Thursday Nights at the Museum
Thursday Nights at the Museum is a weekly evening program at the Art Complex Museum offering art, conversation, music, and community in a relaxed after-hours setting. Each evening begins with a 5 p.m. reception and light refreshments, followed by featured programming and time to explore the museum’s exhibitions. Talks generally run from 6 to 7 p.m., while the museum remains open until 8 p.m.
The third Thursday of each month also includes Opening Notes, a performance series featuring students from South Shore Conservatory. The schedule includes artist conversations, a watershed-focused panel, live jazz, a curator-led talk, and a hands-on winter design demonstration.
When: Weekly on Thursdays; the page lists Thursday, November 5; Thursday, November 12; Thursday, November 19; Thursday, December 3; and Thursday, December 17.
Showtimes: The general evening runs from 5 to 8 p.m. Individual programs run at varying times: November 5 from 6 to 7 p.m.; November 12 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.; November 19 from 5 to 7 p.m.; December 3 from 6 to 7 p.m.; and December 17 from 6 to 7 p.m.
Schedule: Each evening includes a 5 p.m. reception with light refreshments, featured programming, and access to the exhibitions through 8 p.m. On the third Thursday, Opening Notes performances take place from 5 to 6 p.m.
Program lineup: On November 5, artists Kate Gilbert and Danielle Krcmar discuss “The Art of Paying Attention,” exploring how found objects, chance, and care influence ideas about ecology and social systems. Gilbert’s sculptures and installations reuse materials such as insulation, fabric, and salvaged asphalt, while Krcmar’s environmental and architectural sculptures use reclaimed materials to examine the histories of places and the relationship between people, landscapes, and social interdependence. The talk accompanies “Interpreting the Natural: Contemporary Visions of Scholars’ Rocks.”
On November 12, “Beneath the Surface: Where Art and Science Meet the Watershed” begins with a 5:30 to 6 p.m. gallery meet-and-greet with the participating artists and scientists. From 6 to 7 p.m. in the Main Museum Building, artists and scientists from the North and South Rivers Watershed Association discuss the project, which grew from fieldwork at monitoring sites, wetlands, and shorelines. The panel considers how scientific research and firsthand observation became works of art about watershed health, ecological change, and the future of local waterways.
On November 19, the South Shore Conservatory Jazz Ensemble performs live from 5 to 6 p.m. as part of Opening Notes. From 6 to 7 p.m., exhibiting artist Lisa Tang Liu and author Ken Liu discuss scholar’s rocks, Daoist thought, and contemporary art. Ken Liu presents “Strange Meaning: What Can Scholar’s Rocks Tell Us About the Future of Art?” before Lisa Tang Liu discusses the inspiration and process behind her “Fortune Cookie Scrolls.” The pair then considers Daoism, scholar’s rocks, and the ideas represented in her exhibited work.
On December 3, Dr. Nancy Berliner, the Wu Tung Senior Curator of Chinese Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, presents “Inspired by Rocks: A Chinese Tradition and Its Unending Influence.” The program begins with an introduction from Donna Dodson, guest curator of the Scholars’ Rocks exhibition. Berliner traces the long history of collecting and contemplating scholars’ rocks, or gongshi, and their continuing influence on contemporary artists. Berliner and Dodson then lead a walkthrough of the exhibition, followed by remarks connecting the artists and objects to the talk’s themes.
On December 17, ACM event coordinator Audra Furgal leads “Deck the Table: A Winter Greens Tablescape Workshop.” She demonstrates how to make a holiday table decoration from greens gathered on the museum grounds. The first 10 registrants receive materials to create their own tablescape during the demonstration; other attendees may watch, ask questions, and learn techniques using accessible materials at home.
Tickets: Free.
Registration: Registration is available for the individual programs. The first 10 people to register for the December 17 tablescape workshop receive materials for the hands-on portion.
Venue: Art Complex Museum, 189 Alden Street, Duxbury, Massachusetts 02332.
Accessibility: The museum’s galleries are wheelchair accessible.
Museum hours: The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., with Thursday hours extending to 8 p.m. It is closed Mondays, Tuesdays, and major holidays.