Stamford Museum and Nature Center RSS Feed

Summer Family Campout:

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:31:21 GMT

Stamford, CT
203.322.1646
Museum

Enjoy a barbeque dinner and join in on all the great activities, such as a tour of the farm, a walk to the Observatory, a live exotic animal program at Animal Embassy, and a show at the Planetarium. Then enjoy a breakfast the following morning at 10:00 A.M.

July 26, 2008 at 5:30 P.M.

(203) 322-1646 Ext. 6521.

Stamford Museum & Nature Center, Stamford, CT.

Member $95 for one parent/child and $30 additional family member. Non-member $130 for one parent/child and $30 additional family member.

Artist at Work: Nathan Sawaya: June 29

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:07:58 GMT

Stamford, CT
203-322-1646
Museum

Nathan Sawaya will create a new masterpiece as the public watches. What will it be?

June 29, 2008 from 11:00 A.M. - 4:30 P.M.

Stamford Museum & Nature Center, Stamford, CT.

Free. (203) 322-1646 or www.stamfordmuseum.org

Flights of Fancy Wine Tasting: June 6

Thu, 29 May 2008 15:24:14 GMT

Stamford, CT
203.322.1646
Museum

(Stamford, Connecticut) … Ste. Michelle Wine Estates presents Stamford Museum & Nature Center’s Flights of Fancy Wine Tasting, an evening of fine wine provided by WinePort, delicious food from 12 different local caterers, and plenty of tempting live and silent auction items to benefit the SM&NC on Friday, June 6, 2008.

The 11th annual wine tasting will be hosted by Matt Scott of Connecticut’s News Channel 8, and held in the museum’s Bendel Mansion. All event proceeds support Stamford Museum & Nature Center’s educational mission.

“This year we wanted to do something a little different, and we loved the theme of Flights of Fancy. It’s a bit of a play on words since we’ll have flights of wine for sale, the nature center is full of birds in flight, there are great trips available in our new live auction, and it all goes to help imaginations and dreams take flight through great educational programs,” explained Claudia Silver of Stamford, chair of the event.

The Flights of Fancy Wine Tasting is generously sponsored by Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Day Pitney LLP, Ernst & Young, Fidelity Investments, Juner Properties, O’Connor Davies Munns & Dobbins, LLP, Party Rental Ltd., Pierson & Smith, Purdue Pharma LP, magazine sponsor Moffly Publications Inc., and radio sponsors 95.9 the Fox and 96.7 The Coast.

A tempting array of cuisine will be served by local caterers including A Dash of Salt of Norwalk, Bayleaf Gourmet of Waterbury, David’s Catering of Stamford, FoodStudio of Stamford, Frank & Julio of Stamford, Libby Coverly Cooke Catering of Stamford, LexZee Gourmet of Old Greenwich, Marybeth’s of Greenwich, Outdoor Cookers of Norwalk, Patricia Blake of Darien, Some Things Fishy Catering of Danbury, and Sweet on You Bakery & Café of Stamford. Wine Cellar Sorbet will provide wine-flavored sorbet.

Committee members, in addition to Silver, include Mary Ammon of Stamford, Nadia Berkowitz of Stamford, Angela Bollettieri of Stamford, Leslie Bruzik of Stamford, Lynn Villency Cohen of Stamford, Holly Hyman of Stamford, Becky Lai of Stamford, Eva Levine of New Canaan, Cynthia Mammone of Stamford, Betsy Raftery of Wilton, Molly Seegers of Stamford, and Jami Sherwood of Stamford.

Tickets are $75 for Members and $100 for Non-Members. For more information and to purchase tickets, please call 203.322.1646 x6548.

Spring on the Farm: Festival Day at Stamford Museum & Nature Center: May 18

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:30:40 GMT

Stamford, CT
203.322.1646
Museum

(Stamford, Connecticut—April 2008) … Heckscher Farm springs to life during Stamford Museum & Nature Center’s annual Spring on the Farm family festival presented by UBS and co-sponsored by WEBE 108 on Sunday, May 18, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Visitors will learn about life on a traditional New England farm through sheep shearing, wool spinning, and other demonstrations. Activities are planned for all ages including games and prizes, arts and crafts, live music, story telling, hay rides, face painting, a plant and herb sale, and food and refreshments.

Meet Maggie the Brown Swiss cow, Duckers the Blue Swedish duck, and Ana the Shetland pony, and the dozens of other animals who call Heckscher Farm home – including some new additions! Animal Embassy, featuring exotic animals, will also be open during Spring on the Farm.

Stop inside the Bendel Mansion Museum Galleries to see Architecture of the Imagination: The Lure of the LEGO® Brick featuring Nathan Sawaya: The Art of the Brick™ and All Aboard with Bill Probert and Friends, sponsored by Life Options, LLC and The Aron Family.

Admission to Spring on the Farm is $5 for members; $10 for non-members. Family PLUS members & above levels, and children 3 & under are admitted free. Spring on the Farm will be held rain or shine.

Stamford Museum & Nature Center’s Heckscher Farm is located at 39 Scofieldtown Road, Stamford, CT (¾ mile north of Merritt Parkway Exit 35), and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 203.322.1646 or visit www.stamfordmuseum.org.

Family Take-A-Hike Week, April 15-17

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:39:58 GMT

Stamford, CT
203.322.1646
Museum

Bring the family to the Stamford Museum & Nature Center this Spring Break to enjoy three days of fun, hands-on activities including guided nature hikes, tree plantings, and a scavenger hunt! New this year, “Wildman” Steve Brill will lead a hike in search of wild edibles.

Family Take a Hike Week is sponsored by Aquarion Water Company and IBM. Program times vary. Visit www.stamfordmuseum.org for details. Free with gate admission.

For more information, call 203.322.1646 ext. 6521, e-mail info@stamfordmuseum.org, or visit www.stamfordmuseum.org.

Snakes of the World: Apr. 25

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:23:46 GMT

Stamford, CT
203.322.1646
Museum

Join Naturalist Chris Evers of Animal Embassy for a fascinating look at these often-misunderstood creatures at an Outdoor Adventures program at Stamford Museum & Nature Center. Enshrouded by myth and mystery, snakes have been revered and reviled throughout human history. See live snakes including an albino Burmese python and a green anaconda, up close and personal in the Stamford Museum & Nature Center’s Bendel Mansion. Two programs times are offered: 5:30– 6:30 p.m.(ages 3-5), 7– 8 p.m. (ages 6 and older). Pre-registration is required, call 203.322.1646 ext. 6521.Members $5 / Non-members $8 (parking and admission included). For more information, visit www.stamfordmuseum.org, e-mail info@stamfordmuseum.org, or call 203.322.1646 ext. 6521.

Planetarium Sunday: Apr. 13

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:23:10 GMT

Stamford, CT
203.322.1646
Museum

The theme for this month’s planetarium show at Stamford Museum & Nature Center is “Saturn, the Lord of the Rings”. The Cassini spacecraft has been busy capturing images of Saturn and its menagerie of satellites. This show will present a selection of fascinating pictures of the ringed planet and tell you where to find it in the night sky. Planetarium show is at 3 p.m. Admission: SM&NC members FREE; Non-Members, Adults $3, Children $2. No children under 5 allowed. For more information, call 203.322.1646 ext. 6521, e-mail info@stamfordmuseum.org, or visit www.stamfordmuseum.org.

Sargent painting and its history on display at Stamford Museum & Nature Center

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 19:23:17 GMT

Stamford, CT
203.322.1646
Museum

Stamford Museum & Nature Center will display John Singer Sargent’s “Portrait of J. P. Wolff,” a painting with an extraordinary history, in the Bendel Mansion Museum Lobby April 4-August 17, 2008.

During an ongoing review of its permanent art collection last year, Stamford Museum & Nature Center’s curatorial staff discovered the history of the Sargent painting, which once belonged to the famous Dutch art dealer Jacques Goudstikker.

In May of 1940, Goudstikker, his wife Desiree, and their young son, Edward, boarded one of the last ships to leave the Netherlands ahead of the German invasion. The Goudstikkers had to leave their art collection behind. To ensure its eventual recovery, Jacques carried with him a little black notebook in which he had recorded every item in his collection. Less than 24 hours later he died at sea.

Immediately after World War II, Desiree and Edward Goudstikker returned to Holland, black book in hand, to try to recover the collection. What followed was one of the most determined and lengthy battles ever waged for the recovery of art misappropriated in war time. Goudstikker heirs Marei and Charlene von Saher of Greenwich, continue the search today.

During a moving visit to Stamford Museum & Nature Center last year, the women gave the museum a copy of the page of Jacques’ famous black book listing the Sargent painting, which has been in Stamford Museum & Nature Center’s collection since 1955.

A review of the Goudstikker family records showed that it was one of the few restored to Goudstikker’s widow by the Dutch government after the war. She sold it in the early 1950s and it is, therefore, owned outright by Stamford Museum & Nature Center.

How did it end up at Stamford Museum & Nature Center? Why are the Goudstikker heirs happy that it is here? What does the painting say about Goudstikker’s great collecting “eye?” Learn all about it in the Museum’s display.

Stamford Museum & Nature Center’s Bendel Mansion is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Stamford Museum & Nature Center is located at 39 Scofieldtown Road, Stamford, CT (3/4 mile North of Merritt Parkway Exit 35.) For more information, visit www.stamfordmuseum.org.

Amphibian Amble: Mar. 28

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:15:56 GMT

Stamford, CT
203.322.1646
Museum

Stamford Museum & Nature Center invites you to head into the forest to visit its vernal ponds, also known as the “nurseries of the forest,” as these seasonal ponds come to life in with spotted salamanders, wood frogs and spring peepers. Meet at the Overbrook Nature Center for a short introduction, and then head into the woods.

This Outdoor Adventures program is offered to participants ages 5 years and older.

Pre-registration is required, call 203.322.1646 ext. 6521.Members $5 / Non-members $8 (parking and admission included). March 28, 7-8:30 p.m., rain or shine (bring a flashlight).

For more information, visit www.stamfordmuseum.org, e-mail info@stamfordmuseum.org, or call 203.322.1646 ext. 6521.