Mattatuck Museum

The Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, Connecticut, will expand its school tour program by offering tours to students in grades 6–8. The themes of the pilot program will reflect those covered in students’ curricula and will take a place-based approach to exploring art and history. Content for the tours will cover the time period from European settlement in New England to the American Civil War. The tours will use historical maps to show the development of Waterbury. The tours also will examine popular artistic movements documenting the changing Connecticut landscape through the years and enable students to use their critical thinking skills to assess artist intent. In addition to teaching students about American art and the history of the greater Naugatuck Valley region, the project will also help with the economic, social, and academic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in the Waterbury community.