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 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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January 21, 2025 at 5:30 pm | Public Programs

"Getting” Contemporary Art: Martha Diamond and A Garden of Promise and Dissent (full series)

Join us for “Getting” Contemporary Art led by Kristen Erickson, art history teacher and Director of the Luchsinger Gallery at Greenwich Academy.

January 26, 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.

January 28, 2025 at 5:30 pm | Public Programs

"Getting” Contemporary Art: A Garden of Promise and Dissent, part one

Join us for “Getting” Contemporary Art led by Kristen Erickson, art history teacher and Director of the Luchsinger Gallery at Greenwich Academy.

February 4, 2025 at 5:30 pm | Public Programs

"Getting” Contemporary Art: A Garden of Promise and Dissent, part two

Join us for “Getting” Contemporary Art led by Kristen Erickson, art history teacher and Director of the Luchsinger Gallery at Greenwich Academy.

February 15, 2025 at 10:30 am | Third Saturdays, Free Admission, Children and Family Programs

Story Time for Kids - AT CAPACITY

Bring your budding artists to The Aldrich for Story Time, in collaboration with the Ridgefield Library! Together, we will explore the work of artist Martha Diamond. Diamond’s work on view shows themes of exploring the cityscapes and architecture. We will read the story Small in the City, written and illustrated by Sydney Smith. Then we will head to the studio to create monochromatic paintings of our favorite cities!

February 15, 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 without 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!

February 19, 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!

February 22, 2025 at 10:30 am | Accessibility Programs

Care and Connection at The Aldrich

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

February 23, 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.

February 25, 2025 at 1:00 pm | Free Admission, Special Event, Children and Family Programs

National Scrollathon: Join Us To Represent Connecticut!

The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum invites you to participate in the National Scrollathon: Uniting America! The National Scrollathon is a nationwide collaborative art-making project that will bring together communities from across the U.S. to created large-scale textile artworks that will be displayed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

March 1, 2025 at 10:30 am | Accessibility Programs

Sensory Saturday

Sensory Saturday at The Aldrich 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 project inspired by the Museum's current exhibitions.

March 15, 2025 at 10:30 am | Third Saturdays, Free Admission, Children and Family Programs

Story Time for Kids: Roll, Roll Little Pea

Bring your budding artists to The Aldrich for Story Time, in collaboration with the Ridgefield Library! Together, we will explore artwork by Gracelee Lawrence, who makes moving sculptures reflecting on food and health. Then, we will read Roll, Roll Little Pea by Cécile Bergame, illustrated by Magali Attiogbé, and move to The Studio to create our own tiny, spinnable optical illusions! Perfect for families with children ages 6 and under.

March 15, 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.

March 19, 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!

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

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.