What are the opening hours?

Monday 10am - 4pm Wednesday 10am - 4pm Thursday 10am - 4pm Friday 10am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 4pm

Slater Memorial Museum

Home
United States
Norwich, CT
Slater Memorial Museum

Located at Norwich Free Academy since 1888, Slater Memorial Museum exhibits world-class wonders under one roof.

Dedicated in 1886 and opened as a museum to Norwich Free Academy and the public, Slater Memorial Museum is one of only two museums to be located on a high school campus in the United States. Designed by Worcester, Massachusetts architect Stephen C. Earle, the museum features a global collection of art and artifacts including its collection of plaster casts, 19th-century American painting and sculpture, and much more. Come and visit world-class wonders all under one roof. Mission Statement:

Slater Memorial Museum serves Norwich Free Academy and its community by fostering inquiry and exploration, celebrating the richness and diversity of the human experience by collecting, preserving, and interpreting a regional and global collection of art and material culture. Vision Statement:

As a vital part of the NFA experience, the museum seeks to:

• Cultivate lifelong engagement with art and culture for students, visitors, and alumni
• Create an inclusive and inspiring learning environment
• Respect our foundations and traditions
• Promote innovation, curiosity, and creative thinking
• Honor the impact of philanthropy within our community

10/20/2026

In celebration of the launch of our newest exhibition, Beyond the Ideal: Landscape, Likeness, and Belonging in the 19th Century, folks are invited to attend an exclusive guided talk of the exhibition with museum director Dayne Rugh on Thursday October 29 at 6:00 pm. The presentation will dive deeper into the pieces on display and explore how Slater Museum's collection and interpretive goals have expanded into 2026.

Registration is free, and the first 25 registrants will receive a free copy of the official exhibition catalog, a $15.00 value!

Space is limited - please call 860-425-5563 to reserve your spot!

10/19/2026

Calling all our Connecticut artist friends!

We are pleased to announce the return of Slater Memorial Museum's Connecticut Artists Juried Exhibition in 2027! This is a big milestone year as we celebrate the 80th annual exhibition, and we look forward to receiving your submissions! Please see the link below for more details, as well as the full show prospectus.

For our 80th annual show, we are pleased and delighted to welcome our juror, Michael Rose, Gallery Manager of the historic Providence Art Club. Submissions for the show will go live on November 16 and close on January 4. Mark your calendars for our opening reception for all chosen pieces on Saturday, January 30, 2027, at 1:00 pm.

For more information, click here: https://ow.ly/ipme50ZZ3Np

10/14/2026

This Saturday! Join Slater Memorial Museum on a special off-campus tour.

Starting at the Norwichtown Green, explore Norwich as celebrated artists Ozias Dodge and Charlotte Fuller Eastman knew it! The tour is approximately 45 minutes in length. While the route is paved, some surfaces may be uneven.

10/13/2026

Walktober at Slater Memorial Museum continues this Thursday!

Explore Norwich in the Gilded Age with Slater Memorial Museum docent Bob Gauthier on this indoor tour of the museum galleries.

10/11/2026

Our lecture series returns this Wednesday as part of Walktober!

The domestic arts created by women of the late 18th and early 19th centuries centered on needlework, painting, and calligraphy. These were often taught in female academies and their art ranged from samplers, watercolors, embroidery and needlework to intricate mourning pictures and miniatures. Join us at Slater Memorial Museum on Wednesday October 14, 2026, as historian Sandra Soucy gives a presentation about the women of Norwich and environs who excelled in these crafts. Education Coordinator Amanda Flynn Rumney will also discuss the artwork itself and display examples in the museum's collection.

10/06/2026

Time is running out for tickets! The Slater Memorial Museum Murder Mystery is this Saturday, October 10.

For tickets and more information: https://www.slatermuseum.org/events/murder-on-exhibit

10/03/2026

Exhibit of the Month is back! Our guest curator for October is current NFA Senior Lucy Coleman! Explore the world on renowned Soprano Eileen Farrell who attended NFA in the 1930s, now through the end of October in the Museum Gift Shop.

Exhibit of the Month features small-scale displays of rarely seen objects from the collection.

Image: Eileen Farrell, The Metropolitan Opera

10/02/2026

Now accepting donations for the NFA Food Pantry in the Slater Memorial Museum Gift Shop! The donation box will be open for non perishable items through the Annual Artisan Craft Show on November 14, 2026.

09/30/2026

Opening tomorrow, October 1st!

In recognition of the 250th Anniversary of American Independence, Slater Memorial Museum is pleased to present Beyond the Ideal: Landscape, Likeness, & Belonging in the 19th Century. This showcase of 19th-century American works explores how artists used landscapes, portraits, and still lifes to articulate identity, belonging, and sense of place. The show will primarily focus on qualities of the Hudson River School movement and how local artists experimented with depicting traditional New England scenes. This exhibition also introduces voices of artists traditionally marginalized within American art, including Connecticut Black artist Charles Ethan Porter (1847-1923). Together, these works invite visitors to reflect on how American identity was shaped visually through place, perspective, and opportunity.

09/29/2026

Hot off the press is a brand-new publishing venture for Slater Museum! We are pleased to announce the arrival of Volume 1 of "The Slater Museum History Series." This new project explores the stories of people, collections, and ideas that shaped the history of Slater Museum and its connections to the broader history of American art, museums, and culture. For our inaugural issue, "Making the Museum Work: Henry Watson Kent and the Rise of the Modern American Museum," we're exploring the life and legacy of Henry Watson Kent (1866-1948), who was appointed the museum's first curator from 1888 until 1900.

Kent's impact on the world of American museums is more than you may realize, and this issue unpacks how he not only established the infrastructure that made Slater successful, but also how he took what he knew to influence the entire museum industry in ways that are still felt to this day. We're incredibly proud of our heritage as a museum, and we hope to share these stories far and wide!

Select copies of The Slater Museum History Series will also be on sale in the museum's gift shop for $10.00. This series will be published biannually every spring and fall, so keep a lookout for future issues!

Address

108 Crescent St
Norwich, CT
06360

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 4pm
Saturday	10am - 4pm

Website

http://www.slatermuseum.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Slater Memorial Museum posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Slater Memorial Museum:

Want your museum to be the top-listed museum in Norwich?