Make the holidays meaningful at MAG: exhibitions, shopping, artmaking, and more
Rochester, NY, November 19, 2025—This holiday season, the Memorial Art Gallery (MAG) invites the Rochester community to celebrate the spirit of the season surrounded by art and creativity. From world-class exhibitions and family art-making workshops to shopping handcrafted local works in the museum store, MAG offers countless ways to make the holidays meaningful and memorable.
Shop local, gift artfully
THE STORE @ MAG offers a curated collection of artful gifts, jewelry, home décor, and more from regional and national artists. To make holiday shopping easier, the Store will be open for extra shopping days on Tuesdays, December 9, 16, and 23, from 11:00 am–5:00 pm. Shop small on Small Business Saturday (November 29) and Museum Store Sunday (November 30). No museum admission is necessary to explore the store—plus, gift wrapping is available!
Holiday Sip & Shop (December 12)
Celebrate the season at MAG with half-price admission from 5:00–8:00 pm and a festive Holiday Sip & Shop Night on Friday, December 12. Enjoy live holiday jazz, special seasonal cocktails, and shopping in THE STORE @ MAG. Browse art-inspired gifts and work by local artists, enjoy dinner or festive cocktail specials at Brown Hound Downtown, and explore the galleries—including the major new exhibition Frontiers of Impressionism: Paintings from the Worcester Art Museum. A guided tour of wintry artworks in the collection will be offered from 6:00–7:00 pm, making this a cozy evening of art, shopping, and holiday cheer.
Explore new exhibitions
Visitors can immerse themselves in the exhibition Frontiers of Impressionism: Paintings from the Worcester Art Museum, on view through March 1, 2026. The exhibition brings together fifty-two works by more than thirty artists—including Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Mary Cassatt, and John Singer Sargent—charting the evolution of Impressionism from its origins in France to its influence across Europe and America. A stroll through the exhibition is the perfect quiet, reflective escape during the busy holiday season.
Make art as a family
Families or individuals can get creative on Saturday, December 13, with two festive art-making workshops at the Creative Workshop. In the morning session, (9:30–11:30 am), participants can spell out joy, names, or holiday wishes using custom Scrabble tiles. Later that afternoon, Felt Holiday Ornaments (1:00–3:00 pm) invites families to stitch, stuff, and decorate handmade felt ornaments—perfect for the tree or for gifting. Learn more and register here.
Give the gift of unlimited art
This holiday season, give the gift of art all year long with a Memorial Art Gallery gift membership. Gift memberships unlock unlimited access to 13,000+ works of art spanning 5,000 years. Members enjoy free admission year-round, 50% off guest passes, discounts and priority registration in the Creative Workshop, 10% discounts at THE STORE @ MAG and Brown Hound Downtown, plus invitations to exclusive events. Gift packets can be sent directly to the recipient or to the buyer for wrapping. Order by December 1 to ensure holiday delivery and give a gift that brings inspiration all year long.
About the Memorial Art Gallery
The Memorial Art Gallery showcases art from antiquity to the present day, including the outdoor public Centennial Sculpture Park. In addition to its permanent collection, MAG offers a year-round schedule of special exhibitions, lectures, concerts, tours, after-hours social events, and family activities. Learn more at mag.rochester.edu
Press contact: Paige Engard, Marketing & PR Specialist: 585.474.7695 / pengard@mag.rochester.edu
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Photo 1: Celebrate the holiday season at the Memorial Art Gallery with seasonal classes, shopping, exhibitions, and more!