Mystic Museum of Art unveils Renovated Galleries, New Museum Store, Two Exhibitions (CT)
New England Travel Journal with information from the MMoA
The Mystic Museum of Art (MMoA), located in historic Mystic, Connecticut, is launching in 2020 with gallery renovations, two new exhibitions, and a museum store. Closed for almost the entire month of January as work on the galleries progressed, MMoA reopened on January 30 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. with a reception to celebrate the restoration of the Davis and Halsey Galleries to their original elegance, and the inaugural exhibitions of 2020: “Gifts to the Museum” and “Members and Elected Artists.” Visitors will also enjoy the opportunity to check out the institution’s first museum store.
“Gifts to the Museum” will illustrate how MMoA’s permanent collection has grown into a major public resource through gifts of art by generous donors. Christopher Bates, James Quinn, Virginia Wydler, and Bertrand (Tim) Bell, on behalf of the Streeter family, all enhanced the depth and scope of the collection in 2019. Their gifts reflect the genius of the Mystic art colony itself in works by Charles Davis, Kenneth and Gladys Bates, Harve Stein, Y.E. Soderberg, and Stephen Jerome Hoxie; and the internationally renowned artists who influenced American art as a whole: Robert Motherwell, Wayne Thiebaud, Sean Scully, Claes Oldenburg, Suzanne Caporael, to name just a few. Visitors will find these “Gifts to the Museum” in MMoA’s Leibig Gallery through April 18.
Earlier this month the Mystic Museum of Art (MMoA) announced the restoration of its historic Davis and Halsey galleries, with work beginning in mid-January. MMoA was closed most of the month as the walls, ceiling, and fixtures were reconditioned, cleaned, primed, and painted.
The Museum’s trajectory from art association to art center to art museum—envisioned by its founders in 1913—has spanned decades and now aims at national stature.
“None of this could happen without the support of generous and visionary friends,” observed V. Susan Fisher, the museum’s Executive Director. “MMoA’s plan to enrich appreciation of the Mystic Art Colony’s heritage and build on it with outstanding exhibitions and educational programs requires significant resources. Thanks to an exceptionally generous gift from an anonymous donor, we can move ahead on our vision for 2020: to deliver transformative art experiences to a broader community.”
Founded as an association of artists more than 100 years ago, MMoA has exhibited its members’ artwork for decades. This year, “Members and Elected Artists” will be the first exhibition to be displayed in the renovated Davis and Halsey Galleries. Featuring a wide variety of media and techniques by Mystic area artists, “Members and Elected Artists” will run through February 29.
Located in the Museum’s Schuster Gallery, the new museum store will feature museum-branded items such as tee shirts and tote bags, works by local artisans, and prints and reproductions of artwork from the permanent collection. All the items in the store will be locally sourced in support of area artisans and merchants.
Located at 9 Water Street in Mystic, CT, the Mystic Museum of Art (MMoA) has served as a focal point for the arts in southeastern Connecticut for more than 100 years. Founded in 1913 as the Mystic Art Association, and expanded in 2004 as Mystic Art Center to offer a rich educational program, MMoA is built on a strong foundation in both the exhibition and the practice of fine art. MMoA’s mission is to inspire creativity and critical dialogue by engaging the regional community in the understanding, appreciation, and practice of visual art.