Celebrate Art, History, and Nature

Social & Solitary presents historic and contemporary works from the Museum’s collection that reflect on what our world has faced over the past year. As an institution guided by empathy for our audience, we seek to create an opportunity for them to process this momentous, ongoing event. The Museum hopes visitors will use the exhibition, its gardens and grounds, and a new outdoor installation by contemporary artist jackie sumell, as a place to heal from all we’ve endured — to share with friends and family, or simply to enjoy art and nature on their own.

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The Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme is collaborating with the New Orleans-based artist jackie sumell to install one of her “Solitary Garden” beds on our grounds, in conjunction with the exhibition Social & Solitary: Reflections on Art, Isolation, and Renewal. The Solitary Garden project comes to life through correspondence between a volunteer and a currently incarcerated “gardener.” Their letters articulate to the Museum what kinds of flowers or plants are grown in the garden bed. Each Solitary Garden is a gesture of hope connecting an isolated person to the outside world through the restorative act of nurturing plants.

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To help us pull off our biggest fundraiser of the year safely and successfully, we will offer both a silent auction online for anyone who wants to bid—along with a fabulous dinner and live auction under the tent for 250 guests joining us in person. Capacity is reduced for this elegant black-tie-optional event, so watch your mailbox for your invitation and be prepared to act fast!

After a year of isolation, we can’t wait to dress up, celebrate, and support the FloGris like never before!

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Find your inner awesome artist this summer in the comfort of your own safe space through fun and beautiful multi-media creative explorations. Manager of Youth Education & Outreach Julie Garvin Riggs has created five bespoke crafting projects specifically geared for adults, from novice maker to seasoned artist.

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This summer, the Museum is transforming its traditional onsite art camp into ten on-demand creative art experiences with Miss Julie. Participants receive a treasure box filled with an art camp tee shirt, sketch book, and ten custom art kits. Campers have unlimited access to ten 30-minute online art lessons with Miss Julie where she explains and demonstrates each of the art activities included. Art kits contain all materials and tools required.

Save the date of Sunday, August 1st from 1-4pm for an in-person Art Camp Jamboree, a celebration of all art camp participants!!!

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Expanding Horizons features highlights from the HSB collection with an emphasis on new methods of research and interpretation. Commemorating these past twenty years, twenty leading art historians have re-examined 20 works through the lenses of environmental art history, material culture, landscape studies, and issues of identity, such as gender and race.

A second exhibition, Centennial of the Lyme Art Association Gallery, commemorates a landmark anniversary for our neighbor and sister institution by partially recreating their 1921 inaugural exhibition with works by Lucien Abrams, William Henry Howe, and Lydia Longacre, among others

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Social & Solitary presents historic and contemporary works from the Museum’s collection that reflect on what our world has faced over the past year. As an institution guided by empathy for our audience, we seek to create an opportunity for them to process this momentous, ongoing event. The Museum hopes visitors will use the exhibition, its gardens and grounds, and a new outdoor installation by contemporary artist jackie sumell, as a place to heal from all we’ve endured — to share with friends and family, or simply to enjoy art and nature on their own.

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Awesome Wee Faerie Architecture! Through the month of October over two dozen faerie-scaled architectural amusements will delight and inspire visitors as they travel along the Artists’ Trail. The theme is a playful, miniaturized take on ornamental buildings popular on country estates, parks, and gardens in the 18th and 19th centuries. Visitors will learn about different architectural styles from across the world as they gaze in awe at the artists’ whimsical creative skills.

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Together, the Florence Griswold Museum and neighboring Lyme Art Association offer art, history, and culture in a memory-making, garden-filled setting in historic Old Lyme.

It’s not hard to see why artists have been drawn here for well over 100 years. Beginning with the Lyme Art Colony c. 1900 through today.

Partners work to promote opportunities to enjoy and take part in the cultural arts and learning available on historic Lyme Street. Each partner, whether a business, a nonprofit, a town institution or school, is committed to highlighting for residents, cultural tourists, and visitors the rich cultural arts that are part of our heritage. With art galleries, music venues, and more, Lyme Street offers quite a bit for a quiet village lane!

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The paintings and sculptures in this exhibition are by artists who lived and worked in Connecticut from the late Colonial period to the early 20th century.

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During the first summers of the Lyme art colony the artists began to paint scenes on the door panels of the boardinghouse.

See the Collection

One of the most celebrated works of art at the Florence Griswold Museum is the frieze-like painting titled The Fox Chase (1905) created by Henry Rankin Poore.

See the Collection

Begin your visit at the Krieble Gallery.

Visit the Gallery

The Late Georgian mansion was transformed from a wealthy sea captain’s home into a boardinghouse for some of the most noted names in American Impressionism.

Visit the House

The Museum’s grounds invite exploration.

Visit the Grounds