and surrounding areas! Enjoy hands-on exhibits at the Boston Children’s Museum, explore the New England Aquarium, and visit the Franklin Park Zoo. Find parks, playgrounds, and seasonal events perfect for families across Massachusetts.

Top 20 kid-friendly things to do in Boston, MA

Kid-friendly things to do in Boston

Kid-friendly events

S18: interest based

Where to eat and drink in Boston? Joyraft has Boston’s newest bars, restaurants and specials. Drinks and pre fixe dinner menus. Cambridge & Somerville too.