MATTATUCK HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Programs
Community Educational Programs
EDUCATION IS CENTRAL TO THE MATTATUCK MUSEUM'S MISSION, FOSTERING LONG-TERM CONNECTIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY. OVER THE PAST YEAR, THE MUSEUM HAS FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING A VARIETY OF PUBLIC AND SCHOOL PROGRAMS THAT STRENGTHEN THIS RELATIONSHIP, PROVIDING TOUCHPOINTS THROUGHOUT VISITORS' LIVES, FROM BIRTH TO RETIREMENT. THE MUSEUM ENGAGES YOUTH, FAMILIES, SCHOOL CHILDREN, TEENAGERS, AND ADULTS WITH INNOVATIVE OFFERINGS. WHILE IT PRIMARILY SERVES THE RESIDENTS OF THE GREATER WATERBURY AREA, IT AIMS TO REACH AUDIENCES ACROSS WESTERN CONNECTICUT. THROUGH ITS EDUCATIONAL AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS, THE MUSEUM ASPIRES TO BE A DYNAMIC CENTER FOR LEARNING THROUGH ART AND HISTORY. THE MATTATUCK IS DEDICATED TO BEING A SAFE, ACCESSIBLE, AND ENJOYABLE DESTINATION FOR FAMILIES SEEKING ENRICHING EXPERIENCES TOGETHER. MANY CHILDREN AND FAMILIES LACK REGULAR ACCESS TO THE FINE ARTS, MAKING THE MUSEUM'S INITIATIVES ALL THE MORE IMPORTANT. PROGRAMS INCLUDE VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON K-12 SCHOOL TOURS, AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES, SELF-GUIDED GALLERY EXPLORATIONS, SCHOOL'S OUT OFFERINGS FOR HOLIDAYS, ART AND HISTORY PROGRAMS FOR HOMESCHOOLERS, COMMUNITY ART EXHIBITIONS, ACCESS PROGRAMS FOR DIVERSE AUDIENCES, FREE COMMUNITY DAYS, AND INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS. IN THE WAKE OF THE INITIAL COVID-19 PANDEMIC, THE MUSEUM HAS SUCCESSFULLY REBUILT ITS IN-PERSON EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, ADAPTING TO THE EVOLVING NEEDS AND PREFERENCES OF THE COMMUNITY. THE MATTATUCK TAKES PRIDE IN ITS LONGSTANDING PARTNERSHIP WITH WATERBURY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND HAS EXPANDED INTO NEIGHBORING DISTRICTS LIKE DANBURY, ANSONIA, BRIDGEPORT, BRISTOL, AND THOMASTON, SERVING APPROXIMATELY 17,000 STUDENTS AND YOUTH IN THE TWELVE MONTHS ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2024.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesOct 1, 2023 – Sep 30, 2024Source990No causes providedNo populations provided––Curatorial and Exhibition Initiatives
IT IS MY GREAT PLEASURE TO HIGHLIGHT THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE MATTATUCK MUSEUM CURATORIAL DEPARTMENT THIS PAST YEAR. THINGS CONTINUE TO BE BUSY AS WE PRESENT STRONG EXHIBITIONS, DEVELOP OUR COLLECTIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR COLLECTING PLAN, AND MEANINGFULLY ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY. IN STAFFING NEWS, NATALIE DEQUARTO, ASSISTANT CURATOR, LEFT THE MUSEUM IN FEBRUARY 2024. WHILE WE WERE SAD TO SEE HER GO, WE WERE HAPPY TO WELCOME BECCA LO PRESTI TO THE DEPARTMENT AS ASSISTANT CURATOR IN MAY OF 2024. WE ALSO GREW OUR STAFF. THIS YEAR, THE MATTATUCK WAS SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE THIRD COHORT OF THE ART BRIDGES FELLOWSHIP, AN INITIATIVE AIMED AT CREATING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FIELD FOR PEOPLE FROM HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS. JULIE FRANCOIS JOINED THE MATTATUCK AS ART BRIDGES FELLOW IN AUGUST 2024 FOR THIS THREE-YEAR FELLOWSHIP. WITH THESE TWO NEW HIRES, THE CURATORIAL DEPARTMENT IS NOW FIVE PEOPLE STRONG, ALSO INCLUDING WAYNE ELDRED, COLLECTIONS MANAGER/REGISTRAR, FRANCES MARTIN, ARCHIVIST/LIBRARIAN, AND KEFFIE FELDMAN, CHIEF CURATOR. THE MATTATUCK CONTINUES TO PRESENT A ROBUST AND ENGAGING EXHIBITION SCHEDULE THAT TELLS IMPORTANT STORIES WHILE REFLECTING OUR COMMUNITY. WE MOUNTED 14 UNIQUE EXHIBITIONS THIS FISCAL YEAR. MOST OF THESE SHOWS WERE INTERNALLY ORGANIZED, WHICH ALLOWS US TO TAILOR THEM TO PRESENT LOCAL ARTISTS, ENGAGE WITH RELEVANT TOPICS, AND RESPOND TO THE COMMUNITY. SEA CHANGE | SEE CHANGE (JANUARY 21 - MAY 19), FOR EXAMPLE, FEATURED SIX LOCAL ARTISTS WHOSE WORK ENGAGES WITH THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND ITS EFFECT ON THE OCEAN. EXHIBITIONS LIKE (RE)WORK IT WOMEN ARTISTS ON WOMEN'S LABOR (JANUARY 21 - MAY 19) AND STITCHING THE REVOLUTION: QUILTS AS AGENTS OF CHANGE (MAY 19 - AUGUST 25) DREW ON WORKS IN THE MATTATUCK COLLECTION AND SUPPLEMENTED WITH LOANS FROM OTHER INSTITUTIONS, GALLERIES, AND ARTISTS TO EXPLORE THEMES THAT RESONATE WITH OUR AUDIENCES AND SPEAK TO THE CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL AND POLITICAL MOMENT. SIGNIFICANTLY, STITCHING THE REVOLUTION RECEIVED A CONNECTICUT LEAGUE OF MUSEUMS 2024 AWARD OF MERIT FOR ITS "MELDING OF ART AND HISTORY, PAST AND PRESENT, WITH REAL POLITICAL STAKES." IN ADDITION TO THE LARGE-SCALE EXHIBITIONS WE ORGANIZE FOR CHANGING GALLERY SPACES, THIS PAST YEAR THE DEPARTMENT PRESENTED SEVERAL SMALLER INSTALLATIONS IN THE HISTORY AND UPSON GALLERIES. TO CELEBRATE THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF HUBBARD-HALL, A STALWART WATERBURY BUSINESS, FRANCES MARTIN ORGANIZED AN INSTALLATION ABOUT THE COMPANY'S HISTORY. MARTIN ALSO ORGANIZED A SPOTLIGHT EXHIBITION OF TED WILLIAMS EPHEMERA FROM A RECENT DONATION (M-124). TO HIGHLIGHT THE MATTATUCK'S SUCCESS IN PARTICIPATING IN MUSEUM EXCHANGE, A DIGITAL PLATFORM FOR ART DONATIONS, WE INSTALLED IN THE UPSON GALLERY SEVERAL RECENT WORKS ACQUIRED THROUGH THE PLATFORM. FINALLY, IN AUGUST 2024 THE MATTATUCK WELCOMED THREE GEORGIA O'KEEFFE PAINTINGS FOR A YEAR-LONG LOAN FROM THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART THROUGH ART BRIDGES' PARTNER LOAN NETWORK (PLN). THE SERIES, O'KEEFFE IN CONVERSATION, UNITES THE MATTATUCK MUSEUM'S COLLECTION WITH O'KEEFFE'S LIFE AND WORK THROUGH COMMON THEMES. THE FIRST PAIRING OF THIS SPOTLIGHT EXHIBITION, NO. 1, FLOWERS AND LANDSCAPES (AUGUST 17 - NOVEMBER 17), SHOWCASES ARTISTS WHO TACKLED SIMILAR SUBJECT MATTER TO O'KEEFFE AND, LIKE O'KEEFFE, ALSO OCCUPIED MARGINALIZED SPACES IN SOCIETY. THE PREVIOUS FISCAL YEAR WE CELEBRATED TWO MILESTONES IN AN EFFORT TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES OF SETTLER-COLONIALISM AND THE INSTITUTION OF SLAVERY. IN DECEMBER 2022 THE MATTATUCK SUCCESSFULLY REPATRIATED ITS FIRST NATIVE AMERICAN OBJECT TO ITS COMMUNITY OF ORIGIN. IN A MOVING CEREMONY, A CEREMONIAL TURTLE-SHELL RATTLE THAT HAD BEEN IN THE COLLECTION SINCE THE 1960S WAS RETURNED TO THE SENECA-CAYUGA TRIBE OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA. SEPTEMBER 2023 MARKED THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BURIAL OF FORTUNE, THE ENSLAVED MAN WHOSE BONES WERE HOUSED AT THE MATTATUCK MUSEUM. ORGANIZED IN COLLABORATION WITH MARTIN BEGNAL OF RIVERSIDE CEMETERY AND SPEARHEADED BY NATALIE DEQUARTO AND FRANCES MARTIN FROM THE MATTATUCK, WE HELD A POWERFUL COMMUNITY CEREMONY. NATALIE AND FRANCES ALSO REINSTALLED THE SECTION ON FORTUNE IN THE HISTORY GALLERY TO UPDATE AND EXPAND THE INTERPRETATION OF HIS STORY. THE MUSEUM CONTINUES TO INCREASE OUR HOLDINGS IN SIGNIFICANT WAYS. WORKING WITH THE COLLECTIONS COMMITTEE AND THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, WE CONTINUE TO STRATEGICALLY ADD TO OUR ART, HISTORY, AND ARCHIVES COLLECTIONS, WITH SIGNIFICANT ATTENTION TO RECOGNIZING AND REPRESENTING CONTRIBUTIONS BY UNDERRECOGNIZED CREATORS. DURING THE PAST YEAR WE ADDED 135 NEW ART AND HISTORY PIECES THROUGH GIFTS AND ACQUISITIONS, FILLING GAPS IN THE COLLECTION AND INCREASING ITS DEPTH AND DIVERSITY. SIGNIFICANTLY, AMONG THESE NEW ACQUISITIONS WERE A LARGE GIFT OF OUTSIDER ART (40 OBJECTS), AND WORKS BY YOUNG WOMEN OF COLOR, INCLUDING "THE WATCHERS" BY AKEA BRIONNE AND "OCULUS (BROWN, BLACK, NAVY, TEAL)" BY NAFIS M. WHITE. PARTICIPATION IN MUSEUM EXCHANGE, A PLATFORM PAIRING DONORS AND INSTITUTIONS, HAS CONTINUED TO PROVE FRUITFUL. FIVE OF OUR PROPOSALS TO MUSEUM EXCHANGE WERE SUCCESSFUL AND WE RECEIVED FOUR ADDITIONAL OBJECTS THROUGH THE PLATFORM OUTSIDE OF THE PROPOSAL PROCESS. WE ALSO ADDED 23 NEW OBJECTS AND COLLECTIONS TO THE LIBRARY AND ARCHIVE. MANY OF THE NEW ACQUISITIONS HAVE BEEN ON VIEW THROUGH ROTATIONS IN THE COLLECTION GALLERIES AND SHOWCASED IN OUR CHANGING EXHIBITIONS. WITH A RICH AND GROWING COLLECTION, INNOVATIVE EXHIBITIONS, AND ENGAGING PROGRAMMING, EXCITING THINGS ARE HAPPENING AT THE MATT.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesOct 1, 2023 – Sep 30, 2024Source990No causes providedNo populations provided––Adult Engagement Programs
THE MUSEUM ALSO OFFERS A RANGE OF ADULT-FOCUSED PROGRAMS AND TOURS, INCLUDING LECTURES, ART WORKSHOPS, PAINT NIGHTS, THEATRICAL PERFORMANCES, AND MUSICAL EVENTS, AS WELL AS A VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON OUTREACH INITIATIVE CALLED MATT ON THE GO. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION OF CONNECTICUT, THE MEMORIES @ THE MATT PROGRAM PROVIDES ENGAGING VIRTUAL GALLERY TOURS TAILORED FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DEMENTIA AND EARLY-STAGE ALZHEIMER'S, ALONG WITH THEIR CAREGIVERS. ADDITIONALLY, THE MUSEUM HOSTS WELLNESS PROGRAMS FEATURING WEEKLY YOGA, TAI CHI, AND MINDFULNESS SESSIONS. THROUGH ITS CREATIVE AND AGE-APPROPRIATE EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS, THE MUSEUM CONNECTS WITH AUDIENCES OF ALL AGES, BACKGROUNDS, AND INTERESTS. IN THE TWELVE MONTHS ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2024, OVER 3,000 ADULTS PARTICIPATED IN THESE PROGRAMS.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesOct 1, 2023 – Sep 30, 2024Source990No causes providedNo populations provided––
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