The Wadsworth Atheneum Unveils October Events

The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford's "place to connect with amazing art," has announced a frightfully exciting line-up of events to usher in autumn at the museum.

 

A highlight of the Halloween season is sure to be the scary-good Spirited Social! Head to the Wadsworth on Thursday, October 12 from 6 to 9pm for a chilling night of creative festivities and frightening fun! This costumed event will feature wicked treats, devilishly good drinks (cash bar), and ghoulishly groovy music. Pick your poison from the night's lineup of spooktacular activities including special-effects makeup demonstrations by SYFY Network's "Face Off" finalist Tyler Green, Witch Trials History Tours at the Ancient Burying Grounds (6:30 & 8pm), then check out the Ghost Investigation Vehicle and immersive display room filled with curiosities and oddities by Curioporium, compete in the Costume Contest (7:30pm), then enjoy Guillermo Del Toro's horror film The Devils Backbone (8–10pm).

 

Another seasonal special offering is the Community Ofrenda. Built and dressed in cemeteries, homes, and other places of importance or worship, these decorated altars are a long-held Mexican tradition during Día de Muertos (The Day of the Dead). This month, a traditional ofrenda by Hartford-based artist Carlos Hernández Chávez is installed in the contemporary gallery where all are invited to contribute personal photos or other remembrances of their dearly departed. The ofrenda will remain on view through November 19.

 

While October is known for its spooky celebrations, it's also the time of year when we celebrate Latine culture and heritage. Celebrate Latine Heritage Month with Second Saturdays for Families on October 14 from noon to 2pm. This free event offers family fun for everyone including art-making, music, dance, and festive performances.

 

It wouldn't be October at the museum without a creepy collection of art to explore. Between Life & Death: Art and the Afterlife is on display now through December 3, 2023. On October 29 at 1pm, there will be a special Gallery Talk with director Matthew Hargraves, curator Vanessa Sigalas, and artist Carlos Hernández Chávez as they offer a glimpse into the works of art that relate to the mysterious passage from life to death.

 

In addition to a number of ongoing exhibitions, highlights for the month include Talia Chetrit / MATRIX 193 from October 6, 2023—January 7,2024; Rules & Repetition: Conceptual Art at the Wadsworth Atheneum on view October 26, 2023—February 18, 2024; Spotlight on Thomas Day: Southern Entrepreneur and Free Person of Color now through October 22, 2023; and The Amistad Center for Art & Culture's Love Overflowing: Home and the Décor of Freedom, October 12, 2023—May 12, 2024.



Current hours are noon–5pm Thursday–Sunday. Berkins on Main café hours are noon–4pm Thursday–Sunday. The library is open Fridays by appointment only. Admission: $10–20; discounts for members, students, and seniors. Free admission for Hartford residents with Wadsworth Welcome registration. For more information please visit thewadsworth.org or call (860) 278-2670.



About October at The Wadsworth

SPECIAL HALLOWEEN CELEBRATION

 

SPIRITED SOCIAL

 

Thursday, October 12 6–9pm

 

After dark, the boundaries between art and the supernatural blur. Jumpstart the Halloween season at this costumed event featuring wicked treats, drinks, and music. Pick your poison from the night's lineup of spooktacular activities including special-effects makeup demonstrations by SYFY Network's "Face Off" finalist Tyler Green, an immersive display room filled with curiosities and oddities courtesy of Curioporium, outdoor witch trials history tour of the Ancient Burying Ground, and a screening of Guillermo Del Toro's horror film The Devil's Backbone. Join us for a chilling night of creative festivities and frighting fun.

Must be age 21+ to attend. Tickets $25; $15 members. Cash bar. No costumes with props or oversized items, please.

COMMUNITY ALTAR

 

COMMUNITY OFRENDA BY CARLOS HERNÁNDEZ CHÁVEZ

 

 

Thursday, October 12 – Sunday, November 19

 

 

 

Featured in accompaniment to Between Life and Death this traditional ofrenda by Hartford-based artist Carlos Hernández Chávez will be installed in the contemporary gallery where all are invited to contribute personal photos or other remembrances of their dearly departed. These decorated altars are a long-held Mexican tradition during Día de Muertos

, built and dressed in cemeteries, homes, and other places of importance or worship. They explore the thin veil that separates life from death and serve as a physical place to remember ancestors and warmly invite their temporary return to the world of the living. The muertos, or deceased, are honored during their visit with food, drink, flowers, photos, and other gifts that are placed on the ofrenda.

 

Please note that items left on the altar cannot be returned. Copies of photos or other prized possessions are encouraged.

 

SECOND SATURDAYS FOR FAMILIES

 

LATINE HERITAGE MONTH

 

Saturday, October 14 noon—2pm

 

 

 

Free event offering family fun for everyone! Celebrate Latine heritage and culture with art making, music, and performances. Work alongside teaching artists from Bomba De Aqui in a vejigante maskmaking workshop. Watch Mexican folkloric dancer Tere Luna perform in collaboration with Mariachi Mexico Antiguo. Then participate in an interactive dance presentation by Movimiento Cultural Afro-Continental and learn the history of Bomba, an Afro-Puerto Rican style of music and dance.

GALLERY TALK

 

BETWEEN LIFE & DEATH

WITH DIRECTOR MATTHEW HARGRAVES, VANESSA SIGALAS, AND

CARLOS HERNÁNDEZ CHÁVEZ

Sunday, October 29 1pm

 

Between Life & Death: Art and the Afterlife offers a glimpse into this mysterious passage through American, European, and Mexican works of art from the collection. Join Wadsworth director Matthew Hargraves, curator Vanessa Sigalas, and artist Carlos Hernández Chávez as they explore the exhibition and reflect on an urofrenda, a traditional Mexican memorial alter, created by Chávez to celebrate Día de Muertos, the Day of the Dead. Free with admission.

 

(Image: Diego Rivera (Mexican, 1886–1957), Young Girl With a Mask (detail), 1939. Oil on canvas. The Ella Gallup Sumner and Mary Catlin Sumner Collection Fund. © 2023 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.)

TOURS

 

Register in advance for docent guided tours via thewadsworth.org.

 

NEW Special Theme Tour, Life and Death in Art, happening during the month of October every Thursday—Sunday, 2pm.

 

Collection HIGHLIGHTS TOURS take place at 12:30pm every Thursday–Sunday.

 

FAMILY TOUR Eyes on Art, Every second Saturday of the month, 12:15pm. Recommended for ages twelve and under. Adults unaccompanied by children are encouraged to sign up for our Special Theme Tours.

 

Enjoy the AUSTIN HOUSE TOUR every third Thursday of the month, 11am.

 

All tours last roughly one hour.

About the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art



Founded in 1842 with a vision for infusing art into the American experience, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is home to a collection of nearly 50,000 works of art spanning 5,000 years and encompassing European art from antiquity through contemporary as well as American art from the 1600s to today. The Wadsworth Atheneum's five connected buildings— representing architectural styles including Gothic Revival, modern International Style, and 1960s Brutalism—are located at 600 Main Street in Hartford, Conn.

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