The New Canaanite 2024 Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates.
New Canaan has long been an epicenter of rich history and culture. It’s apparent in the buildings downtown, library, schools, parks and local organizations. It’s also apparent in the people, some of whom have left indelible marks on the town.
Recently, the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society opened a permanent exhibit to highlight just that: the people and ideas that have left a profound legacy on New Canaan. The “Jim and Dede Bartlett Center for New Canaan History” is “the cornerstone of a $2 million dollar ‘Campus Reimagined’ project,” said Nancy Geary, executive director of the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society.
She added: “The theme of the exhibit is making a difference in New Canaan. Everything was seen through the lens of who had an impact – the significant people, significant industry, significant art and architecture, the evolution of downtown.”
The exhibit is fluid, featuring glass cases of both permanent and alternating items, a costume collection, slideshows, and interactive touch-screen displays. One of them spotlights 50 influential New Canaan people and businesses including Bailey Stewart, Karl Chevrolet, Philip Johnson, Ruth Lapham Lloyd and Maxwell Perkins.
Credit: Meghan Murphy Gould
Dede Bartlett, whose generosity together with husband Jim helped make the permanent exhibit a reality, said the new Center “captures in one space, the almost 300 years of this town, and it captures it in a way that is visible and that people can react with.”
“It’s not a static exhibit—it’s a lively exhibit,” she said. New Canaan is very different than all of the other towns around here. It has a unique personality because it has had a unique history and that’s what this exhibit does, it showcases that history and it helps people be involved in that history.”
Interactive cards for visitors to learn about the history of important objects. Credit: Meghan Murphy Gould
Geary said the Center for New Canaan History has already seen “a stream of people coming through.”
“We had a benefit and we had about 300 people and the space was dedicated that evening – those were the first people that saw it and people were really enthusiastic and very supportive,” she said.
Bartlett said the reception for the new space has been “astonishing.
“People are really seeing this for the first time,” she said. “They’re understanding where they live. You see, most of the people living in New Canaan have only lived here for the last 20 years – they come from all parts of the country, all around the world and they had no idea what the stories were here and on the streets where they lived. You can see that here. You could feel it here.”
The exhibit is about 1000 square feet, said Geary, which emphasizes the level of thought that was put into each inch.
“It’s a little bit of a highlight reel, we only had a thousand square feet,” she said. “It prompts questions and it prompts people to want to know more and dig deeper into certain aspects. That’s an exciting part of it because we also have a brand new library downstairs and there’s plenty of opportunity for research.”
The exhibit is thoughtful, with carefully curated items on display and a cohesive aesthetic throughout.
Credit: Meghan Murphy Gould
Geary said, “In 2018 the museum did a rebranding and we got a new logo and that’s where this color palette came from. We really wanted the exhibition designer to use what we hope is a distinctive color scheme for us.”
For Bartlett, most people were not aware of the depth of some of the collections at NCM&HS“and they’re now getting an idea of that.”
The exhibit boasts an impressive display of costumes, she added.
A historical costume on display. Credit: Meghan Murphy Gould
“There are a few regional museums that have the excellent costume collection that this one does and this will really highlight that and make that more visible,” she said. “People are beginning to understand that they have a real treasure here.”
Bartlett described New Canaan’s history as “unique.”
“This is not just another little suburban town,” she said. “This has its own character – and a very old character – and it was built by generations of people who brought different skills and different industries and different arts here. New Canaan is a very remarkably cosmopolitan place and I think that’s what this exhibit highlights.”
Geary said: “The talent, the ingenuity, the inventiveness, and the entrepreneurial spirit that imbued 250 years of New Canaanites is at the heart of this exhibit.”