Bruce Museum Open House Day, Saturday, June 9

The Bruce Museum in Greenwich will participate in the 14th Annual Connecticut Open House Day – a unified celebration of the state’s fascinating world of art, history, and tourism – on Saturday, June 9, 2018.

During this one-day event, the Bruce, along with more than 200 other organizations and attractions throughout the state, will open its doors to visitors free of charge. To qualify for any Open House Day special, at least one person in each visiting group must show a valid Connecticut driver’s license.

This statewide event, sponsored by the Connecticut Office of Tourism (COT), is designed to broaden awareness among residents of Connecticut’s exceptional cultural and tourism assets and encourage them to become ambassadors who share their newfound discoveries with visiting family and friends.

Saturday, June 9, marks the opening of the 9th annual iCreate exhibition, a juried show spotlighting fine art created by local high school students. Continuing through August 12, iCreate 2018 features more than 40 artworks created by students competing for cash prizes and includes a catalogue and digital presentation of all participating students’ work.

Also on display in the Bruce Museum galleries during Connecticut Open House Day:

• Patriotic Persuasion: American Posters of the First World War

This exhibition, which closes on June 10, commemorates the U.S. involvement in World War I a century ago and features a selection of original posters, most of which were donated to the Museum by Beverly and John W. Watling III.

• National Geographic Photo Ark

The National Geographic Photo Ark is an ambitious project committed to documenting every species in the world’s zoos and wildlife sanctuaries—inspiring people not just to care, but also to help protect these animals for future generations. Featuring more than 50 of the most compelling images by National Geographic photographer and Fellow Joel Sartore, the exhibition provides visitors with the unique opportunity to come face to face with animals from the National Geographic Photo Ark. The exhibition opens on June 2 and continues through September 2.

• Wild Bees: Photographs by Paula Sharp and Ross Eatman

This exhibition features exquisite photographs of wild bees in their natural habitats, along with an exploration of their varied lifestyles, interactive viewing of native bee specimens under the microscope, interactive website, bee houses, and giant model bees at 20x scale. The photographs are part of a three-year wild bee project undertaken by photojournalist and writer Paula Sharp and nature photographer Ross Eatman to document wild bees inhabiting New York's Rockefeller State Park Preserve and neighboring Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture.

Connecticut Open House Day also includes opportunities to become a Connecticut Ambassador as part of COT’s Ambassador Program, an ongoing initiative designed to cultivate pride among residents in the state’s many diverse treasures in the fields of history, art, tourism and entertainment. For more information about Connecticut Open House Day, visit www.CTvisit.com or call 1-888-CTvisit.