SHARE

Ridgefield's Aldrich Museum Launches 50th Anniversary Celebration

RIDGEFIELD, Conn. -- The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield will launch its 50th anniversary celebration with a series of exhibitions and programs that highlight its legacy at a free opening reception from 1 to 5 p.m.

This piece by Robert Smithson will be on display at The Aldrich in Ridgefield for its 50th Anniversary Celebration on Sunday.

This piece by Robert Smithson will be on display at The Aldrich in Ridgefield for its 50th Anniversary Celebration on Sunday.

Photo Credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image source: Art Resource,
This piece by Michael Joo, Marble Strata Room (digital rendering), 2014, will be on display at The Aldrich Museum on Sunday.

This piece by Michael Joo, Marble Strata Room (digital rendering), 2014, will be on display at The Aldrich Museum on Sunday.

Photo Credit: Contributed/Courtesy of Michael Joo

The event will also explore the relationship between the era in which the museum was founded with the current cultural landscape.

At 1 p.m.,  the exhibitions and tented café will open to the public. From 1 to 3 p.m. and 3 to 5 p.m., art-making workshops for all ages will be offered; and at 2 and 3 p.m.,  docents will lead exhibition tours.

The three overlapping series of exhibitions focus on the museum’s formative years:

The first, Standing in the Shadows of Love: The Aldrich Collection 1964–1974—features iconic, historical works by Robert Indiana, Robert Morris, Ree Morton, Robert Rauschenberg, and Robert Smithson that are representative of the Museum’s early collection acquired by founder Larry Aldrich.

The second introduces new projects by contemporary artists—Taylor Davis, Jessica Jackson Hutchins, Michael Joo, and Michelle Lopez—whose work reflects the continuing influence of both art and culture from the 1960s and '70s, in conversation with the historical pieces.

The third presents new paintings by Jack Whitten, an artist whose work was exhibited during the Museum’s first decade.

The Aldrich is one of the few independent, non-collecting contemporary art museums in the United States, and the only museum in Connecticut devoted to contemporary art.

It is one of only 20 museums in Connecticut and only 318 art museums in the country to be accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

The museum, located at 258 Main St., is dedicated to fostering innovative artists whose ideas and interpretations of the world around us serve as a platform to encourage creative thinking. All exhibitions and programs are handicapped accessible.

For more information call 203-438-4519 or visit aldrichart.org.

to follow Daily Voice Westport and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE