The Roots of Democracy in Hartford: Annual Meeting & Lecture

The Ancient Burying Ground Association presents a lecture on democracy’s roots in Hartford. Erin Monroe, the Krieble Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture, will speak about The Wadsworth’s latest exhibition, Framing American Democracy: Radical Roots. She will discuss the connections between the Ancient Burying Ground and the exhibit. The museum’s founder, Daniel Wadsworth, was the heir of Col. Jeremiah Wadsworth, a statesman, business leader, and veteran of the American Revolution. Daniel placed a monument to his father and family in the Ancient Burying Ground. The burial ground also hosts tablestones in honor of Hartford’s colonial founders, including Rev. Thomas Hooker. Discover how Hooker and others laid the foundation for democracy in America. The lecture will be preceded by the Annual Meeting.

Erin Monroe is the Krieble Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture at the Wadsworth. She has been in the American art department in various capacities since 2007. Monroe is responsible for an extensive collection that encompasses colonial portraiture, Hudson River School landscapes, neoclassical sculpture, American modernism, and works on paper. She has contributed to major traveling exhibitions and catalogues.

If you require special accommodations to take part in this program, please call the library at (860) 874-2432 at least two weeks in advance.

Program Schedule:
5:30pm: Hartford History Center Tour

Step upstairs to the newly reopened Hartford History Center for a brief wander through photographs, textiles, and rare documents drawn from the Library’s rich historical collections. In this short tour you’ll glimpse Hartford’s people, creativity, and civic life across centuries, only a taste of what these collections hold. Knowledgeable Hartford History Center staff will be on hand to answer questions.

6:00pm: Ancient Burying Ground Association Annual Meeting

6:30pm: “The Roots of Democracy in Hartford” Lecture