Top 5 Spots To Immerse Yourself In Art This Summer

While Boston is well known for its world-class museums that house curated one-of-a-kind exhibits, now is your chance to check out some exceptional exhibits and events in and around town this summer. Here’s a look at the top five spots you will want to be sure to add to your calendar:

Photo Credit: Patrick Hodgon

If you were lucky enough to check out Imagine Van Gogh when it was in town over the winter, you won’t want to miss Immersive Monet & The Impressionists. The new exhibit just made its debut at the Lighthouse ArtSpace and will be here until September 25, 2022. This is your chance to truly be immersed in the spectacular works of Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt. The interactive experience allows guests to take a walk through the Impressionist Movement of the late 19^th century. If you haven’t been to an immersive experience yet, picture state-of-the-art video mapping combined with animation that brings to life the art of the impressionists. They are able to achieve this with 500,000 cubic feet of projections composed of over 1.2 million frames of video. The result? You get a close-up illuminated view of the magnificent colors created by these famous artists’ brushstrokes projected onto walls and floors all choreographed to mood-setting music.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton, Boston

For enthusiasts looking for a artsy getaway, The Ritz-Carlton, Boston has curated a special package this summer for guests to find their “inner artist.”  The “Painting en Plein Air” package pairs up guests with local artist Norman Crump to create your own personal painted postcard of Boston. You will head across the street and paint beautiful landscape scenes from the scenic Boston Common, America’s oldest public park, or the Public Garden, a National Historic Landmark. “Art has long been an important part of The Ritz-Carlton brand,” William Bunce, general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Boston, said in a statement. “The brand’s art collections, like the one here in Boston, are designed to move, inspire and excite hotel guests on an emotional level. This package was designed to inspire guests to create their own art while using the hotel’s location across from the Boston Common and Public Garden as their private canvas.” The package includes an overnight stay in a Ritz-Carlton, Boston deluxe guest room, an artist-themed welcome amenity, a personal welcome note from artist Norman Crump, breakfast at the hotel’s on-site restaurant, Artisan Bistro, and a private two-hour outdoor morning painting tutorial with Crump.

Photo Credit: Fred Collins

It isn’t summer in Massachusetts until Tanglewood announces their music lineup at Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer home. From the Mavericks and Nick Lowe with Los Straitjackets, The Black Crowes and James Taylor to a string quartet class with the Julliard String Quartet, a conversation with Soprano Nicole Cabell, and a live orchestral accompaniment of “The Empire Strikes Back,” there is an event specially designed for every interest.

Photo Credit: Hilary Scott

On Monday, July 4, one of Boston’s most beloved events returns to the Charles River Esplanade this year. The Boston Pops will be performing their annual Fireworks Spectacular for the 49^th time in the most anticipated return to the Hatch Shell. (The 2020 performance was canceled due to COVID and last year’s production was held at Tanglewood). One of the country’s most popular patriotic events, this year’s guest artist lineup includes appearances from Chaka Khan, Heather Headley, Javier Colon, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes & Drums.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of ICA Boston

If you are looking to check out an exhibition of large-scale art installations, over at the ICA Watershed this summer, they are hosting Revival: Materials and Monumental Forms. Running now through September 5, you can check out six international artists who have reclaimed and reused industrial and everyday materials, transforming them into works of art. The exhibit highlights how artists have derived inspiration from industry, labor, and the poetic and political power of found goods. Participating artists include El Anatsui, Madeline Hollander, Ibrahim Mahama, Karyn Olivier, Ebony G. Patterson and Joe Wardwell.