Art Lover’s Tour: Venice Biennale “In Minor Keys”

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You are invited to leisurely explore the beauty of Venice with MAG Director Sarah Jesse. Settle into the rhythm of the water from the moment you arrive, beginning with a warm welcome, an orientation walk, and an opening dinner that sets the tone for a richly layered week of art, history, and discovery. Guided by local experts, the itinerary moves through Venice’s artistic and civic foundations, from early Renaissance treasures to intimate neighborhoods where art, architecture, and daily life have long been intertwined.

Contemporary creativity comes vividly into focus through multiple visits to the Venice Biennale, including immersive exhibitions at the Arsenale. At the Giardini, admire carefully selected national pavilions that reflect today’s global artistic voices. The experience is enriched by a rare, hands-on encounter, admiring the works of master costume makers at Nicolao Atelier. Journeys across the lagoon reveal Venice’s deeper origins, with a serene day on Torcello centered on Byzantine mosaics and a garden lunch at Locanda Cipriani, followed by Murano’s glassmaking heritage. An excursion beyond the lagoon brings the group to Padua, a historic university city renowned for its fresco cycles, scientific legacy, and enduring role in the intellectual life of northern Italy. Enjoy a final day of museum highlights and further Biennale exploration before a celebratory farewell dinner that brings the week to a memorable close.

Register by August 31, 2026, to secure your spot!

Tour Highlights

The program is enhanced by the participation of Memorial Art Gallery Director Sarah Jesse, who will accompany the group and contribute actively to the program’s discussions

Experience the Venice Biennale at its historic core, from the national pavilions of the Giardini della Biennale to the monumental Arsenale, where vast former shipyards provide a dramatic setting for large-scale contemporary works

Complete the Biennale journey at Forte Marghera, the exhibition’s newest venue, where contemporary art unfolds within a reclaimed military complex on the Venetian mainland

Visit Venice’s Jewish Quarter, the world’s first ghetto established in 1516, which offers a quietly powerful encounter with layered history and enduring cultural resilience

Admire the works of costume makers at the Nicolao Atelier

Explore the islands of Torcello, San Giorgio Maggiore and Murano, where we trace centuries of glassmaking traditions

Enjoy an excursion to Padua, a historic university city founded in Roman antiquity and renowned for Giotto’s Scrovegni Chapel, the University of Padua where Galileo taught, and a humanist urban fabric that shaped the course of Western art and science

Optional: Mask making workshop at San Marco 596, offering a hands-on connection to one of Venice’s most enduring traditions

Admire cultural institutions including the newly opened San Marco Art Center and the Querini Stampalia Foundation, housed in a historic Venetian...