Early in the 20th century, Albert Kahn, a French banker and philanthropist, saw a world on the verge of vast change, He financed a team of photographers and filmmakers to document humanity around the globe, to "fix once and for all, the look, practices, and modes of human activity whose fatal disappearance is just a question of time." By the time he died in 1940, notes writer Grace Linden at The Public Domain Review, Kahn had amassed a grand collection of more than 72,000 autochromes, the ethereal a precursor to modern color photography.

  Every three-day weekend counts and the continuing cold snap might tempt us to stay in. But consider hitting some exhibitions instead. This idea, thanks to MAD Museum (above), inspired a look at what’s happening around town.   Museum of Arts & Design [MAD Museum] is offering a range of shows and activities across the long weekend: • Explore the creative rewards of collaborative learning and working in Craft Front & Center: Conversation Pieces. • Mak...