Peabody Essex Museum

10/15/2026

🍁🍂 Did you know that PEM’s copper beech tree and black walnut trees are some of the biggest in the state?

Our staff recently measured both trees to see if they qualify for the Massachusetts Legacy Tree Program, a program where the Department of Conservation and Recreation Forestry Program recognizes the largest and significant trees within the state. The results are in, and the copper beech (picture above) is now registered as the 15th largest of its kind in Massachusetts, and the black walnut is the second largest!

🌳 To learn more about our gardens and PEM’s status as a Level 2 Arboretum, visit pem.org/gardens

📸: Kathy Tarantola/PEM

10/14/2026

Who was Isamu Noguchi?

In a recent blog post, PEM’s Curator of American Decorative Arts Ruthie Dibble discusses the legacy and career of one of the 20th century’s most critically acclaimed artists. She shares how Isamu Noguchi’s work became so prevalent in our everyday lives, why his designs are so enduring and why it was so important to bring this exhibition to PEM.

📖 Read the full curator Q&A at pem.org/blog/curator-q-a-behind-the-scenes-of-isamu-noguchi-i-am-not-a-designer

📸: Isamu Noguchi: 'I am not a designer' exhibition documentation, 2026. Peabody Essex Museum. Photo by Kim Indresano. Courtesy of The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, New York.

10/13/2026

Take one of PEM’s walking tours to take a peek inside our historic structures and learn about Salem history! 🏠🍁⁠
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Visitors can take our “Brick by Brick” tour of Salem’s architectural history or our “Sinister Streets” to learn about the witch trials and the city’s darker history. On “Sinister Streets,” visitors can step into the 1804 Gardner-Pingree House and hear about the plot to kill merchant Joseph White (right in his own bedchamber) and the manhunt that happened afterward. Want to dig deeper? Visitors can also book our combined tour to step inside the galleries and see the actual murder weapon in our “Salem Stories” exhibition. Make sure to book your tour before the season ends on Friday, November 6.

🎟️ Tours take place Thursdays through Mondays. Grab your tour tickets today at pem.org/tours

📸 Kathy Tarantola/PEM

10/10/2026

Take a pause and enjoy the beauty of PEM!

Whether it’s enjoying the foliage in our Museum Garden or spending some time in “All the Flowers Are For Me,” we’re happy to provide a reflective, calm moment during the busy Halloween season. We’re always free for Salem residents and Salem workers!

📸: Bob Packert/PEM

10/09/2026

Our 2026 PEM Gala after-party is less than a month away! 🥂

With creative cocktails, an open bar, delicious late-night snacks, surprise entertainment experiences, live music and dancing, don’t forget to grab your tickets for our unforgettable after-hours dance party on Saturday, November 7 from 8:30 pm–midnight. We are thrilled to announce that renowned Chef Lydia Shire will return to collaborate with Gourmet Caterers to create this year’s menu.

🔗 Visit PEM.org/gala to purchase your after-party tickets today!

10/08/2026

On October 8, DAF Day (for Donor-Advised Funds) brings together tens of thousands of donors to support the organizations and causes they care about. This year, we invite you to make PEM one of them.

Giving through donor-advised funds is a meaningful way to support the museum. You can recommend a grant from your DAF to renew your membership, make a flexible gift to the PEM Fund or support a special project. Your gift helps launch the exhibitions, programs and experiences that make PEM a place of discovery, connection and new ideas.

❤️ This DAF Day, we hope you'll choose PEM by making a donation at pem.org/support-pem/ways-to-give.

10/07/2026

This October, we’re offering a special screening of the 2015 horror film “The Witch.”

On Sunday, October 25 at 1 pm, we’re screening the history-focused horror movie, written by Robert Eggers and starring Anya Taylor-Joy. This haunting film follows a Puritan family in 1630s New England who are plagued by witchcraft and demonic possession. We’re offering this screening as part of our Salem 400+ programming.

🎟️ Tickets are included with museum admission, but preregistration is encouraged. Preregister for this program here:

Written by Robert Eggers and starring Anya Taylor-Joy, this haunting film follows a family plagued by witchcraft and demonic possession.

10/06/2026

Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day at PEM with free admission and programming!

On Monday, October 12, we’re honoring the sovereignty, resilience and immense contributions of Native Americans. Join us for a free day of special programming to respectfully acknowledge and celebrate Indigenous communities. Take a look at what’s going on below ⬇️

🗓️ From 1–2:30 pm, join artist Elizabeth James-Perry (Aquinnah Wampanoag) for a presentation of her artistic map-making practice. Her work engages with Northeastern Woodlands Native cultural expressions, primarily in sculptural forms of wampum shell-carving and bead-making with its connection to identity and sovereignty, maritime traditions and restorative Native gardening. Make sure to catch her work in “Salem Stories!”

🗓️ At 11:30 and 1:30 pm, we’re hosting a screening of “We Still Live Here: Âs Nutayuneân”, a documentary by award-winning filmmaker Anne Makepeace. This film tells the story of the return of the silenced Wampanoag language thanks to the work of linguist Jessie Little Doe Baird (Mashpee Wampanoag) and her community.

🎟️ All programs are included with the free museum admission!

📸: Kathy Tarantola/PEM

10/05/2026

For this week’s WGO @ PEM, our acting CEO Kurt Steinberg is wishing our followers a happy October and highlighting a selection of our October programs. Don’t forget to check out all our Halloween events and offerings at pem.org/halloween!

⏰ PEM is open Thursdays through Mondays from 10 am–5 pm. Salem residents, active military and veterans, EBT cardholders, MA teachers and more receive free admission to PEM.

10/04/2026

Did you know created one of the world’s earliest baby monitors?

In 1937, Noguchi shook up the design world with “Radio Nurse.” Crafted from Bakelite, its sleek, anthropomorphic shape actually mimics a nurse’s cap, while the striations on the front were inspired by the kendo masks he wore as a boy in Japan. Paired with the “Guardian Ear” transmitter, it became one of the world’s very first baby monitors.

🎟 Learn more about Noguchi and see this work for yourself in our exhibition “Isamu Noguchi: ‘I am not a designer,’” now on view!

📸: Isamu Noguchi, Radio Nurse, 1937, manufactured by Zenith Radio Company, 1937-42. Bakelite, metal, and enamel. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase funded by the Decorative Arts Subcommittee in honor and memory of Peter C. Marzio, 2011.606. © The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Thomas R. DuBrock. © 2026 The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.