buzz STATUS REPORT
HISTORY LESSON AMY ALLEN, THE NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
AT THE MUSEUM OF DARIEN, NOT ONLY SHARES THE TOWN’S PAST—SHE’S A PART OF IT by elizbeth hole
VENERA ALEXANDROVA
W
hen a bicentennial quilt was found in the basement at the Museum of Darien (MOD), Amy Allen decided to display it in her office. Allen, the newly appointed executive director, had a special connection to it—she helped sew it as a seventh-grader in 1976. Back when Allen worked on the junior quilt, her mother and the Goodwives Quilters created a larger version depicting local landmarks to celebrate the bicentennial. That historical quilt hangs in Darien’s Town Hall, where Allen had the pleasure of seeing it at work when she served as Darien Arts Center’s executive director for 13 years. “I’m meant to be here,” says Allen, a Darien native, who marvels at the serendipitous path to her role at MOD. Even during her interview at the museum, she experienced an unexpected moment. “I went into the gallery to wait for my interview and I was handed a book, The Story of Darien Connecticut by Kenneth M. Reiss,” says Allen. “I flipped through it and found a photograph of the house I grew up in. I almost fell off my chair.” Since starting her position in March, Allen’s main objective is to “better understand our collections” and archive them properly. With a CTH SHARP Grant provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and the NEH Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) initiative, MOD is modernizing systems and cataloging everything. “Thanks to this grant, we have the support to archive our collection of historic documents, articles, books, artwork, photographs and artifacts,” says Allen. “It also affords us a new computer, printer and scanner for volunteers with new museum
collection and contact management software as well as archival boxes and materials.” Allen also plans to “build more interest from newcomers” and “find groups of people who have not yet heard about us and invite them in for a visit.” These goals are aligned with the museum’s name change, which coincided with Darien’s 200th birthday. Before adopting the new name in 2020, MOD was known as the Darien Historical Society since it was founded in 1953. The word “society” was removed from the name to make the cultural center feel more welcoming. As part of the branding, the museum launched a new logo and modern website.
Amy Allen at the Museum of Darien
JULY/AUGUST 2022 NEW CANAAN•DARIEN
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6/14/22 4:11 PM
