The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum

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Important Update

A group of students in the Museum's Sculpture Garden by a green lawn chair.

Learn

As an artist-centered institution, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum is guided by the belief that artists are innovative thinkers, who offer unique perspectives on our world. Learning at The Aldrich engages visitors of all ages with artworks and ideas from these artists, fostering a public space for critical discourse.

Funders

Generous support for Education and Public Programs is provided by Bank of America; Cohen and Wolf; Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts; Connecticut Humanities; David T. Langrock Foundation; Fairfield County Bank; Gage Fund; Gary and Susie Singer Arts & Culture Foundation; Goldstone Family Foundation; Robert M. Lofberg and Nicole J. Nigh; Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation; Pamela F. and Robert J. Morganti Charitable Foundation; Ridgefield Rotary Club; Ridgefield Thrift Shop; The Ruth Krauss Foundation; and Wadsworth Russell Lewis Trust Fund.

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Public Programs

Participate in a broad range of programs designed to deepen understanding and engagement with the works of art on view, focused on interactive experiences around contemporary culture.

The Studio

The Studio is a dedicated space for learning and making for visitors of all ages to explore ideas, questions, and materials that relate to our current exhibitions.

Children and Family Programs

The Aldrich offers a variety of engagement opportunities for families, inviting peer-to-peer learning and intergenerational exchange.

Teen Programs

We are invested in the artists, leaders, and thinkers of tomorrow by providing opportunities for teens to engage with contemporary art and museum careers through The Aldrich Teen Fellows and Internships.

School Programs

The Aldrich partners with preschools, elementary, middle, and high schools, universities, community groups, and home-schooled individuals to collaborate on guided tours, professional development workshops, and additional programs.

Accessibility Programs

The Aldrich supports access to our exhibitions for individuals with a range of abilities through multiple partnerships with regional organizations, reciprocal Museum memberships, scholarship opportunities, and free admission for SNAP/EBT card holders and veterans.

Group Tours

We offer guided tours of current exhibitions by an Aldrich Educator for groups of five or more.

Camp Aldrich

Camp Aldrich runs each summer for three week-long, full-day sessions led by Museum Educators and practicing artists. Campers explore the Museum’s three-acre campus and incorporate ideas from current exhibitions and relevant themes into their art, culminating in a celebratory exhibition in The Studio at the end of each session.

Selected Upcoming Events

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March 30, 2025 at 2:00 pm | Group Tours

Sunday Afternoon Tour

Are you curious about the world of contemporary art but unsure where to begin? When you view works of art in a gallery, do you question what you see or feel the need to go into deeper insight? If you answered yes, join Education Assistant Antonio Paone for a tour of the current exhibitions designed to activate your curiosity and engage your attention.

April 16, 2025 at 1:00 pm | Group Tours

Seniors-Only Tour

Join us for this in-person gallery tour of highlighted works from our current exhibitions, guided by Education and Access Specialist Holly Lapine, reserved specifically for senior adults ages 60 and above!

April 19, 2025 at 10:30 am | Third Saturdays, Free Admission, Children and Family Programs

Story Time for Kids: I Am Smoke - AT CAPACITY

Bring your budding artists to The Aldrich for Story Time, in collaboration with the Ridgefield Library! Together, we will explore Wen Liu’s artwork, who creates sculptures loosely inspired by ink-blot paintings and the human body. Then, we will read I Am Smoke by Henry Herz, illustrated by Mercè López, and move to The Studio to create our own ink-blot paintings! Perfect for families with children ages 6 and under.

April 19, 2025 at 1:00 pm | Third Saturdays, Free Admission, Group Tours

All Ages Discovery Tour

Have you ever looked at contemporary art and wished you knew what it meant? Have you ever entered a museum not knowing where to start? If you answered yes, this free, interactive, and judgment-free tour of our current exhibitions guided by a Museum Educator is perfect for you! All ages welcome, Family-friendly.

April 27, 2025 at 2:00 pm | Group Tours

Sunday Afternoon Tour

Are you curious about the world of contemporary art but unsure where to begin? When you view works of art in a gallery, do you question what you see or feel the need to go into deeper insight? If you answered yes, join Education Assistant Antonio Paone for a tour of the exhibitions designed to activate your curiosity and engage your attention.

May 10, 2025 at 10:30 am | Public Programs

Care and Connection

Join us for Care & Connection, an access program designed to provide a welcoming and engaging museum experience for visitors living with memory loss, and their care partners.

Access Specialist Holly Lapine will facilitate a meaningful conversation with all participants inspired by the artwork on view in the Museum’s galleries, with memories and personal connections taking center stage. Take a break from the everyday and join us as we care for each other through art, music, and poetry.

May 17, 2025 at 10:30 am | Third Saturdays, Free Admission, Children and Family Programs

Story Time for Kids: Tap Tap Boom Boom

Bring your budding artists to The Aldrich for Story Time in collaboration with the Ridgefield Library! Together, we will explore the exciting work of artist Martin Beck. In this exhibition, Beck explores the use of natural sounds, like the sound of rain!

May 17, 2025 at 1:00 pm | Third Saturdays, Free Admission, Group Tours

All Ages Discovery Tour

Have you ever looked at contemporary art and wished you knew what it meant? Have you ever entered a museum not knowing where to start? If you answered yes, this free, interactive, and judgment-free tour of our current exhibitions guided by a Museum Educator is perfect for you!

All ages welcome, Family-friendly.

May 25, 2025 at 2:00 pm | Group Tours

Sunday Afternoon Tour

Are you curious about the world of contemporary art but unsure where to begin? When you view works of art in a gallery, do you question what you see or feel the need to go into deeper insight? If you answered yes, join Education Assistant Antonio Paone for a tour of the exhibitions designed to activate your curiosity and engage your attention.

May 31, 2025 at 12:00 pm | Artist Program, Group Tours

Sculpture Garden Tour with Artists

Spend an afternoon in the Sculpture Garden with artists Rachelle Dang, Anders Hamilton, and Mary Mattingly. From 12 noon to 1 pm, take a guided tour of A Garden of Promise and Dissent, featuring works selected and discussed by the artists themselves..

June 14, 2025 at 10:30 am | Accessibility Programs

Sensory Saturday

Sensory Saturday is a program designed for children (ages 4-12) with developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, those on the autism spectrum and their family members. The program includes exploration in the galleries in a relaxed environment and the discovery of contemporary art through touch, sound, and movement. In The Studio, participants will engage in a hands-on art-making project inspired by the current exhibitions.

June 21, 2025 at 10:30 am | Third Saturdays, Free Admission, Children and Family Programs

Story Time for Kids: Duck! Rabbit!

Bring your budding artists to The Aldrich for Story Time in collaboration with the Ridgefield Library! Together, we will explore the exciting work of artist Zak Prekop. Zak Prekop works with wondrous abstract lines and colors.

June 21, 2025 at 1:00 pm | Third Saturdays, Free Admission, Group Tours

All Ages Discovery Tour

Have you ever looked at contemporary art and wished you knew what it meant? Have you ever entered a museum not knowing where to start? If you answered yes, this free, interactive, and judgment-free tour of our current exhibitions guided by a Museum Educator is perfect for you!

All ages welcome, Family-friendly.

June 29, 2025 at 2:00 pm | Group Tours

Sunday Afternoon Tour

Are you curious about the world of contemporary art but unsure where to begin? When you view works of art in a gallery, do you question what you see or feel the need to go into deeper insight? If you answered yes, join Education Assistant Antonio Paone for a tour of the exhibitions designed to activate your curiosity and engage your attention.

July 7 at 9:30 am to July 11, 2025 at 4:00 pm | Children and Family Programs

Camp Aldrich: Week 1 (Grade 1-3)

Join us at The Aldrich for a full-day, week-long arts experience with a practicing teaching artist. Campers explore the Museum’s three-acre campus, learn in the galleries, and incorporate the world around them into their art.

July 14 at 9:30 am to July 18, 2025 at 4:00 pm | Children and Family Programs

Camp Aldrich: Week 2 (Grades 1-3)

Join us at The Aldrich for a full-day, week-long arts experience with a practicing teaching artist. Campers explore the Museum’s three-acre campus, learn in the galleries, and incorporate the world around them into their art.

July 21 at 9:30 am to July 25, 2025 at 4:00 pm | Children and Family Programs

Camp Aldrich: Week 3 (Grades 4-6)

Join us at The Aldrich for a full-day, week-long arts experience with a practicing teaching artist. Campers explore the Museum’s three-acre campus, learn in the galleries, and incorporate the world around them into their art.