In a March, 2013 article, the New York Times described the challenges facing small museums in the United States as “particular puzzles.” These puzzles, which can range from lack of funding to re-determining its identity, are beginning to transform the state of small museums across the country, especially in the aftermath of the 2008 recession. While not all small museums struggle in the same way or to the same degree, they all share these “particular” challenges as they work to re-integrate themselves into the daily lives of their small communities.
The Lyman Allyn Art Museum, one of New London’s premier artistic and cultural institutions, is in the heart of this struggle. Located at the southernmost tip of the Connecticut College campus, the Lyman Allyn can often seem invisible to Conn students, but represents a foremost cultural resource to both students and New London residents.
Founded in 1926, the Lyman Allyn Art Museum resulted from the bequest of Harriet Upson Allyn, a lifelong New London resident and daughter of renowned sea captain Lyman Allyn. In 1910, Harriet Upson Allyn asked that, after her death, the Connecticut Trust and Safe Deposit Company of Hartford to establish a park and museum from her estate, from which also came a portion of land donated to the then Connecticut College for Women.
During the almost 90 years since its founding, the Lyman Allyn has grown to include a permanent collection of over 10,000 items, including paintings, drawings, sculptures and furniture. While the collection mainly consists of American art from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries, the Lyman Allyn also offers examples of European art, making it the only museum in southeastern Connecticut to do so. The Museum’s nine galleries, auditorium, library and conservation laboratory make it one of New London’s most valuable cultural assets.
The prestige of the Lyman Allyn Art Museum, however, can also be marred by many of the financial difficulties facing similarly sized museums across the country. One major challenge many small museums face is defining their roles and identities as cultural and educational institutions in their local communities, in addition to broadcasting their messages and missions to the community at large. In terms of integrating into the New London community, the Lyman Allen faces the same physical challenge as Connecticut College: the distance from the downtown area.
Becca Marsie, the Visitor Engagement & Communications Coordinator at the Lyman Allyn, advocated that, “museums need to become part of the social fabric of their community,” which can be difficult when their physical site feels so far removed. Indeed, Marsie stated, “many New London residents don’t realize that a trip up the road can lead to eye-opening experiences of beautiful exhibitions,” especially considering that admission to the museum is completely free for all New London residents.
The same can be said for students at Connecticut College, many of whom complete their entire four years without knowing of or visiting the Lyman Allyn. With a student ID, a visit to the Museum is free of charge and can “foster dynamic inter-disciplinary dialogues that are essential” to both institutions, Marsie stated.
For students on campus, the Lyman Allyn offers not only collaborates with the Museum Studies Certificate Program, but also offers a “very successful work-study program” and opportunities for “internships throughout the year in various museum departments.” These opportunities not only allow Connecticut College students the chance to explore American and European art, in addition to ancient and modern collections from around the world, but also professional work and volunteer experiences for students interested in the museum field.
Indeed, a visit to the Lyman Allyn can be a truly transformative experience. Molly Ashmore ’15 entered Conn determined to study Classics, but had not considered museum work until her first visit to the Lyman Allyn Art Museum. After being introduced to the museum through the OVCS Community Learning Fair in the fall of 2011, Ashmore began volunteering at the LAAM and has continued ever since. Throughout her nearly four year tenure, Ashmore has provided office support, documented collections pieces, developed the LAAM’s social media presence and researched competing institutions to brainstorm the ways in which the Lyman Allyn can better market itself throughout southeastern Connecticut. Of her experience at the Museum, Ashmore noted that it led to her decision to enroll in the Museum Studies Certificate Program and also informed her decisions as to which departments she wants to work in as a future museum professional.
Over the past three years, Ashmore has worked on virtually every exhibition to come through the museum. One of her favorites has been “Face Off,” an exhibit depicting portraits of William Wegner and served as a “great introduction to a small museum in the middle of nowhere with amazing portraits and photographs.”
Yet the Lyman Allyn’s exhibitions also reflect the changing dynamics within the community of New London itself. This past winter, the Lyman Allyn presented “SubUrbanisms: Casino Company Town/China Town,” which artfully depicted the recent increase in Chinese immigration into Southeastern Connecticut, finding work at both the Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos. The exhibit demonstrated how the influx of immigration “changed the way that the premade housing developments have been made to look like,” said Ashmore, in addition to “explaining and reducing tensions within the immigrant community and the people who have been living there for generations.”
In addition to the coordination of exhibitions to reflect the atmosphere of the local community, the Lyman Allyn also plans educational programs that work to collaborate with the New London Public Schools. The Lyman Allyn does this, said Marsie, by designing “art programs based on specific curriculum needs for students in grades pre-K.” Marsie further stated that the LAAM’s dedication to providing “art education and cultural enrichment to the youth of the region,” results in over “3,500 children visiting the Museum each year.”
These efforts are a testament to the Lyman Allyn’s willingness to engage with the New London community. Since field trips must often directly relate to curriculum guidelines and are expensive to coordinate, Marsie even described how the Lyman Allyn offers, “partial subsidization for field trips to schools across Eastern Connecticut so that all children, regardless
of their family’s or their school’s economic circumstances, can enjoy the rich resources at the Lyman Allyn.”
Despite the Lyman Allyn’s efforts to increase its visibility both on campus and in New London, the museum still faces challenges attracting adults and older youths to engage with the rich cultural exhibitions the Museum has to offer.
Be sure to check out the Museum’s upcoming exhibition, “Catch the Butterflies,” which features local artist Brian Keith Stephens. Opening November 28 and running until January 4, the installation will feature large and colorful butterfly ceiling scrolls that “symbolize personal transformation as well as grace, eloquence, and good luck,” potentially for final exams.
