The Institute of Contemporary Art
A gleaming temple of artistic achievement, the ICA is filled with modern masterpieces. And your wedding can be one of them. Between the harbor views and the large-scale works adorning the gallery’s walls, visual splendor abounds—as do options for using the space, which includes a waterfront plaza, a light-flooded lobby, and a roomy theater. 25 Harbor Shore Dr., Boston, MA 02210, icaboston.org.
Tenzin Samdo, ArtScience
Industry vet Tenzin Samdo has taken over the bar-director role at ArtScience with grace and ease, sticking to the tech-forward restaurant’s tradition of high-flying, science-forward cocktail craft while putting his own spin on things. Over the past year, he’s brought thoughtful, sustainably minded touches to the program, including pledging to forgo the use of plastic straws. And just as noteworthy, Samdo never fails to serve his cocktails with a wide smile and a side of old-fashioned hospitality. 650 E. Kendall St., Cambridge, MA 02142, cafeartscience.com.
Copley Society of Art
A nurturing home for local art students and established professionals alike since its founding in 1879, this Newbury Street gallery/nonprofit displays works ranging from the fiercely abstract to the traditionally pictorial. Best of all, it’s always refreshingly accessible, never more so than during the Holiday Small Works show, where you can snag an original—and affordable—masterpiece for the art lover in your life.. 158 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02116, copleysociety.org.
Muckykids Art Studio
Each week, director Liz Vance comes up with several new projects—from doll quilts to magnetic sculptures to homemade slime—and arranges supplies on tables in her studio. A helper or two is always around, but the tidy, colorful stations are so inviting, you'll likely find yourself up to your elbows in oobleck, too. 1776 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02140, muckykids.com.
The Artful Hand Gallery
The cache of fabulous handcrafted items, many of them one-of-a-kind, includes everything from fine jewelry to furniture—something for everyone. 36 Copley Place, Boston, MA .
Cake Art & Confections
All of Cake Art's babkas are sublime, but we love the chocolate—rich and crumbly—with chocolate through the center and drizzled like lace over the top. This is a babka Seinfeld's Elaine would fight to the death for. 374A South Main St., Sharon, MA .
Café ArtScience
The past couple of years have been big for hybrids—see the grocer-meets-restaurant Commonwealth, the sandwich-shop-meets-restaurant Tavern Road, and the coffee-shop-meets-bar Ames Street Deli. But none match Café ArtScience's scope and ambition. Sure, it's a forward-thinking bar, product space, and classroom. But it's also one of our finer modern French restaurants. 650 E. Kendall St., Cambridge, MA 02142, cafeartscience.com.
Plein-Air Art Academy
Diana Stelin’s beloved art school is officially in Brighton, but her classroom is really the city of Boston. She totes her pupils and paints outdoors to find inspiration in local parks and gardens. 320 Washington St., Boston, MA 02135, plein-air-academy.com.
Cambridge Arts River Festival
This annual extravaganza isn't just about seeing contemporary work—it's about immersing yourself in it. Along with musical, dance, and theater acts, you'll find a poetry tent, huge wild-animal puppets, and beatbox workshops. In other words, sweet, sweet sensory overload. cambridgema.gov/arts/programs/riverfestival.
Boston Art & Framing
You know you've come to the right place when you read a sign that says "Unless constantly nurtured, nothing is as short-lived as a good customer." Abiding by that philosophy, Dave Poutre treats each customer—as well as each item brought in to be framed—with care. Whether it's a beautiful watercolor or a black-and-white family photo circa 1920, your print is in expert hands. With a huge selection of frames and mats to choose from, Poutre goes to work, offering you frame and mat combinations until you're satisfied. Soothing background music and Poutre's good sense of humor are an added bonus. Nestledin a cozy locale in the heart of Charles Street, Boston Art & Framing ensures your picture is worth a thousand words. 100 Charles Street, Boston, MA bostonframing.com.
The Artful Hand Gallery
From jewelry to furniture and everything in between, this gallery has something for every taste. The hand-blown glass from thumb-size miniatures to slender Art Noveau orbs are stunning examples of the glassblower's art. And they are modestly priced. Copley Place, Boston, MA .
Blick Art Materials
This cavernous space is stuffed to the rafters with paints, pencils, brushes, canvases, sketchpads—basically, all the tools needed to create a masterpiece, or just a big, pretty mess. Everything is arranged in supermarket-style aisles, the better to help aspiring Pollocks and Hoppers conserve mental energy for their work; classes led by the artsy employees teach the rest of us how to tell our alkyds from our acrylics. 401 Park Dr., Boston, MA dickblick.com.
MuckyKids Art Studio
No thinking inside the box here — offbeat class offerings like jewelrymaking, fiber arts, and even miniature-world creation (doesn’t that sound nice right about now?) are guaranteed to get the creative juices flowing. 2404 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02410, muckykids.com.
Fort Point Arts Community
Pricey condos and global corporations may now dominate the Fort Point landscape, but this nonprofit’s commitment to the neighborhood’s long-standing arts scene remains just as strong as the day it was founded in 1980. With some 250 virtuosos producing the paintings, photography, and sculpture shown in its various galleries, the space (pictured) is a cornucopia of the city’s finest art. And in a time of social distancing, FPAC has stayed active with an art-lending program and public pieces, including floating installations in Fort Point Channel itself. Fort Point, fortpointarts.org. 300 Summer St., Boston, MA 02210, fortpointarts.org.
Bella D'Arte
Owner Robin Reiser serenades her customers on the piano and offers them complimentary wine and cheese in the cozy atmosphere of her North End salon. The haircuts and color are good, too. 298 North Street, Boston, MA .