Virtual and In-Person, Connecticut Historical Society Aims to Reignite Interest
/A tourism industry trying desperately to recover from the past year is turning to innovation and impact to regain visitors – even if they’re virtual for the immediate future. That approach is particularly evident at the Connecticut Historical Society (CHS) in Hartford.
CHS has created 3D HD tours of their exhibits as part of their newly announced “Bring CHS Home” initiative. It allows visitors to explore CHS programs from home during the pandemic.
The ability to embed additional content in the virtual exhibitions, including website links, videos and surveys, enhances the exhibitions in ways that are either impossible or more difficult to do in the physical installations, according to CHS officials. Four of the virtual exhibitions, with funding support from Connecticut Humanities, are now available on the CHS website:
Making Connecticut, an award-winning overview history of Connecticut,
Connecticut and WWII Manufacturing created by CHS to complement Manufacturing Victory, a traveling exhibit from the National WWII Museum.
A fifth exhibit, Fighting on the Homefront: Propaganda Posters of WWII, corresponded with the physical installation of a traveling exhibit from the Detroit Historical Society on view at CHS August 2020 – January 2021.
The photographic technology of the 3DHD virtual exhibitions allows visitors to view exhibition content up close, even zooming in on artifacts that might be difficult to examine in person due to exhibit case limitations or a visitor’s visual impairment. Video content was also embedded in the virtual exhibitions, including ASL-interpreted videos of select exhibit labels and recordings, as well as kid-focused educational videos that are not accessible in the physical exhibits.
The Connecticut Historical Society has also welcomed a traveling exhibit on-site, featuring photographs of the 1965 Civil Rights March. "Freedom Journey 1965: Photographs of the Selma to Montgomery March by Stephen Somerstein" is on display in the galleries at CHS, and has been extended through August 28.
This exhibition features Stephen Somerstein’s stunning and historic photographs documenting the Selma to Montgomery Civil Rights March in March of 1965. Somerstein was a student at City College of New York and picture editor of its student newspaper when he traveled to Alabama to document the march. He joined the marchers and gained unfettered access to everyone from Martin Luther King Jr. to Rosa Parks, James Baldwin, and Bayard Rustin. This exhibition has been organized by the New-York Historical Society.
CHS Chief Executive Officer Robert Kret believes that this is the right time for such an exhibition to be on view at the CHS because “we recognize that historic moments are happening all around us, every day. The presentation of the exhibition is in alignment with our new strategic plan and new mission. The CHS is committed to collecting and presenting our diverse history. We strive to work with an inclusive audience to promote historical and cultural perspectives as essential tools to connect with others, shape communities, and make informed decisions.”
A second exhibition " Connecticut Freedom Workers: Remembering the Civil Rights Movement" shares stories, artifacts, and images of Connecticut freedom workers who supported the movement at home or by traveling south to participate in sit-ins, protests, and marches, including the 1963 March on Washington and the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March.
On April 22, CHS will welcome – for a virtual presentation - Bob Kendrick, President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM), to learn about baseball and civil rights. The discussion will provide an overview of the history of the Negro Leagues and its great stars. It will also shed light on how America’s unsung baseball heroes (including longtime Stamford, Connecticut resident Jackie Robinson) would help usher in the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S.
Founded in 1990 and located in Kansas City, the NLBM is the world’s only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich history of African-American baseball and its profound impact on the social advancement of America. The event will be streamed live on Crowdcast.
In Connecticut, according to ConnecticutHistory.org, African Americans played organized baseball as early as 1868, when the Middletown Heroes played in Douglas Park against visiting white teams. In 1886, Moses Walker played for the Waterbury Brassmen, one of eight Eastern League clubs. In the Naugatuck Valley, the Ansonia Big Gorhams were part of the short-lived 1891 Connecticut State League, the history website explained.
Ulysses Franklin “Frank” Grant, called the greatest African American ballplayer of the 19th century, was a second baseman and power hitter for Ansonia. Grant is credited with the invention of shin guards—improvised wooden protectors against hostile white players who deliberately slid spikes-first into the Black player.
The Connecticut Historical Society (www.CHS.org) is a privately funded, independent, not-for-profit educational organization that includes a museum, library, the Edgar F. Waterman Research Center, and the Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program.
