2018 SPEAKERS THEME
No matter what your interests, there is sure to be a museum which will delight and amaze you. Join us as we examine these secular temples which have become gathering places for communities.
The 2018 program series of The Friends of Fort Trumbull will focus on the role of museums in the fabric of a society, preserving its history, customs, arts and crafts, and technology. The mythological origins of the word museum can be found in Greek mythology from the word. “mouseion”, which was a building sacred to the Muses and used for the arts and learning. These buildings were shrines to the nine muses who gave artists, philosophers and individuals the necessary inspiration for creation.
Our museums, which enshrine the memory of mankind, strive to be both educational and entertaining. The series will open with a discussion of the role that museums play. We will then examine the many delightful, quirky museums that can be found in Connecticut. Next, we will take a look behind the scenes at what is involved in gathering objects, storing, and curating exhibits.
The remainder of the program will focus on three unique museums in Connecticut. We will hear from the Windham Textile and Historic Museum on the people who built the original mills and the thousands of migrants and women who operated them. Next, we will examine the Hunger Museum which gives witness to the Irish migration to America. In a new twist on “museums”, we will explore the concept of Graveyards and gravestones as a type of “outdoor” museum. Finally, we will conclude the series with a presentation on the status of the proposed National Coast Guard Museum in New London.