Exclusive Bus Trip: Featuring Works of Helena Hernmarck

The Ridgefield Historical Society will offer a remarkable opportunity to interact with one of the leading tapestry designers of the 20th and 21st centuries, Ridgefielder Helena Hernmarck, as well as to delve into the history of design in a new exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York on Thursday, June 27, 2024.

Ms. Hernmarck will meet the group, traveling by coach bus from Ridgefield, at the Cooper Hewitt Museum and as part of the day’s activities will introduce them to several of her large-scale works that were created for Manhattan locations.

First up will be the Cooper Hewitt, where participants will take a guided tour of Acquired! Shaping the National Design Collection, an exhibit that features more than 150 works representing what design meant to collectors from the 19th Century to the present day. Both Ms. Hernmarck and her late husband, the renowned industrial designer Niels Diffrient, are represented in these selections. The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is the only museum in the United States devoted exclusively to historical and contemporary design. It was founded in 1897 and became a part of the Smithsonian Institution in 1967.

There will be time to explore further at the Cooper Hewitt before lunch at Island, a short walk from the museum, where a prix fixe menu has been arranged (and is included in the ticket price). The group will re-board the bus for visits to locations where they will have exclusive access to Ms. Hernmarck’s tapestries: 60 Columbus Circle, 450 Lexington Avenue and 35 Hudson Yards.

Tickets for this unique opportunity are $149 and are non-refundable.

The bus will leave the Municipal Parking Lot on Governor Street in Ridgefield, CT (between RVNA Health at 27 Governor St. and the Boys and Girls Club at 41 Governor St.) on Thursday, June 27, at 8:30 a.m.; check in no later than 8:15 a.m. The Cooper Hewitt guided tour is scheduled from 10:15 to 11 a.m. with free time to explore the rest of the museum until 11:45 a.m. (www.cooperhewitt.org/) Following lunch at noon, the afternoon touring will continue until 4:30 p.m., with return to Ridgefield planned for 6 p.m. There is no restroom on the bus, but there will be opportunities to use facilities throughout the day at the locations we will be visiting.

For additional information contact: [email protected] or 203-438-5821.

Host or Publisher Ridgefield Historical Society