Mattatuck Museum

Sunday, May 6th, I went over to Waterbury to visit the Mattatuck Museum. It was quite interesting! My first experience was that the woman who helped me was sort of unfriendly. When I asked about the photography policy, she interrogated me at length about why I had to have pictures, the nature of the class and the assignment, where the pictures would be published, what school I went to, who the professor was, etc. Then, she could not find the photo release forms (she said "well, there is a form you have to fill out and sign," as if that would deter me from taking photos! I told her, "fine, this isn't the only museum with that requirement - where is the form? I'll sign."), so she made me follow her to the curator's office, where she still could not locate the forms. Finally, she made me put all my information on a research permission form and basically swear on my life that I would not take a picture of the large Calder statue in the courtyard - or publish it. (Strangely, the side gate to the courtyard was open - I bet people were stepping in and snapping illegal Calder photos all day!) So once she was sure that I understood the importance of not photographing the big, red, three-legged cat (or whatever it was) in the courtyard, she released me to roam the museum on my own. I thought the museum was small, a little strange, and the lighting was very poor. I had to take the stairs up and down because the janitor comandeered the elevator to move chairs while setting up an event on the third floor. I did find a few treasures though. When I arrived, they were giving a lecture (though I did not get a chance to listen) on Kay Sage. She was an artist and more importantly, the wife of Yves Tanguy. They were discussing her collection, which the museum is exhibiting. She is a Surrealist and lived in France with her husband. They had interesting pieces on display, from childrens' artwork to sculptures and letters. If you get a chance, it is well worth the $4 admission price (if the people working remember to ask you for it - I had to ask them if they wanted me to pay them!). I did see some more Calder inside, including a sculpture (I think there was a similar Calder sculpture at the Met?). The museum also houses a very large collection of buttons, many made by the brass mills in the city. The older man working at the museum (he was nice and struck up a conversation with me) told me that during the Civil War, the people who made the buttons sold buttons to both the North and the South. Very interesting! Well, here is my final blog entry for this class (and my final assignment for my Bachelor's degree!) Enjoy the photos:

Here is the Calder "corner"

This one is neat - the artist is Rebecca Miller, playwright Arthur Miller's only child:

A child's bat, ball, and sled...

Thank you for stopping by!

Beth