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Monday 11am - 5pm Tuesday 11am - 5pm Wednesday 11am - 5pm Thursday 11am - 5pm Friday 11am - 5pm Saturday 11am - 5pm Sunday 11am - 4pm

Mattatuck Museum

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Waterbury, CT
Mattatuck Museum

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A gathering place that nurtures creativity and learning through transformative experiences. CORE VALUES
Access: We are welcoming, accessible and collaborative.

MISSION
The Mattatuck Museum is a center of art and history, a gathering place that nurtures creativity and learning through transformative experiences to encourage a deeper understanding of ourselves and our heritage. VISION
The Mattatuck Museum will be known as a vibrant destination inspiring visitors from New England and beyond. Stewardship: We embody integrity, ethical practice and accountability in the care, enrichment and use of our human, financial and physical resources. Community: We are committed to fostering strong relationships with our community to build a common future. Education: We promote the unique connections between art and regional history to inform, challenge and engage a diverse public. Inspiration: We challenge expectations and provide a stimulating environment that inspires curiosity and awe.

11/02/2026

What if a painting could say something words never could?

For Waterbury-born artist Franne Davids, painting was a way of creating an entire world of her own.

Working largely in the privacy of her parents' basement, Davids created more than 400 paintings, many featuring the imaginative female figures she called her "girls." These figures, along with scenes inspired by mythology, fairy tales, gatherings, and imagined worlds, offer a glimpse into the artist's unique way of seeing and experiencing life.

But what can art reveal about the emotions, experiences, and stories we don't always know how to express?

Join us this Thursday, November 5, from 5:30–7 PM for Cocktails & Conversations: The Language of Art: Expression, Healing & Connection.

The Mattatuck's Exhibitions and Collections Manager, Lyle Cairdeas, will be joined by Briana Benn-Mirandi, art therapist from Art and Soul Art Therapy, for an engaging conversation exploring mental health, art therapy, and the powerful connections between creativity and self-expression, inspired by our exhibition "Franne Davids and the World She Painted"

Come curious. Leave with a new perspective on the language of art.

🍸 Adult admission: $15 | Members & Sober Adults: $10

**Space is limited! Reserve your spot using the calendar section of our website:**

Support provided by Litchfield Distillery and George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee.

11/01/2026

WHEN WATERBURY MADE TIME

Did you turn your clocks back this morning? Keeping time is part of Waterbury's history!

Founded in 1857, the Waterbury Clock Company grew from a local manufacturing operation into one of the world’s largest clock manufacturers. By the early 20th century, Waterbury was producing millions of timepieces, helping bring affordable clocks and watches into homes around the world.

The company’s legacy continued through the development of the iconic Ingersoll dollar watch and, eventually, the Timex brand.

So as we turn our clocks back for daylight saving time, we’re celebrating a little local history. Waterbury didn’t just keep time. For generations, it helped the world do it, too!

🕰️ Did you know about Waterbury’s clockmaking legacy? Tell us in the comments!

10/31/2026

🎃👻 A LITTLE MORE SPOOKY FUN!

From creepy crafts to musical moments, the MATT was buzzing with Halloween spirit during our Museum Spooktacular!

Our visitors got creative with spooky stained-glass-inspired art and pinch-pot cauldrons, explored our galleries through hands-on activities, searched for clues, enjoyed a concert, and made memories together throughout the museum. And, of course, no Halloween celebration would be complete without a little candy on the way out! 🍬

We loved seeing families of all ages discover something new, get creative, and celebrate the season with us.

A special thank-you to the State of Connecticut, on behalf of the CHET 529 College Savings Program, for supporting this event!

Thanks for making the MATT part of your Halloween traditions. We can’t wait to welcome you back for more art, history, and family fun! 🧡

10/31/2026

👻 WE HAD SO MUCH SPOOKY FUN! 🎃

A huge THANK YOU to the over 450 visitors who joined us for our Museum Spooktacular! We loved welcoming so many families to the MATT for a day filled with creativity, exploration, music, and Halloween fun.

From making spooky stained-glass-inspired crafts and pinch-pot cauldrons to hunting for clues in the History Gallery, there was something for everyone!

Families explored our fall exhibitions, discovered our touch-and-feel stations, framed their own photos, listened to stories, enjoyed live music, played games, colored, and even squeezed in a visit to our Button Gallery before grabbing some candy on the way out.

Thank you for celebrating Halloween with us and making this year’s Museum Spooktacular such a wonderful day! 🧡

Mark your calendars for our next family fun day: December 12 with a few special guests! 🎅🏼🤶🏼

Special thanks to the State of Connecticut on behalf of the CHET 529 College Savings Program for their support!

10/31/2026

The Museum will be open for Spooktacular fun for the next two hours. Come visit and make a spooky stained glass on the first floor, partake in a scavenger hunt in the history gallery, make a pinch pot cauldron (or your imagination can create) in our classroom on the mezzanine. Head up to the galleries to see our Fall exhibitions, explore a touch and feel station, frame some photos, and listen to a story. Pop into the performing art space to color and play some games. Make sure to check out the button gallery before you head back down to get candy on your way out!

10/30/2026

"Theodate Pope’s Highfield: A History" celebrates Pope’s designs through photographs from the Chamberlains’ earliest years in summer residence there. The exhibition was catalyzed by the rediscovery of a family album that shows the Chamberlains along with friends and family, enjoying their new home and its neighboring lake. Since 1954, after both Chamberlains passed and the property was sold, Highfield was transformed into a private country club, and it continues its legacy as a place for people to come together and make memories.
Theodate Pope’s Highfield: A History on view through December 13.

Thank you for the support of in the research for this exhibition.

10/29/2026

Franne Davids knew herself as an artist.

Davids (1950–2022) studied art, writing, psychology, and other disciplines on and off in her late teens and twenties, but never finished college and was primarily self-taught.

She contacted museum curators seeking recognition for her work and submitted paintings to two juried exhibitions at the Mattatuck Museum in the early 1990s.

At the same time, she kept most of her paintings hidden away in the basement of her family's Waterbury home.

Franne Davids and the World She Painted is her first museum solo exhibition.

On view through February 14, 2027
Mattatuck Museum | Waterbury, CT

Support provided by

Image Credit: Franne Davids, Untitled, 1979–2018, oil on paper, 12 1/2 x 20 inches (31.8 x 50.8 cm), © Estate of Franne Davids, courtesy Ricco/Maresca

10/28/2026

Congratulations to Secor Cassidy and Mattatuck Museum Board President Jim Strub and board member Tom Parisot on receiving the Small Business of the Year award at the Chamber’s 28th Annual Harold Webster Smith Awards!

We’re also celebrating fellow honorees Christy Greco, Founder and CEO of The Local Gourmet, Kitchen & Market, named Entrepreneur of the Year, and Hubbard-Hall Inc., recognized as Manufacturer of the Year.

Hubbard-Hall has been a longtime supporter of the Mattatuck Museum, and we’re especially proud to celebrate their recognition alongside so many outstanding members of our local business community.

Congratulations to all the honorees for their contributions to our region and for helping make our community a wonderful place to live, work, and thrive!

10/27/2026

From UConn to The MATT.
Sonja Langford received her MFA from the University of Connecticut before developing the research-driven practice that earned her the title of MIXMASTER 2026 winner.

Working across photography, mixed media, and installation, Langford investigates the histories of American gynecology and medical institutions and how those histories continue to influence experiences of gender and care.

Sonja Langford: Archives of Care
On view through January 3, 2027
Mattatuck Museum | Waterbury, CT

10/26/2026

📸🎨 See your city in a whole new light!

What if a photograph could become a dream? Join us at The MATT on November 7 for Intermediate Art Workshop: Photography, Cityscapes, and Dreams, inspired by our current exhibition, "Ming Smith: Jazz Requiem – Notations in Blue."

Teens will photograph cityscapes and use paint to transform their images into dreamlike landscapes, experimenting with light, shadow, movement, blur, and layering to create artwork that reflects their own unique perspectives.

Get inspired by Ming Smith’s experimental photography and discover new ways to see the world around you!

📅 November 7
⏰ 2–3:30 PM
📍 Mattatuck Museum

Workshop admission:
• Non-members: $15
• Members: $10
• Kids Adventure Passholders: FREE
• Waterbury and Watertown students: FREE through our Student Enrichment Program!

The Student Enrichment Program is supported by the American Savings Foundation, David, Helen and Marian Woodward Fund, Watertown, Northwest Community Bank Foundation, and United Way of Greater Waterbury.

The workshop is supported by the American Savings Foundation, Post University, Thomaston Savings Bank, and United Way of Greater Waterbury.

✨ Not a Kids Adventure Passholder yet? For just $30, your child can enjoy a full year of adventures in art and history! Give the gift of experiences, creativity, and discovery at The MATT.

🖌️ Register on the calendar section of our website

Ming Smith: Jazz Requiem – Notations in Blue is curated by Daisy Desrosiers, David and Francie Horvitz Family Foundation Director and Chief Curator of The Gund at Kenyon College. Generous support for the exhibition is provided by Art Bridges Foundation, with additional support from the Terra Foundation for American Art. The exhibition is on view through January 17, 2027, in our Whittemore and Noonan Galleries.

Address

144 W Main Street
Waterbury, CT
06702

Opening Hours

Monday	11am - 5pm
Tuesday	11am - 5pm
Wednesday	11am - 5pm
Thursday	11am - 5pm
Friday	11am - 5pm
Saturday	11am - 5pm
Sunday	11am - 4pm

Website

http://mattmuseum.org/, https://www.mattmuseum.org/influencer-ambassador-program/, https://www.mattmuseum.org/rentals/,

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