Sensory Friendly Mornings

Every month, May through October, we invite the community into the Museum before regular opening hours to view special exhibitions at the Pizzagalli Center for Art and Education in a light and sound adjusted environment. This program for children, teens, and adults alike is designed to offer a positive museum-going experience for visitors with varying sensory processing differences.

These materials include a social narrative guide, sensory conditions guide, physical accessibility guide, and communication aid. Additionally, a limited number of noise-cancelling headphones, fidget toys, and a private sitting room will be available for participant use. Materials will be sent prior to events. If you have any questions or need them sooner for planning, please do not hesitate to email us, ZWR1Y2F0aW9uIHwgc2hlbGJ1cm5lbXVzZXVtICEgb3Jn.

Please register through Eventbrite, phone 802-985-0924, or ZWR1Y2F0aW9uIHwgc2hlbGJ1cm5lbXVzZXVtICEgb3Jn. Registration will be capped at 40 participants to help maintain a sensory-friendly environment for visitors.

For questions, please contact ZWR1Y2F0aW9uIHwgc2hlbGJ1cm5lbXVzZXVtICEgb3Jn

Each Sensory-Friendly Morning begins in one focused location, but participants are also able to explore the grounds and a selection of Museum buildings prior to Museum open hours.

This exhibition celebrates 27 years of collaboration between Higher Ground, design studio Solidarity of Unbridled Labour, and printmakers from Iskra. Together, they created gig posters that memorialize Vermont’s vibrant music scene, transforming fleeting moments into enduring works of art that evoke nostalgia and celebrate the interplay of sound, community, and design.

Featured Indigenous artists merge sound and textile design to create interactive works that explore the connections between humans and the nonhuman world. Through layered cultural meanings, their art bridges tradition and contemporary expression.

Black and white photography captures a rare “Blue Sky” outdoor performance by the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus in 1972, when wet grounds prevented the Big Top tent from going up at the Bousquet ski area near Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Permanent Collection

The Circus Building and carousel are favorite attractions for families visiting Shelburne Museum. The fanciful, horseshoe-shaped Circus Building was specifically designed to showcase the hand-carved miniature Arnold Circus Parade, which stretches nearly the full length of the building’s 518 feet. The Circus Building is also where you will find enchanting, hand-painted carousel figures—horses, tigers, giraffes, and more—made by the renowned Gustav Dentzel Carousel Company.

Also check out other Exhibitions in Shelburne, Arts events in Shelburne, Music events in Shelburne.