Opening Reception - Two Exhibitions at the Norwalk Historical Society Museum

Celebrate the opening of New Deal, New Day: WPA Artists at Work and Play and Destination Norwalk: African-American Migration from the South, 1940-1970, two new exhibitions at The Norwalk Historical Society Museum on Thursday, September 28, 2017 from 6:00pm – 7:30pm. The museum is located at 141 East Avenue next to the Norwalk Health Department, in the red brick house with blue double front doors. Parking is available at Norwalk City Hall, 125 East Avenue. RSVP - info@norwalkhistoricalsociety.org.

New Deal, New Day: WPA Artists at Work and Play is the first exhibition featured in the new Norwalk Historical Society Museum’s WPA Exhibition Room, curated by Valerie A. Cooper – Picture That Art Consultants. The artwork on display highlights the “New Deal” and exemplifies the optimistic feeling of a “New Day” in the careers of the WPA artists who participated in the eight-year, short-lived, yet life-changing national work relief program created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935. There were a range of local, regional and national artwork created for the WPA funded Federal Art Project. In addition, there are vintage photographs, original ceramic vessels and the recently released U.S. Postal Service WPA stamps collection. The WPA mural "Steamboat Days on the Mississippi" will be reintroduced, which was relocated from Norwalk City Hall. The Norwalk Historical Society Museum will become an official stop on the Norwalk WPA Murals Trail.

Destination Norwalk: African-American Migration from the South, 1940-1970, curated by Kathleen Motes Bennewitz. This is an extension of the "Norwalk: Portrait of Diversity" exhibition. It highlights the migration of 5 million black Americans from southern states during the "The Second Migration" to urban industrial centers of the North, Midwest and West. Some making their destination Norwalk, Connecticut. This mass exodus was spurred on by civil, economic and educational injustices that made up everyday life in the South. As the racial composition of Norwalk changed, the City's political priorities, labor relations, community and cultural expression evolved in these decades of major Civil Rights reforms. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Rev. Dr. Merle Rumble and Rev. Dewitt Stevens, Jr.

About the Norwalk Historical Society
The Norwalk Historical Society was incorporated in 1899 with the focus on “the research, preservation, and promotion of interest in the history of Norwalk.” Through a wide variety of educational exhibits, programs and lectures, Norwalk’s rich history and diversity in the region is highlighted. The Norwalk Historical Society manages and operates the Norwalk Historical Society Museum and Mill Hill Historic Park. The Norwalk Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

For more information visit norwalkhistoricalsociety.org, e-mail info@norwalkhistoricalsociety.org , or call 203-846-0525.