On the road again...

I'm off on my last road trip of the summer, this time a week in New England for school. Here's a recap of the first two days.

Day 1: Connecticut
We hit two local historical societies with different approaches. One tries very hard to be a community resource, not just a WASP-y gallery. The director has a master's in social work, and it shows. I was very impressed with their oral history undertakings and sensitivity to concerns of minority groups. The many interactive games in the history exhibit were also a plus. The other museum was more traditional in focus, but still made very creative use of their collection. I especially liked the floor mosaic map and the "assemble a chair" activity.

Day 2: Hartford
I would like to point out that we passed through Farmington, the home of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, noted fictional art collector and owner of some "mixed up files." Other sights included:

• The Wadsworth Atheneum, which happily combines early American, European, and modern art. I got to see works by both Frank Lloyd Wright and Ralph Earl.
  
• The Mark Twain house, which totally changed my view of him. It turns out the boy from Hannibal married up and lived in an upper-middle home with decor by Louis Comfort Tiffany's firm. He also owned a ridiculous angel-bedecked bedstead. Some of his best novels were written in the upstairs billiard room/mancave, far away from his six daughters.
  
• The home of former Wadsworth director Chick Austin. Oh my gosh, how did I not know about this fabulous man? My new life goal is to go back in time and hang out with him. He was a pioneering museum director, a great judge of artistic talent ( He bought Mondrian, Dali, and Picasso before they were big), an actor, set designer, and rebel against stuffy New England society. In the 1930's he built a post-modern home, filled it with colorful and eclectic furnishings, and entertained his famous friends there. When George Balanchine, Angela Lansbury, and Bette Davis hang out in your aqua damask-lined dining room, you must be pretty awesome. Oh, and Bauhaus artists designed the bathrooms. I'm a little in love.