KNIGHTS! A first step in the long-term integration of the Higgins Armory’s collection into Worcester Art Museum, this exhibition places a selection of European, Asian, African, Middle Eastern, Indian, and ancient arms and armor in the context of related works of art. Worcester Art Museum, Worcester. 508-799-4406, www.worcesterart.org
NICK CAVE Deliriously colorful and brilliantly constructed “Soundsuits” — part sculpture, part avant-garde fashion, part political statement — and several kitschy assemblages and wall sculptures by the inventive Chicago-based artist. Through May 4. Institute of Contemporary Art. 617-478-3100, www.icaboston.org
QUILTS AND COLOR Nearly 60 quilts from The Pilgrim/Roy Collection, accumulated over five decades by artists Paul Pilgrim and Gerald Roy, with an emphasis on works that chime with 20th-century aesthetics. Through July 27. Museum of Fine Arts. 617-267-9300, www.mfa.org
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SNEAKER MUSEUM PRESENTS: ART FOR YOUR FEET Inviting children to reimagine how they view sneakers and art. May 3 through June 22. Boston Children’s Museum. 617-426-6500, www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org
ROMARE BEARDEN: A BLACK ODYSSEY The great African-American artist’s take, in watercolor and collage, on Homer’s Odyssey, with black protagonists. Through Aug. 17. Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, N.H. 603-669-6144, www.currier.org
MACHINES AND MECHANIZATIONS: EXPLORATIONS IN CONTEMPORARY KINETIC SCULPTURE A survey of sculpture with moving (and often audible) parts, including work by Kim Bernard, Christ Fitch, Erica von Schilgen, and Mark Davis. Through June 1. Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton. 508-588-6000, fullercraft.org
CHRIS BURDEN: THE MASTER BUILDER A near-complete overview of the inimitable California artist’s small-scale erector set bridges, to mark the unveiling of a major sculpture by Burden outside the museum’s entrance. Through June 8. Rose Art Museum, Waltham. 781-736-3434, www.brandeis.edu/rose
JEFFU WARMOUTH: NO MORE FUNNY STUFF A mid-career retrospective of the Massachusetts artist, who favors parody, puns, and absurdist humor. Through June 1. Fitchburg Art Museum, Fitchburg. 978-345-4207, www.fitchburgartmuseum.org.
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JOHN BISBEE: NEW BLOOMS Large scale, floral-inspired sculptures made from twisted and welded nails by Bisbee, a sculptor in residence at Bowdoin College in Maine. Through May 26. Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vt. 802-985-3346, www.shelburnemuseum.org
5000 MOVING PARTS A display of recent kinetic art by five artists — Arthur Gansom, Anne Lilly, John Douglas Powers, Takis, and Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, in collaboration with sound artist Christina Campanella. Through Nov. 30. MIT Museum. 617-253-5927, mit.edu/museum
Sebastian Smee can be reached at ssmee@globe.com.