The Aldrich will be closed to the public May 26 through June 6 for installation of The Aldrich Decennial: I am what is around me.
The Aldrich Decennial: I am what is around me, the debut of a recurring survey taking place every ten years, features artists who live and work in Connecticut. As the state's only institution exclusively dedicated to contemporary art, this series will spotlight current artists and practices emerging from Connecticut. None of the featured artists will have had a solo museum exhibition in the state, and all works will have been created within the last decade.
Connecticut has been the home to many goliaths of art history, including Anni and Josef Albers, Kay Sage and Yves Tanguy, Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Jasper Johns, Barkley Hendricks, and Sol LeWitt. Spanning the full footprint of the Museum's 8,000-square-foot galleries and recently renovated three-acre campus and Sculpture Garden, this survey will explore the varied artistic expressions of generations of artists who have chosen to live and work outside major art centers. The Aldrich has a long history of supporting Connecticut artists through solo, group, and invitational exhibitions since its inception. In alignment with the Museum's mission to support artists at pivotal points in their careers, this exhibition will feature an intergenerational roster of artists emphasizing breakout debuts and rediscoveries.
Modeled after other major museum series, this exhibition will showcase the breadth of artists' practices and present an opportunity for artists at varying stages of their careers within the state. The dynamism of Connecticut's landscape has long provided a respite for artists who have chosen to work outside the pressure and expense of major metropolitan art centers like New York or Boston. As rents continue to increase, this trend has accelerated. Diana Bowes Chief Curator Amy Smith-Stewart and Curatorial and Publications Manager Caitlin Monachino conducted over 100 studio visits to understand the tenor of creation across the state.
The exhibition's title, I am what is around me, is excerpted from the American poet Wallace Stevens's poem "Theory," 1917. Stevens lived in Hartford, Connecticut, for 40 years, and many of his poems were inspired by the city.
The typeface for the exhibition design is DROIT, designed by the artists Christopher Sleboda and Kathleen Sleboda, based in Guilford, Connecticut.
Conceived of and led by the Museum’s Diana Bowes Chief Curator Amy Smith-Stewart, the first edition of the series will be curated by Smith-Stewart and Curatorial and Publications Manager Caitlin Monachino.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a significant publication featuring an introduction, short texts on each artist, plates, and installation views.
Faustin Adeniran (b. 1988)
Ellen Altfest (b. 1970)
Scott Carrillo Azevedo (b. 1983)
Jen Bervin (b. 1972)
Carlos Bautista Biernnay (b. 1969)
Lula Mae Blocton (b. 1947)
Gary Burnley (b. 1950)
Dominic Chambers (b. 1993)
Carl D’Alvia (b. 1965)
Chris Domenick (b. 1982)
Anindita Dutta (b. 1973)
Azza El Siddique (b. 1984)
Anoka Faruqee (b. 1972) & David Driscoll (b. 1964)
Enrique Figueredo (b. 1980)
Lizzie Gill (b. 1989)
Renee Gladman (b. 1971)
Dan Gunn (b. 1980)
Edward Henderson (b. 1951)
Huê Thi Hoffmaster (b. 1982)
Kristy Hughes (b. 1987)
Jilaine Jones (b. 1959)
Arghavan Khosravi (b. 1984)
Sonja Langford (b. 1994)
Emily Larned (b. 1977)
Jihyun Lee (b. 1979)
Beck Lowry (b. 1980)
Danica Lundy (b. 1991)
Tammy Nguyen (b. 1984)
Grace O’Connor (b. 1974)
Em Rooney (b. 1983)
Lucy Sallick (b. 1937)
Kern Samuel (b. 1990)
Aki Sasamoto (b. 1980)
John Shen (b. 1990)
Remy Sosa (b. 1995)
Philip Taaffe (b. 1955)
Felandus Thames (b. 1974)
Amanda Russhell Wallace (b. 1986)
Julia Wachtel (b. 1956)
Major support for The Aldrich Decennial: I am what is around me is provided by the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation and The Aldrich Council. Generous support is provided by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and Wagner Foundation. Significant support is provided by an anonymous donor, Ellen and Andrew Celli, Mary Shaw Halsey and Robert Marks, Helen Kauder and Barry Nalebuff, Kristina and Philip Larson, and Adam R. Rose and Peter R. McQuillan. The catalogue is supported by the Eric Diefenbach and James Keith Brown Publications Fund. Production support is provided by the Diana Bowes and Jim Torrey Commissions Fund. Digital projects support is provided by Rodney Reid. Preferred Art Logistics Provider: Crozier
Additional support is provided by the Friends of The Aldrich Decennial: Sabeth and Aaron Albert, Tish Beitzel and Bob Vredenburgh, Paula Cleary and Paul Farrell, Helen Dimos and Benjamin Oko, Christine Everett and Peter Pesce, Becky and Mike Goss, John Katz, Victoria H. Lightman, Miriam G. Martinez and Roger Restaino, Ruth Rothseid, and Kimberly and Christopher Van Munching.
Members and friends, please join us to celebrate the opening of The Aldrich Decennial: I am what is around me before the exhibitions open to the public.
Beginning on opening day of The Aldrich Decennial, artist Tim Youd will undertake a live, durational retyping of Richard Yates’s Revolutionary Road on The Aldrich’s campus. Presented in dialogue with the exhibition’s focus on Connecticut artists, the project draws on the state’s rich literary history and Yates’s own ties to Connecticut, where the novel’s suburban landscape was famously realized.
Celebrate the close of the school year with an evening dedicated to you. Join your fellow educators for a night of creativity and relaxation.
Kick off your weekend with an art-filled escape at The Aldrich! Every Friday this summer, the Museum stays open late until 7 pm for Happy Hour Fridays.
Kick off your weekend with an art-filled escape at The Aldrich! Every Friday this summer, the Museum stays open late until 7 pm for Happy Hour Fridays.
Join us for the first Happy Hour Fridays of the season followed by a special 7 pm screening of The Harvard 5 (directed by Devon Chivvis, World Life Productions).
Sensory Saturday is a program designed for children (ages 4-12) with developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, those on the autism spectrum, and their family members.
Join us for an engaging and accessible one-hour Senior Tour at The Aldrich, specifically designed to celebrate curiosity and connection.
Kick off your weekend with an art-filled escape at The Aldrich! Every Friday this summer, the Museum stays open late until 7 pm for Happy Hour Fridays.
Visit the Museum for FREE the third Saturday of every month as part of our Third Saturdays program.
Bring your budding artists to The Aldrich for Story Time in collaboration with the Ridgefield Library!
Have you ever looked at contemporary art and wished you knew what it meant? Have you ever entered a museum not knowing where to start? If you answered yes, this free, interactive, and judgment-free tour of our current exhibitions guided by a Museum Educator is perfect for you.
Kick off your weekend with an art-filled escape at The Aldrich! Every Friday this summer, the Museum stays open late until 7 pm for Happy Hour Fridays.
Are you curious about the world of contemporary art but unsure where to begin? When you view works of art in a gallery, do you question what you see or feel the need to go into deeper insight? If you answered yes, join one of our expert Aldrich Educators for a tour of the exhibitions designed to activate your curiosity and engage your attention.
Join us at The Aldrich for a full-day, week-long arts experience with a practicing teaching artist. Campers explore the Museum’s three-acre campus and Sculpture Garden, learn in the galleries, and incorporate the world around them into their art.
Kick off your weekend with an art-filled escape at The Aldrich! Every Friday this summer, the Museum stays open late until 7 pm for Happy Hour Fridays.
Join us at The Aldrich for a full-day, week-long arts experience with a practicing teaching artist. Campers explore the Museum’s three-acre campus and Sculpture Garden, learn in the galleries, and incorporate the world around them into their art.
Join us for an engaging and accessible one-hour Senior Tour at The Aldrich, specifically designed to celebrate curiosity and connection.
Kick off your weekend with an art-filled escape at The Aldrich! Every Friday this summer, the Museum stays open late until 7 pm for Happy Hour Fridays.
Visit the Museum for FREE the third Saturday of every month as part of our Third Saturdays program.
Bring your budding artists to The Aldrich for Story Time in collaboration with the Ridgefield Library! Together, we will explore the exciting work of Carl D’Alvia. We will read the story Cars Galore by Peter Stein, then we will head to The Studio to create monochromatic sculptures!
Have you ever looked at contemporary art and wished you knew what it meant? Have you ever entered a museum not knowing where to start? If you answered yes, this free, interactive, and judgment-free tour of our current exhibitions guided by a Museum Educator is perfect for you.
Join us at The Aldrich for a full-day, week-long arts experience with a practicing teaching artist. Campers explore the Museum’s three-acre campus and Sculpture Garden, learn in the galleries, and incorporate the world around them into their art.
Are you curious about the world of contemporary art but unsure where to begin? When you view works of art in a gallery, do you question what you see or feel the need to go into deeper insight? If you answered yes, join one of our expert Aldrich Educators for a tour of the exhibitions designed to activate your curiosity and engage your attention.
Kick off your weekend with an art-filled escape at The Aldrich! Every Friday this summer, the Museum stays open late until 7 pm for Happy Hour Fridays.
Kick off your weekend with an art-filled escape at The Aldrich! Every Friday this summer, the Museum stays open late until 7 pm for Happy Hour Fridays.
Kick off your weekend with an art-filled escape at The Aldrich! Every Friday this summer, the Museum stays open late until 7 pm for Happy Hour Fridays.
Visit the Museum for FREE the third Saturday of every month as part of our Third Saturdays program.
Bring your budding artists to The Aldrich for Story Time in collaboration with the Ridgefield Library! Together, we will explore the exciting work of Huê Thi Hoffmaster. We will read the story Tisha and the Blossoms by Wendy Meddour. Then we will head to The Studio to create abstract flowers!
Have you ever looked at contemporary art and wished you knew what it meant? Have you ever entered a museum not knowing where to start? If you answered yes, this free, interactive, and judgment-free tour of our current exhibitions guided by a Museum Educator is perfect for you.
Join us for an engaging and accessible one-hour Senior Tour at The Aldrich, specifically designed to celebrate curiosity and connection.
Kick off your weekend with an art-filled escape at The Aldrich! Every Friday this summer, the Museum stays open late until 7 pm for Happy Hour Fridays.
Kick off your weekend with an art-filled escape at The Aldrich! Every Friday this summer, the Museum stays open late until 7 pm for Happy Hour Fridays.
Are you curious about the world of contemporary art but unsure where to begin? When you view works of art in a gallery, do you question what you see or feel the need to go into deeper insight? If you answered yes, join one of our expert Aldrich Educators for a tour of the exhibitions designed to activate your curiosity and engage your attention.
Kick off your weekend with an art-filled escape at The Aldrich! Every Friday this summer, the Museum stays open late until 7 pm for Happy Hour Fridays.
Top image: Left to right: Felandus Thames, Jubilee, 2025 Courtesy of the artist; Kristy Hughes, What If You Were Absolutely Straightforward?, 2024 Courtesy of the artist; Julia Wachtel, LOL, 2023 Courtesy of the artist and VON AMMON
