Upcoming Events

Drop by the Cooke House & Legacy Gardens to watch this living exhibit prepare for its winter hibernation, chat with a Museum Educator about historical horticulture, take a guided tour of the house and gardens, and enjoy a simple garden-inspired take-home craft. Weather permitting. Drop in. $5 donation suggested.

The Museum’s archives hold thousands of documents, postcards, maps, photographs, and other ephemera, safely housed in climate-controlled storage, with only a few examples used in temporary exhibitions. The stories they tell are the stories of Martha’s Vineyard: nuanced, complicated, romantic, colorful, and challenging. Join MVM Research Librarian Bow Van Riper as he takes you behind the scenes and introduces artifacts that seldom see the light of day and the fascinating stories that they hold. MVM Members: Free; Non-Members: $5. To…

If you’ve ever wanted to dig deep into the story of this island with the help of an expert guide, our six-week Introduction to Martha’s Vineyard History, taught by MVM Research Librarian Bow Van Riper, is the perfect place to begin. The course includes college-level lectures, artifact study, gallery visits, and more. Thursdays, September 15 - October 27, 2022. No Class on Thursday, October 13. This course is at capacity. To join the waitlist, click here.    

The MV Museum has a trove of now-historic cookbooks on its shelves, each one emblematic of the Island’s communities - you probably have a few like them at home! But food fashions change over time, and what was once a great dish to serve at a dinner party may not please the palate today. Are these old cookbooks doomed to sit unused on the shelf forever? Definitely not! Join us for a quick primer on how to read vintage recipes…

One hundred years ago, Edgartown summer resident Emily Post published a book that would shape our society: Etiquette. To celebrate the publication of the centennial edition - updated for the world of today - join her great-great-granddaughter Lizzie Post, co-president of the Emily Post Foundation, to meet the very real woman behind the cultural phenomenon, someone who was much more than just manners. Lizzie will share insight into Emily Post’s life, her love of Martha’s Vineyard, and her inspiration for…

Old Island gravestones (for people and chickens) feature creepy art and grim poetry. Visit originals in the gallery for inspiration, then make your own clay gravestone to engrave with spooky art!  Pre-registration is required. Fee includes Museum admission and all materials. Best for ages 13-17.  MVM Members: $15; Non-Members: $20. To register, click here.

Drop by the Cooke House & Legacy Gardens to watch this living exhibit prepare for its winter hibernation, chat with a Museum Educator about historical horticulture, take a guided tour of the house and gardens, and enjoy a simple garden-inspired take-home craft. Weather permitting. Drop in. $5 donation suggested.

The old burying grounds of Martha’s Vineyard are full of beautiful and unique gravestones commemorating Islanders of the past. What’s the significance of the urn or the rising sun? Why are some stones legible and others not? And what about those strange poems? Join special guest tour guide Liz Villard, Edgartown Cemetery Commissioner, to explore three of her favorite graveyards and let the stones speak for themselves on these historic and decidedly not-spooky walking tours. Thursday, October 13, 2:30pm: Old…