Contact: Amrys Williams, Executive Director, director@clho.org

New Britain, CT (October 2026) — The Connecticut League of Museums (CLM) is proud to announce its Awards of Merit for 2026. The awards recognize excellence in museum work by individuals and organizations in Connecticut.

“For over 60 years, the League’s Awards of Merit have honored the best work happening at Connecticut’s museums, historical societies, cultural organizations, and libraries,” said Amrys Williams, Executive Director of CLM. “This year’s pool of nominations was the largest and strongest in recent memory, and we are thrilled to be honoring more than 20 separate organizations and one stellar individual whose efforts reflect the creativity and vibrancy of our state’s cultural sector.”

The 2026 award recipients are:

• Kathleen Craughwell-Varda, Individual Achievement Award
• Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, for “The Aldrich Decennial: I am what is around me”
• American Clock & Watch Museum, for “In Their Words”
• Cinzi Lavin, for A Goodnight Kiss
• Connecticut Museum of Culture and History, for “Drawn Here: Stories from Hartford's North End”
• Connecticut Radio Information System, Inc. (CRIS Radio), for CT Revolutionary War Trail / Voices of the Revolutionary War
• Connecticut River Museum, for “Birding on Board”
• Connecticut River Museum, for “The Famous Water Machine of Connecticut: How Grit, Determination, and Ingenuity Launched a New Era of Submarine Warfare”
• Fairfield Museum and History Center, for “Fairfield in 1776: Revolution & Resilience” and “Portraits of Fairfield”
• Fairfield University Art Museum, for “For Which It Stands...”
• Greenwich Historical Society, for “Greenwich Celebrates America's 250th”
• Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center, for “The Declaration in Context: A Founding Document Close Reading”
• Kent Historical Society, for “Homespun Kent: Revolutionary Households”
• Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, for “Bulls of Wall Street: High Finance, Power, and Social Change in Victorian America”
• Mattatuck Museum, for “Free to Be Art Exhibition”
• Museum of Connecticut History, for “Connecticut's Revolution”
• New Haven Museum, for “Pronounced Ah-Beetz”
• Office of the State Historian, for “Objects of the Revolution”
• Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine, for The Slippery Truth: Prisonbreak at New-Gate
• Ridgefield Historical Society, Ridgefield Pride, Ridgefield High School Gender and Sexuality Alliance, and Susan Ferentinos, Ph.D., for the Ridgefield LGBTQIA+ Oral History Project
• Sherman Historical Society, for “Roger Sherman: A Key Figure in America's Revolutionary Story”
• Stanley-Whitman House, for “Who Gets To Remember," A Ninth-Grade Primary-Source Experience
• Windsor Historical Society, for “For the Common Good: 250 Years of Windsor Civic Life”

“CLM is thrilled to recognize such a diverse group of projects this year,” said Mike Forino, CLM Board Member and Co-Chair of the Awards Committee. “The number of outstanding nominations is a testament to the dedication and resilience of our museum community as the field navigates real challenges.”

The awards will be presented at a ceremony on Tuesday, October 27 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the New Britain Museum of American Art.

“We are honored to welcome the Connecticut League of Museums’ Awards of Merit celebration to the New Britain Museum of American Art,” said Lisa Lappe, NBMAA’s Chief Operating Officer. “As a museum deeply rooted in New Britain and connected to communities across Connecticut, we value the League’s role in bringing museums together to share ideas, resources, and best practices. We are stronger as a field when we collaborate, learn from one another, and celebrate each other’s successes. This evening is a wonderful opportunity to recognize the people and organizations whose work strengthens Connecticut’s vibrant cultural community.”

The Awards of Merit Ceremony and Reception is a ticketed event that is open to the public. More information, including advertising and sponsorship opportunities and registration, is available at www.clho.org/awards.

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About the Connecticut League of Museums

The Connecticut League of Museums (www.ctleague.org) unifies and strengthens our state’s museums and cultural resources to expand their capacity and community impact. Since 1950, the League has supported its member museums, historical societies, libraries, and other cultural heritage institutions across the state through professional development, networking and community, workshops and training, and an annual conference and awards program. The League also runs Connecticut Collections (www.ctcollections.org), an open-source collections management system and online portal that makes Connecticut’s museum and archival collections accessible to researchers worldwide.

About the New Britain Museum of American Art

The New Britain Museum of American Art (https://nbmaa.org/) is the first institution dedicated solely to acquiring and presenting American art. Spanning four centuries, its collection reflects the richness and complexity of the American experience, bringing established narratives into conversation with new voices and perspectives. From the colonial era to the present, the collection traces significant developments in American art through painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, photography, and illustration, and includes Thomas Hart Benton’s celebrated mural series The Arts of Life in America. Through its growing collection, dynamic exhibitions, and engaging programs, the Museum creates meaningful encounters with American art that foster curiosity, creativity, and lifelong learning.

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