As anyone who has lived in a major city knows, museums offer fun and engaging events and programming for interested members. The Bruce Museum of Greenwich is no different, and with the establishment of its newest member group – the Bruce Contemporaries – the Bruce has found a way to lure younger members to the Museum while offering a place to meet friends and make new ones.
The Bruce Contemporaries is a dynamic group of art and culture enthusiasts who enjoy insider access to the Bruce Museum and the exclusive events, educational, and networking opportunities that the Museum is in a unique position to provide.
And, in these uncertain times, the Bruce is a safe and reliable space during the cold winter months for community members, especially for parents and caregivers who are looking for a fun and educational activity for their children.
Through special programming, Bruce Contemporaries members have the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with fellow Contemporaries, Museum curators, artists, and collectors. The events hosted at the Museum and off-site locations are curated especially for couples and individuals who have a passion for art and science, as well as the future of the Bruce.
The Bruce Contemporaries are led by longtime Museum members and active community volunteers Grace Lockhart Djuranovic and Asya Geller, who work with a Committee of fellow Contemporaries to brainstorm event ideas and engage with the community as ambassadors for this group and the Bruce Museum. The Committee includes Katie Fong Biglin and Owen Biglin, Hagar and Julien Chemali, Grace and Marko Djuranovic, Asya and Mike Geller, Erin and Taylor Glasebrook, Taylor and Thomas Grothe, Olivia and James Langston, Caity and Matt Lischick, and Amanda Armstrong Wilson and Sam Wilson.
“Working with the Bruce Museum to create and grow Bruce Contemporaries has been very exciting,” says Co-Chair Grace Djuranovic, “Bruce Contemporaries provides a unique avenue for young members to engage with the Museum and have access to all of the wonderful content they can provide in a fun, social, and meaningful way.”
Upon joining Bruce Contemporaries, members receive an annual Museum membership, invitations to exclusive events created and hosted by the Bruce Contemporaries, access to select special events at the Museum, including advanced access and discounted tickets to some of the museum's most popular events.
“As a former member of the art world in New York, I am so fortunate to have found the Bruce Contemporaries so I can meet and engage with like-minded individuals in the Greenwich community," says Co-Chair Asya Geller, "I have greatly enjoyed discovering the fascinating local galleries and simultaneously exploring the incredible museum programming, both for myself and my young children.”
Founded in August 2018, the Contemporaries’ signature annual event has been Sips on the Sound, a casual summertime cocktail reception at the Bruce Museum Seaside Center in Greenwich Point Park, raising critical funds to support the Center’s educational programs.
The Bruce Contemporaries have hosted a variety of events over the past two years. In November 2019, a festive and educational evening celebrated “The Art of Collecting,” where specialists from Sotheby’s New York and other art advisors shared insights on the art market and collecting. The vibrant local art scene was the focus during two Greenwich Avenue Art Gallery "Crawls," featuring eight galleries. The Contemporaries have hosted events with artists and art world influencers, including an evening at artist Charles Patrick's studio in Stamford and cocktails and a book signing with Lydia Fenet, Christie's auctioneer and author of The Most Powerful Woman In The Room Is You, at Weber Fine Art.
Leveraging the Bruce Museum's close relationships with local art collectors, the Bruce Contemporaries have been welcomed into the homes of several collectors for tours of private art collections. And just before the pandemic disrupted in-person events, in February 2020, members of the Bruce Contemporaries enjoyed a spirits tasting of Aquavit, the “Spirits of the Nordics,” with author, mixologist and aquavit expert Jacob Grier, and a private tour of the Museum's major international exhibition of artwork by Danish painter L.A. Ring.
As Bruce Contemporaries’ activities moved online during the pandemic, they’ve held online programs, including a virtual tour of the Bruce Museum’s Fall 2020 exhibition, Floating Beauty: Women in the Art of Ukiyo-e, a very popular exhibition of woodblock prints from the Edo Period of Japan. And most recently, Contemporaries enjoyed a virtual presentation by Art Historian and Professor Mary Ann Calo which explored how Black artists in the 20th century sought to convey ideas about racial injustice through their art.
The Bruce Contemporaries are currently creating a program of upcoming events and as soon as it is safe to hold in-person events again, a full schedule of unique opportunities and activities will be available at brucecontemporaries.org.
For more information about the Bruce Contemporaries or to join now, visit brucecontempoaries.org or contact Becky Conelias at 203-413-6745 or bconelias@brucemuseum.org.
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“The Bruce Contemporaries group has an active roster of nearly 100 members, and we look forward to welcoming more young adults who are passionate about art and science – and the Bruce Museum,” says Becky Conelias, Development Department and Donor Relations Manager.
“I grew up visiting the Bruce Museum and going to its events - it was a key part of my childhood in Greenwich and I love that I can continue the tradition both as a young adult and for my children. I’ve had so much fun as part of the Bruce Contemporaries - it’s a fun group of young adults who want to socialize, attend unique or private viewings of art collections, and support the Bruce Museum and all it does for our community.” — Hagar Chemali
“As a young family and members of the Bruce Contemporaries, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to come together with other members of our community who share our love for art, social engagement and philanthropy.” — Katie and Owen Biglin