Finding museums to explore, lectures to listen to and other happenings along the Connecticut Art Trail just got easier.
That’s thanks to a major makeover to the Connecticut Art Trail’s website. The newly improved site was redesigned to look better and give visitors a more user-friendly way to learn about the organization’s 23 member museums and cultural sites.
The digital upgrade was one of the top goals set by the Connecticut Art Trail after it was approved as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization last fall, according to officials.
“It was important to us that the Connecticut Art Trail’s website truly reflect the beauty of the amazing exhibitions our world-class museums have on display,” said Carey Mack Weber, president of the Connecticut Art Trail and the Frank and Clara Meditz executive director at Fairfield University Art Museum. “We’re pleased that the new look accomplishes this goal while also taking a big step forward in the functionality available to visitors.”
One of the key features of the new website is an improved events calendar, allowing visitors to more easily find exhibitions, lectures and other happenings on the Trail. In addition, visitors can perform filtered searches to sort events by categories such as family-friendly festivals, children’s activities and artist talks.
Officials said the previous calendar didn’t provide visitors with the best tool to find out all there is to do along the Trail.
“With this update, visitors can easily see what’s coming up, find events that fit their interests and discover new exhibitions,” said Cybele Maylone, vice president of the Connecticut Art Trail and the executive director of The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.
The revamped website also features professionally designed visuals that provide their own artistic representation of the Trail, including the more prominent use of a teal paint splatter that has long characterized the organization’s graphic elements. The website also adds new visual assets such as an integrated Instagram feed, which offers an up-to-date look at images from member exhibitions and events, and a short video offering a glimpse at each member.
In addition to the website upgrade, the organization’s logo was updated earlier this year with an image that preserves the aesthetic of the former graphic while presenting it in a more streamlined way.
The season’s Art Trail Passports were redesigned with the help of Michael Mullan, who created an updated version of an illustrated Connecticut Art Trail map that appeared in Yankee Magazine in 2020.
The Art Trail Passport, which can be found at member museums or online, provides free admission to all 23 member museums for one year after purchase. The $35 purchase directly supports the Connecticut Art Trail and unlocks hundreds of dollars in additional value through discounts, gifts and other benefits. In addition, those who visit every site on the Trail before the end of the year are eligible for a grand prize giveaway for an overnight stay for two and a one-hour couples massage at the Delamar Hotel of their choice.
Some of the member museums include the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme and the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven.
The organization’s web address remains the same at: www.ctarttrail.org.
