Peabody Essex Museum celebrates opening of a new, $125m wing

Guests visit a new exhibit in the recently opened new wing at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. Bob Packert

The Peabody Essex Museum threw open its doors over the weekend to mark the opening of its newest wing, attracting thousands to explore the 40,000-square-foot addition.

Offering free admission Saturday and Sunday, the Salem museum held a public opening celebration, complete with live music and art-making. The $125 million expansion, designed by New York’s Ennead Architects, will provide a new school group entrance, three new galleries, an atrium, and a garden; with the wing’s opening, the Peabody Essex Museum is now considered one of the country’s largest museums to be located outside of a major metropolitan area.

Notable attendees included state Senator Joan B. Lovely, state Representative Paul F. Tucker, and Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll.