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Spring 26: Perseverance. Spring Landscapes in Connecticut Art. Celebrate Women’s History Month with 5 podcast episodes. Upcoming conferences. Preorder our special Summer 2026 issue!
Our exciting Summer 2026 80-page issue will commemorate Connecticut's singular role in the American Revolution and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Our expanded Kids' Page will feature a graphic novel about the Redding Encampment, Connecticut's "Valley Forge," and historian Matthew Warshauer's feature article reveals the fascinating path Connecticut took toward Independence from Great Britain. Articles about Connecticut's contributions to naval warfare, Declaration signer Oliver Wolcott, the role of Black Governor Sam Huntington, Norwich's Black soldiers, a doctor in the Continental Army, the lives of women patriots, and a newly published journal of a Revolutionary War soldier will bring our history to life!
Preorders are available for $12 per issue. Click subscribe and apply code: PREORDER
Subscribe today (all 1 year and 2 year subscriptions) to receive our special Summer 2026 issue at no extra cost. Current subscribers will receive the issue automatically, but can order additional copies.
Photo Essay: The First Green: Spring Landscapes in Connecticut Art
Earlier this past week most of Connecticut had a taste of spring. As the ground defrosted and the snow finally began to melt, muted olive greens, umbers and ochres emerged from their winter slumber. Neighborhoods began to buzz again.
Throughout seven decades artists have been inspired by the state’s spring transformation. Leviathan writes, “The story begins with the Hudson River School, whose members sought to establish American scenery as a subject worthy of serious art. Frederic Edwin Church’s West Rock, New Haven (1849) is an early example. As John K. Howat explains in Frederic Church (Yale University Press, 2005), the painter was drawn to the basalt cliff partly because of its ties to the colony’s past. In 1661, two English judges who had sentenced King Charles I to death hid in a cave beneath West Rock, an episode emphasized by 19th-century historians such as Franklin Bowditch Dexter. Church’s rendering—including the faintest new greens along the valley floor—links seasonal renewal with Connecticut history.”
Read the entire essay by subscribing.
The Latest From Grating the Nutmeg
WOMEN’S HISTORY EPISODES
March is Women’s History Month! Here are 5 Not to Be Missed Stories!
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Out and About: Exploring the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art and two upcoming conferences.
Last month CT Explored’s editorial assistant and advertising manager, Magdalena Pawlowski, spent a snowy afternoon wondering through the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. Spanning three floors the museum is filled with interesting objects, with a collection exceeding 50,000 works of art.
On view now through March 22, 2026, The Scenic Daguerreotype in America 1840–1860, is a feast for the eyes. The miniature jewel-like scenic daguerreotypes display an incredible view into mid-nineteenth-century American life and the beginnings of American landscape photography that emerged concurrently with the Hudson River School of painters.
Don’t miss out- Join us for two exciting conferences this week!
Connecticut Digital Humanities endeavors to bring together a network of DH practitioners committed to advancing collaborative scholarship in digital humanities research and pedagogy across the New England region. CTDH will provide individuals across New England who are interested in digital humanities with an opportunity to learn new techniques and skills, hear about their colleagues’ DH projects, and become part of a vibrant and diverse community of scholars and practitioners.
The next CTDH conference will be held March 19-20, 2026. The conference is free for all participants. Register and review the schedule here.
CT 1776: A Revolutionary Event is no ordinary conference! Day 1 includes invited presentations that are carefully choreographed to tell a gripping story of Connecticut’s history, weaving an engaging narrative that includes first-person presentations and stories, explores critical documents, and defines the movement towards independence and ultimately war. CT 1776: A Revolutionary Event will take place on March 20-21, 2026. Find more information here.
Programs and Exhibitions to Enjoy This Season:
Internationally renowned artist Leonardo Drew (American, b. 1961) is best known for his dynamic, abstract sculptures that simultaneously evoke order and chaos. In his monumental, immersive installations, Drew assembles materials—wood, metal, canvas, cotton, rope, and other forms of debris—into dense constellations that harness a sense of unbridled energy, creating what the artist refers to as an “explosion.”
Drew’s intricately detailed works on paper also engage a form of alchemy, allowing the artist to explore the possibilities of varied materials, techniques, and compositions on a more intimate scale. Featuring approximately 20 works on paper, all produced within the last two decades, Leonardo Drew: Alchemy highlights the material transformations—and accumulations—that are at the heart of the artist’s practice. Leonardo Drew: Alchemy is organized by the Bruce Museum and curated by Margarita Karasoulas, curator of art, with Jordan Hillman, assistant curator of art.
Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich. brucemuseum.org; 203-869-0376
Celebrate at the Lockwood–Mathews Mansion Museum
Let’s celebrate America 250 together! In 2026, The Lockwood–Mathews Mansion Museum will explore the Mansion’s family ties to the American Revolution and highlight history and the arts through thought-provoking and engaging programs for youth and adults on American independence, the history of 19th-century Irish American immigrants, the material culture of the Gilded Age, and more!
Lockwood–Mathews Mansion Museum, 295 West Avenue, Norwalk. lockwoodmathewsmansion.com; 203-838-9799
Commemorate America 250 at KTM&HC!
We’re commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence with programs that help audiences engage with our nation’s history. Join Keeler Tavern Museum and Ridgefield Library for two collaborative series: Declaration Deep Dive features dynamic speakers discussing the Declaration and its impacts; Community Conversations encourages audience participation as we explore what the Declaration means to us. Visit keelertavernmuseum.org/events.
Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center, 152 Main Street, Ridgefield. keelertavernmuseum.org; 203-438-5485
Arriving from France to Slater Museum, Nympheus Lumaninsis: The Waterlilies of Light
You’re invited to experience Nympheus Lumaninsis: The Waterlilies of Light by artist Laurence Saunois, a traveling exhibition coming exclusively to Slater Memorial Museum! This series of ten one-of-a-kind works stands as a tribute and enduring love letter to renowned artist Claude Monet. For 43 years, Monet lived in Giverny, France, and his series of waterlily paintings became an iconic theme of his career. Channeling that passion, award-winning artist Laurence Saunois, of Figeac, France, has created a series of paintings that offer viewers the opportunity to experience nature’s inspiration through contemporary French Impressionism. These works create a visual sensation of being drenched by color illuminated by the sun, brought to life by the interplay of shadows and light. Slater Museum is proud to host this iconic exhibition, on view through April 15, 2026.
Slater Memorial Museum, 108 Crescent Street, Norwich. slatermuseum.org; 860-887-2506
Editor’s Picks:
Susan G. Larkin, “Childe Hassam and the Burkes of Cos Cob” Connecticut Explored, Fall 2019.
Joseph Newman, “‘Only waiting to be painted’ The Inspirational Landscape of Old Lyme” Connecticut Explored, Summer 2006.
Susan P. Schoelwer, “Painting with Needle & Thread” Connecticut Explored, Winter 2010-2011.