Exhibitions
In addition to the Kirwan Collection on permanent display in the Wendt Room, the Athenæum hosts several exhibitions each year showcasing materials from the collections and related works. Subjects have included Salem imprints, children’s books and their illustrators, decorated book covers, Jacob Bigelow’s American Medical Botany, works on insects, archival records about the planning and construction of Plummer Hall in 1907, and popular reading from 1760-1810.
Current Exhibition — Fall 2022-23
Fashion Through the Pages
We encourage members to curate an exhibition of their interest or of their own collections.
Digital Exhibitions
Honorary curator, Elaine von Bruns, has created most of the exhibitions in recent years, and has now helped us create our first digital exhibition. Displaying rich marbling, tiny decorative patterns, and mood-setting illustrations, Under the Covers: The Hidden Art of Endpapers is now a permanent on-line feature. Click below to take a tour under the covers of the Salem Athenæum collection.
View Under the Covers
Upcoming Events
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Mar. 23:
Tardi Mardi Gras with Jambalaya Horns
7:00–10:00 p.m. -
Mar. 24:
Salem FilmFest Movie: WORDS & PICTURES BY
10:00 a.m. -
Mar. 27:
Rachel Slade: Making It in America
7:00 p.m. -
Apr. 12:
Night Owls
7:00 p.m. -
Apr. 18:
New Members Night
7:00 p.m. -
Apr. 20:
Writing Workshop: Julia Lisella—Poems from the Garden
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. -
Apr. 27:
Elizabeth McKim: Elizabetheridge
4:00 p.m.