6th Annual Febtoberfest – Thursday, February 7 @ 6:00-9:00 p.m. (Snow Date: February 21)
Featuring Connecticut Beer & Spirits / American Wine
Join us for the hoppiest Febtoberfest yet as the Mattatuck Museum celebrates 6 years of bringing the mid-Winter sunshine to Waterbury. In addition to local breweries, guests once again will have the opportunity to sample American wine & spirits from the region and beyond. This program is supported in part by media sponsor yelp, contributing sponsor Secor, Cassidy & McPartland, P.C. and patron sponsors Blum Shapiro, City of Waterbury Arts & Tourism Commission, DNR Laboratories and Thomaston Savings Bank. In partnership with Nutmeg Fine Wines & Spirits.
$35 Advance / $40 Day of
Yoga in the Galleries – Tuesdays @ 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Find a calm mind and strengthened body with an all-levels flowing yoga class in the Mattatuck Museum Early American Art Gallery. Instructors may vary. Bring your own mat. $8 Members / $12 General
Tai Chi – Wednesdays @ 10:00-11:00 a.m.
If you are looking for a way to reduce stress, consider tai chi in the galleries at the Mattatuck Museum with certified Tai Chi instructor Joe Atkins. Tai Chi classes will allow you to find new energy and stamina. Tai chi also helps improve balance, flexibility and mobility, and reduces stiffness and soreness. Wear comfortable clothes. All levels welcome. $8 Members / $12 General
EVENTS, PROGRAMS & WORKSHOPS – Saturday, February 2 @ 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. & Sunday, February 3 @ 12:00-5:00 p.m.
Bank Of America Museums on Us Weekend
Present your Bank Of America or Merrill Lynch credit or debit card and a picture ID @ The MATT on the first full weekend of every month for one free general admission during Bank of America Museums on Us Weekends. Free general admission is limited to the cardholder. Excludes special exhibitions, ticketed shows and fundraising events. Not to be combined with other offers. Free
Salon Talks: MIXMASTER – Tuesday, February 5 @ 2:00 p.m.
Join the Mattatuck Museum for a salon-style talk focused on the artists featured in the 4th Annual MIXMASTER Exhibition. Artist’s will discuss their work and explain their process. Free for Members & College Students / $10 General
Community Free Day – Saturday, February 9 @ 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Explore the Museum all-day at no charge on the Second Saturday of every month! Join the Museum for a family-friendly project and create an artistic farewell to the old building in preparation for a reimagined space. January through March will feature a kid-friendly stained glass-like community creation. Channel your inner-watercolor enthusiast and find expression through a stained-glass project inspired by the work of Fred Staloff. Free
Story Time For Toddlers – Saturday, February 9 & Wednesday, February 13 @ 10:00-11:00 a.m.
(Ages 3-5, Pre-k through Kindergarten)
Now in conjunction with the Mattatuck Museum’s Community Free Days! Capture and enhance your child’s imagination with this literacy-focused program that takes place in the Museum galleries. Enjoy two books about the trials and tribulations of friendship starring a lovable little monster and make your own special monster to take home. Books: Love Monster and Love Monster and the Last Chocolate written by Rachel Bright. $3 Suggested Donation
Salon Talks: MIXMASTER – Sunday, February 10 @ 2:00 p.m.
Join the Mattatuck Museum for a salon-style talk focused on the artists featured in the 4th Annual MIXMASTER Exhibition. Artist’s will discuss their work and explain their process.
Free for Members & College Students / $10 General
Tuesday, February 12 @ 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Join the Mattatuck Museum for a Singles’ Mingle Paint Night. Do you fear suffering through another awkward singles’ meet-up? Don’t worry, the Museum is a great place to mingle with like-minded individuals. Join us for a stress-free guided tour that will give you lots of conversation starters, a step-by-step painting tutorial, and lots of laughs. Food and refreshments will be available.
Pre-registration requested. $15 Members / $20 General
Franklin Fever Series Pt. 1: Film – Passage by John Walker – Wednesday, February 13 @ 2:00 p.m.
This winter the Mattatuck Museum will host a three-part series that will dive deep into historic mysteries with the tale of Sir John Franklin. In 1845 Franklin led two of the Royal Navy’s best ships and a crew of 128 men into the Arctic seeking Northwestern passage. The expedition’s two ships disappeared, and the men were never heard from again. The first of the three-part Franklin series will be a viewing of John Walker’s Passage (108 min.). Combining dramatic action and behind-the-scenes documentary footage, Walker delves deeper into the multi-layered story of Franklin and his crew’s fateful journey. He explores a Scottish doctor’s report from 1851 on the crew’s dismal fate. John Rae’s reports of madness and cannibalism did not sit well with British society, including Charles Dickens. The response was a bitter public campaign discrediting Rae’s finding and accusing an entire nation of Inuit of being murderous cannibals. Walker launches Rae’s story from the past into the present with a face-to-face meeting between the great-great grandson of Charles Dickens and Inuit statesman Tagak Curley, who challenges the fraudulent history.
$3 Members / $10 General / $7 Seniors
Family Day @ The MATT: Presidents Day – Monday, February 18 @ 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Come to the Mattatuck Museum and celebrate Presidents Day! Participate in guided and self-guided activities throughout the day. From 10:30-11:00 a.m. join a guided tour of Men of Letters: The Presidential Signatures. View signatures from the founding fathers to our current President. These documents and letters provide a fascinating glimpse of some of the official acts and personal communications of our nation’s leaders. Hear from President Lincoln (portrayed by Lou Del Bianco) from 11:00 a.m.-Noon and learn about his contributions as Civil War President, frontiersman and storyteller. Lincoln’s values, honesty, love of family, thirst for education, sense of justice, and perseverance shine through this dynamic presentation.
Pre-registration requested. $5 Members / $15 General / Children are Free
Franklin Fever Series Part 2: Book Club
Frozen in Time: The Fate of The Franklin Expedition written by Owen Beattie & John Geiger
Wednesday, February 20 @ 2:00 p.m.
This winter the Mattatuck Museum will host a three-part series that will dive deep into historic mysteries with the tale of Sir John Franklin. In 1845 Franklin led two of the Royal Navy’s best ships and a crew of 128 men into the Arctic seeking Northwestern passage. The expedition’s two ships disappeared, and the men were never heard from again. This discussion will be hosted by a Mystic Seaport Museum Educator. The mystery continues to unravel surrounding the 1845-48 disappearance of Franklin and his crew with a book club discussion of Beattie and Geiger’s Frozen in Time. The historical retelling of Franklin and his crew’s tragic tale is complemented by findings from Beattie’s 1984 exhumation of two of Franklin’s crew member’s graves. It provides important evidence and answers to questions regarding what killed the men. Publishers Weekly says Frozen in Time is a whodunit page-turner that captures the thrill of scientific discovery and finding clues to solve haunting mysteries. Authors not present. The Museum recommends reading the book in advance, but it is not mandatory.
$3 Members / $10 General / $7 Seniors
Studio Class: Drawing the Body (18 +) – Sunday, February 24 @ 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Set up your drawing board in the galleries at the Mattatuck Museum for this sketching opportunity to draw female model Shauna Lee. Participants should bring their own supplies. Permissible art materials are limited to graphite, colored pencils, erasers, sketch pads, and drawing boards. No easels allowed. Stools will be provided. Instructor will be Artist Mark Chabot. This studio class is in conjunction with Natalie Van Vleck: True to Her Art, Life & Land on view through February 24.
Pre-register by 2/18. $25 Members / $30 General
To register please call the Mattatuck Museum at (203) 753-0381 x130 or visit online at mattmuseum.org
Located in the heart of downtown Waterbury’s architectural district, the Mattatuck Museum is a vibrant destination, known locally and regionally as a community-centered institution of American art and history. For more information on all of the Museum’s programs, events, and exhibits visit the website at mattmuseum.org or call (203) 753-0381.
The Mattatuck Museum is operated with support from the Connecticut Department of Economic & Community Development/CT Office of the Arts, which also receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, and is a member of the Connecticut Art Trail, a group of 21 world-class museums and historic sites (ctarttrail.org). Located on the green in Waterbury, CT at 144 West Main Street, the Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5:00 p.m. Convenient, free parking is located behind the Museum in the lots on Park Place.