DIGITAL IRIDESCENCE: JELL-O IN NEW MEDIA

Invented in

1897, Jell-o, with all its rubbery, sugary, quivery, animal carcassderived weirdness, has been delighting children — and vexing parents — for more than a century. I would never have guessed an exhibition based on its cultural import would be possible, but here we are: At the Museum of Fine Arts, video works by five artists uses its slippery, gelatinous properties “to consider the sanctified social constructs of health, beauty, consumption, metamorphosis, performance, and ritual.” Through March 24. Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 465 Huntington Ave. 617-267-9300, www.mfa.org

GIO SWABY: FRESH UP

A quiltmaker with a thoroughly contemporary vision for the medium, Swaby, who is in her early 30s, makes portraits of the women in her immediate social circle with fabric, needle, and thread. With a tender gesture of care, Swaby also subverts the perception of the medium as utilitarian craft, as she imbues it with deeply personal, emotional value and a desire to be seen on her own terms. Through Nov. 26. Peabody Essex Museum, 161 Essex St., Salem. 978-745-9500, www.pem.org.

HISTORICAL IMAGINARY

Emmanuel Leutze’s incomplete study of his iconic 1851 painting “Washington Crossing the Delaware” is the impetus for this exhibition, which assembles both contemporary and historical works to help illustrate how selective and subjective most official accounts of American history have been. Through Nov. 12. Hood Museum of Art At Dartmouth College, 6 East Wheelock St., Hanover, N.H. 603-646-2808, hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu

MURRAY WHYTE