GREENWICH, Conn. – The public television series “Museum Access” will devote an upcoming segment on American Impressionist paintings created by artists of the Cos Cob Art Colony that are in the collections of The Bruce Museum and Greenwich Historical Society. Committed to providing an insider’s view of the best museums throughout the country in a fun, educational and adventurous manner, Museum Access programs enable viewers to experience the best of America’s culture, accomplishments and heritage.
Museum Access Host and Executive Producer Leslie Mueller will take viewers on a tour through the Bruce galleries and the Historical Society’s Bush-Holley House to view some of the finest examples of American Impressionism. Canvasses by Cos Cob Art Colony members Childe Hassam, John Henry Twachtman and Elmer MacRae are among the paintings featured.
“Greenwich residents are so fortunate to have two stellar art museums that showcase several world-class paintings by Impressionist artists who spent time painting and teaching art in Cos Cob during the 19th century at the site of Bush-Holley House,” says Leslie Mueller. “As a Greenwich resident, I am especially excited to bring these marvelous paintings and the story behind the Cos Cob Art Colony, where American Impressionism started, to our worldwide audience.”
The tour through the ca. 1730 Bush-Holley House brings viewers into the dining room of the Holley family’s boarding house, which is furnished to reflect its appearance in roughly 1900 when Cos Cob Art Colony artists and writers met there. John Henry Twachtman and Childe Hassam were among the artists who boarded at the house as a respite from hot New York City summers. Twachtman eventually purchased a farmhouse nearby on Greenwich’s Round Hill Road and travelled the short distance to Cos Cob to preside over plein air painting classes, attracting many students from the Art Students League, such as Elmer MacRae, who eventually married Constance Holley. She inherited the home from her parents and preserved many of its original features. Today, Elmer MacRae’s second-floor studio features an ethereal painting of Constance, which is included in the segment.
According to Mueller, Museum Access lives at the intersection of entertainment, education and inspiration. Her belief that museums have the power to change lives has been a driving force behind the series, which is now available in 60 percent of the top 25 markets in the U.S., a high number for public television programming. This summer Mueller celebrates 60 episodes of her popular series.
The episode featuring the Bruce Museum and the Greenwich Historical Society Bush-Holley House will begin airing nationwide on Public Television / PBS stations nationwide in June. Check local listings for airing times. Streaming platform airings will follow on Amazon Video, Tubi and Pluto TV. Educational streaming platforms include Discovery Education, Safari Montage and Scholastic Video.
“We are particularly proud of our association with the U.S. Dept. of Education’s DCMP (Described and Captioned Media Program) platform for blind and/or deaf K-12 students,” says Mueller. “We love bringing our series to this very special audience.”