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The Aldrich’s First Decennial Takes Stock of Contemporary Art in Connecticut

In conversation with Observer, Aldrich director Cybele Maylone reflects on 10-year cycles, Main Street and the particular trust artists place in smaller institutions.

Next week, the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut will launch the inaugural Aldrich Decennial, an exhibition in the style of other recurring surveys that is intended to take place every 10 years. The Aldrich has long been celebrated for its taste in the avant garde, offering numerous important artists the opportunity to stage major shows, and the first Decennial seeks to do this on a broader level. Titled “I am what is around me,” the show emerged from over 100 studio visits by chief curator Amy Smith-Stewart and curatorial and publications manager Caitlin Monachino. We caught up with Aldrich director Cybele Maylone to hear more about the exhibition, and how it fits into the institution’s broader programming and ethos.

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We’re used to institutions organizing themselves around biennials and triennials. What does a decennial framework allow you to see that a two- or three-year cycle doesn’t?

The Aldrich Decennial is the brainchild of the Museum’s Diana Bowes Chief Curator Amy Smith-Stewart. Amy worked on Greater New York during her time as a curator at MoMA PS1, so she is really attuned to the idea of place-based recurring surveys. As a result, I think Amy knew when conceiving of the show that a two- or three-year cycle wouldn’t make sense for an exhibition of this kind, which examines the cultural community in a much smaller place and a place that doesn’t have the same kind of population change that a city does. Connecticut is very much the land of steady habits, so choosing the 10-year cycle made the most sense.

"The Aldrich Decennial: I am what is around me" Venue: The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum Address: 258 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT Through: Jan. 10, 2027

You’ve been at the Aldrich long enough to have left your mark on it. How would you say it’s changed the most in your eight years at the helm?

We’ve really expanded the Museum’s community during my........

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