browngrotta arts’s “Art in the Barn” Continental Drift: Encounters, North and South opens in just three weeks. When you travel to Wilton, Connecticut to see it from October 17th through 25th, 2026 there are several other stops worth adding to your trip. And, worth noting, the exhibition will take place just a week before peak leaf peeping here in Connecticut.
One of Wilton’s secret gems is Weir Farm National Historical Park. It is the only National Park Service site dedicated to American painting. The site was home to three generations of American artists including Julian Alden Weir, a leading figure in American art and the development of American Impressionism. At the Burlingham House Visitor Center you can learn about American Impressionism and the three generations of artists that inhabited Weir Farm, then explore the Weir House, Weir and Young Studios, and 60 acres of idyllic and inspiring landscape including gardens and a pond. The Farm welcomes plein air painters. On exhibit now is the The Big Truth: Julian Alden Weir and His Branchville Farm. Weir debuted his new Impressionistic painting style, influenced in part by the work of his friend Childe Hassam, in an 1891 exhibit at a gallery in New York City. (Weir Farm National Historical Park, 735 Nod Hill Road, Wilton, CT 06897.)
The Aldrich Museum in Ridgefield Connecticut is just up the road from browngrotta arts. It’s currently celebrating its first decennial, a recurring survey it plans to celebrate every 10 years. The series will spotlight current artists and practice emerging from Connecticut. As the museum points out, Connecticut has been the home to many art notables, including Annie and Joseph Albers, Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Jasper Johns, and Sol Lewitt. (We would add Sheila Hicks, Edward Steichen, and Gutzon Borglum to that list.) The exhibition’s title, The Aldrich Decentennial, I am what is around me, is excerpted from the American poet Wallace Stevens’s poem “Theory,” 1917. The 39 artists in the decennial range in age from 30 to 80 and work in a variety of media — much to discover. (Through January 10, 2027; The Aldrich Museum, 258 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877.)
Greenwich, Connecticut, between New York and Wilton, is home to the recently renovated Bruce Museum. The Bruce features an engaging space and consistently significant exhibitions including Jeremy Frey, Ursula von Rydingsvard, and Leonardo Drew. Entering the museum, visitors see King Nyani, a massive gorilla sculpture by Gillie and Marc and the luminous thread sculpture, Plexus No. 43, by Gabriel Dawe. Currently on display is Jo Sandman: What Remains, 30 works that trace the connections between the Boston-based artist’s use of found objects – including discarded fax and parchment paper, linen fabric, tape, tin foil, and x-rays — unusual methods, and archaeological themes. (Through January 17, 2027; Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT 06830.)
Last but not least, you’ll find work by 44 artists from North and South America, Europe, and Japan in Continental Drift: Encounters, North and South, at browngrotta arts, 276 Ridgefield Road, Wilton, CT. On view: October 17th – October 25th, 2026. Opening Reception: Saturday, October 17th, 11 am to 6 pm. Gallery Hours: Saturday, October 17th, 11 am to 6 pm; Sunday, October 18th, 11 am to 6 pm; Monday to Saturday, October 19th to 24th, 10 am to 5 pm; Sunday, October 25th, 11 am to 6 pm. (Safety Protocols: No narrow heels, please. We have barn floors.)
See you in October!