Return to the Peabody Essex
I’m a big fan of the Peabody Essex museum in Salem MA https://www.pem.org/
I’m not a Salem person. Both branches of my family went through there in the 1600’s and quickly moved on to other locations.
But, I am never comfortable there. The town sets me on edge and always has.
The museum is great, and I will go there for that.
I wanted to catch their exhibit on the witch trials, and there was only a week left.
I’m glad I came to see it. There is a lot of documentation.
I took photos of all the codes for more information and will post them if folks are interested.
The exhibit is subtitled "restoring justice". One of the things I like about this museum is that it doesn’t say "things are OK now, this was people long ago with nothing to do with you". That’s a lie. They say that in their exhibits on slavery, the natives of the area and things like this.
It’s not OK. It’s "Do better".
To quote directly from the museum:
"Many Salem area residents realized the judicial proceedings were flawed and the trials unjust. As early as the late 1690s, victims and their communities took action in attempts to restore the innocence of those wrongly accused and convicted. While the trauma and loss can never be fully repaired, these tangible steps over the centuries have made progress toward healing a deeply fractured community. The process continues today."
One of the other special exhibit they had there was from an artist who does art pieces with a quilting machine. They’re very cool. It’s a media I’ve never seen before, but very interesting.
I think it is very interesting they give you a soundtrack to listen to while looking at it.
They are cool things. And, I took a LOT of photos…
I did finish the exhibit first. But, instead of finding my normal bench, I stood next to the big air vents they have in the atrium. I like those. Nice breeze.
We didn’t spend much time in the base museum as we’ve been there many times, but we did go see our favorites.
They did have a special exhibit on bats too.
Then, I went off to the gift shop and bought presents for my wife for Christmas. I guess this somehow stood out as the woman in the shop came over and told me how impressed she was I’d do this for my wife.
"I often get her Christmas presents here," I told her.
"Well, that’s wonderful!"
Don’t know if she worked there or was just a groupie of the museum.
And, as promised, the codes for more information about the witch exhibit.
