Exhibitions at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts

The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, dates back to 1799. Its founders were a group of marine captains who formed the East India Marine Company. One of the group's goals was to gather natural and artificial curiosities from around the world. Since most of the members had traveled past Cape Horn, their experiences and artifact collections were much larger than the ordinary citizen. In 1833, after moving their collection to its own building, the East India Marine Company merged with the locally based Essex Historical Society. Together, they formed the Essex County Natural History Society. The museum has grown bigger and better since then, establishing a strong presence in the Salem community. This article shares some of the exhibitions featured at the Peabody Essex Museum in the near past, in the present, and in the near future.

The online resource of the museum's past exhibitions includes topics dating back to 2000. Over sixty exhibitions have come and gone over the past decade, and this site link documents their existence. Overall, the past art exhibits have included a flavor of Asian, Native American, and American influence. The exhibits typically ran from three months to a year, allowing patrons plenty of time to catch a glimpse of the exquisite art on display.

A modern art in the style of animated digital projection is currently on display at the Peabody Essex Museum. Created specifically for this site, Charles Sandison created an animated digital projection in the East India Marine Hall. The creation will be viewable until April 21, 2011.

Throughout 2011 the study of Chinese aesthetics is ongoing at the Peabody, as is natural beauty found in Korean art, and traditional art from India. Currently eleven different exhibits are displayed, giving a visitor a tremendous amount of multi-cultural exposure.

The curators of the Peabody Essex Museum are always thinking of new and exciting exhibits to bring to Salem. On their website is also a list of future exhibits. One of them is titled, "Ripple Effect, the Art of H2O", which focuses on water in its various forms of a solid, liquid, or gas. Some other future exhibitions include "Painting the American Vision", "Transformations in Native American Art", and several FreePort solo artists.

If you live near Salem, Massachusetts, or are planning a trip, be sure to check out the exhibition list online. This will help plan the day and give your family some background about the art prior to your arrival.

Have you ever been to the Peabody Essex Museum? Do you enjoy art? Please comment below.