Griffin Photography Museum

attended a wedding at this venue
it’s a small museum that’s located in a house. there is a pretty pond in the back, with an old water mill. You can see swans swimming the pond.
based on my experience, if you’re looking to book a wedding here, it’s perfect for around 70 people tops. Enough room for a bar setup and tables and a dance floor. Staff was super nice and attentive, everything was done as requested and any issues were addressed right away.
It was nice to have the gallery photographs on the walls, even in the bathrooms!

I had my wedding at the Griffin Museum in July of 2010. It was absolutely amazing. I stumbled upon the museum randomly on a message board while trying to find unique, but inexpensive, locations for a wedding. It was perfect – the outdoor areas are great for a small ceremony, the staff is incredibly friendly, and the building itself is beautiful. Our ceremony had about 40 guests, but I could have seen it holding up to about 20 more easily, with room for dancing – we had a buffet, so that took up a little space. If you are looking for an affordable, unique place to have a fantastic wedding, this is it.
I have to contend with the GR D review, however. While I am sorry that their wedding was not as perfect as they had hoped, I don’t see much of it being the museum’s fault. 1) I actually was at the museum two days before their wedding (randomly) to view it and make my reservation. I was well-​aware that you take a chance with a museum like this in, perhaps, not getting the exhibit you desire scheduled during your wedding weekend. But they know the schedule well-​ahead of time. I find it hard to believe that they randomly had these photos up, without anyone knowing beforehand. The schedule is posted on the website. The museum was even trying to cover some of the photos for that wedding. Again, I know it was a little bothersome to have those photos up, but really, a wedding requires planning and questions – and sometimes a venue might not be the right fit. 2) The museum’s policies (that the wedding party, be it bride, groom, parents, etc) must read and sign CLEARLY state that the museum closes at 11:00pm and that all cleanup, disassembly, etc must be completed by that time. It was your responsibility, along with the caterer, to know the rules. 3) if the man did tell you that the commuter rail was running, that is poor. He should have known better. But did you not think to look at the transit schedule ahead of time to inform your guests??? I don’t want to sound antagonistic, but posting reviews like that give a poor light to a place that, in my mind, does not deserve it at ALL.
True, the Griffin does make it tight with setup not starting until 4pm. However, we started the ceremony at 5:30 and still had over 4 hours for drinks and a great reception (the last song wrapped up around 10:30 – as we scheduled). It’s all about choosing the right caterer, and if you are going to the Griffin, go with Green Olive. They know the place inside and out and do everything for you… they are affordable and have amazing food.

Arthur went all-​out when he built this place. Arthur Griffin — local photographer — always had a dream of creating his very own gallery. He would always have his camera ready — especially when golfing at the Winchester Cuntry Club. When this place was being built — Arthur was there to oversee it’s construction. He had a strong vision of what he wanted and fought tooth-​and-​nail for them to keep the building built as it was originally designed. Today, we have this gem — the Arthur Griffin Photography museum. Used to showcase art, public or private functions, or other local meetings, this place is simply gorgeous. A little awkward to get to, as it’s set on a one-​way street off a rotary, but at least parking is free! Check it out.

I actually did not explore this museum; but rather took a couple photography workshops. My instructor, Steve, was thorough, maybe too thorough! Both classes I attended ran over time.
My schedule is pretty hectic so I can only afford ones that only ran a few hours and not weeks on going. As much as I am not a morning person, I managed to get up wicked early for these morning workshops. Seriously, who likes to wake up around 6 in the morning on a weekend and drive an hr to class?
The prices are very reasonable as well. As a hobby, this suits well within budget.
After the classes, I still ain’t a pro but I gained an understanding of how use my camera off of P/​Auto modes. Practice is certainly the key to getting used to adjusting the settings to be picture perfect!

The space is beautiful – a house with weathered wood in a quiet place in a beautiful town. Wilmington has a sweet Main Street with lots of greenery and a small creek and lots of ponds; it really is a great spot for strolling after checking out the museum.
The museum is small, and there are no permanent exhibits. The quality of photography depends on what’s showing when you visit, so check ahead to get a sense. Like the other reviewers, I found my girlfriend and I to be the only ones there when we visited at 2:30 on a Sunday afternoon. There are three fairly small rooms, and an hour was plenty of time to take in all the photos on display.
The museum is a short drive from Cambridge – about 20 minutes from Harvard Square – but it’s definitely outside Boston and if feels like a destination. If Wilmington wasn’t charming, I might have felt like the museum wasn’t quite special enough. But the museum, and afterwards some time exploring the town, was a really sweet Sunday afternoon date and I’d recommend it to anyone.

Griffin museum has great photo exhibits. Arthur Griffin was a famous photographer.(look him up if you don’t believe me). He also had some famous photos of Ted Williams. Griffin Museum features displays of artwork and also hosts several lectures, events throughout the year., a recent event included the Dune shacks of Provincetown lecture and photo show. There are also private functions as well at the Griffin Museum. The Museum grounds itself are beautiful, any time of year, but esp spring and fall. Situated right on Judkins Pond… Check out the cool Water Wheel in the back of the building. its a neat museum. One of the coolest in Boston.

As a museum, I would give it 5 stars. As a wedding reception venue, I give it 3. To clarify, the drop in stars has nothing to do with the Museum itself, but rather with some of the policies and procedures involved with renting the Griffin Photography Museum for a private event.
We picked this place for several reasons:
— My husband (it sounds so strange calling him that) is a photography buff.
— We spend a lot of time at the Middlesex Fells in Winchester and actually got engaged there.
— The building and the grounds are beautiful.
— It’s only about 10 miles from Boston.
— It is a unique wedding reception venue.
When you rent the Museum you are told you have it from 4pm until 11pm. That sounds like a tremendous amount of time. That is, until you are told (well after you’ve signed the agreement) that your vendors cannot arrive and start setting up until after 4pm.
The Museum is actually open to the public until 4pm. Although every time I have been there as a Museum guest, I have been the ONLY person in the place, they refuse to budge on anyone arriving earlier.
They won’t even let anyone in the kitchen before 4pm, which is nowhere near the gallery. That means all deliveries, table set up, bar set up, music set up, and food prep cannot begin until after 4pm. That also means your party likely can’t start until at least 6pm.
On top of the fact that you lose at least a couple of hours up front, you also lose an hour on the back end. The 11pm cut-​off means everything has to be cleaned up by the caterer, and everyone has to be out of the building by 11. The take this seriously. Very seriously. So seriously in fact, that someone from the Museum staff abruptly turned the lights on at 10pm sharp putting a distinct end to the party.
So, that stuff wasn’t ideal but we had a great time. The venue is gorgeous. It’s very unique, with a high ceiling great for sound, terrific photography on the walls, and on beautiful grounds on a picturesque lake. We had a terrific wedding reception there and we do not regret having chosen this spot.

This photo museum/​gallery was commissioned by the slightly eccentric Arthur Griffin in 1992. Dedicated to the promotion and appreciation of Modern Photography, you would never know this building was constructed top to bottom less than 20 years ago. It’s got this huge red water wheel on the back which I love, and overlooks a nice little pond. It’s a nice way to spend a rainy afternoon.
The art is usually created by local artist, and they do a great deal of collaboration with art focused youth programs.
Hells yeah…