In a 2022 survey from CT Humanities, only 26% of Connecticut residents had said they had visited a museum in-person in the last two years. Some 83% of those museum-goers identified as white.

There are many museums where we live working to open their doors to a broader public, and to engage their local community more meaningfully. We’ve covered some of those efforts on this program, including over the course of the Yale Peabody Museum’s four-year renovation process. We even got a sneak preview of one of the museum’s partnerships with local artists, celebrated New Haven-based artist and architect Mohamad Hafez's "Eternal Cities."

Last week, the museum reopened to the public, now 50% larger and with free admission. There are some familiar and many new exhibitions, as well as new research facilities and eight classrooms staffers hope will be used by schools in the area.

This hour, we hear from curators, educators and students about their hopes for the new Peabody. Plus, producer Katie Pellico takes a tour with director David Skelly and associate director of exhibitions Kailen Rogers.

GUESTS:

• Chris Norris: Director of Public Programs, Peabody Museum
• Andrea Motto: Director of Education, Peabody Museum
• Lindsay Pierce: Digital Content Assistant, Peabody Museum
• Kelsey Jenkins: Paleontology Doctoral Student, Yale University

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