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Registration for 2027 summer camps will open on this date. 

Our Annual Train Display is opening this weekend! Stop by the opening weekend on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10:00AM-3:00PM. 

Location: 920 Whitney Avenue, Hamden, CT

Reception (Open Studios): October 10th from 1-7PM & October 11th from 1-6PM

Exhibition viewing: October 12 - November 7th, 2026 by appointment only

Field and Figure is a program series organized by Eli Whitney Artist artist in residence (24 - 26) Katharen Wiese which includes a group exhibition, workshop series, discussions and catalog. The exhibition includes Alexandria Couch, Kimberly R. Heard, Louise Mandumbwa, Jamaal Benjamin, and Katharen Wiese: five African diasporic artists contending with the relationship between history, figuration, and the living world through more than human subjectivities. Field and Figure functions as a lens through which to connect both historical and contemporary contentions with technology as it relates to systemic violence both environmental, racial and economic. The exhibition proposes the figure as both a human and plant subject in co-evolution. The technology of the field is put into question by the historical site of the Eli Whitney Armory and the generative questions Whitney Srs legacy leaves us with about what American economics means. This month-long exhibition is supported by three artist led workshops, an exhibition, panel discussion and community conversation.

The exhibition uses the historical site of the Eli Whitney Armory campus as a space to think through the role of American industry in shaping systemic violence as it exists historically and presently. The exhibition considers the duality of the legacy of Eli Whitney Sr. as an American whose technologies (namely the cotton gin and the interchangeable parts system) functioned both towards greater industrial efficiency and towards enormous human and environmental cost. The duality of Whitney’s legacy serves as a lens through which to consider the challenges of our own contemporary technological advances in AI, data and beyond. The exhibition considers the site of the armory as a site which “makes peace bad for business”, as the closing of the armory itself implied. This closure becomes a space for potential for the life we now see emerging through the museum, and the business model of the armory itself belies the necessity for new economic models.

 Alexandria Couch

News of Death : Brighter Days Will Follow Present Trouble , 2026, Acrylic, monotype, collage, found fabric and embroidery. 62.5 x 49.3 inches 

Kimberly Heard

Dehiscence #10, 2025, Oil on canvas, 32 x 20 in

Louise Mandumbwa

"The loves I have known", 2024,  Paper, canvas, graphite, ink and charcoal, 60” x 46 ½”  

Jamaal Benjamin

Untitled #1, 2024, Dyed paper, 90" x 90"

Katharen Wiese

how to smile at the end of our world, 2025, Acrylic and relief prints on kraft paper, monoprints, polypropylene, 72 x 90 inches

Celebrating fifty years of curiosity, creativity, and community.

Join us as we commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Eli Whitney Museum & Workshop. This has been a place where wonder, innovation, and hands-on learning have come together for generations. Since 1976, the museum has transformed an important historical industrial site into a vibrant community workshop where students, apprentices, teachers, and visitors build not only projects, but long lasting skills and connections. 

This special anniversary gathering is both a celebration and a reflection. Throughout the evening, we will share stories from staff, apprentices, and community members whose experiences have shaped the museum over the past five decades.

As we mark this milestone, we will also look ahead. We are eager to discuss the museum's future—its evolving programs, its role in learning, and its ongoing commitment to providing young people with the opportunity to think creatively, work with their hands, and take ownership of their ideas. This is a chance to be part of the vision and support what comes next.

We will gather in The Barn on October 9th from 6:00pm-9:00pm, returning to the place where the museum first began in 1976 before expanding across the street. It will be an evening of food, drinks, music, and dancing surrounded by the people and spirit that make this place what it is! Come ready to reconnect, reflect, and imagine the future of making together. 

Tickets are on sale now!

1 Ticket - $50.00

2 Ticket Bundle - $76.00

Every October, Doctor Gasp (folk musician Dan Blakeslee) rises from the shadows bringing the spirit of Halloween with him to venues all across New England. Often joined by a cast of collaborators (the Eeks), they preform original songs with themes of vampire, ghosts, and other eerie figures, blending classic horror with American folk tradition.

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On October 24th, Doctor Gasp will be preforming in the barn for a very special and very spooky night. Put on your best costume and join us this Halloween ready to dance!

Check out Doctor Gasp's website: https://doctorgasp.com/ 

Formed in 2019, The Bargain comprises Frank Critelli on vocals, Muddy Rivers on guitar and harmony vocals, and Shandy Lawson on mandolin. Drawing on a range of influences from The Band, to Metallica, to Goethe, the three come together in a fusion of guitar-driven acoustic pop pieces and soaring ballads, bolstered by vocal harmonies and mandolin.

The Bargain's first CD, a collection titled Hindsight: 2020 was released in February of 2021 to critical success, and was followed by the studio album '22 in November of the following year, earning spots on two of Connecticut's year-end "Best Of" lists.

The band performs regularly throughout New England, with occasional journeys south along the east coast, performing both in their original acoustic trio configuration as well as an electric five-piece, backed by Jim Stavris on drums and Bobo Lavorgne on bass.

Check out their website https://thebargainband.com/

The Kenn Morr Band is bringing their blend of folk, rock, and Americana into the Barn for an evening of songs built on storytelling, rhythm, and collaboration!

Led by songwriter Kenn Morr, the band’s work draws from long traditions of American roots music while remaining grounded in the present. He is joined by Tom Hagymasi, Paty Ryan, and Tido (T-Bone) Holtkamp. The band has released multiple albums since they're debut, "New Moon Rising," in 2004.

Check out their website https://kennmorr.com/home  

Join us at the New Haven Family Stroll at Quinnipiac River Park from 10 am - 2 pm.

More info HERE

We need your help! Take advantage of the warm, spring weather and join us for a work party on the trails behind the museum! We will be spreading gravel and woodchips, removing trash, and repairing fences. Help us refresh the gateway to East Rock Park.

When: 
May 16, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. (arrive at 8:45 for coffee and donuts!)

Where: 
Eli Whitney Museum & Workshop
Meet at the Covered Bridge

Bring a pair of gloves, a friend, and a will to work outdoors. We can provide gloves if you don’t have them.

Rescued Runway

A truckload full of upholstery fabric in need of a new home.

A partnership between one of Hamden’s historic museums and one of New Haven’s newest grassroots groups.

Designers spanning generations responding to a challenge: can you turn upholstery fabric rescued from the trash into gorgeous garments?

Trash To Fashion + Eli Whitney Museum & Workshop bring you

Rescued Runway: fashion blooms from the discarded

Saturday, May 2, 5:30 PM.

Featuring designs by:

Tea Montgomery, threads by Tea

Donald Carter, Dons Kouture

Desiree Upchurch, Destruxion Clothing,

And high school seniors Leo Smolinski and Molly McGurk.

Come for the fashion. Stay for the inspiration, as our designers share their process and passion in a Designer Chat moderated by CT Public Radio host Catherine Shen.

Free food by the green pizza truck and Claire’s Corner Copia.

Cash bar.

Ticket price: 0 with suggested donation of $25.

Spanish interpreters available.

Pre/Registration required for entry

Join us for a 1-day workshop with Tea Montgomery & Kat Weise on April 18th.