PEM presents documentary shorts exhibition as part of Salem 400+

Beyond the Broom: Salem Short Films
On view March 28, 2026–August 2027

SALEM, MA — The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) presents Beyond the Broom: Salem Short Films, an exhibition featuring more than 60 short documentaries by local filmmakers that illuminate the people, places and traditions that define Salem beyond its widely known witch trials history. The exhibition, curated by PEM Associate Curator Lan Morgan, is part of Salem 400+, the citywide commemoration of Salem’s quadricentennial in 2026.

Produced over the course of more than seven years for presentation at the Salem Film Fest, these mini-documentaries — created by Perry Hallinan, Joe Cultrera and many other local and visiting filmmakers — capture everyday moments and community traditions, from neighborhood businesses and breakfast counters to longstanding cultural gatherings such as the annual Black Picnic at Salem Willows. Together, the films offer an intimate, community-centered portrait of Salem as lived and experienced by its residents.

Beyond the Broom foregrounds lesser-known stories that have shaped the city across generations. For longtime residents, the films may spark nostalgia; for new residents and visitors, they offer insight into Salem’s vibrant communities, evolving neighborhoods and rich social fabric. Collectively, the exhibition affirms a Salem whose identity extends far beyond its witch trials history — one rooted in creativity, resilience and everyday life.

As part of Salem 400+, Beyond the Broom contributes to a broader effort to reflect on Salem’s 400-year history while honoring the preexisting Indigenous community and engaging with the city’s present and future. PEM’s participation in Salem 400+ includes exhibitions, public programs, guided learning opportunities and in-school workshops.

“Beyond the Broom exemplifies the spirit of Salem 400+ by elevating community stories that are deeply local, profoundly human and essential to understanding Salem today,” said Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, PEM’s Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Executive Director and CEO. “These up-close-and-personal images of Salem reflect PEM’s commitment to honoring both the depth of Salem’s past and the voices shaping its future. We are grateful to these community filmmakers for encouraging our attention to what makes this city a special place to live and work.”

Additional Salem 400+ Offerings  

• Throughout 2026, PEM will showcase several ongoing exhibitions focused on Salem history, including Salem Stories; The Salem Witch Trials 1692; and an ambitious new installation of PEM’s original exhibition building, East India Marine Hall.
   
• 2026 also marks the continued commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. On May 2,  PEM will open Pressing Importance: Salem and the Declaration of Independence, a new exhibition about Salem printer and publisher Ezekiel Russell’s role in circulating the Declaration of Independence. Materials are drawn exclusively from PEM’s Phillips Library, one of the oldest research libraries in the country.
   
• In the summer of 2026, bootmaker and artist Sarah Madeleine T. Guerin will embark 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 creativity and storytelling. Guerin will demonstrate traditional shoemaking techniques in the historic structures and share the distinctive footwear-making legacies of Massachusetts and their ongoing contemporary impact. This undertaking connects to the nationwide Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026 initiative and links PEM’s historic properties to our collection of footwear, which is the largest of its kind in the nation.
   
• Through guided and self-guided walking tours, PEM is pleased to activate its downtown Salem campus, which is recognized as a Level II Arboretum and features more than a dozen historic properties. In October, PEM will offer its Haunted Histories experience, which provides evening access to several of the museum’s historic houses.
   
• A series of curator talks will offer a deep dive into each century of Salem’s history to provide new insights into personal stories and narratives connected to works of art.
   
• In-school programs and afterschool workshops will be tailored to Salem's past, present and future throughout the year, as will all of PEM’s recurring Learning and Community Engagement programs. 

SALEM FILM FEST | March 26–29 
Since 2007, Salem Film Fest (SFF) has brought the world's best independent documentaries and their makers to the North Shore. Going into its 19th year, this celebration of documentary filmmaking presents a diverse collection of the year’s best work from all over the world. The Fest will take place March 26–29 at three local venues: Cinema Salem, the Peabody Essex Museum and the National Park Service Visitor Center. Enjoy three days of in-person screenings at PEM, plus filmmaker Q&As, parties and other special events around town. The official film lineup and schedule will be shared soon on the Salem Film Fest website. This festival is made possible by volunteers from the Salem Community Arts Center, Inc. PEM is proud to be the presenting sponsor of Salem Film Fest 2026.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow along and share your experience on social media using #BeyondtheBroom

PUBLICITY IMAGES
Publicity images available upon request.

IMAGE CREDITS

• Joe Cultrera, Steve’s, 2017. Perry Hallinan, Fish Biology 323, 2017. Joe Cultrera, Under the B, 2014. Laura Corwin and Joe Cultrera, Unamusement Park, 2015. Joe Cultrera and Perry Hallinan, Polar Plunge, 2013. Courtesy of the Filmmakers
   
• Michele Felice Cornè and Samuel Bartoll, East India Marine Society Sign, 1803. Oil on canvas. Museum commission, 1803. M235. Peabody Essex Museum

SPONSORS 
Beyond the Broom: Salem Short Films is organized by the Peabody Essex Museum. The exhibition is supported by the Exhibition Innovation Fund with generous contributions from Jennifer and Andrew Borggaard; James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes; the Creighton Family; Chip and Susan Robie; Karla and Jeff Kaneb; Timothy T. Hilton; and an anonymous donor. Additional support is provided by the East India Marine Associates of the Peabody Essex Museum.

ABOUT THE PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM 
Founded in 1799, the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, is the country’s oldest continuously operating museum. PEM provides thought-provoking experiences of the arts, humanities and sciences to celebrate the creative achievements and potential of people across time, place and culture. By connecting people through inquiry, empathy and dialogue, PEM encourages an understanding of our shared humanity and fosters a sense of belonging in a complex, ever-changing world. We build, steward and share our superlative collection, which includes African, American, Asian Export, Chinese, contemporary, Japanese, Korean, maritime, Native American, Oceanic and South Asian art, as well as architecture, fashion and textiles, photography, natural history and one of the nation’s most important museum-based collections of rare books and manuscripts. PEM offers a varied and unique visitor experience, with hands-on creativity zones, interactive opportunities and performance spaces. The museum’s campus, which offers numerous gardens and green spaces, is an accredited arboretum and features more than a dozen noted historic structures, including Yin Yu Tang, a 200-year-old Chinese home that is the only example of Chinese domestic architecture in the United States.

ABOUT SALEM 400+ 
Salem 400+ is a citywide, year-long commemoration marking the 400th anniversary of Salem’s settlement in 1626. The initiative honors the preexisting Indigenous community while exploring the opportunities and connections of Salem’s multifaceted history. Through exhibitions, programs, public art, educational initiatives, and community-driven projects, Salem 400+ engages residents and visitors alike in reflecting on the city’s past and envisioning a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable future for generations to come. For PEM’s full slate of Salem 400+ exhibitions and programs, visit pem.org/salem400 and follow along using #Salem400.

MEDIA CONTACTS
Amelia Kantrovitz | PEM Publicist | amelia_kantrovitz@pem.org | 617-794-4964
Kristen Levesque | PEM Publicist | kristen_levesque@pem.org | 207-329-3090