Coventry, CT – Connecticut Humanities awarded Connecticut Landmarks’ Nathan Hale Homestead a $1,500 grant to support programming surrounding two exhibitions in the Homestead’s historic barns.
The Homestead is hosting The Farmer’s Cow exhibit, made available from Historic New England, from September 1st through October 31st. The exhibit, which details the dairy industry past and present, contains ten panels telling the story of dairying including Farmers, Cows and the Land, Family Traditions, Productivity and Efficiency, Preserving the Land, and Moving Forward. It is located in the Hale 19th-c. barn and is open to the public during regular museum hours.
Connecticut Landmarks was also delighted to host the Smithsonian Institution’s The Way We Worked exhibition at the Nathan Hale Homestead in Coventry from August 9th to September 14th. The exhibit is part of a year-long conversation about the past, present and future of work life in Connecticut created by Connecticut Humanities. The Way We Worked draws on the National Archives’ rich photographic collections to document 130 years of changing work life in America.
This August and September, the Homestead offered People at Work events to correspond with the two exhibitions and to draw additional audiences to the exhibitions. The August programs included a blacksmith, cooking demonstrations, a Farm Work Festival presenting farming through the ages, and a wood splitting demonstration. The September programming, funded by Connecticut Humanities, featuring presentations on The World of Puppetry by Oswaldo Tirano and Grasshopper Arts, and Dulcimers ’n More, a musical quartet of traditional musicians.
Connecticut at Work travels across the state through December 2014. The program features the Smithsonian Institution’s The Way We Worked exhibition, with stops in seven communities: New Haven, Torrington, Hartford, Waterbury, Coventry, Stamford and Groton. Surrounding communities are adding local focus with community history exhibits, book and film discussions, author talks, performances and more. Connecticut at Work is an initiative of Connecticut Humanities, a non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. In the Coventry Area, Connecticut at Work is a partnership with Connecticut Landmarks. The Connecticut tour of The Way We Worked is made possible by Connecticut Humanities and Historic New England. For a calendar of events and more information, visit cthumanities.org/ctatwork.
The Nathan Hale Homestead is located at 2299 South Street in Coventry, CT 06238. For more information, visit www.ctlandmarks.org.