NEWS RELEASE

12/21/2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Inspire Center: A creative space for exploring inventions from the past, and building your own modern solutions! 

Hartford, CT – The Inspire Center is coming to the Connecticut Historical Society (CHS)! 

What happens when an inventor’s home becomes a history museum?  Inspired by Curtis Veeder who was the inventor of the bicycle cyclometer, the founder of the Veeder Manufacturing Company, and the original owner and inhabitant of the CHS’s current facility in Hartford’s West End), the Inspire Center brings together history, problem-solving, and creativity!

During Saturdays and Sundays in 2023, the Inspire Center will open to visitors of all ages. Using items from the CHS collection as inspiration, visitors will be prompted to identify the problem solved by these historic objects, brainstorm a new, imaginative solution, and build a prototype of their innovative invention. 

The Inspire Center is made possible thanks to a generous grant from the Gawlicki Family Foundation. Ted Gawlicki, Co-Founder of the Gawlicki Family Foundation says of the Foundation’s support, “It is new ideas that keep the world moving forward!”

Robert A. Kret, Executive Director and C.E.O. of the CHS, believes that the Inspire Center will encourage active participation across an entire family, among a group of friends, or by solo participants. “Our vision is to see patrons enjoying and using the museum. We want to encourage people to interact with and explore objects from our collection by asking questions and experiencing the CHS as a unique, engaging, and memorable destination to visit time and again.”

Connecticut is known for its innovations and history, and the Inspire Center will pair these two themes in a creative space for all.

The Inspire Center will be open at the Connecticut Historical Society on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., and Sundays from 12:00 p.m.- 4:30 p.m. Access to the Inspire Center is free with museum admission.

Beginning in 2023, the first weekend of the month, admission to the Museum is always FREE.  

A ribbon cutting and  reception with light refreshments will be held on Sunday, January 8, 2023 at 12:30pm.  

Learn more here.

The Connecticut Historical Society (www.CHS.org) is a privately funded, independent, not-for-profit educational organization that includes a museum, library, the Edgar F. Waterman Research Center, and the Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program. Founded in 1825, the CHS is Connecticut’s statewide historical society, and a Smithsonian Affiliate. At the CHS, we cultivate understanding of the history and culture of Connecticut, and its role in the United States and the world. Through our collections, research, educational programs, and exhibitions we reflect the past, actively engage with the present, and innovate for the future.

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Contact: Marissa Baum

Director of Marketing and Communications

[email protected]

816-392-1167