Fall Art Exhibits and Galleries Last Updated 9/20
Every year, autumn’s changing leaves paint Connecticut’s beautiful scenery with warm colors. Why not celebrate the artistry of fall by visiting standout art exhibitions across the state? From interactive sculpture gardens, to immersive painting galleries, to unique media experiences, Connecticut is filled with spots to safely admire the arts. It’s time to find your fall inspiration!
For more ideas, check out the Connecticut Art Trail.
Open-Air Exhibits
Art Collective, July 10 - September 30, Stamford Downtown, Stamford
Each year, Stamford Downtown hosts a distinguished outdoor sculpture exhibit. This year’s exhibit, Art Collective, will include a collection of 34 sculptures on loan from six regional artists.
Simsbury Art Trail, June 5 - September 29, Simsbury
The Simsbury Chamber of Commerce will be displaying 37 life-sized bronze sculptures created by artist Seward Johnson in a walkable and bikeable art trail throughout the bucolic town of Simsbury.
A Sculpture Affair, July 4 - October 1, Putnam River Trail, Putnam
Enjoy an artistic collection of more than 20 sculptures by artist Dale Rogers while exploring the Putnam community and River Trail. You’ll find woodland animals for the youngsters, symbolic pieces of love for the young at heart, and sculptures that make you stop and think.
New Canaan Sculpture Trail, June 1 - October 31, New Canaan
Explore the engaging and interactive New Canaan Sculpture Trail, celebrating Earth Day’s 50th anniversary. The trail features eight juried outdoor sculptures installed throughout the town. By joining art and nature, this inaugural outdoor art installation promises to connect residents and visitors to their natural surroundings.
Sculpture in the City, Ongoing, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford
Visit the Wadsworth to engage with the seven works of outdoor sculpture on and near the museum grounds and at partnering institutions and cultural sites throughout the city. This cityscape-focused initiative invites you to experience the great art and architecture of Hartford.
Open Air: An Outdoor Exhibition of Sculpture and Installation Art, UConn Avery Point, Groton
Open Air is an outdoor art exhibition developed as a response to this unusual time of limited public activity. The artworks in the exhibition offer new vistas and opportunities for reflection and to use the campus as a thought-provoking space of personal inspiration.
Campus Art and Sculpture Hunt, The William Benton Museum of Art, Storrs
Enjoy self-guided art and sculpture hunts, designed for any age. Using your mobile phone, learn about public art and enjoy a 40-minute walk on UConn’s beautiful campus and enjoy taking selfies with the sculptures!
Indoor Exhibits
The New Normal, September 4 - October 4, Gallery on the Green, Canton
Discover this historic gallery and view newly created fine art from the artist guilds’ 100+ members. The shows provide an array of stunning work from paintings, drawings, graphic arts and sculpture to ceramics, fiber/beadwork and photography.
Sweet Dreams: Confectionery Sculpture, July 18 - October 18, Lyman Allyn Art Museum, New London
Admire 35 mouth-watering creations by artist Peter Anton spread throughout three galleries. This installation offers a colorful array of festively decorated donuts with sprinkles, an awe-inspiring giant jelly roll, and more—all designed to entice food enthusiasts and confectionery aficionados alike.
Surface Rising, September 10 - October 25, Kehler Liddell Gallery, New Haven
In his first solo exhibition, artist Michael Pressman investigates the differences and similarities between realistic and abstract photography. With this series of diptychs, Pressman states: “Each pair is presented as if one click of the camera shutter captured both. Under the surface, they are alike, not abstract, not realistic. Simply, how I see the world.”
New Documents, September 10 - October 25, Kehler Liddell Gallery, New Haven
Immerse yourself as artist Sven Martson presents his own unique way of seeing. In an artist’s statement, Martson explains his work as a collection of significant moments: “My work is a corollary to my movements through time and space. I photograph scenes of personal significance as they occur where I happen to be.”
Fresh Fields, July 7 - November 1, Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme
This exhibit is a celebration of the museum’s most beloved landscape paintings created by Impressionist artists who visited Old Lyme. Fresh Fields highlights major recent acquisitions, including paintings, drawings, archival materials, and photographs that will shed light on the history and ecology of Old Lyme, which made it a gathering place for artists.
Floating Beauty: Women in the Art of Ukiyo-e, September 1 - November 1, Bruce Museum, Greenwich
Examine historical perspectives on women and their depiction in art in Edo Period Japan (1615 – 1858). Featuring more than 40 woodblock prints on loan from the permanent collection of the Reading Public Museum in Pennsylvania, this exhibition highlights female characters in literature, kabuki theatre, and poetry; the courtesans and geisha of the Yoshiwara district; and wives and mothers from different social classes performing the duties of their station, in order to gain some insight into the lives of women in pre-modern Japan.
Land & Sea, October 9 - November 19, Lyme Art Association, Old Lyme
Explore this year’s fall show, Land and Sea, featuring landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes. Enjoy some vicarious travel while socially distancing in the spacious, skylit gallery.
Biophilia: A Dialogue with Art, Nature and Science, September 1 - January 10, Stamford Museum & Nature Center, Stamford
Discover an extensive art and multimedia sensory experience that unravels man's intimate relationship with the natural world. Artist, naturalist and New York Times bestselling author Christopher Marley is known for his unique ability to reveal the obscure beauty in nature and in this extraordinary exhibition, he creates a visual experience of the love we all have for life.
Love, Life, Death, and Desire, October 1 - February 28, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Thirty years ago, In and Out of Love by Damien Hirst was shown for the very first time. Today, the permanent half of that iconic installation, Butterfly Paintings and Ashtrays, is part of the Center’s collection. To mark this milestone, In and Out of Love (Butterfly Paintings and Ashtrays) will be shown in its entirety for the first time in many years alongside works of historic, modern, and contemporary art exploring love, life, death and desire.
Frank Stella’s Stars, A Survey, September 21 - May 9, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield
Get lost in the stars and experience artist Frank Stella’s most identifiable work. The star is argued to be one of the most recognizable abstract forms. The historical arc of Stella’s use of the form travels from minimal (the early star paintings) to the maximal, with the recent star sculptures exhibiting a corruption of the form.
"Transforming the Commonplace," September 19 - October 11, Washington Art Association & Gallery, Washington
Still life has always been extraordinary for painters. Bonnard's tables of food are considered among his finest. Morandi's bottles and cans brought his hometown Bologna to life as he transformed ordinary objects into architectures of stillness. The challenge of this exhibit is to take everyday items that are seldom honored in art and to memorialize them.