Salem as Muse: Salem Stories

Throughout 2026, PEM has presented a series of curatorial talks highlighting works from our collection as part of the museum’s Salem 400+ celebrations. In our final “Salem as Muse” talk of 2026, join Karina Corrigan, Deputy Chief Curator and the H. A. Crosby Forbes Curator of Asian Export Art, for a discussion of PEM’s Salem Stories exhibition.

This exhibition presents an A-Z array of 26 vignettes about the people, places and events that make Salem the city it is today. Starting with “A is for Always Indigenous,” the first vignette honors the Native communities who have lived for millennia on the land where the museum now sits. Ending with “Z is for Zoology,” the exhibition highlights a longtime collection favorite: a huge leatherback turtle specimen dating from 1885. Corrigan offers an insider’s perspective on the making of this team-curated project. Come hear about more Salem Stories before doing some holiday shopping on the streets of Salem!

Morse Auditorium
Included with admission