Worcester Art Museum Announces New Schedule of Events for Winter/Spring 2026

After Hours Parties, Free Days, Expert Talks, Flora in Winter, and More from February to June 2026

A floral interpretation from Flora in Winter 2025

Worcester, MA—February 25, 2026—This winter and spring, the Worcester Art Museum (WAM) will host a wide-ranging schedule of public events, including talks by artists and experts, free admission days, After Hours parties, and the Museum’s annual four-day Flora in Winter event. The programs will bring audiences closer to many of the Museum’s current and upcoming exhibitions and gallery openings, including the Arms and Armor Galleries (now open), A Weather Eye: Art and Early Modern Meteorology (March 28–June 28, 2026), Fever Dreams of a Cool-Breathed Earth (March 28–August 16, 2026), and the reimagined American Art Galleries (opening April 25, 2026).

To view all upcoming programs, events, exhibitions, and learn about related Member benefits, visit worcesterart.org.

Flora in Winter 2026

From Thursday, February 26, to Sunday, March 1, Flora in Winter 2026 invites visitors to see art in a new way, reinterpreted through dozens of floral arrangements. Special admission prices apply during Flora in Winter (free for Worcester Art Museum Members). Admission tickets to Flora in Winter are available at the door only. Select talks and demonstrations require advance tickets, available on the Museum’s website.

Talks

The Worcester Art Museum hosts talks by artists and experts on a wide variety of subjects throughout the year. On March 29, storm chaser and climate educator “Pecos Hank” Schyma will bring science and art together in a special look at the spring’s weather- and climate-themed exhibitions. On April 26, art historian Felipe Pereda will join Matthias Waschek, the Museum’s Jean and Myles McDonough Director, in conversation at Tuckerman Hall for the Museum’s annual Amelia and Robert H. Haley Memorial Lecture. And on May 17, Christa Donner and Andrew S. Yang, the artists behind Fever Dreams of a Cool-Breathed Art, will share an inside look at how they created an immersive, multisensory exhibition at WAM.

  • Sunday, March 29: Talk: Chasing Storms with Pecos Hank
  • Sunday, April 26: Amelia and Robert H. Haley Memorial Lecture, with Felipe Pereda and Matthias Waschek
  • Sunday, May 17: Artist Talk: Christa Donner and Andrew S. Yang
  • Sunday, June 21: Curator Talk: Reinterpreting American Art, with Kathleen A. Foster (Philadelphia Museum of Art) and Karen Sherry (Worcester Art Museum)

Free days

The Worcester Art Museum is open with free admission for select holidays and events throughout the year, including special hours on several Monday holidays. Upcoming free days include the Pride Celebration—presented in partnership with Worcester’s Love Your Labels—on June 7.

After Hours

The Worcester Art Museum’s After Hours series brings together exhibition openings, themed parties, and more, with music, drinks, and art lovers. After Hours events are free for Members and students at College Partner schools.

Tours and demonstrations

Every Sunday at 1 pm, the Museum offers guided Tours of the Galleries, free with admission. Led by docents, these tours offer visitors a trip through the galleries to discover highlights of the vast collection. Tours of special exhibitions are offered most weekends.

A rotating schedule of live demonstrations and hands-on art cart activities are offered throughout the year, with a schedule available on the Museum’s website.

Classes and community exhibitions

Classes are offered year-round for students of all ages and experience levels in the Museum’s Higgins Education Wing. Spanning a wide variety of media, classes offer an opportunity to learn and create in a dedicated studio space, drawing inspiration from the Museum’s world-class collection and exhibitions. Registration is now open for youth classes during April vacation week and summer vacation.

The Higgins Education Wing is also home to rotating community exhibitions, featuring art created by class participants, students, community partners, and more. Open Call: Dreams and Dreaming (April 8–May 17, 2026) is currently accepting art submissions and invites audiences to explore the concept of dreams as a source of creativity and inspiration. Admission to the Higgins Education Wing is free.

About the Worcester Art Museum

The Worcester Art Museum creates transformative programs and exhibitions, drawing on its exceptional collection of art. Dating from 3000 BCE to the present, these works provide the foundation for a focus on audience engagement, connecting visitors of all ages and abilities with inspiring art and demonstrating its enduring relevance to daily life. Creative initiatives—including pioneering collaborative programs with local schools, fresh approaches to exhibition design and in-gallery teaching, and a long history of studio class instruction—offer opportunities for diverse audiences to experience art and learn both from and with artists.

The Worcester Art Museum, located at 55 Salisbury Street in Worcester, MA, is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm. For information on admission and discounts, visit https://www.worcesterart.org/visit. Museum parking is free.

For more information, please contact:

Madeline Feller
Worcester Art Museum
MadelineFeller@worcesterart.org
508-793-4373

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