‘Save Our Stuff!’ — Mattatuck Museum Invites Community To Connect With Collection

WATERBURY — The Mattatuck Museum announces a unique summer exhibition in the Munger Room, “S.O.S. (Save Our Stuff),” which opened August 2 and will remain on view only until September 12. The exhibition highlights the museum’s conservation program that raises money for works from the collection that are in need of restoration. The museum is inviting businesses and private individuals to support a specific piece in need of attention.

The exhibition includes 15 paintings and sculpture by American artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. Saving a painting will allow the museum to provide much needed conservation for some of its most significant works, preserving its aesthetic, historical and monetary value for the future of the museum and the public. These pieces have not been on displayed in years due to their fragile state. This exhibition and program gives these works of art a chance to once again be on view for the community to enjoy.

 “We are excited to give the public a behind the scenes view of what it takes to maintain our collection and what goes into restoring a piece of history. The support of our community is invaluable in preserving the museum and its collection for future generations to enjoy and appreciate,” says Museum Curator Dr Cynthia Roznoy.

Fifteen works in need of conservation are included in “S.O.S.,” from portraits and country landscapes to genre sculpture. Visitors not only have the opportunity to view the works, but also learn the costs of conservation. Restoration experts have provided estimates for repair of each item in the exhibit with specific details for their needs.

The conservation program was created in 2007 to connect museum donors who wanted to support the Mattatuck collections with a specific object’s needs. Support for the program was initiated with a generous gift from Jim and Cathy Smith, whose donation provided conservation of the John Ferguson Weir painting, “The Grand Canal, Venice (1869).” The Weir has since undergone careful restoration and is now traveling as an anchor painting in an exhibition at New Britain Museum of American Art.

The Mattatuck Museum is operated with support from the Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts, and is a member of the Connecticut Art Trail, a group of 16 world-class museums and historic sites (www.arttrail.org). Located at 144 West Main Street in Waterbury, the museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday noon to 5 pm.

Visit MattatuckMuseum.org or call 203-753-0381 for more information on all of the museum’s adult and children’s programs, events and exhibits. The Mattatuck Museum is a Blue Star Museum, which offers free admission to active duty personnel and their families through Labor Day.