Meet some of our amazing staff, volunteers, and supporters who help fulfill our mission. The New Canaan Museum & Historical Society is a cultural institution that focuses on preservation, modernism, education and community. Through exhibits, programs, library services and events, we celebrate history and explore its role in shaping the future.
COMMON GROUND: IRWIN BY TORRANCE YORK
PONUS: THE MAN & THE MONUMENT
DEDE BARTLETT PRESENTS: THE STORIES BEHIND OUR HEIRLOOMS
Common Ground: Irwin reflects York’s love of Irwin Park. “To me it feels like an outdoor museum with a rotating collection,” she says. “This park is a manageable size to circle completely on each visit so it is very satisfying to track changes in nature from one day to the next. There is a new discovery around each bend in your path.” Read more
The New Canaan Museum and Historical Society presents Ponus: The Man & the Monument. Patricia Funt Oxman, who has given tours of local cemeteries in past years, focuses this year on the Ponus Monument, located on the corner of Davenport Ridge Road and Ponus Ridge. Read more
Join Dede Bartlett for a luncheon in the Lindstrom Room and discussion about the family stories behind the antiques and other objects we have in our homes. Perhaps the worth of an item is not its market value but its historic value. Who used it and for what? How many generations passed it down? Read more
NORTHEAST WATERSCAPES: ARTISTS EXPLORE OCEANS, RIVERS, HARBORS
HAT MADNESS
LEGALIZE EQUALITY: PRESENTATION BY JEAN SWEENEY
New Canaan resident and art collector Tom Davies draws from his personal collection to assemble 62 paintings highlighting oceans, rivers, lakes and streams of the Northeast. Through these paintings, he explores society’s fascination with the drama, danger, beauty and power of water, the crucial role it has played in the development of cities, transportation and trade, and the myriad forms it can take. Read more
In Hat Madness, the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society opens up its extensive clothing and textile collection to explore the history of hats, hat design and hat-making. From the simple bonnets worn in Colonial times to stunning pieces of art that were popular in the 1920s to the “Pussy Cap” of the 2017 Women’s March, this exhibition spans more than 200 years. Period garments and related accessories will also be on display. Read more
The New Canaan Museum & Historical Society and the New Canaan Library are proud to present a six-part lecture series: Origins of Our Constitutional Rights. Jean Sweeney will discuss the history of the Equal Rights Amendment, its impact, and continued efforts to see it passed. Her talk will be followed by a short documentary, Legalize Equality. A reception will follow. Jean Sweeney is the founder and president of Rethinking Eve, an influencer for women’s rights. Read more
COMMON GROUND: IRWIN BY TORRANCE YORK
Common Ground: Irwin reflects York’s love of Irwin Park. “To me it feels like an outdoor museum with a rotating collection,” she says. “This park is a manageable size to circle completely on each visit so it is very satisfying to track changes in nature from one day to the next. There is a new discovery around each bend in your path.” Read more
PONUS: THE MAN & THE MONUMENT
The New Canaan Museum and Historical Society presents Ponus: The Man & the Monument. Patricia Funt Oxman, who has given tours of local cemeteries in past years, focuses this year on the Ponus Monument, located on the corner of Davenport Ridge Road and Ponus Ridge. Read more
DEDE BARTLETT PRESENTS: THE STORIES BEHIND OUR HEIRLOOMS
Join Dede Bartlett for a luncheon in the Lindstrom Room and discussion about the family stories behind the antiques and other objects we have in our homes. Perhaps the worth of an item is not its market value but its historic value. Who used it and for what? How many generations passed it down? Read more
NORTHEAST WATERSCAPES: ARTISTS EXPLORE OCEANS, RIVERS, HARBORS
New Canaan resident and art collector Tom Davies draws from his personal collection to assemble 62 paintings highlighting oceans, rivers, lakes and streams of the Northeast. Through these paintings, he explores society’s fascination with the drama, danger, beauty and power of water, the crucial role it has played in the development of cities, transportation and trade, and the myriad forms it can take. Read more
HAT MADNESS
In Hat Madness, the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society opens up its extensive clothing and textile collection to explore the history of hats, hat design and hat-making. From the simple bonnets worn in Colonial times to stunning pieces of art that were popular in the 1920s to the “Pussy Cap” of the 2017 Women’s March, this exhibition spans more than 200 years. Period garments and related accessories will also be on display. Read more
LEGALIZE EQUALITY: PRESENTATION BY JEAN SWEENEY
The New Canaan Museum & Historical Society and the New Canaan Library are proud to present a six-part lecture series: Origins of Our Constitutional Rights. Jean Sweeney will discuss the history of the Equal Rights Amendment, its impact, and continued efforts to see it passed. Her talk will be followed by a short documentary, Legalize Equality. A reception will follow. Jean Sweeney is the founder and president of Rethinking Eve, an influencer for women’s rights. Read more