by Rachel Culter, Education Specialist and Resident Artist

In recent years, an incredible partnership has been growing between Girl Scouts of America and Hill-Stead! Our beloved cultural hub’s education team has been offering them a bevy of activities to help the Girl Scouts work towards or earn their badges. This fall, several troops visited the House Museum, where they learned about its history and found inspiration in founder Theodate Pope Riddle’s story. Then, they sketched, painted, and hiked the scenic landscape.

Continue reading →

by Rachel Cutler, educator and resident artist

It was the second week of June when we began our preliminary plans for an outdoor summer art program for local children. Governor Lamont set forth policies for what day camps would like in Connecticut during the pandemic. Undoubtedly, these were unprecedented circumstances, but we felt confident we could create an educational, fun, and, most of all, safe program for our youth.

Our Director of Education, Kate Ebner, and I brainstormed the lesson plans and worked out the logistics. Then, we lovingly named our new creation “Summer on the Hill.”

Continue reading →

by Rachel Cutler, educator and resident artist

On Sunday, September 20, the trees around Hill-Stead were tinged with orange and red. With a slight chill in the air, it was a perfect day for painting. En Plein Air is the French term for creating art “outdoors,” and was popularized by the Impressionists.

Historically, the studio was the setting for most painting endeavors. Materials were not suitable for long hikes along the countryside. The “box easel” came into being in the mid 19th century, and artists ventured outdoors more frequently to paint, especially the Impressionists. They wanted to create art at the very moment they were looking upon a scene. They were capturing the essence, the impression of that moment.

Continue reading →