It’s not quite cold enough to hunker down for winter yet. Let’s take advantage of the vibrant arts scene here on the North Shore and head to one or more of these art happenings in the region. View a new exhibit at a venue like the Cape Ann Museum or Addison Gallery of American Art, or catch a local show at Shalin Liu or North Shore Music Theatre. Read on for a handful of our top art events this November north of Boston.
Window on the Marsh at the Cape Ann Museum
November 27 is the last day to catch the Cape Ann Museum’s exhibit celebrating the beauty of the North Shore’s Great Marsh. The exhibit displays photos by Martha Hale Harvey (1863–1949) alongside paintings by Martin Johnson Heade (1819–1904) and Fitz Henry Lane (1804–1865). All three artists were inspired by and captured the beauty of the marsh. Highlights include Heade’s breathtaking Sunset on the Marsh, on loan from a private collection, and Harvey’s photos of the marsh printed by photographer Anne Rearick using Harvey’s original glass plate negatives.
capeannmuseum.org/exhibitions/window-on-the-marsh/
Rockport Music performances
The Shalin Liu Performance Center, with stunning views of Rockport’s Sandy Bay, hosts a strong event lineup this November. Highlights include New Orleans’s Preservation Hall Jazz Band on their
60th anniversary tour, folk-soul singer-songwriter Valerie June, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with pianist Angela Hewitt performing Bach. The venue also hosts a special Hanukkah-themed concert on November 26 with Nefesh Mountain.
tickets.rockportmusic.org/events
On Your Feet! at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium
The Lowell Auditorium’s Broadway series continues this month with a performance of On Your Feet! Wednesday, November 9. The show tells the story of Cuban-American musicians Gloria and Emilio Estefan as they rise to international fame, including hit songs like “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You,” “Conga,” and “Get on Your Feet.” The Lowell Auditorium brings select Broadway shows to town with funding from the Mass Cultural Council. Other upcoming shows include Annie on February 27 and Legally Blonde on May 3.
lowellauditorium.com/calendar/2022-on-your-feet
Shelagh Keeley: Drawn to Place at the Peabody Essex Museum
Opening November 5, Shelagh Keeley’s PEM exhibit, similar to her past works, is a huge, site-specific wall drawing that she creates directly on the gallery wall. Keeley explores drawing as a way to slow down the viewer’s perception of her art and break down the essence of the objects she depicts. Her 58-foot-long wall drawing at PEM will be based on the museum’s extensive history and collection. Keeley’s past work often engages with the theme of global labor—she has installations at places like factories and worker housing in Mumbai and Shanghai.
pem.org/exhibitions/shelagh-keeley-drawn-to-place
The Cabot
The theatre in downtown Beverly hosts a long lineup of live shows and films this month. Live performances include comedian Juston McKinney, San Francisco rock band The Tubes, Grammy-nominated singer/guitarist Tab Benoit, and blues-rock band Hot Tuna. Other feature presentations include a showing of Warren Miller’s 73rd annual ski and snowboard film, Daymaker. Visit thecabot.org for its full lineup of shows and to buy tickets.
Two Exhibits at the Addison Gallery of American Art
The Addison Gallery at Phillips Academy in Andover has two temporary exhibits this fall. Rosamund Purcell’s Nature Stands Aside displays more than 150 of the artist’s photographs, collages, and installations that combine art and science, like a blanched piranha in formaldehyde or decorated eggs nestled in cotton, shedding light on humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Harry Benson’s Four Stories exhibits four of the photojournalist’s most powerful photo stories: the building of the Berlin Wall, the Beatles’ first American tour, the James Meredith March Against Fear, and the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. The Addison Gallery is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.
addison.andover.edu/Exhibitions/Pages/exhibitions.aspx
Little Women at the Greater Boston Stage Company
Located in Stoneham, the Greater Boston Stage Company presents Little Women: The Broadway Musical, November 25 through December 23. The play brings to the stage Louisa May Alcott’s heartwarming novel about four sisters growing up in Civil War–era Massachusetts. The Greater Boston Stage Company is a professional, nonprofit regional theater bringing high-caliber shows to the suburbs.