Waterbury, CT… The Mattatuck Museum announces its participation in the new Art Bridges Collection Loan Partnership, an innovative art lending model to increase access to outstanding works of American art. As part of this program, the Mattatuck Museum has received 20 artworks from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) for a year. The Mattatuck Museum will be integrating the new works on loan to compliment the Museum’s collection and in rotating exhibitions over the next year. Beginning this fall, the Museum’s upcoming exhibition Work It! Women Artists on Women’s Labor, will include six works from this loan.

Work It! Women Artists on Women’s Labor explores how art can speak to the variety of ways that women labor in American society. Featuring modern and contemporary female-identifying artists working in a variety of media, this exhibition touches on working outside the home, marriage, domestic labor, bearing and rearing children, beauty expectations, emotional labor, and many other issues. Work It! will be on display from September 11 through December 31. Works from the Collection Loan Partnership and LACMA will also be featured in a future exhibition, La Onda Chicana, at the Museum from March 5 – May 28, 2023.

Chief Curator, Keffie Feldman, says “I am excited about this partnership and this diverse group of works brought to the Museum. This loan allows us to augment our own holdings to tell important stories about art and identity from new and diverse perspectives.”

Museum Director Bob Burns said, “We are thrilled to be receiving these works of art. We wanted to expand our offerings of work by Latinx artists, and this loan enables us to continue our commitment to cultivating an inclusive cultural institution.”

The Art Bridges Collection Loan Partnership is a new initiative dedicated to bringing American art out of storage and on view into communities across the U.S. The program aims to increase the accessibility of works of art by BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, women artists, and to fill in gaps in museum collections. Additionally, the program will expand access and increase transparency in the process for borrowing artworks among museums of all sizes.

To learn more about the Art Bridges Collection Loan Partnership, follow the hashtag #ArtBridges on social media and visit www.artbridgesfoundation.org.  

ABOUT THE MATTATUCK MUSEUM

Located in the heart of downtown Waterbury’s architectural district, the Mattatuck Museum is a vibrant destination, known locally and regionally as a community-centered institution of American art and history. The collections at The MATT span the history of American art from the colonial era to the present day with special strengths in Naugatuck Valley history and Connecticut artists, as well as artists from around the world representing the diversity of our community. The collection includes more than 8,000 objects including paintings, unique works on paper, photography, and sculpture.

The Mattatuck has undergone a $9 million renovation project to reimagine the Museum while continuing to be a welcoming, inclusive, stimulating, and enriching community anchor. The “new” Mattatuck Museum, designed by Ann Beha Architects, includes an extensive 14,000 square foot renovation to the existing space and an addition of almost 7,000 square feet to enhance public access, educational programming, collections storage, and exhibitions.

The Museum is operated with support from the Connecticut Department of Economic & Community Development/CT Office of the Arts, which also receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.  The Museum is a founding member of the Consortium of Connecticut Art Museums and is a member of the Connecticut Art Trail, a group of 22 world-class museums and historic sites (ctarttrail.org).

The Mattatuck Museum is located on the Green in Waterbury, CT at 144 West Main Street. The Museum is open Monday-Saturday from 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. with additional hours on Thursday nights until 7:00 p.m. The Mattatuck Museum website (mattmuseum.org) outlines the Museum’s updated guidelines for visitors, including what to expect on your visit, cleaning and safety protocols, and frequently asked questions. Face masks are not required indoors. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more updates and content.

ABOUT ART BRIDGES

Art Bridges is the vision of philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton. The mission of Art Bridges is to expand access to American art in all regions across the United States. Since 2017, Art Bridges has been creating and supporting programs that bring outstanding works of American art out of storage and into communities. Art Bridges partners with a growing network of over 190 museums of all sizes and locations to provide financial and strategic support for exhibition development, loans from the Art Bridges collection, and programs designed to educate, inspire, and deepen engagement with local audiences. The Art Bridges Collection represents an expanding vision of American art from the 19th century to present day and encompasses multiple media and voices.

Press Contact

Gabriel Ford

Director, Marketing & Communications

Art Bridges Foundation

479-315-4613

Gabriel.Ford@artbridgesfoundation.org