The Arts Enrich Life for Everyone
Since 1996, American Savings Foundation has awarded over $1.7 million to support Education and Outreach Programs at local arts organizations.
Founded in 1903, the New Britain Museum of American Art is the first museum in the country dedicated to American art. Its mission is to draw the community together through art.
American Savings Foundation has supported the museums education and outreach programs for over 20 years. Today, many of the Museum’s youth and family programs take place in the American Savings Foundation Art and Education Center.
The Foundation’s funding also supports the Museum’s free admission on Saturday mornings. The goal is to help make everyone feel welcome to come and enjoy all the museum has to offer, especially local families. Children participate in popular programs such as Summer Art Adventures, Art Start, and Art Explorers classes. As part of their efforts to make sure the programs are available to everyone, the museum offers scholarships for New Britain students.
The Mattatuck Museum, founded in 1877, is one of the oldest museums in Connecticut. It focuses on collecting, preserving, studying, and exhibiting American art and cultural history.
The Mattatuck Museum is also a vibrant community center providing learning opportunities for children and families. The Museum’s largest audience is youth pre-K to 12th grade. For over 50 years they have partnered with Waterbury Public Schools to provide curriculum-based art education tours and programs for all 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. The Museum’s in-house arts education programming includes Summer Youth Art, Poetry @ The MATT, ACCESS programs for youth with disabilities, free family art activities, literacy nights, and art and history for homeschoolers.
Since 2014, the American Savings foundation has provided program support to the Mattatuck Museum’s Education and Outreach programs. In 2017, the Foundation awarded a capital grant to support a major renovation at the Museum, including the new American Savings Foundation Classroom, which will open this year!