Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I get involved in the PEM Community?

Become a Member
Experience all that PEM has to offer—as a member. Enrich your spirit, engage your mind and stimulate your senses. Your membership support enables us to present superb exhibitions and share outstanding works of art, culture and creative expression with the world. You receive unlimited, free PEM admission, invitations to exhibition previews and receptions, curator-led gallery talks, special Museum Shop sales and events. You also enjoy our award-winning Connections magazine six times a year and receive our monthly e-newsletter highlighting upcoming events. Please contact membership@pem.org for more information.

Join East India Marine Associates
The East India Marine Associates (EIMA) of the Peabody Essex Museum are the cornerstone of the museum’s annual giving program. EIMA members collectively contribute more than $1.7 million per year in funds that support the museum’s core curatorial, educational, outreach, exhibition and public programs. Please contact eima@pem.org for more information.

Become a Corporate Partner
Businesses involved at PEM advance our mission to enrich and transform people’s lives by broadening their perspectives. There are many reasons to join the PEM family, and we offer unique opportunities for you and your business to benefit our community, achieve valuable exposure, fulfill your philanthropic goals and connect to your passions, all while reaching our audience of approximately 250,000 visitors annually from the Boston area and beyond. Please contact corporate@pem.org for more information.

Participate in GenPEM
Generation PEM (GenPEM) of the Peabody Essex Museum is a community of museum appreciators, professionals, entrepreneurs, artists and collectors. This group will expand our community outside the museum walls through a series of pop-up events designed to connect with living artists through PEM’s Present Tense Initiative, led by Curator Trevor Smith. We will also host innovative events and curator-led tours at the museum. We anticipate three pop-ups per year and one annual museum based event. Please contact Alexandra_Hoch@pem.org for more information.

Join a Visiting Committee
The Peabody Essex Museum Visiting Committees are a select group of East India Marine Associates, at the Directors Circle and above, with a particular interest in a curatorial area. For those that want to get to know a particular collection area or curator better, and contribute to the department goals, the Visiting Committee is designed for you. These groups act as ambassadors of the museum, and their committee, to grow this community of dedicated individuals. Please contact Bronwyn_McCarty@pem.org for more information.

Come to PEMreads
PEMreads is the museum’s official book club that meets four times per year. The books relate to PEM’s mission or upcoming exhibitions and always include refreshments and lively conversation. Please contact membership@pem.org for more information.

Come to our openings
We are committed to creating transformative experiences of art, culture and other forms of creative expression that encourage exploration, discovery and wonder. Achieving this mission requires constant innovation and creativity illustrated by PEM’s worldwide leadership in using information drawn from the neurosciences to help create more meaningful and impactful art experiences.

Our changing exhibitions are the cornerstone of creating meaningful art experiences, including:

• PEM organized for PEM presentation only
• PEM Organized Traveling Shows
• Externally organized shows taken by PEM
• Co-Organized shows presented by PEM and our co-organizing partners

Attend our Public Programs

2. What are the areas of focus of the current campaign, PEM Connect?

The $650M PEM Connect Campaign is conceived as a catalyst for making a material difference in your lives and that of your children and grandchildren and generations to come as well as impacting the lives of millions of people worldwide through PEM exhibitions, publications and myriad other programs. The four components of this campaign are:

1. A Strong Endowment
2. Gallery Expansion Project: New Wing of three floors of gallery space
3. New Collection Center
4. New Installations of Collections

We constructed the new museum building because we did not have sufficient space to share selections of works from all of our finest collections. This project was completed and open to the public in September 2019. The Gallery Expansion Project added 40,000 gross square feet to the main PEM facility. It includes 15,000 square feet of Class A galleries, a light-filled atrium, an entry for school and group tours, linkages to existing galleries and a beautiful new garden. New installations and experiences are on view throughout the museum for virtually all of our collections. These installations are exciting and unique. Together, they provide an entirely new PEM experience.

3. What is Planned Giving?

The Peabody Essex Museum is grateful to those patrons and friends who consider making provisions for the museum in their estate plans. There are many ways a planned gift to the museum can be mutually beneficial to the donor and the institution. We are happy to work with you, your family and your advisor to answer questions about plans and help explore scenarios that could provide income for life, favorable tax advantages and other opportunities for you and people you wish to provide for. Please contact Bronwyn McCarty at 978-542-1628 or Bronwyn_McCarty@pem.org for more information.