We take a break from the usual news and politics to talk about something that newsmakers and politicians just don't seem to talk about very much: arts and culture, history and humanities, our museums and gathering places.
We hear that all of these things are important to "revitalize" cities and to "spur economic growth." If that's true, why isn't there more investment, more coordination, more big thinking about the arts?
We are in the midst of some shake-ups: new leadership at the Hill-Stead Museum and New Britain Museum of American Art, and the state office that brought up "Still Revolutionary."
But there's also a big renovation at the Wadsworth Athenaeum that includes a collaboration with Real Art Ways. Many of the state's small museums and other cultural treasures keep surprising with their big ideas, despite small budgets.
This hour, we talk about small museums and big ideas about the arts in Connecticut.
What do you think? Comment below, email WhereWeLive@wnpr.org, or tweet @WhereWeLive.
GUESTS:
- Bill Hosley - Historian, Principal at TerraFirmaNE
- Frank Mitchell - Curator of the Amistad Center for Art & Culture at the Wadsworth Athenaeum
- Mary McCombie - former co-director of the American Studies Graduate Program at Trinity College