Maker Space: PRIDE in the Park!

At Maker Space: PRIDE in the Park, celebrate Pride Month by stepping into a vibrant world of creativity, self-expression, and community, where the deCordova Sculpture Park becomes your muse! Explore bold ideas and unexpected materials as you create art that reflects who you are. Whether you’re flying solo or collaborating with others, this is your chance to make one-of-a-kind works in a joyful, welcoming, and hands-on environment. Drop in for a few minutes or stay the whole time. All ages welcome (with an accompanying adult). Maker Space will take place in the Sculpture Park. Learn more and register at: https://thetrustees.org/event/447056/

deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum

deCordova Performance Series: Vance Gilbert

deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum is pleased to welcome Vance Gilbert as part of the deCordova Performance Series. With more than 30 years on stage, Vance Gilbert has helped shape the contemporary folk and Americana scene, opening doors for many BIPOC artists along the way. Originally drawn to R&amp;B and jazz, he found his stride as an acoustic storyteller, known for his powerful voice, sharp wit, and magnetic stage presence. Early in his career, Shawn Colvin invited him on tour, introducing him to audiences across the country. He’s been captivating crowds ever since. A Grammy-nominated artist and fixture of the national folk scene, Gilbert delivers a night that’s as funny and disarming as it is musically stunning. Concert begins at 6:30 PM | Doors open at 5:00 PM The concert will take place outdoors on the front lawn. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and make yourself comfortable. In the event of rain, the performance will move inside the Museum. Learn more and register at: https://thetrustees.org/event/447074/

deCordova Performance Series: Arias Aloft

Join us for a magical evening of opera, musical theater, cabaret, and circus in the deCordova Sculpture Park! Spread a blanket on the ground, or bring your own chair for a wonderful, family-friendly evening. Circus 617 and Opera Untapped combine two thrilling art forms against a stunning backdrop of art in nature for a one-of-a-kind event. With vocal acrobatics and physical virtuosity featuring some of New England’s leading circus artists and classical singers, this performance showcases opera, musical theater, and cabaret classics paired with breathtaking original circus acts. Inspired by the unique natural surroundings of the Trustees of Reservation, Arias Aloft: Chromatic is shaped by the colors of the natural world—drawing audiences into a living landscape of music and movement, and capturing the beauty of a New England summer. Learn more and register at: <a href="https://thetrustees.org/event/446679/">https://thetrustees.org/event/446679/</a>

deCordova Performance Series: Leslie Mendelson

deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum invites you to a wonderful evening of music with Leslie Mendelson as part of the deCordova Performance Series. With her luminous voice and deeply evocative songwriting, Leslie Mendelson has earned the admiration of both devoted fans and some of music’s most respected artists. Jackson Browne has praised her work as “timeless,” while Jakob Dylan notes that voices like hers are rare, pairing remarkable range with equally strong songwriting. A Grammy Award-nominated artist, Mendelson returns with her latest album, After The Party, a rich and layered collection produced in collaboration with industry heavyweights including Peter Asher, Tyler Chester, and Steve McEwan. Recorded at Jackson Browne’s Grove Masters studio, the album features an all-star lineup of musicians and showcases her continued evolution as both a songwriter and performer. Concert begins at 6:30 PM | Doors open at 5:00 PM The concert will take place outdoors on the front lawn. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and make yourself comfortable. In the event of rain, the performance will move inside the Museum. Learn more and register at: https://thetrustees.org/event/447082/

Sunset Talk with Moko Fukuyama

Join artist Moko Fukuyama for a special sunset conversation in the Sculpture Park. Fukuyama will speak about her large-scale installation <a href="https://thetrustees.org/content/moko-fukuyama-menagerie/">Menagerie</a> (2024), a vivid, open-structured sculpture that transforms salvaged trees into an array of hand-carved, lure-like forms. Fukuyama will discuss how her practice is guided by the forms of salvaged wood, as well as her interest in human desire and sustainability. Influenced by a reverence for nature rooted in Shinto thought, her work invites us to think deeply about our relationship to the environment. As the sun sets across the Sculpture Park, experience Menagerie in a new light and hear directly from the artist about the ideas, materials, and processes behind this compelling work. Learn more and register at: https://thetrustees.org/event/447020/

eCordova Performance Series: Ezekiel's Wheels Klezmer Band

deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum invites you to a lively evening with Ezekiel’s Wheels Klezmer Band as part of the deCordova Performance Series. One of the world’s leading klezmer ensembles, Ezekiel’s Wheels brings high-energy, joy-filled performances that blend virtuosic musicianship with a deep love of tradition. Whether on international stages or at neighborhood dance parties, their music is meant to move you, in every sense of the word. From Amsterdam’s Het Compagnie Theater to Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, the band has built a global following. Their work has been featured on television internationally, in film, and across multiple recordings, while their collaborations span artists like Paula Cole, Jill Sobule, and Chris Botti. Beyond the klezmer stage, members of the ensemble have performed alongside artists ranging from Eminem to Hugh Jackman and Weird Al Yankovic, bringing their dynamic sound to audiences of all kinds. Concert begins at 6:30 PM | Doors open at 5:00 PM The concert will take place outdoors on the front lawn. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and make yourself comfortable, and come early to enjoy the grounds, including the Nature Sanctuary exhibition. In the event of rain, the performance will move inside the Museum. Learn more and register at: https://thetrustees.org/event/447083/

eCordova Performance Series: Ellis Paul

deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum is thrilled to host a very special evening with legendary singer-songwriter Ellis Paul as part of the deCordova Performance Series. Ellis Paul doesn’t just write songs, he tells stories that stay with you. A true troubadour, he captures the hopes, loves, and losses of everyday life and transforms them into music that feels both deeply personal and widely resonant. Influenced by artists like Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and Woody Guthrie, Paul blends intimate storytelling with broader social themes, creating songs that are as timely as they are timeless. Born and raised in Maine, Paul got his start in the Boston music scene while attending Boston College, eventually breaking through after winning the Boston Acoustic Underground competition. Since then, he has released more than 20 albums, toured internationally, and built a fiercely loyal following. His songs have appeared in major films and have been recorded by artists including Sugarland, Kristian Bush, and Jack Ingram. A recipient of numerous honors, including 15 Boston Music Awards and the Kerrville New Folk Award, Paul continues to evolve as both a songwriter and performer. His recent work reflects on resilience, gratitude, and connection in a complicated world. Concert begins at 6:30 PM | Doors open at 5:00 PM The concert will take place outdoors on the front lawn. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and make yourself comfortable. In the event of rain, the performance will move inside the Museum. Learn more and register at: https://thetrustees.org/event/447075/

Printing with the Sun: Botanical Cyanotypes with Madge Evers

Join artist and author Madge Evers for a hands-on workshop inspired by her new book,&nbsp;<a href="https://madgeevers.com/cyanotype-book-printing-with-the-sun">“Printing With the Sun,”</a>&nbsp;a beautifully crafted guide to cyanotype printing. Participants will learn the fundamentals of cyanotype as both a creative practice and a way to engage deeply with natural materials and light. Evers, who has spent years developing her own artistic exploration of the medium and teaching this technique, will lead you through preparing light-sensitive surfaces to composing and exposing botanical and found elements. Participants are welcome to bring their own pressed or fresh plant materials to incorporate into their prints, or utilize those provided in the workshop. All materials provided. This workshop offers an entry point for beginners, while also opening possibilities for experienced artists interested in expanding their printmaking practice. You’ll explore how light, composition, and the natural world come together to produce one-of-a-kind sun prints that capture both form and chance. All ages 13+ most welcome. “Printing with the Sun” will be available for presale purchase at the program. No purchase necessary to participate in the workshop. Learn more and register at: https://thetrustees.org/event/445546/

Curator Tour of Nature Sanctuary at deCordova Sculpture Park

Guided by Chief Curator and Museum Director, Sarah Montross, immerse yourself in Nature Sanctuary, an evocative outdoor exhibition that reveals the deep connections between art, the natural world, and our shared sense of home. This curator-led tour invites participants to engage closely with the original, site-specific works by six outstanding women artists—Venetia Dale, Kapwani Kiwanga, Joiri Minaya, Zohra Opoku, Kathy Ruttenberg, and Evelyn Rydz. Sarah Montross will unpack how each artwork expresses themes of refuge, care, and protection, spotlighting artistic responses to ecological change, histories of land use, and the movement of people, plants, and animals across homelands. Together, we’ll consider how notions of sanctuary can be both nurturing and contradictory, inviting reflection on the ways humans shape the environments we inhabit. Please note most of the Sculpture Park consists of grass and paved paths or drives. There is one accessible pathway through the property, and several additional areas are wheelchair friendly with assistance. A few sculptures are located on uneven ground or along steeper inclines. Learn more and register at: https://thetrustees.org/event/445548/

Maker Space: Earth Day

Celebrate Earth Day at deCordova with a hands-on Maker Space inspired by the natural world! Explore themes of sustainability, renewal, and our connection to the environment as you experiment with creative and unexpected materials. Work independently or collaborate to build imaginative works of art that honor our planet. Join us for a short visit or stay for the entire drop-in session. For any age and an accompanying adult – all are welcome. Maker Space will take place on the third floor of the Museum building. Learn more and register at: <a href="https://thetrustees.org/event/444068/">https://thetrustees.org/event/444068/</a>

2026 Paul J. Cronin Memorial Lecture: Ella Mahoney, May Babcock, and Posey Moulton

Join us for the 2026 Paul J. Cronin Memorial Lecture, featuring the three artists behind the original commissions for&nbsp;Art &amp; the Landscape: The Land Tells Our Stories, opening across multiple Trustees properties in June 2026. This special program introduces the artists and the distinct landscapes that will host their site-responsive works, offering an early look into how each project reflects personal histories, ecological narratives, and place-based storytelling. Ella Mahoney (Aquinnah Wampanoag) will draw on her connection to her ancestral homelands in Massachusetts through an installation at Rock House Reservation in West Brookfield, grounding her work in Wampanoag relationships to land, memory, and presence. May Babcock, known for using natural materials to explore themes of displacement and belonging, will create a new work for Moose Hill Farm in Sharon that reflects on our relationship with current day landscapes with their future ecologies. Posey Moulton will transform discarded materials from the fishing industry into a large-scale sculptural environment at the Crane Estate in Ipswich, magnifying the fragile micro-worlds these industries depend on. Together, these artists ask a powerful question at the heart of this year’s lecture: Can art create an ecology? Register for free at: https://thetrustees.org/event/442448/

Maker Space: February Break

Step into the world of imagination at Maker Space, where the deCordova Sculpture Park becomes your muse! Explore bold ideas and unexpected materials inspired by the artists and themes on view in the Sculpture Park. Whether you’re flying solo or teaming up with others, this is your chance to create one-of-a-kind works of art in a fun, hands-on environment. Drop in for a few minutes or stay the whole time. All ages welcome (with an accompanying adult). Maker Space will take place in the Museum building. Please visit https://thetrustees.org/event/442446/ to register.

Galentine's Day with the Blackstone Valley Quartet: Bridgerton

Celebrate lasting friendship at our special Galentine’s Day event featuring the Blackstone Valley Quartet! Inspired by the lavish world of&nbsp;Bridgerton, this enchanting evening blends live classical string music with a modern twist, showcasing the beloved pop-inspired covers featured in the hit series. Gather your best friends and step into a world of regency charm. This special night will include masquerade mask-making and unforgettable memories with your gal pals! This program is for 21+. deCordova’s programs are designed to welcome a wide range of ages and abilities. Sensory kits are available to help anyone feel more comfortable and engaged. Please contact&nbsp;<a href="mailto:mnelson@thetrustees.org">mnelson@thetrustees.org</a>&nbsp;to discuss reasonable adaptations to benefit anyone in your group. Pre-ticketing is required in order to anticipate capacity. This program is for 21+. Cancellation Policy: In the event The Trustees cancels a program due to severe weather, low enrollment, or other circumstances, we will notify registrants by email and issue a full refund or transfer to another scheduled program within two weeks of the cancellation. To cancel a reservation, please reach out 7 days prior to the start of the program to receive a full refund. Refunds and transfers may not be granted for cancellations placed fewer than 7 days before the start of the program.

Scales of Care: Craft, Land, and Community

Please join us at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum for a conversation with Venetia Dale, Michelle Millar Fisher, and Sarah Turner, who will explore how craft intersects with ideas of care—care expressed through artistic practice, care for landscapes and natural resources, and care for our communities and ourselves. Centered around Venetia Dale’s outdoor commission&nbsp;Within Time,&nbsp;on view at deCordova as part of the outdoor exhibition Nature Sanctuary, the discussion traces the artwork’s roots in domestic craft traditions, ecological stewardship, and the intimate labor of making. Register here: https://thetrustees.org/event/442451/ Venetia Dale will share how she transformed cast houseplants into a site-responsive sculpture shaped by weather, forest ecology, and community stories. Together, the panelists will reflect on connections between craft, environmental care, and the multigenerational work of tending both people and places. About the Speakers: Venetia Dale is an artist, mother and educator living and working in Boston, Massachusetts. Dale pieces together fragments of mundane objects into sculptural works. The material history of pewter – as well as the anonymous stewards who keep things clean, fixed, and loved – are translated through her work as intimacies of domestic life that remind us of the generative potential of the everyday. Dale was awarded the prestigious James and Audrey Foster Prize at ICA/Boston in 2023 and was the 2019 Polly Starr Thayer Visiting Artist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Prior, she was a resident artist at the Kohler Factory in 2013 and at the Oregon College of Art and Craft in 2010. Dale exhibits nationally and her work is included in the permanent collections of the Metal Museum in Tennessee and John Michael Kohler Art Center in Wisconsin. Her most recent acquisition was by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in 2022. Originally hailing from Scotland, Dr. Michelle Millar Fisher writes, lectures, and creates exhibitions about the intersections of people, power, and the material world. She’s currently a curator at the MFA Boston and has worked in cultural institutions for two decades. She has a particular interest in craft, ranging from material-specific making and craft pedagogy to the craft of care work. Sarah Turner works across the areas of institutional leadership, teaching, creative-practice and non-profit volunteerism. She has been dedicated to the fields of art, craft, design and trade for more than 25 years, working both in higher education and her own studio. Her work in educational leadership work is balanced by key opportunities to learn as a beginner. ‘Beginnership’ comes from her own studio practice, and more recently, from stewarding 53 acres of conserved forest in Western Massachusetts in partnership with Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust. She is currently a Critic at the Rhode Island School of Design.

deCordova Sculpture Park & Museum

deCordova by Moonlight - Snow Moon

deCordova by Moonlight – Snow Moon Bring your family and friends to see deCordova’s famous sculptures transformed by the moonlight on this special after-hours tour. February’s Snow Moon is associated with renewal, purity, and new beginnings. It will light the sculptures, cast shadows, and prompt you to discover new reasons to appreciate art in nature. Small group tours with deCordova’s experienced Museum Guides last 60-75 minutes. Please dress for the weather with sturdy footwear, and please bring a flashlight or lantern to help light your way. Visitors should park in the main lot and meet their Museum Guide in front of the Museum. More details:<ul><li>Well behaved, leashed dogs are welcome.</li><li>Can’t make this date? Full moon tours are offered monthly, rain or shine.</li></ul>deCordova’s family programs are designed to welcome a wide range of ages and abilities. Sensory kits are available to help anyone feel more comfortable and engaged. Please contact&nbsp;<a href="mailto:mnelson@thetrustees.org">mnelson@thetrustees.org</a>&nbsp;to discuss reasonable adaptations to benefit anyone in your group. Pre-ticketing is required in order to anticipate capacity. Your ticket includes admission to deCordova’s campus, so please feel free to explore the grounds before or after the program. Cancellation Policy: In the event The Trustees cancels a program due to severe weather, low enrollment, or other circumstances, we will notify registrants by email and issue a full refund or transfer to another scheduled program within two weeks of the cancellation. To cancel a reservation, please reach out 7 days prior to the start of the program to receive a full refund. Refunds and transfers may not be granted for cancellations placed fewer than 7 days before the start of the program.

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 ⭐️

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

World Cup Watch Parties 🎉⚽️

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 📈

S19: interest based

Kid-friendly events in Boston

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.

Where

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Experiences