The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum ushers in its 60th anniversary
Newly renovated campus and sculpture garden opening in the fall of 2024 with works by Kelly Akashi, Maren Hassinger and Rachel Youn
As The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum prepares to celebrate its 60th Anniversary, the institution unites its state-of-the-art Museum building—which debuted in 2004—and its three- acre property through a thoughtful renovation of its campus and Sculpture Garden. In addition to expanding the exhibition space for works of art outdoors, The Aldrich’s campus provides a significant open space to the community of Ridgefield, bookending the town’s central corridor with Ballard Park. The Aldrich will inaugurate its newly renovated campus and Sculpture Garden with a November 2024 exhibition, A Garden of Promise and Dissent, spanning the grounds and ground-floor galleries.
In collaboration with Cambridge, MA-based landscape architecture firm STIMSON, The Aldrich is creating a
universally accessible, native landscape designed for community engagement with works of art in the heart of
historic Ridgefield. With an added amphitheater and a fully ADA accessible route from Main Street through the
Sculpture Garden, the new design will make approximately 50% more space available to artists and the
community. The Aldrich’s renovation project prioritizes the natural environment, and includes remediating
invasive species, implementing stormwater management, and planting native species. Summerhill Associates
has been engaged as the project’s General Contractor.
A Garden of Promise and Dissent
A Garden of Promise and Dissent
October 28, 2024 to March 16, 2025 (Galleries)
November 17, 2024 to November 2025 (Grounds)
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum • 258 Main St, Ridgefield, CT 06877
An intergenerational group exhibition of twenty-one artists which explores the animation of the “garden” as a site
of private expression (poetics) and public action (praxis). Gardens offer solace, community, nutrition, and well-
being; they provide safe spaces for rebellion and empowerment; they alleviate climate change, revitalize, and
widen access to land use–providing localized food resources and alternative medicine. They can be highly
ordered and aestheticized or anarchic indicators of aspiration and failure. The artists in this exhibition radicalize
the garden as a theme to tackle moral, social, economic, and ecological afflictions that trouble our planet.
Spanning the galleries and grounds, works will be sited within the natural world and against the built environment.
Unsettling the gulf that exists between the two. The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue. Artists
participating in the exhibition include Terry Adkins, Kelly Akashi, Teresa Baker, Alina Bliumis, Carolina Caycedo, Carl Cheng, Rachelle Dang, Anders Hamilton, Maren Hassinger, Hugh Hayden, Max
Hooper Schneider, Athena LaTocha, Gracelee Lawrence, Cathay Lu, Jill Magid, Suchitra Mattai,
Mary Mattingly, Brandon Ndife, Meg Webster*
, Faith Wilding, and Rachel Youn*. A Garden of Promise
and Dissent is curated by Amy Smith-Stewart, Chief Curator.
indicates artists who will have works installed on the grounds.
This Sculpture Garden renovation project is funded in part by a State of Connecticut Urban Act Grant and a Good to Great grant administered by the Department of Economic and Community Development and awarded by the Connecticut State Legislature. The Master Plan was supported by generous grants from the Anne S.
Richardson Fund and the Leir Foundation.
Share your The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum experiences with us by using #findingconnecticut on Instagram
Click here for the latest news at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
Click here for events at the The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
Click here for the latest news in Ridgefield
Click here for the upcoming events in Ridgefield
Click here for the latest news in Fairfield County
Click here for the upcoming events in Fairfield County
••••• Message center •••••••
Connecticut business owners:
Connecticut with us! Are you a local business owner in Connecticut looking to boost your visibility and reach more customers? Look no further! Our platform provides a unique opportunity to showcase your business to an engaged audience of people who love and live in Connecticut. By partnering with us, you can reach potential customers who are actively seeking things to do, places to dine, and local merchants and service providers to support. Don’t miss out on this chance to grow your business and connect with the local community!
Connecticut with us!
Get our news straight into your inbox daily for free!
Stay connected with us on social media
Facebook • Instagram • Threads • Tiktok • X
Join our Reddit community
Share your Connecticut experiences with us by using #findingconnecticut on Instagram
Click here to return to Finding Connecticut’s home page
Looking for the latest news by region, topic and events
Latest news by region
Fairfield County • Hartford County • Litchfield County • Middlesex County • New Haven County • New London County• Tolland County • Windham County
Latest sports news by team
Hartford Wolf Pack • Hartford Yard Goats • Connecticut Sun • Norwich Sea Unicorns •
2024 schedules
Hartford Wolf Pack • Hartford Yard Goats • Connecticut Sun • Norwich Sea Unicorns
Events my region
Fairfield County • Hartford County • Litchfield County • New Haven County • New London County • Middlesex County • Tolland County • Windham County
Events by interest
Art • Sports • Family Friendly • History • Concerts • Farmers’ Markets
Events by the month
May 2024 • June 2024 • July 2024 • August 2024 • September 2024 • October 2024 • November 2024 • December 2024
Events by venue
College Street Music Hall • Space Ballroom • Westville Music Bowl • District Music Hall • Hartford Stage • The Bushnell • Goodspeed Opera House • Mohegan Sun