Events & Museum Programs

Festivals and Workshops

As Creative Engagement Producer for the Peabody Essex Museum, I developed and produced hundreds of programs each year. These ranged from weekly recurring programs to one-off workshops to large multi-day festivals that engaged thousands of visitors in art, culture, and storytelling. 

Caryn leans in at a table to help a young visitor with an art making activity
Caryn leading an art making workshop, a crowd of families watching her demonstration
An overhead view of a very large crowd in a big museum atrium space watching a Chinese drumming troupe perform
A collage of image for a Stop Motion Animation workshop showing an informational sign, a young participant sketching on a white board, a small set for animating models on, and a wide view of the art studio, with participants drawing at tables

This selection of festival schedules highlights the artist and community collaboration that helped make these programs so impactful. Expand to view the full PDF.

SelectProgramScheduled_Combined.pdf
Caryn sits on a mat in the grass with a group of children, holding open a picture book for them to see

Artist Encounters

Whether it was bringing Theo Jansen's wind-powered kinetic sculptures to downtown Boston and Crane Beach, welcoming fans of Metallica's Kirk Hammett to a book signing and Q&A, or delighting children with renowned picture book authors like Peter H. Reynolds, it was always a thrill to inspire the community with opportunities to directly engage with world-class art and artists.

Authors Paul Reynolds and Peter H. Reynolds talk about their work onstage in front of a slide that reads "Create bravely."
Musician Kirk Hammett signs an exhibition book with a gold sharpie
Kirk Hammett stands with Caryn and two other museum educators
Kirk Hammett stands with a young fan dressed as the creature from the black lagoon. He is holding a copy of his museum exhibition book, It's Alive!
Kirk Hammett answers audience questions with museum curator Dan Finamore during a live event
Dutch artist Theo Jansen pulls one of his Strandbeest kinetic sculptures while speaking to a crowd outside of MIT's Media Lab
Artist Theo Jansen speaks to a crowd in an auditorium space
Artists Theo Jansen and Lena Herzog sign their exhibition book
Artist Theo Jansen reads a picture book to a group of children during a sleepover event at a museum
A picture book titled "Going Places" next to a pillow with the text "Dream with the Beest! Strandbeest Pajama Sleepover" printed on it
Museum staff and a crowd of onlookers watch a Strandbeest sculpture walk in the wind in downtown Boston
Museum staff and a crowd of onlookers watch a Strandbeest sculpture walk in the wind in on Crane Beach in Ipswich, MA

Concerts & Performances

With my theatre background, I created a robust performance program at the museum, including a multi-year residence with composer Matthew Aucoin, dynamic concerts with artists like Philip Glass, dance performances and community-focused theatre collaborations.

Many performances were thoughtfully paired with workshops, community conversations, immersive design elements, exhibition connections, or food and drink experiences to enhance the audience's interaction with the art.

Caryn holds a microphone as she introduces a concert event at the museum
Two small paper houses that are lit with electric candles decorate a table
Philip Glass playing a piano while Matt Haimovitz accompanies him on cello
A violinist performs on front of colorful, rippling lighting. He's wearing a white shirt decorated with a splatter of black paint, and his face is painted on one side with a black triangle.
An opera singer wearing a long coat decorated with peacock feathers raises his arms to the side and stands with his back to the camera, his shadow dramatically projected on the ceiling above him
Musicians, singers, and actors perform in a museum atrium that has colorful projections and a large balloon above them.
Musicians, singers, and actors perform in a museum atrium that has colorful projections and a large balloon above them.
Musicians, singers, and actors perform in a museum atrium that has colorful projections and a large balloon above them. Two hands are projected live on either side, drawing small shapes
OracleHysterical's Terra Nova: A group of musicians perform in front of colorfully lit draped fabric and a projection of an angel (Lucifer) falling.
Caryn stands on stage to introduce four performers from Sunshine 2.0, a deaf theatre group that performs in ASL.
Composer Matt Aucoin sits at a piano watching Violinist Kier Gogwilt, who speaks to an audience from behind a music stand.
Five classical musicians perform within an enclosed fabric box, with the lighting projecting one of their shadows large over their heads.
ArtsEmerson's Mr. Joy at PEM: An auditorium full of audience attend a Q&A with an actor who sits on the stairs of a stage set made to look like a building's front stoop.
ArtsEmerson's Mr. Joy at PEM: Postcards promoting the show along with reflection questions for the audience are tacked up on a black board. The questions include: "How do social standards influence your life?," "Does everyone have an equal responsibility to stand up to injustice?," and "How can we make connections across our differences?"
Abilities Dance Boston performance: A dancer in black dances with her right arm raised in the air in front of a wheel chair that has been dressed with red and orange fabric that resembles flames.
Abilities Dance Boston Performance: Two dancers strike poses in front of colorful lighting, on in an electric wheel chair, the other extending an arm forward with one knee slightly bent.
Hub New Music and Urbanity Dance perform Soul Hour: A group of classical musicians play on a raised platform while three dancers strike poses on the floor level in front of them.

Photos by Caryn M. Boehm, Kathy Tarantola, Allison White, Kim Indresano, and Ken Sawyer