Bruce Museum of Arts and Science

Coordinates: 41°01′08″N 73°37′25″W / 41.019°N 73.6235°W / 41.019; -73.6235
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Bruce Museum
Map
Established1912
Location1 Museum Drive
Greenwich, Connecticut, United States
TypeArt, science, natural history
Executive directorRobert P. Woltersdorff
Chairs
  • James B. Lockhart III
Public transit accessRailway Train Greenwich
Websitebrucemuseum.org

The Bruce Museum (colloquially referred to as The Bruce or The New Bruce) is a art, science and natural history museum located in Greenwich, Connecticut.

The Bruce's main building sits on a hill in a downtown park, and its tower (not open to the public) can be easily seen by drivers passing by on Interstate 95.[1] Permanent exhibits include minerals, area Native American history and culture, changes in the area landscape and environment by human activity, and dioramas of Connecticut woodland wildlife and birds. The museum hosts changing exhibitions of art, photography, natural history, science, history and culture.

A second location, the Bruce Museum Seaside Center, is maintained at Greenwich Point Park, focusing on beach-related exhibits, including a touch-tank. The museum also has a "Brucemobile" with exhibits in a traveling van for outreach education. The museum hosts frequent lectures, classes and social events.[1] The Museum has hosted a local arts festival for over 40 years. The festival includes juried artist selections and is recognized nationally as one of the top fine arts festivals.[2]

Between 2020 and 2023, the museum has tripled its size, through the development of The New Bruce, a state-of-the-art facility, on three floors with over 43,000-square-foot additional exhibition space. The new addition features a designated Steven & Alexandra Cohen Education Wing as well as the William L. Richter Art Wing.[3][4]

Art holdings

The art collection has a strong emphasis on the

Frederick MacMonnies and George Segal.[5]

Mineral crystals

Permanent exhibits

The Bruce Museum promotes the understanding and appreciation of Art and Science to enrich the lives of all people.

sea stars
for close examination.

History

The Bruce Museum was originally built as private home 1853 for lawyer, clergyman and historian Francis Lister Hawks. In 1858, a wealthy textile merchant and member of the New York Cotton Exchange, Robert Moffat Bruce (1822-1908) bought the house and property. In 1908, he deeded his mansion to the town of Greenwich for it to be used "as a natural history, historical and art museum, for the use and benefit of the public."[8]

The Museum's first exhibition opened in 1912, featuring the

Cos Cob Art Colony. The Museum's early holdings include paintings, drawings, watercolors, and notebooks of Cos Cob Art Colony artists, including George Wharton Edwards, Hobart Jacobs, Leonard Ochtman, and Mina Ochtman.[10]

In 1992, the Bruce Museum, Inc. established as a non-profit organization. That same year, the museum started a project to completely renovate its building.[1] When it reopened in September 1993, the museum featured an architectural structure wrapped around the original building, housing galleries for art on one side of the main pavilion with galleries of environmental history on the other.

American Association of Museums
), a distinction only honoring fewer than 5% of all museums.

In 2001,

Chief Executive Officer
of the Bruce Museum. In 2019, Sutton retired and was succeeded by Robert Wolterstorff.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Bruce Museum". Town of Greenwich. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  2. ^ "Bruce Museum to Host 40th Annual Outdoor Arts Festival, October 9 & 10, 2021". Greenwich Sentinel. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  3. ^ "the New BRUCE". the New BRUCE. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  4. ^ Museum, Bruce (2023-03-07). "The Bruce Museum Announces Grand Reopening After $67M Expansion". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  5. ^ http://www.brucemuseum.org/collections/index.php?collection=art Bruce Museum Web site, "Collections" page, "Art" accessed on July 1, 2006
  6. ^ "What to Expects". Archived from the original on 2010-05-06.
  7. ^ "expect". Archived from the original on 2010-05-06.
  8. ^ "Bruce Museum History page". Bruce Museum.
  9. ^ "Bruce Museum history page". Bruce Museum.
  10. ^ "Greenwich, CT town website". Greenwich, CT town website.

41°01′08″N 73°37′25″W / 41.019°N 73.6235°W / 41.019; -73.6235