Gardner Museum Will Host Free Admission Day in Honor of Anne Hawley

Photo by Olga Khvan

It’s almost time to say goodbye.

With an eight-month international search now over and a starting date officially set for incoming director Peggy Fogelman, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is now focusing on celebrating its departing director Anne Hawley.

On Saturday, November 21, the museum is hosting “Fanfare for Anne,” a day of free admission and special activities.

Visitors will be able to explore all parts of the museum, including its current special exhibitions focused on two-time artist-in-residence Charmaine Wheatley and 15th-century Venetian painter Carlo Crivelli. There will be music in the courtyard, discussions in the Living Room with Hawley and other museum staff, and opportunities to make art in the studio, as well as plant chrysanthemums in the greenhouse. The Gardner’s resident chamber orchestra, A Far Cry, will perform in the morning.

Before “Fanfare for Anne,” Hawley will participate in a sold-out, members-only conversation with Jared Bowen, executive arts editor and host at WGBH. The discussion will highlight Hawley’s perspective of her tenure at the Gardner, which includes overseeing construction of the new wing, establishing the artist-in-residence and new music programs, and more.

“Anne is the rare talent with the skill and vision it took to lead the Gardner Museum into the future while honoring Mrs. Gardner’s legacy,” said Steve Kidder, president of the museum’s board of trustees, in a press release. “Anne has breathed new life into the Gardner Museum and positioned us well for the next century.”

Free admission during “Fanfare for Anne” on Saturday, November 21, will be available from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is located at 25 Evans Way, Boston.