The Lane Collection, Exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts
A superb gathering of modern American paintings from the twenties, thirties, and forties.
The J. Paul Getty Museum's spiriting away of curator John Walsh from the Museum of Fine Arts.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Whether an intimate affair for a few dozen revelers or a soiree with a few hundred, the JFK Library and Museum’s sun-filled Pavilion is a blank slate for the most elegant of ceremonies and cocktail hours. And no wonder: Its nine stories of soaring glass walls highlighting panoramic ocean views is the work of the iconic architect I.M. Pei. After the vows, guests can head over to the reception steps away in the equally-as-impressive Smith Hall. Now that sounds like a wedding for the history books. Columbia Point, Boston, MA 02125, jfklibrary.org.
Date & Time
A visit to this showroom is nothing short of an experience, with swanky lounge areas, a grand piano, and a bar where you can relax with a drink. But let’s get to what you’re really here for — the jewelry and watches. Whether it’s a bold turquoise-and-diamond sparkler from Messika or a Rolex stunner that catches your eye, the store’s museum-like cases make it easy to find your next wearable piece of art. 5 Concord Rd., Sudbury, MA 01776, dateandtimema.com.
John Wilson/Joseph Norman
A powerful show of prints and drawings by legendary sculptor John Wilson and emerging talent Joseph Norman, jointly organized by the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists and the Museum of Fine Arts.
Schumacher Landscaping
Schumacher has been the grad Poo-Bah of flora for the past 31 years, and is largely responsible for bringing a healthy dose of green to Boston's asphalt avenues. Its creative ingenuity can be appreciated throughout the city at the Fraser Courtyard in the Museum of Fine Arts, the Snell Library Plaza at Northeastern University, and Post Office Square Par. But don't be intimidated if your yard is more like a foot. These doctors of the green thumb are equally adept at smaller residential projects— say, planting pansies around the porch, installing sod over that crabgrass, or mowing your lawn when you just don't feel like it. 17 Electric Ave., Brighton, MA .
Institute of Contemporary Art
Thanks to its innovative exhibits, even the Museum of Fine Arts is taking a close look at new local art. 955 Boylston St., Boston, MA .
Boston Children's Museum
The Boston Children's Museum has been mobbed since it unveiled its 23,000-square-foot expansion and accompanying renovation in April, so chances are good you'll arrive to find a long queue snaking from the door. Try to tough it out: Your reward is just inside, in the form of a corkscrew-shaped three-story contraption that the museum calls the New Balance Climb, and grateful parents might regard as the mother of all monkey bars. Even if your kids don't hit another exhibit, a scamper across, up, through, and under its twisting platforms will leave them too exhausted to do anything but go home and watch their SpongeBob DVDs until the clouds part. 300 Congress St., Boston, MA 2210, bostonchildrensmuseum.org.
Pieranna Cavalchini
Thanks to this easygoing contemporary-art curator, the Gardner has maintained one of the most vibrant artist-in-residence programs in the U.S. No doubt Cavalchini's close relationship with director Anne Hawley has also helped shape the museum's new Renzo Piano-designed digs, which will give the city one very hip theater-in-the-round. 280 The Fenway, Boston, MA 2115, gardnermuseum.org.
Alan Shestack as director of the MFA
The affable writer, scholar, and former director of the Yale Art Museum and the Minneapolis Institute of Art starts work at Boston's MFA next month. Lucky MFA. Lucky us.
Land's End Inn
Only Philistines and acrophobes could fail to fall in love with this, the most rapturous among Cape Cod's many small inns. Part oasis, part museum, the property perches high above Gull Hill and peers over what seems like every crevice of Cape Cod. If you somehow get tired of the view, you can turn you attention to the luxuriant gardens and lavish collection of ornate late-19th-century antiques, Tiffany lamps, and statues. If it's free, book the Bay Tower Room which hovers above the sea, dunes, and miles of marsh; you'll feel like you're sleeping not just at the tip of the Cape, but on top of the world. 22 Commercial St., Provincetown, MA landsendinn.com.
Antiquers Three
This Brookline storefront is ground zero for 20th-century American and European decorative arts. Art Deco and Art Nouveau are heavily represented, particularly French art glass and lighting, in items ranging from museum-quality chandeliers to ceramic dishes. Be prepared to open your wallet, but if you buy something here, chances are you'll keep it forever. 171A Harvard Street, Boston, MA .
Paul Tucker, professor, University of Massachusetts, Boston
The Jerry McGuire of the local arts scene, Tucker has been showing us the Monet for the last decade, organizing three spectacular exhibitions for the Museum of Fine Arts—and radically enhancing our appreciation of Boston's favorite French Impressionist. Tucker is also an inspiring teacher.
Barbara Cole Lee + Company
As the longtime chair of the MFA museum school art sale, Boston's other Barbara Lee—the art consultant, not the gazillionaire—has built it into the largest event of its kind in the country. She brings that same passion to the needs of her high-powered customers, for whom she'll travel to the Venice Biennale and Art Forum Berlin in search of just the right piece. Lee is also an expert on the local scene, comfortable with both established stars such as Ellsworth Kelly and hotshots like George Rosa. 35 Fisher Ave., Brookline, MA 2445, barbaracolelee.com.