This is the point where we would take a field trip to a museum, but with the situation being what it is — too risky for large numbers of people inside buildings — we’re going to do things different.

EXPLORE THE GROUNDS 

Most of the museums in Hartford do not gate off their outside property to the public, at least not during regular business hours. A few you might want to check out:

  • Butler-McCook House and Garden (396 Main Street): Access the garden from Prospect Street if the Main Street gate is closed. See labeled flowers! Look with awe at the resident cat! Bring a blanket and picnic in the shade! I’m using all these exclamation points because I know how many people flock to Elizabeth Park yet pass by this site all the time without giving it a second thought.
  • Connecticut Historical Society Museum & Library (1 Elizabeth): Years ago there were tree tours on the grounds; most of those trees are still there, waiting to be admired. There is also a large object on one side of the building with a description of what that is.
  • Connecticut State Capitol (210 Capitol Avenue): There are monuments on the grounds — go learn about who these people were. There are statues on the building itself. With any luck, you’ll happen upon a rally — hopefully one with participants who understand science and wear masks.
  • Harriet Beecher Stowe Center (77 Forest Street): Walk around the garden, see if you can find the pawpaw tree, and look at the entryway woodwork. There are a few plaques.
  • Institute of Living Museum (200 Retreat Avenue): Frederick Law Olmsted (of Central and Prospect Park designing fame) did the landscaping of these 35 acres.
  • Isham-Terry House (211 High Street): When you look at this property, you might find yourself asking how the buildings surrounding it were/have been allowed to be torn down/neglected. This site is a gem.
  • Mark Twain House & Museum (351 Farmington Avenue): You can admire the building, peek at the sunroom from the outside, sit under a few giant trees, and try to imagine what it must’ve been like to live up on this hill with the Park River flowing nearby.
  • Old State House (800 Main Street): Plaques aplenty! Look up, look around. The Amistad trial began at the Circuit Court housed inside the Old State House — look around the grounds to see if you can find a reference to the trial.
  • The Museum of Connecticut History (231 Capitol Avenue): Look at the decor on the top of the building where it faces Capitol Avenue. Look real close. There’s some weird stuff going on up there. Climb the main steps to get a shot of the State Capitol building. Walk around the side toward Washington Street to look at the grassy island that no longer plays host to a symbol of slavery and brutality.
  • Wadsworth Atheneum (600 Main Street): They always have art (or “art” depending on your perspective) on their lawn, plus there are lots of things on the actual building to look at.

EXPLORE VALUES

At the beginning of this month many cultural organizations nationwide released statements as the #BlackLivesMatter protests amped up. It’s been a few weeks, which seems like enough time for us to sit still for a moment and reflect on how our local organizations have (or have not) responded:

  • Was a statement issued? What does your gut tell you about the message?
  • What do you know about the organization’s board of trustees?
  • What types of exhibits, tours, and other programs has the organization produced/provided in the last two years? Five years? Ten years? Whose voices have been represented in recent memory?
  • What types of programs and exhibits are planned for the next few months? Though the pandemic does limit certain types of activities and not all museums have chosen to adapt by providing online content, what can you discern from what they are offering?
  • How is the organization staffed? Who holds management positions? Is this a hiring issue? Is it an issue of who is encouraged to major in which subjects? Something else?
  • Who visits this museum/venue? Is it welcoming to all? Who might be unintentionally excluded, and how can they fix this?

Some institutions have been “doing the work,” as they say, already. They have been taking inventory behind-the-scenes. Some changes, as we have seen, can occur within a matter of days; we saw this when cities around the nation began taking Christopher Columbus off a pedestal on which he never should have been placed. Other changes, take time. The question is if our cultural organizations are taking steps in the right direction.

Check out the #MuseumsAreNotNeutral posts on Instagram and/or give a listen to the Museopunks podcast.