Friends of the Wadsworth

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Friends of the Wadsworth The Friends of the Wadsworth brings people together for special events, volunteerism, and supportive community at the Wadsworth Museum of Art. Join us!

What kind of impact can one woman have on her community? Quite a big one if you know Elizabeth C**t’s story.Pictured her...
10/05/2026

What kind of impact can one woman have on her community? Quite a big one if you know Elizabeth C**t’s story.

Pictured here with her son, Elizabeth Hart Jarvis C**t became one of Hartford’s greatest visionaries, cultural philanthropists, and art collectors.

After the death of her husband, Samuel C**t, Elizabeth continued building their art collection, pursuing an ambitious vision for what would become one of the finest picture galleries in the country. When she died in 1905, she left the Wadsworth more than 1,000 works and objects, along with funds to expand the museum to house them. Her extraordinary gift helped shape the museum we know today. More than a century later, her story feels especially meaningful to us as Friends of the Wadsworth.

Women have long played an important role in sustaining cultural institutions–not only as artists and collectors, but as philanthropists, volunteers, advocates, and leaders. Their leadership reminds us that stewardship is its own kind of legacy: caring for something of value and helping ensure that it remains meaningful and accessible to the generations that follow.

Today, the women (and men) of the Friends of the Wadsworth continue that tradition in their own way: giving their time, ideas, leadership, and care to a museum and cultural community they believe in. And perhaps that is one of the most beautiful things about supporting the arts: what we help build today can endure and inspire for generations. ✨

📸Portrait by Charles Loring Elliott of Elizabeth Hart Jarvis C**t and Son, Caldwell C**t, 1865. Collection of the Wadsworth.

History can remind us that there have always been people who chose courage, compassion, and care for one another. ❤This...
10/03/2026

History can remind us that there have always been people who chose courage, compassion, and care for one another. ❤

This weekend, Friends of the Wadsworth traveled to historic Farmington for The Odyssey of the Amistad: A Trail to Freedom, presented by the Farmington Historical Society.

Following their landmark fight for freedom, members of the African Mende group from the Amistad came to Farmington in 1841. There, members of the local abolitionist community provided support as the Mende prepared for their eventual return to Sierra Leone.

What followed was not simply a chapter in the history of abolition, but a remarkable story of human connection. The Mende and members of the Farmington community formed relationships of friendship, respect, and trust against the backdrop of slavery and racism in 19th-century America. Their story offers something worth carrying with us: people can always choose to stand beside one another.✨

Our morning began with a presentation about the African Mende people and abolitionist-era Farmington, followed by a walking tour through the village to explore places connected to this extraordinary chapter in history.

Thank you to the Farmington Historical Society and to the Friends with special thanks to the outstanding Andre Keitt.

Want to explore more of New England's artistic and historic treasures while making friends along the way? Join us this season ❤

Tonight the Wadsworth Museum turned back the clock to 1930s Old Hollywood for First Thursdays: Diamonds & Deception, an ...
10/02/2026

Tonight the Wadsworth Museum turned back the clock to 1930s Old Hollywood for First Thursdays: Diamonds & Deception, an evening of live music, classic cocktails, and a murder mystery unfolding throughout the museum. ✨

Back in 1934, Hartford became home to the first comprehensive Picasso retrospective in the United States, presented at the museum to celebrate the opening of a new wing, Avery Memorial.

Here we are, nearly a century later, spending an evening in these galleries in a completely different way--dressed in our evening best and gathering with friends.

Sometimes a museum invites you to look closely at a work of art. And sometimes it gives you an excuse to dress up and have fun. Cheers to great art, mystery, and 1930s history at the Wadsworth.🥂

What changes when you don’t just visit a museum, but become part of its community?You begin to look a little closer and ...
09/29/2026

What changes when you don’t just visit a museum, but become part of its community?

You begin to look a little closer and learn a little more…

Meet Sainte Genevieve, an extraordinary marble sculpture created in 1841 by Félicie de Fauveau, a pioneering sculptor and woman of her time. De Fauveau created much of her work while living in exile in Florence, bringing together remarkable craftsmanship with the political and religious ideas that shaped her life.

Look closely and you will see gorgeous carving and traces of gilding, all representing the story behind the woman who created it.

This spirit of discovery is at the heart of the Friends of the Wadsworth group.

Being a Friend creates opportunities to go beyond simply seeing remarkable works of art. We gather to learn from curators and one another, discover the stories behind the collection, explore arts and culture throughout our community, and share the experience with people who are curious too.

Because sometimes the most memorable museum experiences begin when someone beside you says: "Come look at this." Follow along as we keep looking a little closer...✨

📸: Félicie de Fauveau, Sainte Genevieve, 1841, Carrara marble, partly gilt, Purchased through the gift of James Junius Goodwin, 2022.

Since 1842, the Wadsworth Museum of Art has brought extraordinary artists and ideas to Hartford. We are so proud to be p...
09/27/2026

Since 1842, the Wadsworth Museum of Art has brought extraordinary artists and ideas to Hartford. We are so proud to be part of Connecticut’s important history.

Whether you've loved the museum for decades, are just discovering it, or are looking for a new way to connect to your community, there's a place for your skills and passion in the Friends of the Wadsworth group. We believe a museum isn’t just a place for a fleeting visit, it can be a home for purpose, a calling, and a supportive, inclusive community. 💙

Whether you are near or far, connect and follow along with your Friends of the Wadsworth as we journey through museum season together.

We’d love to hear from you: What has the Wadsworth meant to you?

Last week, a few of the Friends of the Wadsworth stopped by Real Art Ways in Hartford to experience Hanieh Kashani’s Spa...
09/27/2026

Last week, a few of the Friends of the Wadsworth stopped by Real Art Ways in Hartford to experience Hanieh Kashani’s Spatial Essays.

A talented interdisciplinary artist, Kashani works across installation, performance, video, sculpture, and text to explore questions of belonging and displacement, self and other, and the ways our experiences are shaped by the spaces and communities around us.

We live in an age where AI can put so much of the world at our fingertips, but there’s still something so special about gathering in a room together: looking closely, hearing someone else’s perspective, asking an artist meaningful questions, and discovering something about the world or yourself you might not have discovered behind a screen.

This is what being part of the Friends of the Wadsworth is about: experiencing arts and culture in Connecticut while building connections in real time–something technology still can’t replicate ❤

Since 1950, the Friends of the Wadsworth group has created opportunities to experience art, culture, and community in th...
09/27/2026

Since 1950, the Friends of the Wadsworth group has created opportunities to experience art, culture, and community in the heart of Connecticut.

On September 27, we began a new season of art and community with Women in Sculpture, an event exploring the remarkable women sculptors represented in the Wadsworth’s collection.

Among them is American sculptor Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, whose graceful, lifelike figures can seem almost unbound by gravity. Her remarkable understanding of the human form was informed, in part, by her study of anatomy at medical school. Who says art and science exist as separate worlds? Different areas of study can come together in beautiful, transformative ways, as her work shows.

Follow along and join us as we embark on a new season of artistic discovery and community connection. We believe a great museum is not only a place to visit, but also a community you can contribute to and belong to.

✨Special thanks to all the Friends for their contributions to the start of our new season!

05/05/2024

Today is the final day of Fine Art & Flowers! 🌸

Join us at 1pm for the Designer’s Challenge and watch as three floral designers interpret the same piece of art, creating an arrangement reflecting their unique style. At 2pm stroll the galleries and engage with the designers who created each floral arrangement. An exciting opportunity for discussion!

🗳️ Don’t forget to pick up a ballot and vote for your favorite floral masterpiece! The People’s Choice winners will be announced this week on social media & thewadsworth.org.

For the full schedule of entertainment and programs visit thewadsworth.org/flowers. A $5 surcharge is added to all admissions during this springtime fundraiser. Thank you for your support!

03/26/2024

First Thursdays, featuring a BARBER BATTLE💈✂️

Thursday, April 4, 5-7pm | Free entry, registration encouraged. All ages are welcome! ✨

Harrison’s House of Styles has been an iconic barbershop in Downtown Hartford for nearly two decades. Join owner Harrison Lopez and his skilled barbers as they compete in a live Barber Battle inspired by our “Styling Identities: Hair’s Tangled Histories” exhibition. Then stay for a screening of “Hair” in the theater at 7pm and experience the complexities of love, war, and societal expectations during the tumultuous 1960s fueled by the revolutionary music of the time.

Learn more and plan your visit at thewadsworth.org

Film directed by Milos Forman. US. 1979. 2 hours 1 minute. Rated PG.


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Hartford, CT

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+18608384171

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