The Addison is ringing in 2026 with six new exhibitions that offer a wide range of art and varied explorations of the American experience. From historic to contemporary, figurative to abstract, this season has something for everyone. Read on to learn more!
The Addison is free and open to the public, Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 am–5:00 pm, and Sunday, 1:00–5:00 pm.
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The first exhibition to survey Parasol Press’s remarkable publications, this presentation showcases innovations that pushed the boundaries of printmaking and secured Parasol’s place as one of the most important print publishers of the 20th century. The ambitious editions demonstrate how artists explored the materiality of printed surfaces while challenging the medium’s limits.
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The third iteration of Playing to Our Strengths unfolds across four distinct galleries that explore how American artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries grappled with the inherently contradictory nature of modern life, laying bare the tensions between appearance and reality, the rational and irrational, and the orderly and the chaotic.
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Featuring works from the Addison’s collection, Little Boxes invites viewers into an exploration of the square and the rectangle, two essential geometric forms that have served as powerful tools in artistic expression. This exhibition explores how the deceptively simple “box” serves both as a practical strategy for pictorial composition and as a symbolic container for narratives about the human condition and the rigidly structured realities we inhabit.
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This exhibition, organized by the University of Michigan Museum of Art, brings together 45 works, including paintings, works on paper, and three-dimensional objects, highlighting the groundbreaking work of Carmen Herrera and Leon Polk Smith—neighbors, friends, and pioneers of geometric abstraction. Despite forging a creative dialogue that spanned decades, their work has never been presented side-by-side at this scale, until now.
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Family Program
Friday, February 20, 11:30am–1:30pm
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Families with kids of all ages are invited to drop-in and explore the Addison’s new winter exhibitions through hands-on activities organized by Addison Community Ambassadors from Andover High School, Greater Lawrence Technical School, Lawrence High School, and Phillips Academy. Space is limited and registration is required. Children must be accompanied by an adult caregiver.
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Join exhibition curator Rachel Vogel to explore this dynamic exhibition which brings together nearly 200 prints by 40 different artists and provides an insightful look at a period of radical innovation in printmaking.
This program is open to the public and presented in partnership with Andover’s Memorial Hall Library; space is limited and registration is required.
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SAVE THE DATE!
Spring Opening Reception: Saturday, March 7, 4:00–6:00 pm
Free and open to the public
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Thanks to donor support, the Addison is able to offer free admission to all. Every gift amplifies the Addison’s role as an internationally renowned museum and source for firsthand learning. As a valued Addison member, you’ll enjoy exclusive perks and special access to events, programs, and the museum's curatorial staff as our heartfelt thanks. It’s not too late to join this year!
Become a member today!
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| GIVING LEVELS
Friends: $100–$499
Sustainers: $500–$1,777
Founders: $1,778–$4,999
Patron’s Circle: $5,000–$9,999
Curator’s Circle: $10,000–$24,999
Director’s Circle: $25,000+
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Click here to learn more about Addison gift membership.
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Images: Robert Mangold, A Red, from Three Aquatints, 1979. Aquatint and etching, 33 x 33 inches (image), 40 3/4 x 40 3/4 inches (sheet). Courtesy of the artist. © Robert Mangold / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Photo: Frank E. Graham; Leon Polk Smith, Six Involvements in One, 1966 (recto of Seven Involvements in One, 1966). Acrylic on canvas mounted on wood panel, 6 panels: 86 5/8 x 157 1/2 x 1 5/8 inches overall. Private collection. Image courtesy Lisson Gallery, © Leon Polk Smith Foundation; Richard Estes, Qualicraft Shoes, 1974. Screenprint, 33 x 46 1/2 inches (image), 36 x 49 inches (sheet). Gift of Edwin Marks, 1979.20. © Richard Estes. Courtesy of Schoelkopf Gallery, New York; Photo: Frank E. Graham; Lisette Model, Running Legs, NYC, 1940. Gelatin silver print, 10 11/16 x 13 11/16 inches. Museum purchase, 1985.31; George Tooker, Study for "Landscape With Figures" (detail), 1965-66. Graphite and watercolor on paper, 26 5/8 x 30 1/4 inches. Gift of the artist (PA 1938) in memory of his parents, George Clair and Angela Montejo Roura Tooker, 1996.80.66; Carmen Herrera, Equation, 1958. Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 42 inches. Collection of Stanley Stairs and Leslie Powell, New York. Image courtesy Lisson Gallery, © Estate of Carmen Herrera; Winslow Homer, Kissing the Moon,1904. Oil on canvas, 30 1/4 x 40 inches. Bequest of Candace C. Stimson, 1946.19; Martin Puryear, Shoulders (State 2), 2005. Softground etching with drypoint and chine collé, 18 x 24 inches. Printed and published by Paulson Bott Press. Gift of William M. Drake, Jr. (PA 1950) and JoAnn Carney Drake, 2025.159; Wayne Thiebaud, Big Suckers from Seven Still Lifes and a Rabbit, 1971. Aquatint and soft ground etching, 17 1/2 x 21 7/8 inches (plate), 22 x 29 1/2 inches (sheet). Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, Crown Point Press Archive, Gift of Crown Point Press, 1991.28.1172. © 2026 Wayne Thiebaud Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Photo: Private Collection/Christie's Images/Bridgeman Images.
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Exhibition credits:
Generous support for Parasol Press: Breaking New Ground has been provided by the Sidney R. Knafel Fund.
Playing to Our Strengths: Highlights from the Permanent Collection is generously supported by the Mollie Bennett Lupe & Garland M. Lasater Exhibitions Fund.
Generous support for Little Boxes has been provided by the Winton Family Fund.
Lead support for Both Sides of the Line: Carmen Herrera & Leon Polk Smith is provided by Irving Stenn, Jr., Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch, Luptak Family Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the University of Michigan Office of the Provost. Additional generous support is provided by the Robert Lehman Foundation. Support for the exhibition catalogue and programming is provided by Tony Bechara and the Leon Polk Smith Foundation. This exhibition is organized and circulated by the University of Michigan Museum of Art. The Addison’s presentation is generously supported by the Elizabeth and Anthony Enders Exhibitions Fund.
Generous support for In Focus: Winslow Homer: Watching, Waiting has been provided by The Bernard and Louise Palitz Exhibitions Fund.
Martin Puryear: In Print is part of a recent gift from William Drake (PA 1950) and JoAnn Carney that also includes prints by Mary Lee Bendolph, McArthur Binion, Willie Cole, and Stanley Whitney.
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