Calendar of Events

Artist Mark Dion draws on the early modern tradition of assembling artifacts and objects into theatrical dioramas that make statements about contemporary collecting habits, our relationship to history, and the future of the environment. In a virtual conversation with curator Patricia Hickson, Dion discusses his artistic practices and his local New England roots. In conjunction with the exhibition Made in Connecticut. Free. Co-sponsored with the Hartford Art School.

Photo by Jorge Colombo

Join Here

Artist Ali Banisadr leads a virtual tour of his MATRIX exhibition centered on his monumental abstract paintings. As part of his installation, Banisadr has mined the collections of the Wadsworth to share a selection of formal expressions and visual motifs that inform his own process. Free. 

Access link will be available soon.

Pamela Massey, Traditions and Outreach Specialist at the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut, discusses the history, rituals, and objects sacred and meaningful to the Mohegan Tribe. Access at: https://trincoll.zoom.us/j/92992173951

In conjunction with Connecticut Art Trail’s Made in Connecticut exhibition.

Join Here

Explore questions about how gender has shaped the history of art and how notions of gender have evolved over time. Join a conversation about gender and art as we evaluate the artist Zoe Leonard’s assessment of poet Eileen Myles’s presidential candidacy. What can we learn from the trials of female political candidates when we think about how women artists have worked and succeeded in a male-dominated art world? Free and open to the public. Advance registration required. 

Encounters is a series of free virtual discussions fueled by short readings and timely subjects. Co-sponsored with the Hartford History Center at the Hartford Public Library, The Amistad Center for Art & Culture, The Old State House, and the University of Connecticut’s Humanities Institute.

James Prosek is not only a prolific artist, curator, author, and naturalist, but he also charts the landscape through music. A founding member of the group Troutband, Prosek will perform a concert from the Wadsworth that you can watch virtually from your own home.

In conjunction with Connecticut Art Trail’s Made in Connecticut exhibition.

Vincent Tomasso, professor of classics at Trinity College, and choreographer Sonia Plumb reveal the relevance of ancient Greek and Roman cultures through an analysis of Homer’s The Odyssey and Plumb’s contemporary exploration of Penelope in the dance she choreographed, Penelope’s Odyssey.

Co-sponsored with Trinity College and generously supported by a grant from CT Humanities.

How does art ask us to rethink our values or push us to confront injustice and inequality? Join curator Patricia Hickson for an overview of contemporary works of art in the Wadsworth’s collection that engage political ideas of protest, policy, and discriminatory practices, including Zoe Leonard’s i want a president (1992/2018), a recent acquisition.

In 1987, about 6,000 objects relating to Black history and culture in the United States were acquired by the newly formed Amistad Foundation. Housed and displayed at the Wadsworth, the collection rapidly expanded and transformed into The Amistad Center for Art & Culture documenting the African American experience. Join a fascinating discussion about the inception of The Amistad Center and the breadth of its collections ranging from art, to historical documents, artifacts, and a vast collection of books. Access at: https://trincoll.zoom.us/j/99656535507

Co-sponsored with the Auerbach Library Associates of the Wadsworth Atheneum and the Amistad Center for Art and Culture.

Join Here

Ali Banisadr composes abstract dreamscapes that describe his impressions of the trauma of the war and conflict he experienced as a child in his native Tehran. Banisadr will consider his MATRIX installation, as well as his relationship to art history and sound in discussion with distinguished critic and professor emeritus of art history Robert Hobbs.