Award-winning artist, naturalist, and writer James Prosek (b. 1975, B.A. 1997) brings his love of the natural world and his lifelong fascination with the naming and classification of nature to the Yale University Art Gallery in James Prosek: Art, Artifact, Artifice. The exhibition brings together objects from the collections of the Gallery, the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, and the Yale Center for British Art. It places Prosek’s work in dialogue with a wide range of both man-made objects and those produced by billions of years of evolution, or what naturalist Charles Darwin described as “endless forms most beautiful.” By challenging traditional separations of museum collections into “art” and “artifact,” or “natural” and “man-made,” the artist asks us to explore to what extent these distinctions matter. Is it helpful for us to draw such boundaries? Or do they limit what we are able to see, substituting categories and classifications for experience? “What would happen,” Prosek said, “if we stop putting things into neat categories and simply marvel at the wondrous and complex world of which we are a part?”
The University President announced that access to common areas on campus is now restricted to the campus community, and events with 100 or more people are now prohibited. The Museum, in support of these decisions designed to protect against the spread of COVID-19, is closing the museum as of March 13 and postponing all public events and programs through April 22. We will issue updates as necessary, but for the latest updates on the University response to coronavirus, please visit Fairfield.edu/coronavirus.
Our sincere apologies for any inconvenience or disappointment this may cause and thank you for understanding, as we prioritize your safety and the safety of our community.
Please refer to the museum’s website for updates fairfield.edu/museum.
Artist, educator, and bird lover extraordinaire Susie Buckley invites you to craft your own outdoor wreaths, full of the flora that birds love and need to make their nests! Come help our bird friends get ready for Spring in this nature-themed workshop.
Grab a glass of wine and join us in exploring the basics of drawing the figure in a relaxing and low-key environment. Draw inspiration from a live nude model and experiment with a variety of provided materials such as charcoal, oil pastel and graphite sticks. Feel free to bring your own materials; no prior drawing experience necessary!
Ages 21+
Registration required at shop.aldrichart.org
In The Studio: Stella’s Stars with Alissa Siegel
10 am to 12 noon; 1 to 3 pm
You’re invited to explore the newest additions to our Sculpture Garden, created by world-renowned artist Frank Stella, in this hands-on art making activity lead by artist and educator Alissa Siegal. Transform familiar and unusual materials alike to create your very own hanging star sculpture.
Gallery Tour
3 to 4 pm
An Aldrich Education will lead a tour of Weather Report. Appropriate for all ages, this tour will travel throughout the galleries, investigate key works of art, and invite conversations and observations.
This event is currently postponed, please check Eventbrite for updates.
Art collector, Steven Certilman, will give a gallery talk titled, “Collecting Cuban Art” on Thursday, April 23rd at 5 p.m. in the museum’s Walsh Gallery. This gallery talk is presented in conjunction with “Archives of Consciousness: Six Cuban Artists”.
Join Aldrich Educators for a gallery tour stopping at key works of art in the exhibition Zoë Sheehan Saldaña: There Must Be Some Way Out of Here and during the final weekend of Eva LeWitt: Untitled Mesh (A-J). Participate in discussions, discover new artists and ideas, and dive into contemporary art during this Sunday afternoon tour.
Hill-Stead’s new Story Time is on the last Wednesday of every month at 9 am. Your child will be introduced to stories related to art, museums, nature and more (with music and movement) in the historic setting of Hill-Stead. Create an art project to bring home. Then, romp around Hill-Stead’s natural playground of walking trails, gardens and sheep farm.$8 per child or FREE with museum membership. Ages 2-6.
Take part in these First Sundays for Families activities!
- Museum Educators will lead art projects in the Education Stations at 1 p.m. Free self-serve crafts for all ages and Explorer Backpacks will also be available during regular museum hours from April through October.
- Self-guided tours run from 1 to 4 p.m. Browse the collection at your own pace and engage in the ever-popular scavenger hunt challenge.
- Enjoy beautiful melodies on the Steinway piano as you tour the house between 2 and 3 p.m.
- Romp in Hill-Stead’s own natural playground of hiking trails, gardens and walking paths.
- Purchase a treasure in our Museum Shop, stocked with art supplies, toys, children’s books and much more.
Hill-Stead’s new Story Time is on the last Wednesday of every month at 9 am. Your child will be introduced to stories related to art, museums, nature and more (with music and movement) in the historic setting of Hill-Stead. Create an art project to bring home. Then, romp around Hill-Stead’s natural playground of walking trails, gardens and sheep farm.$8 per child or FREE with museum membership. Ages 2-6.