O’Keeffe in Conversation: Activating the Mattatuck Museum’s Collection 

Join members of the Mattatuck Museum’s curatorial team as they discuss two initiatives related to the year-long loan of three Georgia O’Keeffe paintings from the Cleveland Museum of Art through Art Bridges’ Partner Loan Network: O’Keeffe in Conversation and Modern Women: Georgia O’Keeffe and Kay Sage.  

O’Keeffe in Conversation is a rotating spotlight exhibition that unites the Museum’s collection with O’Keeffe’s life and work through common themes. Curated by different department members, each “conversation” activates the Mattatuck’s permanent collection through the exploration of unifying themes and artistic approaches. Modern Women: Georgia O’Keeffe and Kay Sage is a major exhibition that places the work of these two pioneering 20th century female artists in conversation with each other. O’Keeffe and Sage developed different aesthetic responses to 20th-century political and cultural developments, yet their work employs similar compositional devices to convey deeper emotional truths. The exhibition explores how both women responded to challenges and opportunities, eventually rising to prominence in important Modernist movements.

About the Speakers:

Keffie Feldman, Ph.D., is the Chief Curator at the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, CT, where she leads a robust exhibition program and oversees the museum’s collection of over 12,000 objects. Her audience-centered approach aims to spark curiosity and create community through the exploration of art and history. With over a decade of experience in the field, she holds a Ph.D. from Brown University and has worked at several academic and regional art museums.  

Becca Lo Presti is the Assistant Curator at the Mattatuck Museum, where she has worked on exhibitions about American art ranging from nineteenth-century landscapes to contemporary juried shows. She has her MA from the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture and is interested in telling stories through a combination of art, archives, and objects.  

Julie Francois is the Art Bridges Fellow at the Mattatuck Museum. She works in the curatorial department to support a variety of Art Bridges initiatives and collaborates across the institution to promote public accessibility and engagement. She received her BFA from Tufts University and has a deep passion for representational justice and socially engaged art. 

Photo Courtesy of Nick Colabella