MUSIC AT THE GARDNER: FALL 2008 Concerts
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum launches its 82nd concert season this Fall with a new season and an eclectic mix of classical, jazz, and contemporary performances spotlighting influential composers of today (including Philippe Hurel) plus exceptional performers of tomorrow playing Beethovel, Debussy, Mozart, Brahms and more!

• Press Release & Complete Schedule)

FALL 2008: This Season at the Gardner
Sept-Dec 2008: Exhibition & Programming Highlights

Take a close look at the upcoming Fall season at the Gardner - exploring the art of travel, the art of marriage, the art of entertaining and more with an array of exhibitions, lectures, concerts, events, and culinary offerings that will transport the visitor around the world- in addition to a world-class permanent collection.

Updated regularly; last update August 15th

Full Exhibition Press Kit - updated

Contemporary Artist-In-Residence Exhibition
"LUISA RABBIA: TRAVELS WITH ISABELLA, TRAVEL SCRAPBOOKS 1883/2008" - Press Release

June 26-September, 2008 | Then traveling to The Merz Foundation, Turin Italy, in early 2009

A new video work by Luisa Rabbia inspired by Isabella Gardner's 1883 travels throughout China, Travels with Isabella adds a contemporary perspective to 19th-century China and engages viewers in an imaginary landscape steeped in nostalgia. Artist Luisa Rabbia layers original drawings, images and objects from the collection, and music by collaborator Fa Ventilato, upon images of photographs from 1883 China purchased and compiled by Isabella Gardner into an elaborate travel scrapbook to create a fantastical narrative steeped in nostalgia and a narrative on the human condition.The 26-plus minute video isaccompanied in the exhibition by an artist drawing (Untitled, 2008) and Gardner's 1883 China scrapbook, open to images of Shanghai and Hong Kong, and on view to the public for the first time.

Travels with Isabella is Luisa Rabbia's first solo U.S. museum exhibition - and sixth collaborative project with experimental musician Fa Ventilato.

Advance Press Preview Event: Wednesday, June 25th, 5:30-6:30 pm Please RSVP to karmstrong@isgm.org or 617 278 5107

• Press Release: "Travels with Isabella"
• Full PRESS KIT: "Travels with Isabella"

• Exhibition Images: Luisa Rabbia • Archival Images (1883 scrapbook)
• Exhibition Wall Text • Artist Interview: Luisa Rabbia
• Accompanying Programming
• Artist & Collaborator Bios: Luisa Rabbia, Fa Ventilato, Dragen Pantic

• Contemporary Art at the Gardner: An Overview • Gardner Fact Sheet

Advance Exhibition Release

"The Triumph of Marriage:
Painted Cassoni of the Renaissance"
October 16, 2008 - January 18, 2009: Gardner Museum

Then traveling to the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida: February 14 - May 17, 2009

A focused scholarly exhibition at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum offering a new perspective on marriage, social and gender roles, and patronage of domestic paintings in Renaissance Italy. Thee exhibition focuses on Italian Renaissance cassoni ('marriage chests') created and used publicly to celebrate the triumph of marriage and for display in the Renaissance home, and showcases the art of important, though lesser-known Italian artists Francesco Pesellino, Giovanni di Ser Giovanni.

This exhibition runs concurrently with additional exhibitions exploring the art of Marriage - including the Metropolitan Museum of Art's "Art and Love in Renaissance Italy" exhibition (on view Nov 18, 2008-Feb 16, 2009).

Advance Exhibition Release

"From Tourist To Collector: Isabella Stewart Gardner and the Orient"
February through May 2009 (exact dates tbd)

Between 1883 and 1884, Isabella Gardner traveled throughout the Orient, compiling five travel scrapbooks along the way. This exhibition represents the first time these Asia scrapbooks will be on view together in an historic scholarly exhibition devoted to her travels and influences throughout the Orient.

A full press release will be published in Fall 2008.

Seasonal Calendar Release
Season at the Gardner: SUMMER 2008
Detailed Exhibition & Programming Highlights: June-Aug 2008
A detailed look at this summer's contemporary Artist-in-Residence exhibition, courtyard garden installations, performances, events and promotions, lectures, gallery tours, thematic café menus, and other programming - in addition to world-class art in the permanent collection.

Advance Calendar Release
The Year+ Ahead: Summer 2008 through 2009
An advance look at historic and contemporary Artist-in-Residence exhibitions, annual garden installations, and programming highlights at the Gardner Museum in the coming year-plus. Updated regularly.

All-New Evening Events
"GARDNER AFTER HOURS"

Third Thursdays, September through May, 5-9PM
A new kind of night out... "Gardner After Hours" evening events series combines cutting-edge art, music, performances, cocktails and more in Boston's most inspiring setting.
• "After Hours" press release • Access "Gardner After Hours" web pages

EXPANSION & RESTORATION PROJECT UPDATES

Apr 10, 2008: Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC) Approves Gardner Museum's Proposed New Building Project and Conceptual Design

Apr 1, 2008: Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) Board of Directors Approves Gardner Museum Restoration, Expansion Project and New Building Design by Renzo Piano

• Image Sheet: Gardner Museum Expansion and Restoration Project
• Image Sheet: Architect Drawings
• New Building Project FACT SHEET • Community Support / Quotes

Nov 29, 2004: Launching its Next Century, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Selects Renzo Piano for Planning and Design of an Addition on its Campus

Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Marks the 18th Anniversary of the March 1990 Theft of Thirteen Works of Art
Museum reissues its commitment to a $5 million reward, assures complete confidentiality for information leading to the return of the stolen artworks

• Stolen Artworks: Image Sheet

Free Classical Music Podcast: "The Concert"
The Gardner Museum launches a new FREE classical music podcast at www.gardnermuseum.org. "The Concert" features unreleased live recordings from the museum's weekly concert series, making the Gardner the first art museum to encourage file sharing and free distribution of its online programming by using a Creative Commons license.

Click here to access "The Concert":
http://www.gardnermuseum.org/music/podcast/theconcert.asp

"Thinking Through Art" Research Reveals that Children Learn to Think Critically by Learning to Look at Art
Important new arts education research reveals a strong correlation between the museum's "School Partnership Program" and improved critical thinking skills in children.
• Full Press Kit • Executive Summary • Study Overview • Findings Overview • Collaborator Bios • "Critical Thinking Skills" Rubric
• Visit "Thinking Through Art" online for access to the full research report, a documentary film of kids 'learning to look' at art, sample lesson plans, and more.