Arts & Entertainment
Hill-Stead Museum Awarded Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism Grants
Funds will help rehabilitate and fully interpret museum's agricultural complex
has announced that it has been awarded two grants from the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism.
“This is a testimony to the hard work of our staff and the generosity of our benefactors,” said Dr. Sue Sturtevant, Hill-Stead Museum’s Executive Director and CEO, referring to the first award, an unrestricted Connecticut Arts Endowment Fund grant of $18,000.
The Arts Endowment Fund grants are calculated based on a formula tied to the amount a non-profit raised in the past year, designed to reward organizations that have realized an increase in their private contributions. The fund was established by the State of Connecticut to stimulate the development of private sector funding and to help stabilize arts institutions.
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Hill-Stead Museum was also awarded a Historic Preservation Survey & Planning grant for $20,000 to develop design-level architectural plans for the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the Horse Barn and the Hay Barn, key structures on the museum’s Farm Complex.
This project, explained Sturtevant, “reflects the museum's steady progress over the last years in expanding the permanent exhibition and programmatic platform from a focus on the historic Pope-Riddle house and collections to one that includes the entire historic cultural landscape. Our efforts to incorporate the whole estate, including the Farm Complex, through nature programming, outdoor exhibits, and nature and garden blogs, are a result of many years of planning and investigation,” Sturtevant said.
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“The working farm was central to the vision of Hill-Stead's founder, Theodate Pope, and in our vision, the barns, farmhouse, and other structures will become significant and valuable features of one of Connecticut's premiere National Historic Landmarks. Pope was always an innovator when it came to new things, as well as preserving old.”
While the primary benefit of this project is that the Hay Barn and Horse Barn, both important examples of their types and periods, will be preserved as significant components of the overall exhibit at Hill-Stead, the project also offers an opportunity to expand the Hill-Stead audience and serve the community.
Many visitors who are not as interested in art and gardens, are intrigued with early American barns, colonial culture, and the history of agriculture in New England. With the expansion of outdoor programs in recent years, Hill-Stead Museum is now viewed as a prime place to experience the natural world; a fully interpreted agricultural complex on the estate will engage residents in hands-on experience with organic food production, animal husbandry, and alternative energy production. The reclaiming of the Farm Complex can provide timely and meaningful opportunities for urban and suburban residents in Connecticut, including school children, to become involved in outdoor programs and learn about sustainable farming.
The Community Investment Act provides funding for the Commission on Culture & Tourism to award Survey & Planning grants on a competitive basis.
A National Historic Landmark and an Official Project of Save America’s Treasures, Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, CT, is a member of Connecticut’s Historic Gardens and a stop on the Connecticut Art Trail, a partnership of 15 world-class museums and historic sites across the state. The museum’s period rooms are open for tours Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The last tour of the day begins at 3 p.m. Grounds are open to the public daily 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. For tour and program information, browse www.hillstead.org or call 860.677.4787.