BOSTON, MASS.- The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum announces the launch of an exciting new blog, Inside the Collection, bringing visitors illuminating stories of hidden treasures from the Museum’s archives and collection.

The blog’s launch comes during the Museum’s temporary closure to the public in response to COVID-19 concerns, and will be a welcomed resource for visitors looking to learn more and experience the beauty of the Museum’s artwork and history while its doors are closed.

New entries written by the Museum’s curators, conservators, and experts are posted every week.

“In the spirit of continuing to share ways to experience the Museum from home, I’m thrilled to announce the launch of Inside the Collection,” said Peggy Fogelman, the Museum’s Norma Jean Calderwood Director. “The Gardner Museum is a treasure trove of so many fantastic stories and bits of history, many unknown to our visiting public until now. This was a labor of love for our Collections team, curators, and others around the Museum. I’m so excited to share it, and hope it provides some enjoyable reading while we’re all staying home.”

Inside the Collection launched with a selection of six different stories, each detailing moments of discovery--like archival material commemorating Isabella Stewart Gardner’s attendance at the 1897 unveiling of the Civil War Memorial on the Boston Common. The sculpture pays homage to Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts, a regiment of Black citizens, and celebrates the talents of sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, for whom Gardner was an important patron. Highlights also include a feature on the Museum’s first caretaker and protector, Teobaldo “Bolgi” Travi and a deep dive into Gardner’s commissioned Minton tea cup with gold embossed letters, spelling “Isabella”, recently restored in the Museum’s Conservation Lab.

The blog features original text, audio, and video content, including a beautiful, high-energy performance by All Ready, the Museum’s Choreographers-in-Residence from South Korea who created a Spanish-style dance inspired by the Museum’s El Jaleo, painted by John Singer Sargent.

“The Gardner’s remarkable collection offers infinite perspectives on the art of the past and its relevance today. While we are lucky enough to house 20,000 objects, most visitors are familiar only with our masterpieces. This new and exciting resource allows art lovers to go deeper, to discover the overlooked, the funny, strange, and fascinating objects that make our museum such a unique place. Many of their stories are revealed here for the first time,” said Nathaniel Silver, William and Lia Poorvu Curator of the Collection. “With the new blog, we can also offer a virtual window into the fascinating life and times of Isabella Stewart Gardner. We’re excited to share this resource with the public so they can explore the full richness of her life, collection, and legacy.”