During its tenure in Greenwich, the museum was originally housed in the Mead Mansion at 384 Field Point Road before relocating to Ward’s Castle on Comly Avenue, which was on the National Register of Historic Places.
— an announcement from the Bruce Museum
In addition to displaying pieces from its permanent collection of over 80,000 originals, the museum featured rotating exhibitions including such blockbusters as The Art of Walt Disney Studios, Women and the Comics, The Dick Tracy Exhibit, and Batman – Fifty Years of the Dark Knight.
The Celebrity Cartoonist Program hosted live “chalk-talks” on the first Sunday of each month, and included appearances by such luminaries as Art Spiegelman, George Booth, and Jules Feiffer. The Children’s Cartoon Contest was an annual tradition.
Prince Valiant by Hal Foster. January 21, 1951. © King Features Syndicate, Inc. International Museum of Cartoon Art Collection, The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum.
Brian Walker, a former director of the Museum of Cartoon Art, who has been responsible for more than 70 cartoon exhibitions, is serving as guest curator. “I am very excited to display this collection in my hometown of Greenwich,” he said.
“I’m sure many residents fondly remember the days when the museum was a local attraction. The exhibit is a tribute to my father’s dedicated efforts to establish an institution where the public could view cartoon art on a regular basis. His dream is now being continued by the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum.”
Masterpieces from the Museum of Cartoon Art promises to provide an entertaining and educational experience for visitors of all ages and, for those who remember the institution during its time in the area, a nostalgic rediscovery of what the museum had to offer.
The exhibition will also feature displays documenting the formative years of the Museum of Cartoon Art, the European roots of cartoons and comics, and a video presentation of classic animation.
Special programming will include a lecture at the Bruce on Feb. 18, “Breaking Into the Boys Club: A Whirlwind History of Women and Cartooning,” by Jenny Robb, curator and associate professor at the Billy Ireland, and a panel tribute to the “Golden Age of Cartooning in Connecticut” with Cullen Murphy, Chance Browne, Brian, Greg, and Neal Walker on March 7.
For more information about the exhibition and related programs, please visit the museum website or call 203-869-0376.
The Bruce Museum is grateful for support of this exhibition from The Charles M. and Deborah G. Royce Exhibition Fund, the Connecticut Office of the Arts, and a Committee of Honor cochaired by Millicent S. Armstrong, York Baker, and Anne Hall Elser. The Honorary Chair is Roz Chast, staff cartoonist for The New Yorker magazine, whose work was the subject of a 2014