We’ve reached the bleak midwinter here at Harvard, where all students are tempted to stay in bed and out of the icy winds until spring break. It’s what I like to call “museum weather”—perfect for spending the day inside appreciating the arts. Here’s how you can get up to that in Cambridge this winter:
Where: Harvard Art Museums
When: Weekends, starting at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Spotlight tours are free and open without registration, starting outside the Harvard Art Museum shop. Tours are created and led by Harvard students. Each tour explores the collections through a different lens using two to three artworks in the museum. Some that caught my eye were Portraiture by 19th-Century Black American Artists with Sophia Scott ’25, which discusses “the contributions of Black artists whose labor and skill were central to shaping American art,” as well as Art and Law with Hannah Gadway ’25, which explores the intersection of art and law from Nazi Germany to the famous work of Van Gogh.
Kuumba Singers at the Harvard Art Museums
Where: Harvard Art Museums
When: Sunday, March 2 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Listen to the magical sounds of gospel, African folk songs, and contemporary music at the Kuumba Singers of Harvard College’s short concert in the Harvard Art Museums’ Calderwood Courtyard. This hour-long performance is offered in conjunction with the current exhibition “Joana Choumali: Languages of West African Marketplaces.” This exhibit showcases “12 life-size hand-quilted and embroidered portraits created from combinations of photographs taken in the marketplaces of Côte d’Ivoire (the Ivory Coast) and Ghana.” If you’re not available for the concert and still want to see the exhibit, it is open through May 11.
Where: Little Crepe Cafe, 102 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA
When: Feb. 21, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Come for a serving of hot chocolate and community at Little Crepe Cafe. Whether you’re looking to test your new material on a receptive audience or read a piece you love, Cambridge Arts has put together the perfect space for you. If the crowd’s too intimidating, you can join over Zoom!
Where: Summer Shack, 149 Alewife Brook Pkwy, Cambridge, MA
When: Sunday, Feb. 23, 11 a.m.
It’s hard to say no to songs from “Mamma Mia,” “Grease,” “Wicked,” and “The Lion King” rolled into one fabulous performance. Especially if oysters and mimosas are being served. Drag Brunch, a weekly show featuring different drag performers from Boston, is held every Sunday at Summer Shack for anyone looking to beat the Sunday scaries.
Where: Lowell House Dining Hall
When: Feb. 21 – Feb. 23
Looking for a pensive way to spend your weekend? Apart from their coveted Thursday Tea and annual Glowell celebration, Lowell House has yet another hit on their hands with this opera. Directed by Haley Stark ’25, “Postcard from Morocco” is a cathartic experience for viewers as they watch a group of strangers search for meaning in their lives while waiting at a train station. Each character explores their identity and reconciles with the multidimensional realities of the present while guiding audience members through their internal thoughts. Lowell House residents can get free tickets, and all other students are offered the discounted price of just $10.
Where: Loeb Theater
When: Feb. 11 – Mar. 16
This play turns a contemporary lens on Homer’s “Odyssey,” reimagining the classic story of Odysseus and examines the process in which we “learn to embrace healing and forgiveness in order to end cycles of violence and revenge.” The playwright, Kate Hamill, has done similar work with classics such as “Pride and Prejudice,” “Sense and Sensibility,” and “Dracula.” Plus, Harvard students get a $5 discount! Related events include free puppetry workshops inspired by the design elements of “The Odyssey” at the Malden Public Library and The Odyssey’s Night at the Museum at the Harvard Art Museums, which offers food, drinks, and a Grecian-themed scavenger hunt before you head on over to the show.
Where: Central Square Theatre
When: Through Feb. 23, 2025
Written by L M Feldman, SPACE is a play about the 13 female pilots who (almost) became some of the earliest astronauts. Pulling from Congressional transcripts and the stories of these women’s ancestors and descendants, SPACE examines the fates of women and BIPOC during the Space Race.
RPM Fest Presents Mountains Meet the Sea
Where: The Brattle Theater
When: Feb. 23, 4 p.m.
The RPM Festival will welcome Kathy Rugh to the Brattle Theatre for a screening of ten of her films. The films run for 90 minutes each and will be followed by a discussion with experimental filmmaker and visual artist Brittany Gravely and Rugh herself. Rugh creates experimental 16mm films that explore “double exposure, pinhole lenses, and hand-processing techniques.” Her visually intriguing work is well suited to the Brattle’s taste for arthouse films, but if you’re looking for something more mainstream, David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive” is being shown at the Brattle on Feb. 26.
The days are getting longer, so it’s the perfect time to add a bit of culture to your weekend. You don’t have to go far, or spend much, to be a patron of the arts this winter. Whether you’re looking to visit the museums or catch a play, there’s something in Cambridge for everyone.
Sophie DePaul ’27 (sophie_depaul@college.harvard.edu) loves the Harvard Art Museums.