Calendar of Events

Artist Stephanie Syjuco uses photography as a means of reframing the museum collection and exploring America’s colonial history in her MATRIX exhibition. Syjuco will discuss her process of working with the museum’s registration, photography, and conservation departments, bringing to light the complexities of collection stewardship and the role art plays in shaping our view of history. Join us in the galleries before the program for a first look at the exhibition. Free with required reservation.

5pm gallery viewing, 6pm artist talk

Join us at the museum to celebrate Latinx heritage and culture with art making, storytelling, and performances. Design a Carnival mask with Multi-Cultural Learning Center Bomba de Aquí. Participate in an interactive dance presentation by Proyecto Cimarron, a Puerto Rican Bomba Performance Group based in New Haven. Watch students from Marinera Dance Academy demonstrate traditional Peruvian dance. Admission is free noon-2 pm on Second Saturdays.

Please note: Due to The Hartford Marathon, parking bans and road closures will be in effect throughout the day on Saturday, October 8, 2022. 

From the dustbin of American design, Amber Cowan creates glass sculptures that tell stories of self-discovery, escapism, and loneliness. Come meet this internationally acclaimed glass artist and see how she uses recycled, upcycled, and second-life American pressed glass to create her diorama-style sculptures through various techniques such as flameworking, hot-sculpting, and glassblowing. Free with required reservation. 

5pm gallery viewing, 6pm artist talk

This program is sponsored by the Trinity College Fine Arts Department (James and Isabelle English Endowment).

Glass artists come together for a rodeo-style Hot Shop glass fest! Take part in an afternoon full of demonstrations by local glassblowers who master nature’s most volatile medium. Bring your crew for artmaking, live music, and a chance to step close to the fire (but not too close!) as we celebrate makers during this free lawn party. 

Presented in partnership with Mobile Glassblowing Studios. 

Curator Brandy Culp shows off the glorious new installation of historic silver objects in our brand new Silver Vault. Domestic silver objects from the 19^th and 19^th centuries reveal their secrets! Availability is limited. Email invitations will be sent with registration links.

Tour Fired Up: Glass Today with one of our knowledgeable docents and learn how artists transform humble materials into striking works of art in the exhibition. Design your own glassmaking pattern inspired by the changing season. Join our colleagues from the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center for a workshop honoring the Pequot Tribal Nation’s history and culture. Admission is free from noon-2pm on Second Saturdays.

Glass is a medium full of magic and possibility, especially in the hands of artists pushing themselves to innovate with technique, material, and inspiration. See the exhibition with curator Brandy Culp for a closer look at the art form and the stories glass objects can tell. Availability is limited. Email invitations will be sent with registration links.

A musical instrument made of glass? Explore the contemporary glass art on view in Fired Up: Glass Today as Vera Meyer performs an informal concert on the glass harmonica, a musical instrument developed by Benjamin Franklin. Free with museum admission.