Hill-Stead Museum

First floor wheelchair accessible.

At Home with the Impressionists      
OVERVIEW
 Meet Monet and friends at Hill-Stead!
Tour the historic house, built in 1901, and contemplate artworks by Impressionist masters in the intimacy of the Pope family home. View and analyze the works of Impressionist painters, including Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt, as well as the influential eighteenth- and ninetheenth– century Japanese woodblock prints which inspired their art. Learn about the friendships from primary resources, between the Pope family and Monet and Cassatt.
Learning Objectives
Students will learn about the Impressionist artists, known for their sketch-like brushwork and juxtaposition of bright colors to represent the effect of light on objects. Students will also learn how this style was in contrast to academic art favored by the jurors of the Paris salon. The Hill-Stead school group tour is highlighted with visual literacy exercises where students will describe, analyze, interpret, and judge selected works of art.

• Impressionists: Students will view original paintings and pastels by noted masters, and come to appreciate the similarities and differences between their individual paintings. Students will become familiar with the sketch-like brushwork, simplified forms, and en plein air technique of this group of pioneering artists. Contemplating the canvases takes on additional meaning as students learn about the special relationship that the Popes shared with many of the artists in this community of Impressionists. Impressionist art will be compared to Japanese woodblock prints, a genre inspirational to these noted artists. Students will observe and discuss the elements of art rendered in the paintings and prints.
• Subject Matter:  The subject matter of the Impressionists was of contemporary and everyday life. The artists continued many traditions, but also broke away in new directions, focusing on outdoor light.
• Elements of Art: Students will learn about these building blocks of art and examine how the Impressionists applied them when creating their works of art. Students will also consider and examine the various palettes and techniques used by the Impressionists.  Museum Educators will facilitate a discussion using visual thinking strategies to compare works of art and analyze the merits of a particular artist’s choices.

Bienvenue a´Musee Hill-Stead
Overview
Les Peintures! Les Sculptures! Les Estampes!
Students find a French connection in Farmington as they discover the exceptional collection of paintings, prints and sculptures created by French artists on display in situ at the museum. Featured artists include Claude Monet, Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Eugène Carrière, Henri Matisse, Jean-Francois Millet, Puvis de Chevannes, and Antoine-Louise Barye.
 
Learning Objectives
Students will learn about the Pope family’s 1888 to 1889 Grand Tour of Europe, where they acquired many of the French objects in the collection.
 

• Historical Connections: Students will discover associations between Hill-Stead — the American Colonial Revival house and estate designed by Theodate Pope Riddle, and the French culture of the late nineteenth century represented in the exceptional art collection showcased at the museum.
• Impressionism: Through observations and discussion of the nineteenth-century French art in Hill-Stead’s collection, students will explore the influence Édouard Manet and the Impressionist painters had on the modern art movement.  The painters will be explored as a group of daring artists who resisted the academic art style that conformed to the French Academy.

Highlights of Hill-Stead
Overview
Transport your students to an era of horse and carriages, butlers and maids, and the Impressionists!
Engage in the exploration of history, art and architecture as you tour the 1901 Colonial Revival home of the Pope Riddle family. Learn about the Pope Riddle family and hear the stories of their late-1880’s Grand Tour of Europe. Discover the family’s collection of art treasures including the works by Impressionist painters such as Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt; the works of American artist James McNeill Whistler; the bronze sculptures of Antoine-Louis Barye; and the many decorative arts that embellish Hill-Stead’s interior. Walk the halls of one of Theodate Pope Riddle’s greatest accomplishments as one of America’s first female architects.
Learning Objectives
Students will participate in an engaging, interactive museum visit that explores the history, art and architecture of the setting. Tours are conducted in an age-appropriate fashion that will enhance visual literacy through the examination of stimulating works of art.

• History: Students explore a historic home that connects them to the past while understanding its relevance today. The Industrial Revolution was a time of great socioeconomic change that influenced the Popes as well. Mr. Pope worked his success in the expansion of the railroad system. Hill-Stead is a museum that serves as a touchstone to the heritage of the agricultural past while graciously incorporating modern conveniences of post-industrial technologies.
• Art: Students observe an internationally-renowned collection and explore how it tells stories and communicates ideas that are relevant to the historical context as well as to contemporary issues. Students will understand the need for preservation of the cultural treasures from our past as they gain an appreciation for seeing authentic objects in a historical domestic context.
• Architecture: Students will recognize museum founder, Theodate Pope Riddle, as an independent woman, and as the noteworthy female architect who designed Hill-Stead as well as numerous other distinguished structures.

Hill-Stead Museum
35 Mountain Road, Farmington, CT 06032
860.677.4787 / Fax: 860.677.0174
info@hillstead.org

Two hours from New York City and Boston, 10 minutes from Hartford.

By car
Take Exit 39, I-84 East or West. Follow Route 4 West. Turn left onto Route 10 South. At first traffic light, turn left onto Mountain Road. Museum entrance is 1/4 mile up the hill on the left.

By chartered bus
Buses should use the Farmington Avenue gate. Please note that GPS will route you to the car entrance. Group reservations are required in advance. Contact: Kate Ebner at 860-677-4787 ext 142 or ebnerk@hillstead.org.Download Bus Directions (PDF) >

Note: Only right turns are allowed when entering from or exiting onto Route 4. Failure to comply could result in a citation. Take exit 39 off of Route 84 E or W onto Rt. 4, heading west. Go to the second traffic light at the intersection of Rt. 4 & Rt. 10. Turn left onto Rt. 10 S and go to the next traffic light. Turn left onto Mountain Road. Take the first left onto High Street. Continue on High Street to the end. Turn right back onto Rt. 4, heading east. Continue up the hill until you see a sign on the right, which says "Hill-Stead Museum - Buses Only." Make a right turn into the museum property and follow the road to the parking lot.

Hill-Stead Museum, a National Historic Landmark, serves diverse audiences in Connecticut and beyond as a welcoming place for learning, reflection and enjoyment. The museum develops, preserves, documents, displays and interprets its exceptional Impressionist paintings, 1901 historic house and 152-acre landscape for the benefit of present and future generations.

"Students are exposed to some of the most important Impressionist paintings in the world [providing] an invaluable experience to discover unique qualities, which may not be apparent in reproductions …. stimulating improved critical thinking and language skills as well as increasing motivation in studio work. The museum presented our students with a wide-ranging docent-lead tour and art-making experience that incorporated aesthetics, art history, and conversations evaluating artwork that met National Core Arts Standards. This experience made a powerful and lasting impression on our students and helped to expand their perception of art."
- Joseph Vernali, Bowers Elementary, Manchester

facebook.com/hillsteadmuseum
Titter: @Hill_Stead
Insta: @Hillstead