MUSEUMS AND TALKS: Dr. Seuss' birthday rolls on; Trolley Musuem to open
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Mar. 18—SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Museums are continuing a month-long of programs and events to celebrate the birthday of Springfield native Ted Geisel — Dr. Seuss — through March 31.
The children's author, who revolutionized learning to read by making it fun, was born on March 2, 1904.
To help stay at a safe capacity and allow for social distancing, the museums opted to spread the celebration over an entire month instead of having the usual one-day event.
There will be interactive games for families and opportunities to win a free book in the "31 Books in 31 Days: Hats Off to Reading" book giveaway.
Birthday activities will be open to all visitors, but there will be timed tickets for admission to the Dr. Seuss Museum.
For people who are not able (or ready) to visit in person, at-home activities for children and their families are available.
Springfield Museums are on the quadrangle at 21 Edwards St. in downtown Springfield. Hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The one ticket admission to the five museums is adults, $25; older adults 60 and older and college students, $16.50; youth ages 3-17, $13; children younger than 3, free.
For information, call 413-263-6800 or visit: springfieldmuseums.org
Springfield Museums is continuing its virtual museum a la carte lunchtime series on Thursdays in April.
Presentations will take place via the video conferencing app Zoom. The cost for all virtual talks is $2 for members and $4 for non-members.
Register in advance by clicking on the Programs tab at:
The upcoming schedule:
April 1: Exhibition on Screen: Easter in Art, 12:15 to 1:40 p.m. The story of Christ's death and resurrection has dominated western culture for the past 2000 years. It is perhaps the most significant historical event of all time, as recounted by the gospels but, equally, as depicted by the greatest artists in history. From the triumphant to the savage, the ethereal to the tactile, some of western civilization's greatest artworks focus on this pivotal moment. This beautifully crafted film explores the Easter story as depicted in art, from the time of the early Christians to the present day. Shot on location in Jerusalem, United States and throughout Europe, the film explores the different ways artists have depicted the Easter story through the ages and thus depicts the history of us all.
April 8: Gardens of the Arts and Crafts Movement, 12:15 to 1 p.m.
April 15: Remote Easter Island and its Intriguing Giant Statues, 12:15 to 1 p.m.
Connecticut Trolley Museum
EAST WINDSOR —The Connecticut Trolley Museum opens Saturday, March 27, with the Easter Eggspress.
Motorwoman Cotton-Tail will roam the grounds and pose for socially-distant photos from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Easter Eggspress will also be running Sunday, March 28; and Friday-Saturday, April 2-3.Tickets are $13 plus fees, and will be sold online only.
The museum is at 58 North Road. For information, call 860-627-6540 or visit:
New England Air Museum
WINDSOR LOCKS — During March, the New England Air Museum will commemorate Women's History Month with "Women Take Flight 2021," a celebration of the past, present, and future of women in aerospace.
Programs will be a combination of virtual and in-person experiences highlighted by Saturday morning guests who will be at the air museum from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for drop-in visits.
Saturday's guests are Peggy Loeffler, chief flight instructor, and Kathy Wadsworth from Aeronaut on March 20.
—MSgt. Dana Willette, 337th Airlift flight engineer with the 439th Air Wing Flying Safety NCO at Westover, Mass., Air Reserve Base will be the guest on March 27.
The celebration has activities every Saturday and Sunday in March from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The museum's public programs team has put together scavenger hunts with the theme of women in aerospace, flight science demonstrations, and take-home versions of its popular build and fly challenges.
Admission is $16 for adults, $10 for children ages 4-14, $14 for adults ages 65 and older, and free for children 3 and younger.
For information, call 860-623-3305 or visit:
Wadsworth Atheneum
HARTFORD — The Wadsworth Artheneum, 600 Main St., presents the photography of Todd Gray in the exhibit "Todd Gray/MATRIX 186," on display though June 20.
Gray's photographic assemblages explore the history and impact of European colonialism, slavery, and the African diaspora. These are personal subjects for the artist as Gray's family has been unable to trace its lineage beyond three generations due to the legacy of slavery.
Breaking the rules of formal presentation, Gray conceals and pairs imagery to take us on a complex journey about identity through Africa, Europe, and the cosmos, and through time and space.
Framed individually in different styles of new, museum, and thrift-shop frames, the artist layers and stacks images in dynamic overlapping compositions.
Museum hours are Fridays from noon-8 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, noon-5 p.m.
Admission is free during the pandemic, but registration for timed tickets is required. For information, visit: thewadsworth.org
There are two free, special events in conjunction with the Gray exhibit:
Curator Talk, Thursday, April 8, noon. Curator Patricia Hickson leads a virtual tour of Todd Gray's MATRIX exhibition delving into the layers of history and interpretation that the artist stacks in his work.
Mark Twain House
The Mark Twain House and Museum kicks off the spring season of its Trouble Begins at 5:30 lecture series on Monday. The guests will be Loren Ghiglione, Alyssa Karas and Dan Tham, authors of "Genus Americanus Hitting the Road in Search of America's Identity."
Ghiglione, a 70-year-old Northwestern journalism professor climbed into a minivan with Karas and Tham, two 20-something Northwestern journalism students, and embarked on a three-month, twenty-eight state, 14,063-mile road trip in search of America's identity.
On their journey they retraced Mark Twain's travels across America hoping that Twain's insights into the late nineteenth-century soul of America would help them understand the America of today and the ways that our cultural fabric has shifted.
Register for this free lecture at:
marktwainhouse.org/event/trouble-begins-genus-americanus
Stowe Center
HARTFORD — The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, 77 Forest St., will resume in-person tours on Thursday, April 8.
New evening hours on Thursdays, convenient online ticketing, best practices in COVID-19 safety, and small tour size will make your visit better than ever.
For information, visit: harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/visit/tour
Tolland Library
TOLLAND — Music historian Jeffrey Engel will give a Zoom presentation on women composers of the 19th century Tuesday, March 30, at 6:30 p.m.
"Finally Breaking Through the Male Dominated World of Classical Music" will highlight the lives and music of several distinguished female composers/ concert pianists.
Register via the online library events calendar at: Tolland.org/library
Hidden gardens
SPENCERTOWN, N.Y.— Spencertown Academy Arts Center will launch its 2021 Hidden Gardens virtual lecture series on Sunday, March 21, at 1 p.m. via Zoom.
Master gardener Mary Ann Iaccino will talk on "Why Start Plants From Seed?" The lecture will be about an hour, followed by a Q&A with participants.
Tickets are $10. To register, go to: spencertownacademy.org
