New Bedford Art Museum

Address
608 Pleasant St
New Bedford, MA 02740 United States Get Directions
Phone (508) 961-3072

Events at this venue

Today

  • Vanishing Ecologies: Speculative Futures

    Vanishing Ecologies: Speculative Futures
    New Bedford Art Museum 608 Pleasant St, New Bedford, MA, United States

    Vanishing Ecologies: Speculative Futures JUNE 25 - OCTOBER 11, 2026 Vanishing Ecologies: Speculative Futures brings together an international group of contemporary artists working across sculpture, installation, painting, photography, sound, and time-based media. The exhibition examines artistic responses to the Anthropocene, a period characterized by the irreversible impact of human activity on the planet, and considers potential futures that may arise as a result. Through immersive and materially innovative works, Vanishing Ecologies addresses climate change, mass extinction, environmental toxicity, and the enduring legacy of the atomic age. The exhibition examines the increasingly complex relationships among technology, ecology, and time. Some artists investigate the fragile boundary between collapse and adaptation, while others envision post-human futures, ecological resilience, and planetary memory. Throughout the exhibition, artists translate ecological questions into experiences that are simultaneously material, emotional, and speculative. Representations of extinct species, consumer waste, fragile glass forms, contaminated landscapes, organic growth, and imagined future artifacts serve as frameworks for considering a planet in transition. These works navigate the intersection of scientific inquiry and artistic invention, tracing the intricate relationships among human activity, technological systems, and the living world. Rather than solely documenting environmental crises, Vanishing Ecologies investigates how art can expand the capacity for […]

    $7 – $10

  • agriCultural: A Biennial Exhibition

    agriCultural: A Biennial Exhibition
    New Bedford Art Museum 608 Pleasant St, New Bedford, MA, United States

    agriCultural: A Biennial Exhibition September 10 - November 29, 2026 The Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership (SEMAP), in partnership with the New Bedford Art Museum is pleased to present agriCultural: A Biennial Exhibition, a juried exhibition of works from artists who are also farmers, farmer who are also artists, and artist that take deep inspiration from the world of agriculture. The work in this exhibition investigates the complex and undertold stories of agriculture, farming and the contemporary stories held in the land and sea. The work highlights the intersectionality in the art of farming, the act of creating and the important cultural need agriculture holds in our communities and our culture. The South Coast has long been fertile territory for both farming and art making. For millennia, the Wampanoag people farmed in this region, and later, colonial settlers learned agrarian practices from local peoples. Art making also flourished here, supported in part by patrons of the whaling industry. To reflect these layered histories, our organizations issued a call for art that brought together a diverse group of artists whose work speaks to the South Coast’s natural beauty and distinctive character. agriCultural invites us to see agriculture in new ways and reminds […]

    $7 – $10

  • Reel Talk: Blade Runner

    New Bedford Art Museum 608 Pleasant St, New Bedford, MA, United States

    More than a movie night, enjoy a pre and post film discussion with New Bedford's favorite film professor, Dr. Mocha J. Herrup. Mocha is a senior lecturer in the Communications, Journalism, and Media Department at Suffolk University. Mocha is also an award winning filmmaker and an experienced film festival programmer. They hold a PhD in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin. Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982) Ex-cop Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) hunts down fugitive human-like androids called “replicants” in a dystopian, twenty-first century Los Angeles, one where neon saturates the crowded landscape and traffic woes are quelled by endless skyways for flying vehicles. Based on Philip K. Dick’s 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the film and its story popularized the now-classic cyberpunk conflict about the boundary between human consciousness and artificial intelligence. Working with an innovative art department, director Ridley Scott embraced a look that merged old and new technology; industrial designer, illustrator, and “visual futurist” Syd Mead developed much of the film’s groundbreaking aesthetic.

    Free

  • Figure Drawing Open Studio

    New Bedford Art Museum 608 Pleasant St, New Bedford, MA, United States

    Drawing from a live model has been an important part of many formal artistic practices since the Renaissance. Our open figure drawing studio is intended to provide artists of all levels a relaxed environment and a dedicated space where they are able to continue the tradition of working from a live nude model. Sessions are three hours long, and will start with a series of short gestures and ranging from 5-10 minutes before moving into longer 30 minute poses. Each class typically concludes with an hour long pose. There will be no formal instruction during the class; artists are encouraged to work from the model independently, in any medium they wish to bring.

    $20

  • Sketchbook Club

    New Bedford Art Museum 608 Pleasant St, New Bedford, MA, United States

    Every Other Friday | 6:00–8:00 PM Tickets: $10 Whether you use your sketchbook to creatively brainstorm a work project, capture daily observations, imagine a fantasy world, or just mindfully doodle, it can be a unique record of your day or your life. Join other sketchers at our informal gathering, led by local artist and illustrator Isiah Botelho. Each session will kick off with a prompt to inspire discussion and drawing, and participants will be able to share their work comfortably. Bring your sketchbook and preferred materials; we will have some basic supplies available. No pressure, no judgment, no guilt -- just community.

    $10

  • KidZone

    New Bedford Art Museum 608 Pleasant St, New Bedford, MA, United States

    Join us every Sunday in the Art Museum for family-friendly activities for kids ages 4-12 and their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends. Learn about our exhibitions and make art, get creative, and have fun! Drop in anytime. (Children must be accompanied by an adult.)

    $5

  • SnapLab: Photography Studio Sessions

    SnapLab: Photography Studio Sessions
    New Bedford Art Museum 608 Pleasant St, New Bedford, MA, United States

    SnapLab: Photography Studio Sessions is a four-week, hands-on photography course for teens and adults who want to get confident behind a camera — any camera. This is a shooting-first course: every session puts a camera in your hands, whether you’re practicing the exposure triangle at hands-on stations, hunting compositions on a guided photo walk through downtown New Bedford, or working with studio lighting at the Museum. Skills build week to week — exposure, composition, lighting, and editing — and short group shares at the end of each session help you learn to see what’s working in your own photos. The course wraps with a final shooting challenge and a casual gallery-style showcase of each participant’s best work from the month. No experience needed. SnapLab is designed to teach photography skills and to grow a creative community where local photographers can connect, collaborate, and build confidence together. What to Bring Any camera participants are comfortable using — DSLR, mirrorless, or smartphone. Program Goals Program Goals Session 1: The Exposure Triangle, Hands-On After a short introduction to aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, participants move straight into shooting stations — freezing and blurring motion, controlling depth of field, and working in low light. […]

    $4 – $200

  • Movement at the Museum

    New Bedford Art Museum 608 Pleasant St, New Bedford, MA, United States

    From cutting-edge modern dance to ballet, noted dancers, choreographers, and visiting guest choreographers curate performances, lectures, and workshops to introduce various dance forms. This Month: Inspired by agriCultural Steven Vaughn presents SoCo Movement Artists for an evening of dance and reflection regarding the current exhibition, "agriCultural". After the dance performance, please stay to enjoy a conversation with the performers to discuss their process and how they connect their work to the display.

    Free For All

  • Universal Participation: Welcome to Yoga

    Universal Participation: Welcome to Yoga
    New Bedford Art Museum 608 Pleasant St, New Bedford, MA, United States

    Universal Participation: Welcome to Yoga is FREE for guests ages 18–21. Please present a valid ID at the front desk to receive complimentary admission. Join a yoga class designed to welcome individuals of all abilities, ages, and body types. Discover the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of yoga in a weekly class led by Audra Andrade, a yogini who lives with low-vision. This class is suitable for those living with low vision or blindness. Audra creates a welcoming, supportive environment where everyone can thrive. Bring a yoga mat, water bottle, and hand towel.

    Free – $10

  • Figure Drawing Open Studio

    New Bedford Art Museum 608 Pleasant St, New Bedford, MA, United States

    Drawing from a live model has been an important part of many formal artistic practices since the Renaissance. Our open figure drawing studio is intended to provide artists of all levels a relaxed environment and a dedicated space where they are able to continue the tradition of working from a live nude model. Sessions are three hours long, and will start with a series of short gestures and ranging from 5-10 minutes before moving into longer 30 minute poses. Each class typically concludes with an hour long pose. There will be no formal instruction during the class; artists are encouraged to work from the model independently, in any medium they wish to bring.

    $20

  • Sketchbook Club

    New Bedford Art Museum 608 Pleasant St, New Bedford, MA, United States

    Every Other Friday | 6:00–8:00 PM Tickets: $10 Whether you use your sketchbook to creatively brainstorm a work project, capture daily observations, imagine a fantasy world, or just mindfully doodle, it can be a unique record of your day or your life. Join other sketchers at our informal gathering, led by local artist and illustrator Isiah Botelho. Each session will kick off with a prompt to inspire discussion and drawing, and participants will be able to share their work comfortably. Bring your sketchbook and preferred materials; we will have some basic supplies available. No pressure, no judgment, no guilt -- just community.

    $10

  • KidZone

    New Bedford Art Museum 608 Pleasant St, New Bedford, MA, United States

    Join us every Sunday in the Art Museum for family-friendly activities for kids ages 4-12 and their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends. Learn about our exhibitions and make art, get creative, and have fun! Drop in anytime. (Children must be accompanied by an adult.)

    $5