Founders League Private Prep School Museums

Fahncy
Founders League Private Prep School Museums, Various Towns

You can blame this page on my very specific, very undiagnosed, very arbitrary, very fake OCD. The thing that compels me to make lists and complete lists. Lists that exactly one person in the world cares about: me.

As I was “completing” the town of Simsbury, home to two fancy private boarding schools, I reached out to the schools inquiring about visits to their on-campus museums. I was told that I, the guy who goes to every museum in Connecticut, could not visit. Hurrumph.

Each school below has different policies and different levels of museums. I figured it would be helpful to… well, to my very specific, very undiagnosed, very arbitrary, very fake OCD to create this compendium of them all.

For the two, maybe three, below that exist but are not open to the public, I’m calling them my 539th Connecticut museum visit. Just because I can.

Avon Old Farms, Avon: This stunning all-male campus, home of the Winged Beavers, allowed me to visit the Ordway Art Gallery and Sports Hall of Fame. I was to have an escort, but I sort of skipped that part and was able to tour the joint quickly on my own.

Choate Rosemary Hall, Wallingford: Here, where the Wild Boars do their thing, the Paul Mellon Arts Center is free and open to the slumming public like you and me. And Damian:

The Ethel Walker School, Simsbury: The Wild Cats don’t mess around. They have a real, physical little history museum on their horse-centric all-girl campus. I couldn’t visit it in person, but they’ve done a great job with a virtual version. There is also an entirely virtual Ethel Walker Middle School Museum of Curiosities. And if that’s not enough, there’s also the Potter and Bell Art Galleries.

As with everything at Walker’s, they are off-limits to non Walkerites. They do look pretty nice too. The Letitia McClure Potter Gallery features a 21′ by 29′ space with ample natural light. It’s used primarily to display student work, but does have visiting artist exhibits occasionally as well. The gallery in the Bell Library is just a typical library art gallery. I probably wouldn’t even bother visiting that if I were granted permission to visit the buildings here.

The Hotchkiss School, Salisbury: How many Hotchkiss Bearcats check out each professionally curated and displayed exhibits at the Tremaine Gallery on their campus? I don’t know, but I hope they all do. Beautiful space in a beautiful setting.

Kent School, Kent: Nothing for the Lions, but you don’t need a museum when the Appalachian Trail courses so close by.

Kingswood-Oxford, West Hartford: Nothing the only non-boarding school here, but they’re called the Wyverns and that’s super rad.

Loomis-Chaffee, Windsor: I keep naming the mascots of these schools because they’re so ridiculous. The Pelicans? Why? I don’t know and don’t feel like looking it up, but hey, they’ve got a nice and tidy little public art gallery on campus called the Mercy Gallery @ The Richmond Art Center, and we enjoyed our visit very much.

Miss Porter’s School, Farmington: Ahhh, Miss Porter’s. The Daisies. Jackie O. Athletic prowess. And the Gilbert Art Gallery. Open by appointment, fine. So I reached out and engaged in several emails extolling my bona fides. I ended the correspondence when I was told that since it is appointment only, I should ever mention or list it on CTMQ. That was a few years ago, but the same guy is in charge. I’m going to try again someday. Until then, I have no further information about this place other than the artists it features look pretty cool.

The Taft School, Watertown Mark W. Potter Gallery isn’t just for the Rhinos, as the public can visit. I just haven’t yet.

Trinity-Pawling School, Pawling, NY Who cares, not Connecticut.

Westminster School, Simsbury The Martlets have their Baxter Art Gallery, which appears to be quite nice. I wouldn’t know, as my inquiries about visiting were shot down. Not only that, the campus here isn’t wide open like most of the others. There’s only one way in and it’s gated. (Okay, there’s a second back way in but it’s permanently gated.) And there’s a guard. Ask me how I know.

I did get this first picture here though… and that’s as far as I got:

So that’s it. There are two schools with decent little art galleries that don’t allow the slumming public in to view. (Ironically, we are pretty good friends with families who have kids at Westminster, Ethel Walker, and Miss Porters.) So, no, I didn’t visit those places, and will likely never visit the Simsbury Two… and I think we’re all okay with that.

CTMQ’s Museum Visits