Event Description: 

The 50 Objects/Fifty Years: Highlights from the Collection exhibit represents the start of a year- long program of special events, lectures, and exhibits celebrating 50 years since Housatonic Community College was founded. It will involve alumni, students, community, faculty and staff, and supporters of the college.

The Housatonic Museum of Art is the fitting host of the opening as the art collection is a cornerstone of the history, growth and development as well as the cultural outreach of the college.

The exhibit will be on view from September 10 through October 16, 2015 in the Burt Chernow Galleries. An opening reception will be held September 10, from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. and the public is cordially invited to attend. The Burt Chernow Galleries are free and open seven days a week. Visit the website, www.HousatonicMuseum.org for gallery hours. 50 Objects/50 Years features works from the collection that span across time from ancient to contemporary and include examples of Greek, Roman and Pre-Columbian earthenware to Native American artifacts. Also on view are photographers such as Ansel Adams, Cartier-Bresson and Cindy Sherman alongside such recognized masters as Warhol, Picasso, Rodin, Cassatt, Durer, De Kooning and Alex Katz, to name a few. Founded in 1966, the Housatonic Community College soon became home to a world-class art collection when Burt Chernow joined the faculty of the art department. Dedicating his life to teaching art and building an important collection, Burt worked tirelessly to acquire work from contemporary artists, many of them at the start of their careers. After retiring from the college in 1983, Burt began a second career as an art appraiser often encouraging his clients to contribute to the still growing collection that now began to include works from Bali, China, Indonesia, Russia and Peru. Burt Chernow envisioned the Housatonic Museum of Art as a kind of visual library, or endless labyrinth, with each work of art providing each individual a unique opportunity to travel through the world of art and ideas. The Housatonic Museum of Art’s collection contains over 5000 works of art spanning ancient through modern times and is one of the largest permanent collections of any two-year college in the Northeast. Exhibitions and programs are funded in part by the Werth Family Foundation, Lumpkin Family Foundation, Fairfield County Community Foundation, Downtown Special Services District and individual donors.