What is Salem 400+?
PEM is pleased to host a range of activities throughout 2026 that celebrate our storied city. Salem 400+ commemorates the city's quadricentennial while acknowledging the preexisting Indigenous community and explores the opportunities and connections of Salem’s multifaceted history while crafting a vision for current and future generations.
PEM is actively participating in a number of ways to honor the lesser-known stories, including special projects, presentations, guided learning opportunities and in-school workshops to discuss identity, community-building and collect the stories of today’s youth.
Explore and follow along with #Salem400
Related exhibitions
Exhibition
Salem Stories
Now on view
Exhibition
East India Marine Hall
Opens March 14, 2026
EXHIBITION
Beyond the Broom: Salem Short Films
Opens March 28, 2026
Exhibition
Pressing Importance: Salem and The Declaration of Independence
Opens May 2, 2026
Events
Poet in High Street Park
Sunday, January 11 | 2–4 pm
Hear Salem’s first-ever poet laureate J.D. Scrimgeour read from his new work, Poet in High Street Park: Prose & Poetry for Modern Salem.
Lunar New Year 2026: The Year of the House
Saturday, February 21 | 10 am–5 pm
Welcome the Year of the Horse with a vibrant festival heralding new beginnings and the coming of spring! Enjoy a scavenger hunt, art making and tours of Yin Yu Tang.
Salem's Centuries with Donna Seger and Brad Austin
Wednesday, February 25 | 6:30–8 pm
In celebration of Salem 400+, join us for a year-long series of four virtual readings of Salem’s Centuries: New Perspectives on the History of an Old American City, written and edited by Donna Seger and Brad Austin of Salem State University.
Coming this summer!
Bootmaker and artist Sarah Madeleine T. Guerin embarks on a Footwear Artist in Residency project, turning PEM’s “ten-footer” Lye-Tapley Shoe Shop and the John Ward house into active spaces for storytelling. See traditional shoemaking techniques learn about distinctive footwear-making legacies of Massachusetts.
New programs being added all the time. Check back for updates!
Audio tour coming soon!
As part of Salem 400+, PEM is developing a new “Craft in America” audio tour to accompany Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026 — a national collaboration honoring the handmade and the diverse traditions that shape American identity.
Curated by Paula Richter, PEM Curator-at-Large, the tour guides visitors through nearly 30 objects drawn from six of PEM’s collection galleries, highlighting the artistry and innovation of handcraft across more than 500 years. From early American Colonial creations to contemporary expressions, each stop reveals how the enduring practice of handwork continues to inspire beauty, meaning and cultural connection.
In-School and After-School Workshops
From December 2025 through 2026, PEM will implement guided learning opportunities and in-school workshops throughout Salem to discuss identity, foster community-building and collect the stories of today’s youth. While the workshops will not be public, PEM will be showcasing the students’ written and visual work throughout 2026.
“Where I’m From” – Identity, Place, and Community Across 400+ Years of Salem
(90-minute social studies, ELA and arts in-school workshop)
Scaled for elementary, middle and high school-aged learners, participants will explore Salem's historical periods and consider the stories that form a community's identity in this two-part, in-school workshop. Through drawing, each individual will visually express an original poem that connects their personal, familial and community identity to Salem's 400-year history.
Salem 400+ Guided Tours
(45-minute in-gallery tour)
During 2026, PEM will showcase several ongoing exhibitions focused on Salem history, including Salem Stories; The Salem Witch Trials: 1692; and a new installation in PEM’s original exhibition building, East India Marine Hall. Across the museum, visitors will find fascinating connections to Salem’s history in its galleries, including the historic partnership between museum director Edward Sylvester Morse and Korean diplomat Yu Kil-Chun, who donated his personal effects to the museum in the 1880s, helping establish the first Korean art collection in the United States. In PEM’s Fashion and Design gallery, a significant rotation of works from the collection will feature direct ties to aspects of Salem’s history and the people who have called the city home. Other fascinating stories of Salem’s past will be featured prominently in PEM’s On This Ground: Being and Belonging in America exhibition as well as its Maritime Art and History and Asian Export Art galleries.