Mattatuck Museum...Part 1

Mattatuck Museum-Our First Visit

My outfit for my first visit to the Mattatuck Museum of Art

One fine Sunday at the end of January, I decided that we should visit the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, Connecticut because my former Alternative Process Photography professor Jessica Somers had artwork in the (RE)WORK IT! WOMEN ARTISTS ON WOMEN'S LABOR current exhibition. I had never been to the Mattatuck Museum before, even though I had heard of it. The Mattatuck Museum is an art and regional history museum on the Green in downtown Waterbury. The museum collects and exhibits American Art and cultural history with a focus on the Naugatuck valley and Connecticut artists. Their galleries display the work of American Masters associated with Connecticut including Anni Albers, Alexander Calder, and Frederic Church. They present more than 12 changing exhibitions every year, AND are regionally known for a button gallery displaying more than 10,000 miniature works of art donated by the Waterbury Button Company in 1999. 

The Sunday that I chose to visit the museum, happened to co-inside with the opening of the Mixmaster exhibition, which is a juried members show. Basically if you are a Member of the museum, and an artist, you can submit your work to their annual call for entries. This particular visit was very exciting because I not only got to see my professor's work, but I also got to talk to other local artists in an adjacent gallery that happened to be at the museum for the opening. 

I had no idea that the day I went to the museum was such a big deal, but I dressed to impress. An oil painting themed jsk in the style of the Old Masters at an Art Museum seemed like the best thing to wear. This set is from the Chinese indie brand, YingLuoFu and is called Cloria, Classic Oil Painting Print Lolita JSK. It includes the jsk, the matching blouse, a choker along with a matching printed headbow KC. However, it was January and the bow was just not warm enough, so I swapped it for a classic wool beret in the light tan color. I wore red lace printed tights under my knee high leather boots that you can't see. Alas. Again the weather was very cold, and I needed to be properly outfitted if it started snowing (which it did). The YingLuoFu set is very comfortable, in fact the XL is roomy on me. Many people asked me about my outfit and it was much admired. I love being the intersection where art and artists mingle. 

Pahl chose brown and tan tones to echo the colors in my dress

Pahl also dressed like an artist, wearing a double breasted paisley corduroy coat, black jeans, a black fisherman's cap, and his Stacy Adams brogues. I'm sure he was also wearing rings, we just can't see them.  He honestly could have gone with gray-blue, red, or cream accents to match my dress as well, but hey it's a real versatile piece--I'll wear it again sometime and we can try for a different look!

The museum has a pretty strict no photo policy in the current exhibitions, so you can only take photos in the permanent collections. This phone booth is part of the Orton P. Camp Jr History Exhibition on the first floor. It's a very engaging historical gallery that shares the transitional moments in Waterbury's past.

Overall, my visit to the museum was a really fun time. I scoped out the Upcoming Exhibitions to plan a trip with my fashion club to try to dress up around the theme of one of them. Stay tuned for our second visit to the Mattatuck Museum...