Our mission is to identify and encourage writing and other artistic works inspired by lost objects and images of material culture. What better way to locate these rousing artifacts and the resulting creative productions than to work with the organizations dedicated to their preservation: museums and historical societies! The following five institutions have committed to working with us to accomplish our objectives, and we are proud to call them partners.
Dedicated to the life of P.T. Barnum, the famous founder of the Barnum & Bailey Circus, The Barnum Museum is home to collections of unique and eclectic artifacts which celebrate the life of the founder and the history of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Sadly, on June 25th 2010 the historic museum building was devastated by an F1 tornado, prompting the close of the museum’s regular location. Currently, the museum’s permanent collection is on display in the People’s United Bank Gallery, at the rear of the building.
The Danbury Museum & Historical Society
Located in downtown Danbury, CT, the Danbury Museum & Historical Society is comprised of six buildings: five preserved, including the John & Mary Rider House, the Dodd Hat Shop, the Marian Anderson Studio, the King Street Schoolhouse, the Little Red Schoolhouse, and the Charles Ives Birthplace, and one modern building, Huntington Hall, which houses exhibits, offices, and a research library.
The mission of the Mattatuck Museum is to “collect, preserve, study, and exhibit American art and history with a focus on the art and cultural history of Connecticut.” It originally began in 1877 as the Mattatuck Historical Society and expanded its mission in the 1960s to include the preservation of local history. The region the museum preserves includes present day Waterbury and ten surrounding towns, all known historically as “Mattatuck.”
The Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery (RAMM)
First conceived as a memorial to Prince Albert, the building home to the museum was finished in 1868. RAMM “exists to enrich the lives of people living, working in and visiting Exeter by providing them with opportunities to be inspired, informed and entertained.” Collections include acquisitions detailing the natural, cultural, and artistic history of Exeter, Devon, UK.
The Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe
The Tesla Science Center “was established with the specific purpose of developing a regional science and technology center on eastern Long Island.” In May 2013, Nikola Tesla’s Shoreham laboratory, Wardenclyffe, was purchased by the Friends of Science East Inc., a non-profit organized by Science Museum board members. Since that time, the Tesla Science Center has organized cleanup events at the laboratory location to kickoff restoration efforts. The hope is to build a museum and further the center’s resources in order to offer science education and provide information on scientific opportunities to the community.
Cara Petitti
Poor Yorick Web Editor