Hill-Stead is pleased to offer brand-new virtual programs for all learning levels–kindergarten through college.

Recent programs include everything from a 300-person session to highly customized tours to meet specific curriculum goals.

This winter, Hill-Stead welcomed 300 Metropolitan Museum of Art volunteers for a virtual tour. The Manhattan-based group is part of the VX Volunteer Enrichment Committee in cooperation with the Met’s Volunteer Organization.

Hill-Stead’s team came together to create a thoughtful and thorough virtual tour. Director of Education Kate Ebner created a slideshow and served as the program’s host. After greeting everyone, she provided an introduction. She then turned the program over to Curator Melanie Bourbeau, who led a fascinating discussion on Mr. Pope’s collecting practices.

Dr. Anna Swinbourne provided a deeper dive into the collection and shared her expertise on French Impressionism. Ms. Bourbeau concluded the tour with a closer look at Mary Cassatt’s painting and a brief history of her friendship with Theodate, as well as her consultations with Mr. Pope on buying art. The concluding slides also provided a glimpse of the gorgeous grounds, the farm complex, the Beatrix Farrand-designed Sunken Garden, and extensive walking trails.

Of the virtual tour, Judy Winzemer, Chair of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Visitor Experience Enrichment Committee said: “I want to add to the chorus of kudos you received from the Zoom Chat by thanking you for your outstanding presentation. We had a maximum of 302 attendees—nearly the largest number we have ever had for an event. Hill-Stead is such a unique and special place. You did a superb job conveying its history – the people, the home, and the art.”

On a more intimate scale, Hill-Stead’s Director of Education Kate Ebner provided a virtual tour for a Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) art class.  Fifteen students from Art 491: Aesthetic and Critical Dialogue class attended the virtual presentation. Professor Broadus-Garcia, Associate Professor of Art Education, has brought her students to Hill-Stead Museum for many years. Ms. Ebner shared highlights from the painting collection, including contextual details as well as a thorough examination of the formal elements of the compositions. Afterward, the class had an in-depth discussion about Monet’s Grainstacks White Frost Effects, 1889.

Please contact Kate Ebner, Director of Hill-Stead’s education@hillstead.org (860-677-4787 ext. 136 or education@hillstead.org). Our goal is to supplement and enhance your learning goals for classrooms large and small (kindergarten through college)! The Museum is happy to accommodate virtual and in-person tours including vibrant outdoor sessions on our 152-acre grounds.

Maggie Foster best describes the indelible impact of an authentic experience at Hill-Stead.

She toured the Museum nearly 25 years ago and never forgot it.

”I visited your museum in the mid-nineties when I was 16. Seeing Dancers in Pink by Edgar Degas was one of those life-changing moments. Unfortunately, I lost the museum shop memento I purchased back then and couldn’t recall the museum’s name. Twenty-four years later, I mentioned my quest during a conversation with a client since she lived in the Hartford area. She found you after a quick Google search, and here I am. I am wondering if the museum still has a store that I can purchase a print? I would love to see a version of this vital art to be in my life again.”

Dr. Anna Swinbourne, Hill-Stead’s Executive Director & CEO, was so moved that she went above and beyond to gift Ms. Foster with a poster of Dancers in Pink. In a genuine team effort, Hill-Stead Educator Rachel Cutler mobilized to have a poster created to fulfill her request. Dr. Swinbourne personally brought it to the UPS Store in the heat of pre-holiday, pandemic-era shipping madness to fulfill Ms. Foster’s dream.

Dr. Swinbourne said, “We were thrilled to help Ms. Foster realize her long-term and devoted quest. In doing so, it reinforced my own deeply held belief in the magical power of art.”

We are happy to report that the piece arrived safely and now resides at Ms. Foster’s home in the Midwest. She had the work custom framed, and it now hangs in a place of honor above her bed.

The poster is pictured here, along with Ms. Foster’s beloved puppy, Osito.