Museum Review // Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, CT January 11th 2025

 https://www.mattmuseum.org/

https://www.mattmuseum.org/exhibition/ted-williams-the-splendid-splinter-in-waterbury/

Additional photos can be found in an album on Facebook here :::

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1662565611140320&type=3

Our fifth stop on the CT Art Trail saw us going to the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury.  If drive around the Waterbury Green, you'll find this Museum right next to the YMCA.  It's in a nice and historic looking part of Waterbury.  We decided on going on this date because an exhibit I was most interested in was on its way out.    Some time late last year I found out about a Ted Williams exhibit that was at the Mattatuck and I had it in my mind that it would be there through February, but it actually was only until January 19th 2025 so this was our time to strike.

The Mattatuck Museum has four floors, each of them the same size but also packed full of history and art.   The first floor would be where you enter and that has a gift shop area, cafe and the help desk / where you check in.   This happened to be a free-for-all community day but I got my CT Art Trail Passport stamped anyway because I plan on becoming a member of the NBMAA this year (Small Spoiler: It has since happened) and that gets me into here for free as well, so I'm not ever really worried about paying.

Small sidetrack about the CT Art Trail Passport and its stamps: There was a contest where if you collected the stamps by visiting all of the places in the Passport you would win some grand prize, but I was never about that and also I believe that ended at the end of 2024 as well.  I am mostly just using this Passport to guide myself, and Quentin, through the various Museums of Connecticut and, yes, sometimes we even find a Museum outside of the Passport.

The second floor of the Mattatuck Museum was filled with all of the exhibits and was called the History Floor.  We'll get back to that.   The third floor had doors on both sides that were locked, so whatever was happening in there we couldn't see.  The fourth floor had a door you could go into another room, but that was being vacuummed so we weren't allowed in there at that time.  However, there was a large collection of buttons (such as used on clothing) on the fourth floor and that seemed to be the main attraction there.

Back down to the second floor, we found the Ted Williams exhibit right away.   There was various memorabilia for the greatest hitter to ever live, including a G.I. Joe doll I never knew existed but now want.  To me, the fun thing about this exhibit being in Waterbury is that I will always connect Ted Williams with this city.  When it comes to baseball, the first thing I always think of related to Waterbury is that Joan Joyce once struck out Ted Williams in this city.   Probably not what Ted Williams wants to be remembered for here, but I still consider him the greatest hitter to ever play the game.

The History Floor was also full of various pieces which told stories and some were interactive.  Much about the industrial revolution and invention of certain machines was to be found in here, as was some old Native American artifacts.  While this really felt like the floor with the most, it kept us busy long enough and if you happen to visit the Museum yourself- or should I return at a different time- more doors might be open and so the overall experience might also change in that way.  

When I think of Waterbury, I don't always think of the history within the city.  I really enjoyed the Mattatuck Museum for what they had on display and as a member of the NBMAA you can visit the Mattatuck for free as well.   I don't always go in the direction of Waterbury, but I might start finding myself doing that more as the years go on to stay up to date with what new exhibits they have.