June 28-September 14
Cow Tales
- Museum Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 10am to 5pm.
Inspired by the Museum’s extensive collection of animal paintings by Lyme Art Colony (1900–1937) artists, Cow Tales will explore the subject of cows as compelling subject matter through over 30 artworks and artifacts ranging from the mid-19th century to the present. The exhibition builds on the Museum’s online learning resource Hauling & Harrowing: Edward Volkert and the Connecticut Farm. Like the virtual exhibition, which compiles and analyzes Volkert’s depictions of agriculture from the 1910s–1930s, works in Cow Tales reveal (and conceal!) the era’s complex transition from animal-powered to industrial farming. The exhibition examines the historic and contemporary tensions evoked by cows through examples by artists such as George Henry Durrie, Aaron Draper Shattuck, William Henry Howe, Matilda Browne, Edward Volkert, Bernard Chaet, Tina Barney, Judy Friday, and Brian Keith Stephens.
Purchase the Exhibition Catalogue
Take a Virtual Tour of the Exhibition
This exhibition is made possible with the generous support of HSB, John and Barbara Hazeltine, Department of Economic and Community Development, Connecticut Office of the Arts, as well as donors to the Exhibition Fund and the Annual Fund.
Welcome to the Community Herd!
In response to the exhibition Cow Tales, community members “herd” our call.
THANK YOU to the schools, artists, and local families who created a beautiful herd of cows for the Museum’s grounds.