PEMcast Peabody Essex Museum

In Part 2 of this episode about William Bentley, join curators and experts as we continue looking at the remarkable and storied life this popular polymath, collector, and diarist. Bentley was a consultant on the founding of the Peabody Essex Museum and an influencer, shaping Salem to be the city it is today.

This episode of the PEMcast looks at the life and legacy of Reverend William Bentley who chronicled his busy days as a clergyman from 1784 to 1819 with an unmatched dedication and flourish. We know so much about Salem, Massachusetts and its quirky history in part because of this meticulous diary keeping. We explore Bentley's living quarters and his vast collection of objects, as well as the more grand home next door and a piece of its dark history. Come with us on this romp through time, place and the mind of a total polymath.

Bats have an interesting association with Salem, a place that celebrates Halloween pretty much year round. We’re used to seeing multiple versions of Dracula around town. But a small colony of live Egyptian fruit bats living in a specially designed enclosure at the Peabody Essex Museum...that's something new. In this episode, we give much respect and appreciation to bats as vital living beings on the planet. Join host DInah Cardin, curator Jane Winchell and local artist Maia Mattson. The episode takes us foraging for plants in Salem, looking for bats in California and under a night sky in Maine.

In this epsisode of the PEMcast we go behind the scenes of PEM's latest Salem Witch Trials exhibition. We examine objects that belonged to the Salem Puritans and attempts to restore justice from the 17th century to today. 

As we anticipate the return of Pride to Salem, artists Bill Crisafi and Hogan McLaughlin are the featured guests on the PEMcast. They share with us their day-to-day creative collaborations and their compelling story of love.