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Description
Join us for the exhibition opening of New Haven’s Unfinished Revolutions & Lecture by State Historian Andy Horowitz: Why Connecticut 250 Matters.
Schedule for the evening:
4:30 pm: Members Preview
5:00 pm: Exhibition Opening
Brief remarks by City Historian Michael Morand, Project Director Joanna Steinberg, and Designers David Jon Walker and John Kudos of KASA Collective
5:30 pm: Reception
6:00 pm: Lecture: Why Connecticut 250 Matters by State Historian Andy Horowitz
Exhibition:
With bold and immersive design, New Haven’s Unfinished Revolutions explores significant moments when freedoms were expanded or restricted, and New Haven’s role in national movements that redefined the meaning of freedom.
Through original objects, floor-to-ceiling photographs, and a captivating interactive, visitors can consider transformative moments of change and the unfinished process of creating and maintaining a democracy (or if you prefer – the unfinished revolution) as the nation commemorates the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
The exhibition was designed by David Jon Walker and John Kudos of KASA Collective, with support for “New Haven’s Unfinished Revolutions” provided by CT Humanities as part of its America 250 | CT program. Project Director Joanna Steinberg worked closely contributing advisors: Daisha Brabham, Jenny (JHD) Heikkila Diaz, Sophie E. Edelstein, Eve Galanis, Aaron Goode, Steve Kass, Michael Morand, Brett Palfreyman, Clan Mother Shoran Waupatukuay Piper, Reva Siegel, Charles E. Warner, Jr., and Brittney Yancy.
Presentation: Why Connecticut 250 Matters
“The past created the present, so if we want to know why things are the way they are, we need to understand history,” says State Historian Andy Horowitz. In a freewheeling lecture, “Why Connecticut 250 Matters,” Horowitz will explore how the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States offers a prism for making sense of the present and the future.
Horowitz will begin with an account of how the American Revolution mattered to people – European, African, and American; men and women; rich and poor; free and enslaved – in Connecticut 250 years ago. “I prepared this talk with two kinds of people in mind,” Horowitz says. “The first are people who already care about Connecticut history; the second are people who think Connecticut’s history is boring. For both groups, I’m bringing stories they won’t have heard before, at least not this way.” He adds that the “shockingly interesting combination of people who comprised Connecticut in the 1770s can give us a necessary perspective on our contemporary period of pluralism and discord.”
“As state historian, my goal is always to convince people that Connecticut’s history is worthy of attention – but that’s especially so now, when the study of history is so politically fraught and scrutinized from every quarter, and when national issues threaten to overwrite local ones, “Horowitz says. “We need to rebuild our national narrative, but that story has to start at home, with true stories that expand our sense of who we are and what our local communities are capable of.”
Horowitz’s lecture will be a fitting companion piece to the NHM’s new exhibition, “New Haven’s Unfinished Revolutions,” which offers an immersive environment exploring key moments when freedoms were expanded or restricted in New Haven. The exhibition includes original objects, enlarged photographs, and an exciting interactive that connects visitors to New Haven’s role in national movements that transformed ideas about human rights and liberty. Visitors are welcome to arrive early, review the exhibition, and stay for the reception and lecture.
Program is included in museum admission.
About Andy Horowitz
Horowitz is a history professor at the University of Connecticut and serves as the Connecticut State Historian. Born and raised in New Haven, he began his career as the founding director of the New Haven Oral History Project at Yale. His first book, Katrina: A History, 1915–2015 (Harvard University Press, 2020), written while he was teaching at Tulane University in New Orleans, won the Bancroft Prize for the best book on American history. He has published essays in Rolling Stone, the New York Times, and CT Insider, and been featured on NPR, the BBC, and Where We Live. The Organization of American Historians has designated him a “distinguished lecturer” and in 2026–2027, he will offer a nationwide series of lectures as a Phi Beta Kappa “Visiting Scholar.” At UConn’s Hartford campus, he teaches modern U.S. history, as well as a new course called “Connecticut: A History of the World Around Us.”
About NH250
This event is part of NH250, an ongoing series of programming developed by New Haven Museum to complement “America 250” and the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The series will highlight inclusive, local, and lesser-known stories, connecting past and present.
About the New Haven Museum
The New Haven Museum has been collecting, preserving and interpreting the history and heritage of Greater New Haven since its inception as the New Haven Colony Historical Society in 1862. Located in downtown New Haven at 114 Whitney Avenue, the Museum brings more than 375 years of New Haven history to life through its collections, exhibitions, programs and outreach. As a Blue Star Museum, the New Haven Museum offers the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve, free admission all year. For more information visit http://newhavenmuseum.org or @NewHavenMuseum or call 203-562-4183.
Date & Time
Wed, Jul 1, 2026 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Venue Details
New Haven Museum
114 Whitney AvenueNew Haven, Connecticut 06510
