F. Luis Mora (1874 - 1940) and the Expression of Beauty
On Exhibition: September 26, 2009 - February 7, 2010

Mora’s affectionate depictions of domestic life, picturesque landscapes, spirited genre scenes, and richly detailed, romanticized images of women from history, myth and his own life are featured. These evocative works combine an intense awareness of his Spanish roots with a warm appreciation of urban and country life in the United States. This first comprehensive museum exhibition of the artist's work since the internationally-acclaimed exhibition in 1927 at the Comision Nacional de Bellas Artes in Buenos Aires, brings together major pieces of his art, some from private collections that have never been exhibited before and others from prestigious institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Butler Institute of American Art, the Newark Museum, and the Yale University Art Gallery. Preview the show.

Banding Together: The Story of the Naugatuck Valley Project
On Exhibition: November 7, 2009 - March 14, 2010

What happens when a group of churches, trade unions, and business and community groups band together to create jobs, affordable housing, and critical public and private services for one of the oldest and poorest industrial areas in the nation? Learn about the people behind these projects.

Permanent Exhibits

The museum's collections and exhibits are focused on regional history and Connecticut art.

The Orton P. Camp, Jr. Gallery of Community History presents, in an all new exhibit, Coming Home: Building Community in a Changing World, the stories of our towns and their connections to each other and the world from 1673 to today

The art galleries feature the work of Connecticut painters from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, including portraits, landscapes, still-lifes, modern art, as well as scenes of Connecticut from over 300 years. Among the artists in the collection are John Trumbull, Erastus Salisbury Field, Frederic Church, John Frederick Kensett, Arshile Gorky, Kay Sage, Yves Tanguy, Peter Poskas, Abe Ajay and Alexander Calder. A temporary exhibit space displays exhibits related to the art and history of Connecticut, including a Bi-Annual Juried Show.

The Waterbury Button Museum is a permanent exhibit with 10,000 exquisite buttons, assembled by Warren F. Kaynor for the Waterbury Button Company over 50 years ago. It includes buttons from all over the world, with many 18th and 19th century examples - buttons worn by George Washington, buttons on display at the 1878 Paris Exposition, picture buttons, buttons made of Czechoslovakian glass, Japanese enamel, ivory, wood, china, pearls, jewels, and many, many more.

Images of archival materials and artwork in the museum's collection are available for approved uses. Click here for our policy and procedure on Rights and Reproductions Permissions and Fees, and Conditions Governing Permissions for Reproduction. Click here for a Photographic Services Price List.

The Max R. Traurig Library and the Seymour R. Thaler and Mildred Cohen Study Center at the museum are available to researchers by appointment. Click here for a description of our services and policy for research requests. Click here for a downloadable Research Application.