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Tour of Art Museums in Southern and Central Connecticut
Item 9 of 12
Slater Memorial Museum is situated on the Norwich Free Academy Campus. It was founded in the late 19th century by William Albert Slater to honor his father, John Fox Slater, a wealthy industrialist. William Slater was an avid patron of the arts, who collected art and funded Norwich's "Broadway Theater." Museum holdings are diverse, spanning over 3 millennia and 5 continents.

Slater Memorial Museum is a Romanesque Revival building designed by Stephen C. Earle. (source: Slater Memorial Museum)

Slater Memorial Museum is a Romanesque Revival building designed by Stephen C. Earle. (source: Slater Memorial Museum)
The Romanesque Revival museum building was designed by Massachusetts architect Stephen C. Earle.

Henry Watson Kent served as the museum's first curator. Exhibits drew on the Slater family's private collections, donations from Norwich citizens, and acquisitions by the museum itself. Kent coordinated a number of temporary exhibits, encouraging visitors to return multiple times.

Permanent exhibits include:
- The Plaster Cast Collection: replicas of notable ancient and Renaissance sculptures
- A display on the Slaters' trip around the world on their yacht in 1894/95.
- 20th-century Connecticut artists
- Vanderpoel Gallery of Asian Art
- Gallery of African Art
- Norwich Galleries, containing art, artifacts, and documents from the region

"History and Mission." Slater Memorial Museum. Accessed February 26, 2017. https://www.slatermuseum.org/history-mission/.

"Permanent Exhibitions." Slater Memorial Museum. Accessed February 26, 2017. https://www.slatermuseum.org/history-mission/.