2022 May 18
Free Admission Day for Art Museum Day and International Museum Day
10:00am to 5:00pm
Location: 
Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., Cambridge
The Harvard Art Museums will offer free admission to all visitors on Wednesday, May 18, in celebration of Art Museum Day and International Museum Day, organized by the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) and the International Council of Museums (ICOM).
Take in the beauty of the Calderwood Courtyard before exploring three levels of magnificent art from around the world and across the centuries. Check out our special exhibitions Prints from...
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2022 May 15
Colossal Heads of Mexico
1:00pm to 2:00pm
Location: 
Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, 11 Divinity Ave., Cambridge
The Olmec civilization of ancient Mexico is known for its mysterious sculptures of giant heads that rise up to eleven feet high. Touch a huge modern replica in the museum for one day that is based on Monument One, The King. Explore artifacts with an educator that show Olmec influence on architecture, the ball game, written language, and pigments. Handle reproductions and paint a mini-plaster head of your own to take home.
Workshops also available at 1:45pm and 2:30pm (one hour each)
Registration Deadline: Friday, May 13, 12:00 pm
Ages 6–10,...
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2022 May 26
Mythical Creatures Scavenger Hunt
11:00am to 4:00pm
Location: 
Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge
Join us to hunt for mythical creatures across the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture. Can you find a genie, merfolk, or a centaur? What might have inspired a cyclops or a piranha plant? Travel through the galleries of four museums on your quest for these amazing creatures. Test your skills in the galleries of the Harvard Museum of Natural History, the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East, and the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments.
On April 15, let the adventure begin! Time is limited, so plan...
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2022 Apr 15
Mythical Creatures Scavenger Hunt Kick-Off
11:00am to 4:00pm
Location: 
Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge
Join us to hunt for mythical creatures across the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture. Can you find a genie, merfolk, or a centaur? What might have inspired a cyclops or a piranha plant? Travel through the galleries of four museums on your quest for these amazing creatures. Test your skills in the galleries of the Harvard Museum of Natural History, the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East, and the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments.
On April 15, let the adventure begin! Time is limited, so plan...
Read more about Mythical Creatures Scavenger Hunt Kick-Off
2022 Mar 27
Amazing Archaeology Fair at Harvard
1:00pm to 4:00pm
Location: 
Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, 11 Divinity Ave. & Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East, 6 Divinity Ave., Cambridge
Special In-Person Family Event! Free with Museum Admission; Admissions Reservation Required.
Experience an epic day of archaeological events with the family! Activities are scattered across two museums so explore Native North American, Central American, Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Mediterranean archaeology. Throw a spear with a spear thrower. Talk to student archaeologists who excavate in locations around the world.
...
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2021 Nov 01
Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead Commemoration (at the Peabody Museum)
5:15pm to 7:15pm
Location: 
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, 1 Divinity Ave., Cambridge
Stop by the Peabody Museum for a short moment of personal reflection on the past year which brought losses to so many. The front steps of the museum will be set up as a simple outdoor altar and staff will distribute lighted candles to visitors in observance of those we have lost. Pause and remember as you place your candle in our community display. Post a Message of Love to our online Virtual Altar before attending. And join us next year when our annual fiesta returns to the Peabody galleries! Rain or...
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2021 Sep 04
Reopening Day at the Harvard Art Museums
10:00am to 5:00pm
Location: 
Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy Street, Cambridge
Join us for the public reopening of the Harvard Art Museums on Saturday, September 4!
Begin in our Calderwood Courtyard before venturing into the galleries to enjoy three levels of art, spanning ancient to modern times. See the exhibitions “States of Play: Prints from Rembrandt to Delsarte” and “A Colloquium in the Visual Arts.” And don’t forget to stop by the museum shop, just off the courtyard, to round out your visit.
Our new ReFrame initiative, which reimagines the function, role, and future of the university art museum, introduces new artworks to many of our...
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2020 Feb 29
Dig into Dinner
1:00pm to 4:00pm
Location: 
Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, 11 Divinity Ave., Cambridge
Explore the new Resetting the Table exhibition, starting at the dinner table set for a party. Family-friendly activities about what we eat will be set up throughout the gallery: drop in for smell stations, Play-Doh® desserts, games with prizes, and a raffle of dinner for two at a Harvard Square restaurant.
Learn more about Dig into Dinner.
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2020 Jan 02
Animal Talk: A Dr. Dolittle Scavenger Hunt
Thu Jan 2 (All day) to Fri Jan 31 (All day)
Location: 
Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge
Scavenger Hunt Dates:
December 21–December 23
December 26–December 31
January 2–January 31
Have you ever wished that you could talk with other animals? Doctor Dolittle, the imaginary character in the Hugh Lofting book The Story of Doctor Dolittle, could do just that! Doctor Dolittle learned animal languages and made animal friends all over the world. Use the clues to find six of his animal friends in the museum and learn how that animal really communicates. Then, like Doctor Dolittle, tell us what you think that animal is saying by drawing or writing...
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2019 Dec 29
Animal Talk: A Dr. Dolittle Scavenger Hunt
Sun Dec 29 (All day) to Tue Dec 31 (All day)
Location: 
Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St, Cambridge
Scavenger Hunt Dates:
December 21–December 23
December 26–December 31
January 2–January 31
Have you ever wished that you could talk with other animals? Doctor Dolittle, the imaginary character in the Hugh Lofting book The Story of Doctor Dolittle, could do just that! Doctor Dolittle learned animal languages and made animal friends all over the world. Use the clues to find six of his animal friends in the museum and learn how that animal really communicates. Then, like Doctor Dolittle, tell us what you think that animal is saying by drawing or writing...
Read more about Animal Talk: A Dr. Dolittle Scavenger Hunt
2019 Nov 29
Dreaming the Sphinx in Augmented Reality
12:00pm to 2:00pm
Location: 
Harvard Semitic Museum, 6 Divinity Ave., Cambridge
Between the paws of the great Sphinx is the Dream Stela, a monument which describes how a young prince fell asleep in the shadow of the Sphinx by the Giza Pyramids. Visitors to the Harvard Semitic Museum galleries will be able to experience the iconic Sphinx and its Dream Stela in 3D augmented reality.
A gallery facilitator will use a tablet to allow the Sphinx to loom above and around a real life-size cast of the monumental stela. With a tap, the ancient hieroglyphs will be highlighted and translated into English. Another tap to adjust the timeline later, and a pyramid will...
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2019 Nov 01
Day of the Dead Celebración Nocturna/Evening Celebration 2019
4:00pm to 8:00pm
Location: 
Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, 11 Divinity Ave., Cambridge
Remember and celebrate your departed loved ones at this year’s Día de los Muertos altar, savor traditional Mexican hot chocolate and pan de muerto, and enjoy live music.
Learn more about and RSVP for Day of the Dead Celebración Nocturna/Evening Celebration 2019.
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2019 Oct 26
Zapotec-Style Painting Family Workshop
10:00am to 12:30pm
Location: 
Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, 11 Divinity Ave., Cambridge
Learn to paint Zapotec design motifs with visiting artists from Oaxaca, Mexico. The father-son team of Ventura and Norberto Fabian continues the tradition of creating hand-carved and painted wooden figures known as alebrijes. This folk art is rooted in traditional aspects of rural village daily life and is now one of Mexico’s largest-selling craft industries. After learning about techniques and styles, participants will select an original, small figure to paint and take home. Workshops will be taught in Spanish with translation to English.
This workshop is most...
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2019 Oct 20
Augmented Reality: Maya Chocolate Plate
12:00pm to 3:00pm
Location: 
Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, 11 Divinity Ave., Cambridge
"Shrink" yourself down to "walk" into an ancient Maya vessel using augmented reality! Maya women were often essential for uniting kingdoms. When a marriage was arranged between Maya royal families, kings would exchange gifts like this ceramic three-legged plate for serving chocolate. Use the museum’s iPad as a "magic window" to discover fine details on one such plate that cannot be seen on the actual artifact. A gallery facilitator will guide you through the experience and will share more about the Maya.
Note: Regular museum admission rates...
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2019 Oct 20
Virtual Reality Expedition to Ancient Israel
12:00pm to 3:00pm
Location: 
Harvard Semitic Museum, 6 Divinity Ave., Cambridge
"Travel" in fifteen minutes to an archaeological site in Ashkelon, Israel to explore the first-ever excavation of a Philistine burial ground. For years archaeologists have searched for evidence of these Biblical people. Transport yourself to the center of 360° scenes of an archaeological expedition while your gallery facilitator explains what you are seeing. Borrow a device from the museum or download the virtual reality app on your smart phone and bring it to place in a 3D viewer at the museum for an immersive experience.
...
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2019 Oct 09
Tunes at Noon: Club Passim Edition
Repeats every week every Wednesday until Wed Nov 20 2019 .
12:00pm to 1:00pm
12:00pm to 1:00pm
12:00pm to 1:00pm
12:00pm to 1:00pm
12:00pm to 1:00pm
12:00pm to 1:00pm
12:00pm to 1:00pm
Location: 
Harvard Commons, Smith Campus Center, 1350 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge
Enjoy lunch or a study break in the Smith Campus Center! Stop by Harvard Commons every Wednesday to hear live music from Club Passim, a local folk music organization based in Harvard Square.
Learn more about Tunes at Noon: Club Passim Edition.
...
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2019 Sep 14
Animated Tales for All
2:00pm to 4:00pm
Location: 
Yenching Library Auditorium, 2 Divinity Ave., Cambridge
Watch a vibrant collection of animated shorts narrated in some of the 68 Indigenous languages of Mexico. Created by visiting Mexican designer Gabriela Badillo and selected from her project 68 Voices, 68 Hearts, these films foster pride, respect, and the use of Indigenous Mexican languages among speakers and non-speakers.
The family-friendly stories are subtitled in English and are based on legends and poems from native communities. The event includes a lively Q&A with Badillo in English and Spanish, an authentic Mexican snack, and a chance to learn phrases in one of Mexico...
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2019 Jul 11
Summer Thursdays on the Plaza
Repeats every week every Thursday until Thu Aug 08 2019 .
5:00pm to 7:00pm
5:00pm to 7:00pm
5:00pm to 7:00pm
5:00pm to 7:00pm
5:00pm to 7:00pm
Location: 
Science Center Plaza, 1 Oxford St., Cambridge
Enjoy summer evenings with live music and fun for all ages at Summer Thursdays on the Plaza! 
Play on the lush green lawn beneath the shade structure, dance through bubbles, get creative with chalk drawings, and play a wide assortment of lawn games. Plus, enjoy live music from the community from 5:30pm–6:30pm.
Learn more about Summer Thursdays on the Plaza.
Read more about Summer Thursdays on the Plaza
2019 Jul 07
Summer Sundays at the Harvard Semitic Museum
Repeats every week every Sunday until Sun Aug 25 2019 .
11:00am to 4:00pm
11:00am to 4:00pm
11:00am to 4:00pm
11:00am to 4:00pm
11:00am to 4:00pm
11:00am to 4:00pm
11:00am to 4:00pm
11:00am to 4:00pm
Location: 
Harvard Semitic Museum, 6 Divinity Ave., Cambridge
Free, fun, family activities allow visitors to explore arts from the ancient Near East! Activities change daily: construct models of an Egyptian pyramid, inscribe clay tablets, or decode hieroglyphics.
Activities take place on the first floor of the Harvard Semitic Museum. This HMSC museum explores the rich history of cultures connected by the family of Semitic languages. Exhibitions include a full-scale replica of an ancient Israelite home, life-sized casts of famous Mesopotamian monuments, authentic mummy coffins, and tablets containing the earliest forms of writing.
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2019 Jun 21
Summer Solstice Celebration 2019: Night at the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture
5:00pm to 9:00pm
Location: 
Harvard Museums of Science & Culture, 11 Divinity Ave., Cambridge
Celebrate the longest day of the year and mark the beginning of the summer season at the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture. Enjoy free admission to four museums (the Harvard Museum of Natural History, the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, and the Harvard Semitic Museum) and...
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