THE ALDRICH CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM INC
Programs
Program 1 [2020]
EXHIBITIONS:THE YEAR COMMENCED WITH A CONTINUATION OF FOUR EXHIBITIONS FROM 2019: WEATHER REPORT AND EVA LEWITT: UNTITLED (MESH A - J), ZOE SHEEHAN SALDANA: THERE MUST BE SOME WAY OUT OF HERE AND THE LARGE OUTDOOR SCULPTURE PROJECT THAT INCLUDED MAJOR WORKS BY RADCLIFFE BAILEY, TOM FRIEDMAN, TONY TASSET AND NARI WARD. THESE EXHIBITIONS WERE SLATED TO CLOSE IN THE SPRING OF 2020 BUT WERE FROZEN IN PLACE DUE TO THE MUSEUM SHUTTING DOWN IN MARCH FOR ALL BUT ESSENTIAL SERVICES AT THE ONSET OF THE COVID PANDEMIC. THE MUSEUM CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC STARTING ON MARCH 13TH AND REOPENED TO THE PUBLIC ON JUNE 26TH. THE EXHIBITION CALENDAR WAS REVISED DURING THIS PERIOD. THE FINALIZE SCHEDULE CONTINUED EXISTING EXHIBITIONS THROUGH THE SUMMER AND PUSHED SUBSEQUENT EXHIBITIONS FORWARD IN TIME. THE SPECIAL PROJECT RUDY SHEPARD: SOMEBODY'S CHILD WAS INSTALLED IN THE MUSEUM'S ATRIUM IN JULY AND INCLUDED WATERCOLORS DEPICTING BLACK VICTIMS OF POLICE VIOLENCE THAT WERE MADE BY THE ARTIST NOT ONLY TO MOURN AND HUMANIZE THOSE LOST, BUT ALSO TO RAISE AWARENESS OF SYSTEMIC RACIAL INEQUALITY. ARTIST SEAN SALSTROM REALIZED AN OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE OF HIS WORK INDEFINITY BOX. THE PERFORMANCE CONSISTED OF THE ARTIST RELEASING HELIUM FILLED BALLOONS THAT WERE TETHERED TO A DECONSTRUCTED CRYSTAL GOBLET. WHEN THE BALLOONS ROSE TO 1,800 FEET-THE HEIGHT OF THE ATOMIC BOMB'S DETONATION OVER HIROSHIMA- THE TENSION ON THE LINE PULLED TOGETHER THE PIECES OF THE GOBLET MAKING IT WHOLE. TWO EXHIBITIONS OPENED IN SEPTEMBER: FRANK STELLA'S STARS, A SURVEY BOTH INDOORS AND IN THE SCULPTURE GARDEN AND GENESIS BELANGER: THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE INSIDE THE MUSEUM.FRANK STELLA'S STARS, A SURVEY WAS THE FIRST EXHIBITION OF STELLA'S WORK FOCUSING ON THE STAR FORM, A MOTIF THAT HAS APPEARED REPEATEDLY IN HIS WORK SINCE THE 1960S. STELLA IS ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ARTISTS OF HIS GENERATION, AND ALTHOUGH HIS WORK HAS BEEN IN 14 GROUP EXHIBITIONS SINCE THE MUSEUM'S FOUNDING IN 1964 THIS SHOW MARKED HIS FIRST SOLO PRESENTATION. THE EXHIBITION INCLUDED 27 WORKS SPANNING THE YEARS 1963 TO THE PRESENT. GENESIS BELANGER: THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE WAS THE FIRST MAJOR SOLO MUSEUM EXHIBITION OF THIS ARTIST WHOSE PRACTICE SPANS SCULPTURE AND COMPLEX TABLEAUX COMPOSED OF PORCELAIN, STONEWARE AND UPHOLSTERED FABRIC. BELANGER'S WORK, INFORMED BY FEMINISM, COMBINES ELEMENTS OF SURREALISM AND POP ART WITH A HANDMADE CRAFT SENSIBILITY. IN OCTOBER, THE FIRST ITERATION OF THE GROUP EXHIBITION TWENTY TWENTY WAS OPENED. IT WAS CONCEIVED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE CRITICAL YEAR IN AMERICAN POLITICAL HISTORY. SEVEN ARTISTS WHOSE PRACTICE INCLUDES DRAWING BASED ON PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGERY WERE INVITED TO RESPOND TO 2020 BY CREATING WORKS ON PAPER THAT REFLECTED THEIR CONCERNS FOR THIS PIVOTAL YEAR. TWENTY TWENTY WENT THROUGH THREE ITERATIONS TO REFLECT THE CHANGING POLITICAL LANDSCAPE: THE OPENING, A SECOND VERSION IN THE WAKE OF THE NOVEMBER ELECTION, AND A FINAL PRESENTATION AFTER THE PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION IN JANUARY 2021.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesJan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2020Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$788KProgram 2 [2020]
PUBLIC AND SCHOOL PROGRAMS:THE PROGRAMS AND EDUCATION DEPARTMENT PLANNED AND IMPLEMENTED PUBLIC AND ACADEMIC PROGRAMS FOR ALL AGES, PIVOTING IN MARCH TO HOST ON VIRTUAL PLATFORMS. THESE INCLUDED TALKS, EXHIBITION TOURS, PERFORMANCES, FREE FAMILY VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS, A PODCAST SERIES, AND A MAIL ART PROJECT. HIGHLIGHTS WERE:ALDRICH-AT-HOME ART ACTIVITIES WERE DEVELOPED IN MARCH AFTER THE CLOSURE OF THE MUSEUM, INTENDED FOR VARYING AGE GROUPS TO INSPIRE THOUGHTFUL CREATION WITH COMMON OBJECTS FOUND IN THE HOME. ACTIVITY GUIDES WERE SHARED MONTHLY THROUGH THE MUSEUM'S WEBSITE, NEWSLETTER, AND SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS. FREE FAMILY PROGRAMS WERE OFFERED INCLUDING DAILY VIRTUAL FAMILY PROGRAMS EVERY MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY FOR THE MONTH OF JULY AND CONTINUED EVERY MONTH AROUND THE THIRD WEEKENDS EVENTS TO OFFER CONTINUED ACCESS TO THE MUSEUM VIRTUALLY. ALDRICH-AT-HOME CREATIVE KITS, AVAILABLE ON THE MUSEUM WEBSITE, FEATURED A VARIETY OF ART-MAKING MATERIALS AND A 40-PAGE BOOKLET OF PROMPTS AND ACTIVITIES INSPIRED BY THE MUSEUM'S EXHIBITIONS. WITH THE SUPPORT OF PRIVATE FUNDING, TWENTY KITS WERE DONATED TO STUDENTS IN NEED AT DANBURY GRASSROOTS ACADEMY. THE INITIATIVE CULMINATED WITH A VIRTUAL CELEBRATION, BRINGING TOGETHER PARTICIPATING YOUNG ARTISTS AND STUDENTS TO SHARE THEIR ARTWORK AND FEEDBACK. A SECOND SET OF CREATIVE KITS WERE LATER LAUNCHED, INCLUDING AN EXPANDED BOOKLET BASED OFF A NEW ROUND OF EXHIBITIONS. TWENTY MORE KITS WERE DONATED TO GRASSROOTS DANBURY.ALDRICH TEEN FELLOWS, A GROUP OF AREA TEENS WHO CREATE PROJECTS AROUND THE EXHIBITIONS, CREATED AN ONLINE ZINE PUBLICATION BASED ON ARTIST COLIN MCMULLAN'S MAPLE SYRUP PROJECT. THE FELLOWS PARTNERED WITH AREA ORGANIZATIONS ON A SERIES OF FILMS AROUND BLACK STORIES IN AMERICA AND PRESENTED THE 2018 FILM JINN, BY NIJLA BASEEMA MU'MIN, A FILM MAKER AND WRITER WHO TELLS STORIES ABOUT BLACK GIRLS AND WOMEN WHO FIND THEMSELVES BETWEEN WORLDS AND IDENTITIES. THE FELLOWS ORGANIZED A CONVERSATION WITH ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER CHERYL WASHINGTON AND PRODUCER OF THE FILM MAYA EBELLE TO ACCOMPANY THE FILM SCREENING. THE FELLOWS ALSO COLLABORATED IN DEPTH WITH THE HINDSIGHT IS PODCAST SERIES.THE "GETTING" CONTEMPORARY ART SERIES INCLUDED CONVERSATIONS WITH STAFF CURATORS AND ARTIST TALKS. A NEW ROUND OF CLASSES ON CONTEMPORARY ART INCLUDED A STUDIO VISIT WITH TWENTY TWENTY ARTIST JUDITH EISLER. TALKS WITH ARTISTS PIVOTED TO VIRTUAL EVENTS INCLUDING A PANEL TALK WITH CONGRESSMAN JIM HIMES AND ALL SEVEN TWENTY TWENTY ARTISTS, A VIRTUAL CONVERSATION BETWEEN ARTIST ZOE SHEEHAN SALDANA AND CURATOR GLENN ADAMSON, A STAFF CURATOR TALK ON STELLA'S STARS, AND AN ARTALK WITH RUDY SHEPHERD SPONSORED BY RIDGEFIELD LIBRARY.TWO OUTDOOR CONCERTS PRESENTED THE LOTUS CHAMBER MUSIC COLLECTIVE, WHOSE MISSION IS TO FEATURE COMPOSERS WHO IDENTIFY AS WOMEN, A PART OF THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY, AND POCS, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH RIDGEFIELD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA. THE HINDSIGHT IS PODCAST SERIES, DEVELOPED AS A RESPONSE TO COVID-19, WAS A COLLABORATION WITH PITI THEATER CO DESIGNED TO DEEPEN UNDERSTANDING ABOUT WAYS LOCAL HISTORY CAN INFORM CONTEMPORARY DEBATES RESURGING THIS YEAR INCLUDING RACISM AND VOTING RIGHTS. THE PROJECT CULMINATED INTO THREE PODCAST EPISODES INCLUDING HISTORICAL FIGURES LIKE WOMEN'S SUFFRAGIST ALICE PAUL AND WILLIAM WEBB - A BLACK RIDGEFIELD RESIDENT WHO STARTED THE RIDGEFIELD CHAPTER OF NAACP AND LATER CT CHAPTER PRESIDENT OF THE ORGANIZATION. PARTNERS INCLUDED THE ANTIRACIST TABLE, RIDGEFIELD LIBRARY, RIDGEFIELD HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND THE CONNECTICUT STATE LIBRARY. THIS PROJECT, WHICH RECEIVED FUNDING FROM BOTH CONNECTICUT HUMANITIES AND NEW ENGLAND FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS, WAS RELEASED WEEKLY, ON THE ALDRICH WEBSITE, AS A THREE-PART PODCAST SERIES IN THE STYLE OF DRAMATIC RADIO PLAYS INSPIRED BY THEMES IN THE TWENTY TWENTY EXHIBITION AND THROUGH INTERPRETED VOICES OF LOCAL HISTORICAL FIGURES. VIRTUAL PROGRAMS HELD DURING THE RELEASE WEEKS INCLUDED A CONVERSATION WITH TINA CASSISDY, AUTHOR OF MR. PRESIDENT, HOW LONG MUST WE WAIT? ALICE PAUL, WOODROW WILSON AND THE FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT TO VOTE, AND AN ANTI-RACISM INTRODUCTORY WORKSHOP WITH THE ANTIRACIST TABLE. A CURRICULUM GUIDE EXPLORING THEMES IN TWENTY TWENTY THROUGH THE FRAMEWORK OF THE PODCAST SERIES WERE OFFERED TO TEACHERS AND FAMILIES ON THE MUSEUM WEBSITE.IN ILSAA BALLOT FOR TWENTY TWENTY, ARTISTS EMILY LARNED AND BRIDGET ELMER DEVELOPED A MAIL ART PROJECT REFLECTING ON THEMES OF THE GROUP EXHIBITION TWENTY TWENTY. BALLOTS INCLUDING PROMPTS FOR REFLECTION ABOUT POLITICS AND THE ELECTION WERE SENT TO 110 PARTICIPANTS AFTER ELECTION DAY, FILLED OUT, AND SENT BACK TO THE MUSEUM WHERE THEY WERE DISPLAYED FOR AUDIENCES TO VIEW.IN SCORES FOR THE STARS, ARTIST ANDER MIKALSON WAS COMMISSIONED TO CREATE SCORES AND SOUND PERFORMANCES INSPIRED BY STELLA'S STARS. THE FIRST PHASE INVOLVED AN INTERACTIVE SOUND INSTALLATION IN THE SCULPTURE GARDEN USING QR CODES MADE AVAILABLE FROM THE START OF THE WINTER SOLSTICE THROUGH THE NEW YEAR. A SECOND, LIVE PERFORMANCE DURING THE SUMMER SOLSTICE IN 2021 IS PLANNED THAT WILL FEATURE THE RIDGEFIELD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesJan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2020Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$709.2KProgram 3 [2020]
MUSEUM OPERATIONS: EXHIBITION AND PUBLIC AND SCHOOL PROGRAMS REQUIRE A WELL-MAINTAINED, HIGH-FUNCTIONING FACILITY TO HOUSE THE EXHIBITIONS AND PROVIDE A PLACE FOR PROGRAMS. TO ACCOMPLISH THIS, FUNDS ARE USED FOR MAINTENANCE, SECURITY, CAPITAL PROJECTS, UTILITIES, DEPRECIATION, AND OPERATIONS STAFFING.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesJan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2020Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$472.8K
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