FLORENCE GRISWOLDMUSEUM

INAUGURAL ISSUE

JUNE JULY AUGUST 2019 DIRECTOR’S VIEW

WELCOME TO OUR FIRST ISSUE of On View! Of utmost 2 Please join us for the importance to the Museum is the commitment rd

| to effective communication with our visitors, and to taking every 73 Annual Meeting opportunity to provide timely, engaging, and insightful information. This redesign comes after much consideration of our biannual Ledger and Members’ and quarterly Events publications, which separately have served to Reception for the highlight the content and events of the Museum. With the inauguration of On View, we will be able to share all of this exciting information in one summer exhibition quarterly print publication, offering the Museum news you love such as our Collections Spotlight and a sneak peek of upcoming exhibitions, The Annual Meeting will take place as well as a new spotlight on visitor experiences at the Museum and a on Friday, June 7, 2019 at 5:30pm handy pull-out events calendar for easy reference. under a tent on the Adrian P. Moore In this initial On View, we are delighted to share with you a chronicle Garden Terrace. We will share brief of this singular moment at the Florence Griswold Museum. This summer’s reports on the activities of the Museum opening of the Robert F. Schumann Artists’ Trail, a pedestrian course and invite members to elect a new slate throughout the grounds of the Museum that encourages visitors to of officers and trustees. Afterwards, experience the artistic, cultural, and ecological history of our site, marks a we’ll enjoy a festive reception and FLORENCE GRISWOLD MUSEUM renewed commitment to the essential character of the natural landscape meet the artists behind this summer’s in our institutional identity. Along with the extraordinary Fragile Earth: The exhibition Fragile Earth: The Naturalist Naturalist Impulse in Contemporary Art exhibition that opens June 1, the Impulse in Contemporary Art. establishment of the Artists’ Trail further defines the Museum as a leader of interdisciplinary and forward-thinking museum interpretation. We hope to welcome you to the Museum this summer to experience Fragile Earth, celebrate the Artists’ Trail, and envision the future of our institution together. We look forward to continuing to advance the work of the Florence Griswold Museum: to create resonant programming, to Please RSVP (acceptances only) welcome a spectrum of visitors, and, of course, to foster new ways of by Monday, June 3 to DeeDee thinking and create unique experiences with all that is…On View. at 860-434-5542 x 122 or [email protected].

Rebekah Beaulieu, Ph.D. Cover image: Courtney Mattison, Detail of Director Afterglow (Our Changing Seas VI), 2018. Glazed stoneware and porcelain, 7.5 x 8.5 x 1.6 ft. Courtesy of the artist role asanactivetrusteetoday. center forAmericanart,somethingthatBarbaracontinues in her commitment totheadvancementofMuseumasaregional named fortheirgenerosity asmajordonorsandfortheirlifelong Phillips andBarbaraSmithGallerywithintheKriebleis in achievingthecampaign’s E. ambitious goals. TheWilliam they madealeadershipgiftthatgavethetrusteesconfidence the Museum’s CentennialCampaign from 1996-2006. Earlyon, Barbara, whomhemarriedin1997,playedanimportantrole in endowment, itscollections,andproperty. BothBilland from theLRShavehadatransformativeeffect ontheMuseum’s a modestendowmentof$1.8million.Sincethen,legacygifts They were right. Atthetimeofitsfounding,Museumhad metaphor forsomethingtheyhopedwouldbeeverflowing. Bill suggestedwenameittheLieutenantRiverSociety, anapt Brundage created a plannedgivingsocietyattheMuseum. Trustee. Intheearly1990s,heandhisfellowtrusteeHoward continuously overthepast27years,mostrecently asHonorary the late1980s,andwaselectedatrusteein1991.Heserved giving CayugaSocietythere. mater, CornellUniversity, where hehelpedtofoundtheplanned- International. Closertohome,heservedasatrusteeofhisalma passion thatledhimtoservingasChairmanofOutward Bound he madesuccessfulascentsofmountainsaround theworld,a friendsandfamily,skiing, tennis,andmountainclimbing.With University Library. Bill’s zestforlifeincludedavidinterests in support forthearts.Hispapersare housedtodayatDuke Throughout his career Billwasanarticulatechampionofcorporte Executive OfficerofOgilvyGroup duringmuchofthe1980s. advertising giantOgilvy&Mather, includingservingasChief and philanthropy. Hehadalongandillustriouscareer atthe atrustee. as serves currently who Barbara, wife, his by survived is He 88. of age the at away passed Phillips ON DECEMBER 26, 2018, 26, ON DECEMBER WILLIAM E. PHILLIPS IN MEMORIAM Bill becameinvolvedintheFlorence GriswoldMuseumin Bill ledanamazinglifeofadventure, businessachievement, our devoted trustee William E. William trustee devoted our Tourism. Commission on Culture and the from Award Arts the for Advocate received a Distinguished Bill when 2004, in Andersen Jeff Director Museum former with Bill and Barbara 4 11 8 6 Contemporary Art Impulse in The Naturalist Earth: Fragile Program Winning Award Dinner Dance Benefit Auction Save theDate! INSIDE vns Calendar Events

SUMMER 2019 | 3 IN THE GALLERIES

James Prosek, Moth Cluster IV, 2018. Pen and ink and silkscreen on paper, 60 x 130 in. Courtesy of the artist and Waqas Wajahat, New York

New Exhibition “I believe art impacts our emotions and can move us to value Fragile Earth: The Naturalist Impulse in Contemporary Art, on view June 1 the blue planet we live on in ways that scientific data often through September 8, showcases the cannot. We protect what we care about and we care about diverse approaches taken by ecologically 4 concerned artists today, illustrating the what we know and understand. Art can bring the beauty and

powerful role they play in advocating peril of coral reefs above the surface and into view and can | for environmental causes. The Museum inspire us to protect the ocean.” COURTNEY MATTISON commissioned four leading contemporary artists to create new work that incorpo- rates and responds to the natural world. Often described as a contemporary Audubon, artist- The exhibition builds on the success of the Museum’s 2017 naturalist James Prosek considers in his work how we engage exhibition, Flora/Fauna: The Naturalist Impulse in American with, identify, and categorize nature. Playing off the aesthetic Art, which surveyed the history of American artist-naturalists of the field guide, he will exhibit one of his signature hand- from the 19th to mid-20th centuries. painted, silhouette-style murals of Connecticut flora and Mark Dion, Courtney Mattison, and James Prosek’s fauna, as well as a large-scale print made with the bodies works and select loans will be on view in the Museum’s of inked eels—travelers who make an awe-inspiring journey Krieble Gallery, putting their art in conversation with the between local waters and faraway oceans. Museum’s landscape and historic structures. Conceptual Artist and professor Jennifer Angus is staging an artistic artist Mark Dion is well-known for assemblages that critique intervention in Florence Griswold’s historic boardinghouse, humans’ treatment of the environment and the way we activating the first floor with a theatrical display created with FLORENCE GRISWOLD MUSEUM explore, classify, and preserve natural specimens for our stunning preserved insects. Pinning insects to the walls in own ends. He will create a new “cabinet of curiosity” with ornamental patterns, Angus creates surprising beauty, while debris collected along the Connecticut shoreline. Sculptor also informing visitors of their importance to the ecosystem. and ocean advocate Courtney Mattison will display her “These artists were selected for the profound message monumental, intricately detailed ceramic wall reliefs that their works convey about environmental conservation,” says replicate the beauty of coral reefs and inform viewers of their exhibition Curator, Jennifer Stettler Parsons, Ph.D. “They threatened state. transform natural and non-traditional materials, like insects and found debris, into art in order to make visible the human role in global climate change, and to reveal how our daily choices may endanger our planet’s future.” Parsons curated both Flora/Fauna and Fragile Earth.

Fragile Earth: The Naturalist Impulse in Contemporary Art has been made possible with generous support from the National Endow- Mark Dion, Nature Morte, 2018. ment for the Arts, Department of Economic and Community Devel- Ceramic penguin, tar, metal opment, Connecticut Office of the Arts, Bank of America, the Nika bucket, various dime store P. Thayer Exhibition and Publication Fund, Mr. & Mrs. Maxwell M. trinkets and costume jewelry, Belding, Mr. Charles T. Clark, The Howard Gilman Foundation, The 38 3/4 x 10 7/8 x 10 3/4 in. Vincent Dowling Family, Mr. & Mrs. J. Geddes Parsons, Mr. William Courtesy of the artist and Tanya Blunt White, as well as donors to the Museum’s Annual Fund. Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles MEDIA SPONSORS: WSHU Public Radio, Connecticut Cottages & Gardens COLLECTION

Collection Spotlight: William Chadwick, The Orange Fan THE MUSEUM IS HOME to the largest collection of work by the artist William Chadwick, including his studio. The family of longtime art collector Dr. Everette James (1938–2017) has enhanced that depth with their partial gift of Chadwick’s The Orange Fan, a painting he lent to the Museum in the 1970s for the first major exhibition of Chadwick’s work. Dr. James developed significant collections of and Southern art, which he displayed in a museum he founded in North Carolina. As a young man, William Chadwick emigrated with his family from England to Holyoke, Massachusetts, where his father established himself in textile manufacturing. Rather than enter the family firm, Chadwick studied art, and found inspiration in depictions of beautifully-attired women like those by his teacher, the School artist Joseph DeCamp. The Orange Fan demonstrates Chadwick’s appreciation for clothing, pose, and setting, which he treats with a keen awareness of design. Photographs of the artist in his studio taken around this time show that he collected Japanese prints, an enthusiasm he shared with the Impressionists. Not unlike Monet or Whistler, Chadwick focuses our attention on the angular shapes and patterns of his sitter’s colorful dress and fan, rather than on her face, which is turned away from the William Chadwick (1879–1962), The Orange Fan, ca. 1906. Oil on canvas. Florence viewer. Artworks on the wall and furnishings around her in the room impart a mood Griswold Museum, partial gift of the of aestheticism, encouraging us to see the painting as an artistic arrangement Everette James Family rather than as a portrait. Chadwick would gradually shift from figure subjects 5

toward landscape in the years following his first visit to Old Lyme in 1902. | 2019

Museum Welcomes Inaugural Artist-in-Residence CONTINUING THE TRADITION begun in beautiful configurations that resemble wallpaper, by Florence Griswold of welcoming artists to her which from a distance camouflages the entomological SUMMER boardinghouse, the Museum is pleased to introduce specimens until they are examined up close. Well- Canadian-born artist Jennifer Angus as its first Artist- versed in the history and techniques of textile design in-Residence. Living in the Fehrer House in Lyme from as a Professor of Design Studies at the University of March through early June, Angus is preparing an Wisconsin-Madison, Angus harnesses the psychological installation that will encompass the entire first floor power of decorative art to astonish, delight, and inspire of the Florence Griswold House as part of the Fragile audiences to become environmentally engaged. Earth exhibition. The artist specializes in transforming After researching the Lyme Art Colony and the artists’ historic spaces and blank gallery walls with a confounding fondness for amusement, Angus conceived of a fantastical medium: preserved exotic insects. She pins them “lost chapter” of colony history that imagines the artists holding an insect-themed party in the House, inspired by the naturalist impulse of and others. Angus will install her insects as “wallpaper” in the House’s hallway, and in each of the period rooms visitors will encounter marvels related to the artists’ merrymaking— including Victorian glass domes glittering with rarities and vignettes of insects dancing or working, Miss Florence’s costume embroidered with iridescent green beetle wings, a 104-drawer cabinet of curiosities created in preparation for the party, and beautiful insect jelly jar “preserves” as party favors. With Angus piloting our first Artist-in-Residence program, the Museum hopes to advance its development in the future. The artist presents a lecture on opening day, June 1 at 2pm. Her installation will remain on view until November 10, beyond the special exhibition dates. 6

FLORENCE GRISWOLD MUSEUM | SUPPORT YOUR bidding, and dancing under the stars. bidding, anddancingunderthe stars. to-table mealcraftedbyRiver Tavern, spirited evening toremember withadelectablefarm- chaired bySusanCartledge,are planningan The creative mindsofourBenefitCommittee, jewelry tounforgettable travelandexperiences. coveted itemsyou’llwanttobidon—from artand Tuttle, isputtingtogetheranexceptionalvarietyof 21, 2019.September Saturday, for marked is calendar your sure make year, so every buzzier and better getting keeps Dance Dinner & Auction Benefit Museum’s The Auction &Dinner Dance 37th Annual Benefi Save theDate! RECORDS! BREAK TO CONTINUES GENEROSITY YOUR makebigthingspossible Even smallgifts 2019 FUND ANNUAL Contributions to the Annual Fund are separate from membership dues. membership from are separate Fund Annual to the Contributions landmark withexcellence,present top-notchexhibitionsandprogramming, andbetterthelivesofourneighbors. risk youth. provide life-affirming experiencesintheartsforunderservedgroups, suchaslocalimmigrants,homelessadults,andat- yet! World-class exhibitions likeFragileEarthare quiteexpensive tomount;meanwhile,weare doingmore thaneverto Beaulieu. Becky Director under leadership of era anew for support to show rallied we as success huge Our Auction Committee, helmed by Katie Our AuctionCommittee,helmedbyKatie Your gifttotheAnnualFundmakesbigthingspossible!FlorenceGriswoldMuseum.org/donate All ofthisismadepossiblethrough theAnnualFund—theworkhorsefundthathelpsussteward thishistoric This year, pleaseconsiderhowyoucangivegenerously astheMuseumundertakesoneofitsmostambitiousyears

this spectacular evening! spectacular this of apart be to now plans your Make programs. outreach and education of roster inspiring Museum’s the to devoted proceeds all year—with the of fundraiser significant most our is event show-stopping This Last year’s Annual Fund campaign was a was campaign Fund Annual year’s Last at the register. line in waiting or acheck, writing cash, handling about worry No you’re done. and chimes— the for wait slot, the into card credit your dip just spot— the on right amount a specified donation for ahassle-free make can Patrons soon! DipJar, the tool, fundraising newest to our you to introduce We want Take aDip debuting on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram. Instagram. and Pinterest, Facebook, on captured Museum Griswold Florence the of views your of some are Here LOST MUSEUM THE Janet EltingeandtheLegacy ofThomas Nason contributions inhermemorybedirected totheMuseum. to thelegacyofThomasandMargaret Nason ofLyme. Herfamilyhasaskedthat equal measures ofpersonalfondnessandadmirationforherselflessdevotion be giventotheFlorence GriswoldMuseum.We remember JanetEltingewith Eltinge madesure thatanyroyalties from thereproduction ofNason’s work Paper Trail inthefallof2018.Beyondthesegifts,andtypicalherthoughtfulness, appeared innumerous soloand group exhibitionsattheMuseum,mostrecently in artist beyondthatoftheBostonPublicLibrary. Examplesfrom thiscollectionhave works ofartthathelpedtoformthemostcomprehensive publiccollectionofthis his artisttools;personallibrary;andadiverseselectionofimportantprints the contentsofNason’s studio,includinganengravingpress andvirtuallyallof New Englandlandscape. artist, whoseengravings,etchings,andpaintingscapture thepoeticessenceof dedicated herselfoverthenextthirtyyearstostewarding thelegacyofthissingular old. AstheprincipalheirtoNasonestatefollowingdeathofTom’s widow, Margaret Warren Nason,in1988,Eltinge artist ThomasW. Nason(1889-1971),diedonApril9,2019inruralVirginia, from complicationsofpneumonia.Shewas73years Beginning in1991andcontinuingthrough 2017,EltingegavetheMuseum YOUR VIEW YOUR adearfriendandgenerous donortothecollectionwhenJanetEltinge,nieceofLyme Griswold Museum, Gift of Janet Eltinge Janet of Gift Museum, Griswold 1947. Wood engraving on paper. Florence River, Connecticut to the Ode Nason, Thomas

SUMMER 2019 | 7 VIEW INSIDE

A screenshot of the opening page of SEE/change. Please go online and have a look! 8 And the Winner Is . . . | SEE/change THE MUSEUM’S ONLINE initiative SEE/change demonstrate exceptional contributions to state and local recently received an Award of Merit from the Connecticut history. For our nomination, the project required letters of League of Historic Organizations. SEE/change focuses on critical evaluation. Tiffany Caouette, Principal at Pleasant a single painting in the Museum’s collection, Seven Miles Valley Elementary School in South Windsor, and Amy to Farmington (ca. 1853) by George H. Durrie, to teach Durbin, Manager of Education at the Nantucket Historical Connecticut history. For over 50 years, the CLHO has been Association, provided the robust scrutiny. Congratulations central in promoting best practices among museums, to our Director of Education and Outreach David D.J. Rau for historical societies, and heritage collections in Connecticut. creating and managing this project. Each year, they accept nominations for projects that FLORENCE GRISWOLD MUSEUM

It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! NO, IT’S A FAERIE SUPERHERO! With his tiny cape fluttering in the wind, this mini hero is flying high and heading home to SUPERTOPIA, the enchanted place where dozens of superfaeries live when not saving the world. The outdoor campus-wide event features over thirty faerie-scaled creations inspired by esteemed superheroes. Several elementary and high school students have joined the roster of artists who create these fairy house masterpieces, along with a few guest artists from as far away as New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. approach itwithreverence asasanctuary, aswellwithasenseofhistory. to partakeinthatAmericanideal. Theartist’s photosofthechurch’s neoclassicalspacesandarchitectural detailsencourageusto centuries. AsdepictedbyLeifheit, theOldLyme meetinghouseisbotharkandprison, sheltering andconfiningafamilyhoping society, the“meetinghouse”merged religion, government,andcommunity intoapowerfulcivicidealthatprevailed fortwo the OldLyme church asaniconinAmerican art.OnceasymbolofNewEnglandcolonists’pious ambitiontoestablishanew expanding theserieswithnewworkthatconsidersintersection betweenthefraughttopicofimmigrationandhistory of thefamily(MalikNaveedbinRehman,hiswifeZahidaAltaf, andtheirdaughterRoniya)takeninsidethechurch, whilealso family thatsoughtrefuge from deportationMaythrough October2018intheChurch. Theexhibitionpresents Leifheit’s portraits meetinghouse’s evolvingsymbolism. 20th-century painterssuchasChildeHassamwithphotographs bycontemporaryartistMatthewLeifheitthatcontemplatethe Nothing More AmericanbringstogetherdepictionsofOldLyme’s renowned FirstCongregational Church by19th-andearly- THE WHITE CLAPBOARD CLAPBOARD WHITE THE and Community Nothing MoreAmerican: Immigration,Sanctuary, September 28,2019through January26,2020 to theFloGrisTeam Please Welcome MattStrekel well as summers spent at the Mile Creek Club. Creek Mile the at spent summers as well as projects home amateur enjoys and fan Sox Red avid an is Matt museum!” “wee faerie the at works now father their that excited exceptionally are children Oliver. Both and Grace children, two and Leslie wife his with Lyme in lives Matt period. interim this throughout ever as active as efforts development our kept who Greene, Nathaniel and Filiatreault DeeDee thanks many Also, backyard.” own our in right Development of Director new our found we search, national arigorous following that pleased “We are Beaulieu. Becky Director Museum’s the notes community,” the for love his does as team, FloGris the for fit anatural him make standards to high commitment and determination, energy, “Matt’s member. team a and amanager, professional, adevelopment as skill Matt’s illuminated and stunning absolutely were references Matt’s oversight. and strategy campaign and events, special management, donor and giving online In thesummerof2018,TheNewYorker publishedanarticlebyDaveEggerswithphotographsLeifheit ofaPakistani WE ARE THRILLED ARE WE planned giving initiatives, in experience extensive has He campaign. endowment athree-year managed successfully he which in aposition School, Williams The at Development of Director the as worked recently most and Lyme of anative is 1. Matt April on Development of Director as team our joined Strekel Matt that to share AN EXHIBITIONBYMATTHEW LEIFHEIT meetinghouse withitstoweringsteepleisaniconofNewEngland’s architecture andart.

story of the Museum and planning for its future. future. its for planning and Museum the of story the crafting in role integral an Tammi served has content, engaging creating or region, England New the around us representing onsite, event to an contributing Whether leading our marketing and promotion years. for twenty been has who Marketing, of Director to Tammi Flynn, thanks special give we And site. hospitable and beautiful to a visitors to welcome able are we that and level highest its at functions institution our ensure individuals these of three All Services. Visitor of to Director promoted recently was who Marshall, Matthew and Groundskeeper; Robinson, Randy Facilities; of Ted Director Gaffney, 2004: in team our of members essential three welcomed Museum The Outreach. and Youth of Education Manager as activities art studio and programming outreach expansive our oversees today and ago, adecade FloGris the joined Riggs Garvin Julie colleagues. our of five for service of milestones to celebrate pleasure my is it and individuals, hard-working of group exceptional an is THE STAFF OF THE STAFF THE Anniversaries andNew Titles and Matt. Julie, Ted, Tammi, Randy, Congratulations Museum!” Griswold Florence the to commitment their celebrating in join will you “and hope Beaulieu, Becky Director Museum says professionals,” stellar these alongside serve to aprivilege it “I consider Florence Griswold Museum

SUMMER 2019 | 9 THE VIEW AHEAD

PLAN YOUR VISIT Café Flo Café Flo is a favorite EXTENDED MUSEUM HOURS spot to relax over lunch. April through October Enjoy a variety of salads, Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 5pm sandwiches, seasonal November through March favorites, and desserts, Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm along with specialty summer and Sunday, 1– 5pm cocktails, wine, and beer ADMISSION on the Marshfield veranda $10.00 for adults $9.00 for seniors (62+) $8.00 overlooking the Lieutenant 10 full-time students with I.D. Children 12 and River. See you soon! under are free | CAFÉ FLO May 1 to October 27, Tuesday through GardenFest Sunday, 11:30 am to 2:30 pm JUNE 1–16 OFFICE HOURS Join us for this exciting series of events that take place in and Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm around the Museum’s historic gardens, featuring a wide variety of Telephone: 860/434-5542 Fax: 860/434-9778 activities for all ages and interest levels. Most events are free with Museum admission. Highlights include, Garden Luncheon Friday, CLOSED June 14 and Blooms with a View June 14, 15, and 16. Mondays, New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day Celebrating the Arts with Old DIRECTIONS Lyme’s Midsummer Festival Located in the heart of the historic district

FLORENCE GRISWOLD MUSEUM of Old Lyme at 96 Lyme Street, exit 70 off JULY 26–27 Interstate 95. Accessible parking available. This year’s festival kicks off on Friday with an outdoor concert along our new Artists’ Trail on the banks of the Lieutenant River. ACCESSIBILITY Connecticut State Troubadour Nekita Waller brings everyone’s The campus includes the Hartman Education favorite music from soulful classics to pop hits and original songs. Center and the Krieble Gallery, which are fully Prior to the concert, visitors are encouraged to tour the summer accessible with specially equipped restrooms. show Fragile Earth: The Naturalist Specially designed pathways make much of Impulse in Contemporary the Museum’s 12 acres accessible by wheel- Art in the Krieble Gallery. On chair. The historic Florence Griswold House Saturday, the festival continues is partially accessible, when accessed using on Lyme Street with the Museum the ramped entrance. The 2nd floor (gallery presenting its Bohemian Street space) of the House and the interior of the Fair and Food Truck Court, the historic Chadwick Studio are not accessible by Parading Paws Dog Show, our wheelchair. Hands-On, Minds-On Education MISSION STATEMENT Area, music by young performers, The mission of the Florence Griswold Museum and much more. is to foster the understanding of American Art, with emphasis on the art, history, and landscape of Connecticut.

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