Next week, the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art in Ridgefield, Connecticut, will launch its inaugural Aldrich Decennial Exhibition, an exhibition modeled after other recurring surveys that are supposed to take place every 10 years. Aldrich has long been celebrated for his avant-garde flair, providing many important artists with the opportunity to present major shows, and First Decade seeks to do so on a broader level. The exhibition, titled “I Am What I Am,” came about after more than 100 studio visits by senior curator Amy Smith-Stewart and director of curation and publications Caitlin Monachino. We caught up with Aldrich director Cybele Maylone to hear more about the exhibition, and how it fits into the wider programming and ethos of the organisation.
We are used to institutions organizing themselves around biennials and triennials. What does the ten-year frame allow you to see that a two- or three-year cycle does not?
The Aldrich Decennial Exhibition is the brainchild of Diana Bowes, the museum’s chief curator, Amy Smith-Stewart. Amy worked in greater New York during her time as a curator at MoMA PS1, so she’s really attuned to the idea of iterative, place-based surveys. As a result, I think Amy knew when she conceived the show that a two- or three-year cycle wouldn’t make sense for an exhibition of this kind, which examines a cultural community in a much smaller place and a place that doesn’t experience the same kind of population change that a city does. Connecticut is largely a land of fixed customs, so choosing a ten-year cycle makes the most sense.
You’ve been at Aldrich long enough to make your mark on it. How would you say it’s changed more than ever during the eight years you’ve been at the helm?
We have really expanded the museum community during my tenure, and that is something I am very proud of. We have significantly grown our Board of Trustees and have also doubled our membership. It has been truly gratifying to see how much enthusiasm and support there is for the Museum from people from all walks of life, from serious collectors to young families in our community. In addition, we renovated our Sculpture Garden to create a more inclusive and accessible space for art and the public, which opened at the end of 2024. This was a huge project for everyone at the museum, from the Board of Directors to our staff, and created a free public space for art and nature for all our visitors.
The art world has spent years rewarding scale: larger attendance numbers, larger capital projects, and greater global exposure. What are the advantages of a smaller organization?
We are very fortunate that being young is part of Aldrich’s DNA. The museum’s original building – now home to our offices – had small galleries and the idea was that visitors could come into The Aldrich and have intimate, personal experiences with works of art. When the new building opened in 2004, galleries with a local scope were central to the new design so that intimate experiences remained core to the art vision at The Aldrich. My oldest daughter went to Paris last summer and came back with a photo that I think everyone takes at the Louvre — 50 people standing between her and the Mona Lisa. This is not Aldrich’s experience.
The Aldrichs have maintained their reputation for experimentation while also becoming more institutional over the past decade, two things that don’t always coexist comfortably. How did you maintain this balance?
And again, it goes back to this foundational commitment. While The Aldrich was created to create intimate experiences with works of art, it was also designed to be risk-taking and to give meaningful first opportunities to emerging and unrecognized artists. I am always motivated by our founder Larry Aldrich’s vision of placing such a forward-looking museum dedicated to contemporary art on Main Street in a small New England town. We have a history of exhibiting artists long before their work was widely known, with Eva Hesse, Geoffrey Gibson, Elizabeth Beaton and Huma Bhabha all having early career shows at the museum. However, we definitely want our work to be recognized in a larger conversation, driven by a desire to build a larger audience, interest and awareness of the artists on our platform.
Many organizations talk about “community” in ways that can seem abstract and performative. Aldrich is located in a small town, so the community may seem pretty close. What can you tell me about this community and how it has evolved over the past eight years?
The town of Ridgefield is central to the character of The Aldrich. I go back to Lonnie Bunch, curator of the Smithsonian Institution, who said that museums should not be community centers but community centers. Sure, there are things we can do that 100 percent of the people in town will love (free ice cream!) but we’re committed to our risk-taking mission while also taking the necessary steps to make our community feel welcome. This was the impetus behind our Sculpture Garden project in many ways – it was a gesture and an invitation to our local audience to join us and I think it had the desired effect. Plus, this is a small town and I live here. I have worked in establishments in New York City where international tourists make up a large segment of the audience. Not so at The Aldrich! Our audience includes my child’s teacher and they will be telling me what they think of the new statue we installed on Main Street.
Additionally, Ridgefield and Connecticut as a whole changed significantly during and after the pandemic with a large influx of new residents. This is something Amy really understood when she envisioned the decade. The state’s new energy is sure to be reflected in the show and is certainly part of The Aldrich’s growth over the past few years.
You spent most of your career before joining Aldrich in New York City. What’s something that might surprise New Yorkers about Connecticut’s art scene?
It exists! I grew up outside of Chicago in Evanston, Illinois, and lived in New York City for many years—Connecticut was not a place I knew well at all. So it was amazing to get to know the state and understand not only how rich the artist community is here now, but also how important it has been for centuries. While the decennial will allow us to highlight how vibrant the scene is here today, we are also trying to place the exhibition in a larger context around the state over time. There is a long list of important artists who have made Connecticut their home.
Aldrich is known for giving artists their first institutional solo shows. Have you ever felt the weight of that responsibility? You have the power to change an artist’s career overnight.
definitely. Artists place great trust in the Museum when we work together. I know Amy feels this responsibility deeply and cares deeply about the artists we work with, and this commitment is shared by everyone on our team. However, I think our focus is on supporting artists and encouraging them to take risks and try new things, rather than thinking about what the show will do for their “career”. We are truly honored to have an artist commit to working with The Aldrich, and we want to do everything we can to make the experience a positive and important one.
Looking back, are there decisions you made that seemed relatively simple at the time but ended up permanently changing the direction of the museum?
Perhaps hiring decisions? I have promoted many outstanding people during my time at The Aldrich and was also lucky enough to attract a former colleague from the city to join our staff, but with new hires and people you already know taking on new roles, it can feel like rolling the dice and it is difficult to estimate how significant their impact will be. Fortunately, these decisions have really paid off, and the excellent team of people currently working together at The Aldrich have helped change the museum for the better.
What do you hope audiences take away from the decade?
As with all exhibitions at The Aldrich, I hope our audiences leave the museum with a sense of discovery. Amy and Caitlin Monachino, who co-organize the decennial with Amy, made more than 100 studio visits while preparing the show. The ages of the participating artists range from 30 to 80 years, and a number of them are exhibiting in a museum for the first time. In addition, they live and work in places throughout the state, and about a quarter of them were born outside the United States. So, in addition to discovering artists, I hope the show will expand our audience’s understanding of Connecticut as a place.
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