Newton Cultural Alliance

Lunar New Year: Year of the Dragon
2024-02-11 12:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | New Art Center, 61 Washington Park, Newton, MA, 02460, United States
Join the New Art Center as we celebrate the year of the dragon with a fun, FREE event for all ages! The year of the dragon is meant to bring growth, progress, and abundance.
Art educators will lead participants through different make-and-take activities: coloring pages (illustrated by our Guest Artist Nell Valle), draw-along dragons, paper lanterns, and Chinese calligraphy (featuring a demonstration by Ren Li Song).
Performances include:
Music by the Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association’s (GBCCA) music ensemble, at 12:30pm.
Dance performance by members of Newton Chinese School, at 2:00pm.
And we welcome back Kyungsun Kim, a gayageum player, with members of Boston Academy of Korean Traditional Art (BAKTA), at 3:15pm.

Suzuki School of Newton presents Diversity in Classical Music
2024-02-11 14:30 - 17:00 | MA
How can classical music lead the charge in creating a more diverse and equitable world?
Performance at 2:30
Community Conversation 3:30
The Strand Theatre
534 Columbia Road
Dorchester

April Vacation Week: Eager Engineers
2024-04-16 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-04-17 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-04-18 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-04-19 12:00 - 16:00 | Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds, 286 Waverley Ave,, Newton, MA, 02458
Calling all kid engineers! Spend your spring break completing hands-on design challenges and crafts, each around a different daily theme. Build a boat that can float, design a transit system, construct a working Ferris wheel, invent something totally new, and more! Come to one or more sessions: each day will be different.
Suitable for kids ages 5-15 with adults; siblings welcome. Drop in for different themes and activities each day.
Location: Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds
Tickets: Free with museum admission ($0-$6 per person)
More information at: https://form-usa.keela.co/2024AprilVacation

Queer Open Studios at Night
2024-06-05 18:00 - 22:00 | New Art Center, 61 Washington Park, Newton, MA, 02460, United States
Join New Art Center on June 5 for Queer Open Studios! Located at our main location, this event will feature local queer community artists and makers, along with live music, crafts, and entertainment so that attendees can experience everything that Newton’s arts and culture community has to offer.
Interested in being a vendor? View our Call for Art page on our website!

Who Inspired Our School Names? A Newton Cemetery Tour
2024-06-20 18:00 - 19:30 | Newton Cemetery and Arboretum, 791 Walnut St, Newton, Massachusetts, 02459, United States
Stroll through the Newton Cemetery and learn more about the namesakes of many of our city’s elementary and middle schools. Learn about their lives and see the final resting places of Dr. Henry Bigelow, Isaac Tucker Burr, and others whose legacy continues in our public schools. With the upcoming renovations, remodeling, and construction of many Newton’s Public Schools, now is the perfect time to reminisce about their founding and look forward to the future.
Walking tours are $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Register at https://events.humanitix.com/schoolnames2024walkingtour. For more information and a complete list of this year’s walking tours visit www.newtonma.gov/HNwalks.

Life at the Lake: A Crystal Lake Walking Tour
2024-07-28 08:30 - 10:00 | MA
Ever wondered about the evolution of Crystal Lake? This Newton landmark has been a spot for ice harvesting, recreational activities, famous neighbors, preservation efforts, and more. During this early morning walking tour we’ll share stories, photos, and seasonal memories as we walk all the way around the pond.
Walking tours are $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Register at https://events.humanitix.com/crystal2024walkingtour. For more information and a complete list of this year’s walking tours visit www.newtonma.gov/HNwalks.

The Tree Nursery on Nonantum Hill: A Durant-Kenrick Walking Tour
2024-08-06 18:00 - 19:00 | Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds, 286 Waverley Ave,, Newton, MA, 02458
Did you know Newton Corner was the site of one of New England’s first commercial nurseries? Put yourself back in time to when the Kenrick family cultivated fruit trees, ornamental trees, and shrubberies. Travel the original acreage of the nursery, see an 1882 Kenrick house, and visit the Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds. As nature allows, taste fruit from Durant-Kenrick’s own historic gardens.
Walking tours are $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Register at https://events.humanitix.com/durantkenrick2024walkingtour. For more information and a complete list of this year’s walking tours visit www.newtonma.gov/HNwalks.

Walking Tour: Founding Newtonians in East Parish Burying Ground
2024-09-15 14:00 - 15:30 | MA
How does a burying ground tell our local story? Ramble through East Parish Burying Ground as we visit the grave sites of some of Newton’s early English settlers and the location of the 1630s meetinghouse. We’ll also reveal the hidden stories of the Indigenous Massachusett people and enslaved and free Black Newtonians who were not buried there, but whose experience is equally as important in understanding this time period. Please note that the majority of this walk will take place on unpaved, uneven terrain.
Walking tours are $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Register at https://events.humanitix.com/eastparish2024walkingtour. For more information and a complete list of this year’s walking tours visit www.newtonma.gov/HNwalks.

Suzuki School Open House
2024-09-15 15:00 - 17:00 | Suzuki School of Newton, 1615 Beacon St, Waban, MA, 02468, United States
Suzuki School Open House
Sunday, September 15th, 3:00 pm
Suzuki School of Newton hosts an Open House for its preschool program, promoting love and respect for music and learning in students of all ages through musical instrument instruction and preschool education using the philosophy of Dr. Shinichi Suzuki.

Museum Makerdays
2024-09-26 11:00 - 15:00 | Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds, 286 Waverley Ave,, Newton, MA, 02458
The school day is over early, and the museum is open! On Newton Public School’s special early release days, stop by Durant-Kenrick House & Grounds to try out a handicraft and make something new to take home with you. This month’s theme is beadwork! Explore the history of the craft and make your own beaded keychain or bracelet to keep. In addition to the craft, you can explore the exhibits and gardens, build with Legos, and play outdoor games.
$5 per person, kids 5 and under are free. Suitable for kids ages 5-15, younger and older siblings welcome. Registration not required; drop in any time during the event. Adults must remain with their child during the program. Let us know you’re interested at: https://form-usa.keela.co/2425EarlyRelease
This is a series, taking place each special early release day in school year 2024-2025, according to the Newton Public School calendar.

Historic Newton presents Hayfest
2024-10-06 12:00 - 16:00 | Jackson Homestead and Museum, 527 Washington St, Newton, MA, 02458, United States
Join us for a free, family-friendly day of fall fun! At Historic Newton’s Hayfest, travel back in time to 19th century Newton as you dip candles, press apples, churn butter, play games, and more. Learn more at www.newtonma.gov/hayfest
Interested in volunteering to help make Hayfest great? Sign up here: https://form-usa.keela.co/VolunteerHayfest2024

Uncovering Your Home’s History
2024-11-02 10:00 - 12:00 | Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds, 286 Waverley Ave,, Newton, MA, 02458
Are you curious about the history of your home but don’t know where to start? In this workshop, learn from the lead researcher of our House Marker Program. We’ll guide you through using available resources and creating a matrix of information about a property, and you’ll leave with a toolkit for continuing your own research and a discount for a future Historic House Marker order.
This program is $50 per person. Register at https://events.humanitix.com/housemarkerworkshop.

Suzuki School presents a Parent Information Session
2024-11-14 18:30 - 19:30 | Suzuki School of Newton, 1615 Beacon St, Waban, MA, 02468, United States
Join Suzuki School for a Parent Information Session on Thursday, November 14th, 6:30-7:30 PM to learn about violin, viola, and cello lessons at the Suzuki School of Newton! No fees or commitments required to attend!
Our group classes are a key part of the Suzuki curriculum, combining individual lessons, group lessons, and musicianship each week. Playing with peers helps students build confidence, improve memory, and develop stamina—while younger students find role models and older students see their progress firsthand.
Ready to begin your child’s musical journey? Email suzukinewton@gmail.com or visit suzukinewton.org for more details.

Historic Newton presents Candlelight Scavenger Hunt
2024-11-23 16:00 - 20:00 | Jackson Homestead and Museum, 527 Washington St, Newton, MA, 02458, United States
Explore the Jackson Homestead after dark! Complete an active scavenger hunt around the galleries and grounds, lit mainly by candlelight, and win a prize! Make shadow puppets, tell spooky stories, and see the museum in a whole new way.
$5 for Historic Newton members, $10 for non-members, kids 5 and under are free. Stop by anytime during the event. Walk-ins welcome, or register here in advance: https://events.humanitix.com/candlelight-scavenger-hunt

Historic Newton presents Museum Makerdays: Sewing
2024-12-05 11:00 - 15:00 | Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds, 286 Waverley Ave,, Newton, MA, 02458
The school day is over early and the museum is open! Stop by Durant-Kenrick House to try out a handicraft and make something new to take home with you. This month’s theme is sewing! Explore the history of the craft and sew your own drawstring bag to keep. Kids can also explore the exhibits and gardens, build with LEGOs, and play outdoor games. This is a series, taking place each special early release day in school year 2024-2025, according to the Newton Public School calendar.
$5 per child, kids 5 and under are free. Suitable for kids ages 5-15, younger and older siblings welcome. Registration not required; drop in any time during the event. Adults must remain onsite during the program. Let us know you’re interested at: https://form-usa.keela.co/2425EarlyRelease

Historic Newton presents Candles & Cards
2024-12-08 10:00 - 14:00 | Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds, 286 Waverley Ave,, Newton, MA, 02458
Get into the holiday spirit while you dip candles and craft cards! You’ll gain inspiration from vintage greeting cards and advertisements in our collection, enjoy seasonal music and refreshments, and craft candles and cards to keep or share with a friend. This program is appropriate for all ages; stop by anytime during the event.
This program is $5 for Historic Newton members and $10 for non-members. Register in advance at https://events.humanitix.com/candles-and-cards; walk-ins welcome.

Historic Newton Presents Newton History Series: A Pressing Matter - 18th Century Media Literacy and Bias
2024-12-17 08:00 - 17:00 | Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Media and information literacy are essential 21st-century skills in order to be an informed citizen. These are also skills that, when applied in a historical context, help us become better historians. In this discussion, we will analyze perspective, language, and bias in 18th-century newspapers, with a critical lens on how news was consumed in colonial America.
About the speaker: Michele Gabrielson is a local history teacher and historic interpreter of the 18th century. When she is not teaching in the classroom, Michele can be found leading tours, lectures, and demonstrations at historic sites in the greater Boston area. She specializes in interpreting the history of colonial women printers, the stories of loyalist refugees, and of 18th century chocolate makers! Most recently, she has taken on building a first-person impression of the revolutionary playwright and poet Mercy Otis Warren. Michele additionally serves on several historical committees dedicated to helping preserve the history of colonial America, is a member of the Authenticity Standards Committee for Minuteman National Historic Park, and is the coordinator for the Battle Road Guides for the annual reenactment of the Battle of Lexington and Concord. She was recently awarded a 2024 Rising Star Award for Public History by the Massachusetts History Alliance for her programming titled, “The Revolutionary Classroom,” and named a finalist for the 2024 Massachusetts History Teacher of the Year.
This program is part of the Newton History Series, co-sponsored by Historic Newton and the Newton Free Library. Look out for lectures in both February and March 2025.
Thursday, January 16, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Newton Free Library, Druker Auditorium
Free, registration not required

Historic Newton presents Winter Craft Series: The Art of Embroidery
2025-01-14 19:00 - 21:00 | Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds, 286 Waverley Ave,, Newton, MA, 02458
Join Historic Newton for a hands-on embroidery workshop where participants will recreate a design inspired by an object from the museum’s collection. This beginner-friendly session is open to all skill levels, from first-time stitchers to experienced embroiderers. Discover the art of embroidery while connecting with history through thread and needle. All materials will be provided!
Price: $20 general admission | $15 members
Registration: https://events.humanitix.com/winter-craft-series-the-art-of-embroidery

Lunar New Year
2025-02-02 12:00 - 16:00 | New Art Center, 61 Washington Park, Newton, MA, 02460, United States
Join the New Art Center in Newtonville for the fourth annual Lunar New Year event. The event will take place on Sunday, February 2 from 12:00pm – 4:00pm at 61 Washington Park and is part of New Art’s Cultural Access Program, a robust Community Outreach program providing free and inclusive art experiences.
The Lunar New Year event will feature a series of art-making and performance activities centered on the celebrations associated with Lunar New Year. Lunar New Year is an important time for celebration in the majority of East and Southeast Asian cultures. We welcome the New Year by spending time with family making food, playing games, telling stories, and cleaning our homes! This is a family-friendly event, free and open to the public.
This year is the year of the Blue Snake in the Korean calendar, or Wood Snake in the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Blue Snake is a year for wisdom, intuition, creativity, and personal growth! The Snake zodiac symbolizes wisdom and carefulness, and the Blue element, or Wood, is associated with movement and growth, as well as cooperation and idealism. This year, we should encourage ourselves to focus on self-growth and planning long-term goals for the future. Focus on your personal relationships, and find stability in reflection and mindful practices!
Ren Li Song will present on the art of calligraphy. Performers include the GBCCA Chinese Music Ensemble, members of the Boston Korean Dance Academy, and a Global String Band JUL.

Holi Festival of Colors
2025-03-30 12:00 - 16:00 | New Art Center, 61 Washington Park, Newton, MA, 02460, United States
The New Art Center invites you to join the Holi Festival of Colors.
We will have art-making, performances, food, dancing, and music throughout the day.
The event includes outdoor color play where you become the canvas for artmaking!
You have the opportunity to participate in the very fun (and messy) tradition of throwing organic color powder at each other.
Please wear white clothes you do not mind getting stained, protective eyewear or sunglasses, and bring towels for clean up afterward.
Guests are welcome to bring their color powder from home. There is no re-admittance to the New Art Center building after color play.

Historic Newton presents the Newton House Tour
2025-05-18 12:00 - 17:00 | Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds, 286 Waverley Ave,, Newton, MA, 02458
Welcome to Historic Newton’s Newton House Tour! Each year, Historic Newton presents the Newton House Tour to showcase historic homes in the city. Each private residence is carefully selected by a committee to exhibit how homeowners have made creative renovations and interesting interior design choices that add to the life of a historic structure. You’ll come away with a greater appreciation for historic homes and inspiration for your own projects!
This is the 42nd annual Newton House Tour, and all proceeds benefit Historic Newton’s mission.
Event begins at 12 noon, but in-person ticket sales and wristband pick-up begins at 10AM.

Open House! Suzuki Preschool of Newton
2025-07-23 16:30 - 18:00 | Suzuki School of Newton, 1615 Beacon St, Waban, MA, 02468, United States
Join Us for a Suzuki Preschool Open House!
🗓️ Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025
⏰ 4:30–6:00 PM
📍 Suzuki Preschool of Newton | 1615 Beacon St, Waban, MA
Come explore the joyful world of the Suzuki Preschool of Newton! 🌈 Families with preschool-age children are invited to tour our beautiful campus — including our three age-based classrooms, music room, playground, and the adjoining Suzuki School of Newton music program.
Meet our Preschool Director Patty Drucker, speak with our dedicated faculty, and learn more about our unique approach to education through music, art, and joyful learning!
🌟 What to Expect:
🎨 4:30 PM – Join preschool students and teachers for a musical arts & crafts activity
🎻 After 5:00 PM – Enjoy a live performance by Suzuki Violin students (ages 5 and 6) led by instructor Dr. Kasey Calebaugh
📚 All Afternoon – Visit our friends from Newtonville Books, who will be on campus hosting a small sale of preschool-appropriate books
🗺️ All Afternoon – Take a guided tour of our classrooms, music room, and playground, led by Director Patty Drucker or members of our preschool faculty
🍦 All Afternoon – Cool off and connect with others over ice cream and live music on a beautiful summer day!
We can’t wait to welcome you! 💛
#SuzukiPreschoolNewton #OpenHouse #SuzukiEducation #PreschoolOpenHouse #EarlyChildhoodEducation #NewtonMA #SuzukiMethod #MusicAndArt #LearnWithLove #WholeChildLearning #FutureMusicians #ViolinInPreschool
🎶🎨📚🌞

Steinway Alive at The Allen Center
2025-09-09 08:00 - 17:00 | MA
Steinway Alive: Sunday October 5th, 3pm
To complete our opening weekend celebration, Steinway artists Max Levinson and Karen Walwyn will present works for piano to celebrate the new partnership between The Allen Center and M. Steinert & Sons, followed by a champagne reception.

New TV presents Future Forward Gala
2025-09-30 18:00 - 21:00 | Boston Marriott Newton, 2345 Commonwealth Avenue, Newton, MA, 02466, United States
NewTV is pleased to announce their inaugural Future Forward Gala on September 30, 2025 beginning at 6:00PM. The Gala will take place at the Boston Marriott Newton, located at 2345 Commonwealth Avenue.
Like most community media centers, NewTV is funded primarily by a surcharge on the cable bill of local cable subscribers. With more and more people “cutting the cord” in favor of streaming services and apps, NewTV is rapidly losing a major source of funding needed to serve the Newton community. Supporting the Future Forward Gala helps to finance NewTV’s annual fundraising campaign, ensuring that NewTV remains the best community media center in the nation.
The gala features an immersive journey through NewTV’s history: Learn what NewTV has accomplished and discover some of the most meaningful content they have created over the past three decades. NewTV will also define their vision for the future – how they will continue to protect your First Amendment right to free speech, and how they will continue to provide you with transparent local government coverage and journalistic integrity.
The evening also includes cocktail hour and hors d’oeuvres, a sit-down dinner, a live performance by Boston music legend Livingston Taylor, and a tribute to outgoing Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller.

Film Screening of An Uncommon Education: The Allen School
2025-10-14 18:30 - 21:00 | West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington Street, West Newton, MA, 02465, United States
Historic Newton, West Newton Cinema, and Newton Cultural Alliance are excited to present a showing and panel discussion of the film “An Uncommon Education: The Allen School”! Join us on Tuesday, October 14 to view the original film (released in 2023) followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with the filmmakers. Tickets are $20 and equally benefit all three non-profit organizations.

West Newton Cinema Reads: The Bostonians
2025-10-16 18:30 - 20:30 | West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington Street, West Newton, MA, 02465, United States
In Boston, in the aftermath of the Civil War, Verena Tarrant (Madeleine Potter), a gifted young orator, has attracted the attention of Olive Chancellor (Vanessa Redgrave), who wishes to nurture Verena as an inspirational force for the Women’s Movement. Ranged against her is Basil Ransom (Christopher Reeve), a handsome male chauvinist, who wants Verena as his wife. Against a backdrop of luminous New England landscapes, battle is joined, and for Olive, the struggle will prove an odyssey that forces her to acknowledge her true nature. Merchant Ivory Productions’ acclaimed screen adaptation of Henry James’s The Bostonians (1886), set in Cambridge and Boston, charts the struggle between two charismatic forces to gain control over the destiny of a spirited young woman.
Join us for a special screening of The Bostonians, now in stunning 4K restoration, with an opening discussion of both the film and the novel led by Sierra Eckert and David Kurnick and moderated by John Plotz. This screening opens the Brandeis Novel Symposium set for Friday, October 17, a free event drawing scholars from across the country that audience members are encouraged to attend.
THE BRANDEIS NOVEL SYMPOSIUM is a one-day conference that chooses a single novel as a point of focus for salient theoretical, historical, political, and narratological questions about the novel as a genre. This year’s symposium on Henry James’s The Bostonians will be held on Friday, October 17, in Brandeis University’s Women’s Studies Research Center, and speakers will include Louis Menand (Harvard University) and Holly Jackson (University of Massachusetts, Boston).
SIERRA ECKERT is Assistant Professor of English at Wesleyan University. She specializes in nineteenth-century British and Anglophone literature, disciplinary history, critical and social theory, and the digital humanities. Her work has appeared in Victorian Studies and Studies in the Novel.
DAVID KURNICK is Professor of English at Rutgers University at New Brunswick. He is the author of The Savage Detectives Reread and Empty Houses: Theatrical Failure and the Novel, and his writing has appeared in Bookforum, Public Books, and Chronicle of Higher Education.
JOHN PLOTZ is Mandel Professor of Humanities at Brandeis University. He co-hosts two podcasts: Novel Dialogue and Recall This Book, and oversees the annual Brandeis Novel Symposium.
Registered attendees of the Brandeis Novel Symposium are entitled to a ticket discount. To receive the discount, tickets must be purchased ONLINE with code. To receive your code, register for the Brandeis Novel Symposium for free at the following link:
www.brandeis.edu/english/events/brandeis-novel-symposium/

Parisian Colors: Between Line and Light
2025-10-18 19:00 - 20:00 | Newton Presbyterian Church, 75 Vernon St., Newton, MA, United States
Join the award-winning Poiema Trio for an evening of French chamber music where elegance meets daring. From Ravel’s shimmering Trio to Boulanger’s radiant D’un matin de printemps and Fauré’s lyrical late Trio, discover the vibrant palette of sound that defined Paris in the early 20th century.
Poiema Trio, dedicated to sharing the joy of chamber music with audiences of all demographics, infuses their performances with spontaneity, imagination, and storytelling. Poiema formed in the summer of 2023 at the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival after bonding over a shared affinity for folk traditions and improvisation and falling in love with making music together over many late night reading sessions. In their time together, they have performed and taught workshops across the eastern half of the US and are recipients of the 2024 Gold Medal Prize from the Ninth International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition. The vibrant members have backgrounds in historical performance, folk, jazz, and production, hold degrees from the Juilliard School and the Cleveland Institute of Music, and are currently working on arranging folk tunes for piano trio. Their name, “Poiema,” means poetry at the intersection of beauty and brokenness, a poignant reminder of an artist’s true calling.
