5 things to do this weekend, including 'Framing Freedom' at Boston Athenaeum and an ICA play date

You can still hunt for eggs this Easter weekend, but no need to hunt for ways to spend your weekend. Take a page from my family’s playbook: you don’t have to celebrate Easter to treat yourself to brunch this Sunday. But even if omelet stations and French toast with salted caramel anglaise aren’t your thing, you can still enjoy a fun weekend outing. From a collection of animated shorts directed by women from around the world to a historical exhibit about the abolitionist movement in Beacon Hill, here are a few recommendations for ways to fill your weekend.

Symphony Hall will welcome a new face to the stage as Venezuelan conductor Domingo Hindoyan makes his BSO debut. There will be another first as the orchestra plays the American premiere of Roberto Sierra’s Symphony No. 6 “Reflexión urbana,” which was co-commissioned by the BSO. Pair that with Dvorak’s Symphony No. 7, and you have a lively program. Tickets for Thursday night’s show start at $35 and slightly increase for Friday and Saturday’s performances. Friday’s show will be a matinee with a preview talk starting at 12:15 p.m. and the performance beginning at 1:30 p.m. [Check out our spring guide for more classical music recommendations.]

Here’s something for the history buffs. Abolitionist Harriet Bell Hayden escaped enslavement with her husband and son in 1844. They left Lexington, Kentucky and by 1849 they settled in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. Hayden and her family spoke out against slavery, and in the early 1860s, fellow activists gifted her two photographic albums that are now the centerpiece of the exhibit at the Boston Athenaeum. Together, the albums feature 87 small portraits of abolitionists and activists. The exhibition has paired these albums with other objects from the anti-slavery movement in Boston and provides a fascinating look inside our local history. Timed entry costs $10 and the Athenaeum regularly holds curator-led gallery talks, including one this Saturday at noon.

The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston is free for families with children ages 12 and under on Saturday, and there are a few activities children of all ages can enjoy. Wu Tsang’s large-scale, audio-visual installation “Of Whales” is on display, and the museum will host a water-themed activity inspired by Tsang’s work. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Art Lab will have materials for visitors to paint patterns on paper and turn them into shapes such as jellyfish and other sea creatures. There will also be two storytime sessions, one at 11 a.m. and another at 1 p.m., with stories read by museum staff. There’s also a family friendly gallery talk at noon and 2 p.m. on Guadalupe Maravilla’s “Mariposa Relámpago Retablo,” which was at the ICA last year.

There’s been an effort throughout recent years to get more women into directing roles, and progress has been slow in Hollywood. For more than a decade, MergingArts Productions has put together a program of short animated films directed by women. This year’s collection includes stop motion, traditional animation as well as computer generated images and hybrid styles of films. The 90-minute screening will feature 12 shorts representing 10 countries on three continents and range from two to 15 minutes. Two of the films are Latvian director Indra Sproģe's "Introduction to Epilogue" about the fear of death, and Russian director Galina Golubeva's "Millions of Scarlet Roses" about a man falling head over heels for a woman who in turn only loves flowers.  “WomAnimation!” will begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday at MassArt. The event is free and open to the public.

The artist Beau McCall works in a medium that’s visual and often wearable: buttons. Working since the 1980s, McCall has had success in New York City fashion and television. Many of his works are everyday items covered in buttons. There’s a hat, a pair of shorts and even a bathtub, all entirely bejeweled – or perhaps “be-buttoned.” The themes of the show are “Buttons on the Body,” “Buttons on the Mind,” “Buttons on the Soul” and “Buttons Off.” This exhibit at Fuller Craft Museum is McCall’s first retrospective. An opening reception will be held on Saturday from 3 to 6 p.m., and spaces at a 4 p.m. artist talk with McCall will be filled on a first-come, first-seated basis. Admission to Fuller Craft Museum is free. [Explore the rest of our spring art exhibit recommendations here.]