Calendar of Events

Pop in on Saturday for free family fun! Explore the exhibition Hamilton: The Art of Remaking History and learn how fashions from the American Revolution have inspired the costumes for one of today’s most popular Broadway musicals. Try your hand at creating an accessory inspired by the works on view. Listen to storyteller Tammy Denease as she illustrates how access and circumstance impacted a person’s clothing during the American Revolution. Family-friendly tours take place at 12:15 & 1:30pm. Find the Ice Cream for a Dream truck, parked outside the museum from noon–2pm, for free ice cream while supplies last. Free admission from noon-2pm.

Catalan painter Francisco Ribalta vividly captured religious images at the turn of the seventeenth century, positioning himself as one of the major figures of the early Baroque. Paintings conservator Allen Kosanovich examines an in-process treatment of Ribalta’s The Ecstasy of Saint Francis: The Vision of the Musical Angel (c. 1620–1625), discussing how these efforts address the results of four hundred years of aging and numerous restoration attempts. Free with museum admission. Meet in front of the Museum Shop.

Explore how Naama Tsabar creates objects that function both as artworks and musical instruments. Design a musical instrument of your own and watch a presentation by our friends at the Connecticut Science Center as they unravel the mysteries behind sound. Enjoy a dance performance from Spectrum in Motion. Find the Ice Cream for a Dream truck for free ice cream while supplies last. Admission is free noon-2pm on Second Saturdays.

Join us at the museum to celebrate Latinx heritage and culture with art making, storytelling, and performances. Admission is free noon-2 pm on Second Saturdays. 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. Please note: Due to The Hartford Marathon, parking bans and road closures will be in effect throughout the day on Saturday, October 8, 2022. 

Únase a nosotros en el museo para celebrar el patrimonio y la cultura latinx con la creación de arte, la narración de cuentos y las actuaciones. Diseña una máscara de Carnaval con el Centro de Aprendizaje Multicultural Bomba de Aquí. Participe en una presentación de danza interactiva a cargo del Proyecto Cimarrón, un grupo puertorriqueño de interpretación de la bomba con sede en New Haven. Vea a los alumnos de la Academia de Danza Marinera realizar una demostración de danza tradicional peruana. Tenga en cuenta: Debido al Maratón de Hartford, el estacionamiento estará prohibido y las calles estarán cerradas todo el día del sábado 8 de octubre de 2022.

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. Explore color & light at our hands-on light tables and then create your own stained glass artwork! Admission is free from noon-2pm on Second Saturdays. Family-friendly tours take place at 12:15 & 1:30pm.

Ease into the new year with a slow art afternoon. Take a stroll through the museum and practice close looking with your favorite artwork. Learn about Mohegan culture and history through storytelling and tribal artifacts in a presentation by specialists from The Tantaquidgeon Museum. Use a variety of mixed materials to design a happiness scrapbook and document the moments that bring you joy. Admission is free from noon-2pm.

Celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through art making, performances, and tours for all ages. Explore The Amistad Center for Art & Culture’s exhibition Art and Activism at Tougaloo College during its final day in Hartford and learn how art can catalyze social justice. Free admission all day.   

ART MAKING
Work alongside the Public Art for Racial Justice Education team in a portable mural highlighting national leaders of the civil rights movement.
Join muralists from RiseUp for Arts and add your mark to their “Piecing It Back Together” artwork.
Conversation Starters: Demonstrate the power of your voice and create a sign that showcases your unique opinion.
Soar Together: Did you know that the dove symbolizes peace? Use a variety of colors, shapes, and textures to decorate a dove ornament that carries your hopeful vision for the future.

PERFORMANCES
Enjoy a performance by singer Elizabeth Lyra Ross in The Amistad Center for Art & Culture. 1pm
A special recital by Dejavé Dance Company reveals collaborative choreography at work and inspires everyone to move. 2:30pm
Listen to an uplifting presentation by the Voices of Hartford vocal ensemble. 3:15pm

FAMILY TOUR Eyes on Art | 12:15 pm, meet in the Main Street lobby

Presented in partnership with The Amistad Center for Art & Culture. Generously supported by Talcott Resolution. 

Stigmatized by its associations with cannabis, flameworked glass has been almost completely left out of the broader discussion surrounding the contemporary glass art movement. Recent public policy shifts and greater inclusivity within the glass art community are turning the tide, bringing long-overdue recognition to the contributions of flameworkers. Brandy Culp, curator of Fired Up: Glass Today, moderates a discussion between artists David Colton, Kim Thomas, Carmen Lozar, and Curator of Postwar and Contemporary Glass at the Corning Museum of Glass Susie Silbert about the history, artistry, and ever–advancing technology of flameworking to shed light on this historically under-appreciated technique. Listen as some of the major voices in contemporary flameworking reflect on the art form’s journey from scientific laboratories and underground studios to the mainstream art world. Free with required registration. 

5pm gallery viewing, 6pm conversation

Artist Matt Paweski and curator Jared Quinton discuss the new suite of tabletop and wall-mounted works made for the artist’s MATRIX exhibition. Join us in the galleries before the program for a first look at the exhibition. Free with required registration.   

In celebration of Black History Month, pay tribute to African American artists’ contributions, triumphs, and creativity. Design a portrait highlighting Black and Brown voices with artist Marsh and delight in a performance by bassist Conway Campbell Jr. Presented in partnership with The Amistad Center for Art & Culture. Admission is free noon–2pm.