The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum

infobox Museum
name= Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum


established= November, 1964
location= 258 Main Street, Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA
director= Harry Philbrick
website= [http://www.aldrichart.org/ www.aldrichart.org]

The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum is one of the few non-collecting contemporary art museums in the United States. Founded on Ridgefield’s historic Main Street in 1964, the Museum enjoys the curatorial independence of an alternative space while maintaining the registrarial and art-handling standards of a national institution. Exhibitions feature work by emerging and mid-career artists, and education programs help adults and children to connect to today’s world through contemporary art. The Museum is located at 258 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877. Harry Philbrick has been director since 1996.

Mission Statement

It is the mission of The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art to be a national leader in the exhibition of significant and challenging contemporary art with an emphasis on emerging and mid-career artists, a world-class innovator of museum education programs, and a vital cultural resource for our community.

Founder

Larry Aldrich] (1906–2001). Born in Manhattan on June 13, 1906, he made his mark as a successful fashion designer and art collector with an endless passion for the new and interesting. Beginning with the purchases of a Renoir and a Utrillo in the early 1940s, Mr. Aldrich's passion for collecting art soon moved from Impressionist and Expressionist masters to contemporary art, which eventually captured his complete attention. As the New York art scene rapidly expanded, Mr. Aldrich's funding enabled The Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum of American Art to acquire contemporary art for their permanent collections. With his own collection of contemporary works steadily growing, Mr. Aldrich decided to open his own museum in Ridgefield, CT, where he also maintained a residence.

The Founding of the Museum

The eighteenth-century "Old Hundred" building appealed to Mr. Aldrich because of its high-ceiling rooms and the extensive backyard that would be suitable for the year-round sculpture garden he envisioned. The Larry Aldrich Museum was incorporated as a nonprofit and opened in November 1964 as one of the country's first museums devoted exclusively to the exhibition of contemporary art. In 1967, the Museum was renamed The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, with an original Board of Trustees that included Alfred Barr, Joseph Hirshhorn, Philip Johnson, and Vera List. To better focus on its founding mission to exhibit only contemporary art, the Museum's Board voted in 1981 to deaccession the Museum's permanent collection.

History of the "Old Hundred"

Larry Aldrich purchased the historic "Old Hundred" building on Main Street in Ridgefield, Connecticut, to contain his growing collection of art in 1964. The building was constructed in 1783 by Joshua King and James Dole, two lieutenants in the Revolutionary War, and was nicknamed "Old Hundred" because it served as a grocery and hardware store from 1783 to 1883 and as Ridgefield's first post office. A descendant of Lieutenant King, Grace King Ingersoll, remodeled the building in 1883 and used it as her home. From 1929 to 1964, it served as Ridgefield's First Church of Christ, Scientist, becoming in 1964, The Larry Aldrich Museum.

Renovation and Expansion

Mr. Aldrich stayed active and involved with the Museum until his death in 2001, shortly prior to which The Aldrich's Board of Trustees, with Larry Aldrich, chairman emeritus, in attendance, voted to proceed with a major renovation and expansion. The architects were presented with the challenge of designing a contemporary art museum to be located in an historic district with colonial roots. Architect Charles Mark Hay, design principal at Tappé Associates, Boston, based the new Aldrich on an abstraction of traditional New England architecture. Groundbreaking took place in April 2003, and the galleries reopened to the public in June 2004 with a new name, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. A $9 million capital campaign was successfully concluded in December 2004.

The Aldrich’s Facility

The Aldrich comprises the "Old Hundred" building that houses the Museum's administrative offices, and a new white clapboard and granite Museum building that provides public and exhibition spaces. The Aldrich's convert|25000|sqft|m2 of new and redesigned space accommodates twelve galleries, including: a screening room; a sound gallery; a convert|22|ft|m|sing=on-high project space; 100-seat performance area; an education center; a store; and The Cornish Family Sculpture Garden, a two-acre outdoor exhibition space. The new Aldrich Museum building was the recipient of a design award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA), New England. The Museum also received an honorable mention from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation for its restoration efforts on the "Old Hundred" building.

The Aldrich Today

The Museum continues Mr. Aldrich's vision that the Museum should make contemporary art accessible to a variety of audiences. Over the course of its forty-year history, The Aldrich has become renowned as a national leader for its presentation of outstanding new art, the cultivation of emerging artists, and its innovation in museum education.

Exhibitions

The high standard The Aldrich maintains for its exhibitions has been attained through years of identifying and presenting the best of the world’s contemporary art. It is recognized internationally for its thematic group exhibitions, always based on clear, straightforward ideas with the potential for bringing together diverse works of art and placing them in a context that facilitates their understanding. Recent exhibitions include Martí Cormand: 2007 Emerging Artist Award Exhibition; Anselm Kiefer: Velimir Chlebnikov; Neil Jenney: NORTH AMERICA; No Reservations: Native American Culture and History in Contemporary Art; Voice & Void: 2006 Hall Curatorial Fellowship Exhibition; and 50,000 Beds: A Project by Chris Doyle.

Education

The Aldrich’s comprehensive array of education programs has been acclaimed for excellence and innovation. Ongoing elements include the Museum’s nationally-acclaimed Student Docent Program, which celebrated its tenth year in 2003; the intensive teen program Art Lab, which recently introduced a community service element; and Portfolio Review Day, where high school seniors meet admissions officers from 15 art schools; the ART/WRITE multi-visit program, in which classroom teachers and Museum educators collaborate to use art on view in The Aldrich to enhance the original written work of students; and the biennial Art & Writing Institute for teachers. The Aldrich’s overall education program has garnered support from the Hearst Foundation. Click here for education programs: http://www.aldrichart.org/education/

Families

The Aldrich’s Family Learning Initiative promotes lifelong learning, offering innovative programming targeted at families, building a continuum of programming and participants by offering special hands-on events—keyed to current exhibitions—on the first Saturday of every month, and producing and distributing specially-designed resources for each exhibition. The third weekend of every month the Museum features Drop-In Hours, when hands-on activities are offered to families in the Education Center. Click here for family programs: http://www.aldrichart.org/education/children.php

Fellowships and Awards

The Larry Aldrich Award: The Larry Aldrich Award honors an American artist whose work has had a significant impact on contemporary visual culture during recent years. An independent jury of artists, collectors, critics, curators, and gallerists selects the recipient. The Museum is grateful to Larry Aldrich for his generosity and foresight in establishing and funding the Award. Applications are not accepted for this award. Since 1995, the honoree has received $25,000 and the opportunity for an exhibition at The Aldrich. For complete information, please click here: http://www.aldrichart.org/about/fellowships.php Award recipients include: Elizabeth Peyton (2006); Kara Walker (2005); Catherine Opie (2004); David Hammons (2003); Fred Wilson (2002); Mark Dion (2001); Doug Aitken (2000); Janine Antoni (1999); Ann Hamilton (1998); Charles Ray (1997); Robert Gober (1996); Bruce Nauman (1995); Cindy Sherman (1994); Elizabeth Murray (1993).

The Aldrich Emerging Artist Award: The Aldrich Emerging Artist Award is administered and the recipient selected by the curatorial staff of The Aldrich, which includes curatorial director Merrill Falkenberg, exhibitions director Richard Klein, and director Harry Philbrick. Beneficiaries of the award, which has been presented by the Museum since 1997, receive a cash prize of $5,000 and the opportunity to exhibit at The Aldrich. Applications are not accepted for this award. For complete information, please click here: http://www.aldrichart.org/about/fellowships.php Award recipients include: Martí Cormand (2007); Josh Azzarella (2006); Todd Hebert (2005); David Opdyke (2004); Elizabeth Demaray (2003); Yuken Teruya (2002); Claire Corey (2001); John F. Simon, Jr. (2000); Bonnie Collura (1999); Paul Henry Ramirez (1998); Roxy Paine (1997).

The Hall Curatorial Fellowship: The Hall Fellowship is a biennial program intended to offer an exceptional opportunity to an international curator to gain curatorial experience in a United States museum setting, and to support the professional development of curators. In order to bring an international perspective to the Museum's curatorial practice, the Hall Fellow will be primarily responsible for curating an original exhibition in keeping with the Museum's mission, overseeing its installation at The Aldrich, and the development of appropriate complementary cultural and educational programs. For complete information, please click here: http://www.aldrichart.org/about/fellowships.php Award recipients include: Thomas Trummer (2006).

Contact: The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum 258 Main Street Ridgefield, CT 06877 203.438.4519

Hours: Tuesday - Sunday, 12 noon to 5 pm Closed on Mondays and New Year's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day Open on the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, and Labor Day

Admission: Adults $7, seniors & college students $4 Members, K-12 teachers and children 18 & under FREE FREE admission on Tuesdays

The Aldrich presents two awards annually:

"The Larry Aldrich Award" to honor an American artist "whose work has had a significant impact on contemporary visual culture during recent years". (The honoree is selected by an independent jury, applications are not accepted. The event, initiated in 1993, consists of a cash prize and an exhibition with catalogue at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.)

"The Emerging Artist Award" awarded to an artist "whose work exhibits bold innovation, exciting originality, clear direction, and serious dedication". (The beneficiary is selected by the curatorial staff of the Museum, applications are not accepted. The award consists of a cash prize and a solo exhibition at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.)

Recipients of the Aldrich awards

External links

* [http://www.aldrichart.org/ The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum website]