The farmland, mills and railroads that once populated the town of Greenwich, are now replaced with retail stores, restaurants and interstate highways. The Greenwich Historical Society, which has preserved Greenwich history for over 90 years, wants residents to find beauty in what their town once was as well as what it has become.
This spring residents are invited to learn more about their hometown through guided tours and educational programs right on the streets of Greenwich.
These initiatives will be offered by Rediscover Greenwich, a partnership between the Greenwich Historical Society and touring company, Untapped New York.
The program includes two immediate programs, "Reframing-95" and "Rediscover Greenwich Avenue," with more on the way, according to Chief Experience Officer of Untapped New York, Justin Rivers.
“History is alive and well everywhere, especially in a town like Greenwich,” Rivers said. “Sometimes it’s interesting to bring the history to where it occurred, and that gets people a little bit more interested in it.”
Rivers said Greenwich has just as much history as New York does — almost 400 years. While he says museums can be perceived as “stuffy” or “boring,” Rediscover Greenwich is meant to engage with residents in an interactive setting.
Visual, verbal and self-guided learning strategies are utilized throughout Rediscover Greenwich to give residents a deeper understanding of the historic town
Untapped New York’s artist-in-residence, Aaron Asis, worked closely with Rivers to provide an artistic lens that is filled with imagery.
Regarding the use of Interstate 95 in "Reframing-95," Asis said it was important to acknowledge its historical significance to Greenwich and appreciate the highway.
“We couldn’t help but notice that the big elephant in the room was the big highway in the room,” Asis said. “We just felt like rather than turning our backs to it, or ignoring it, or pretending it wasn’t there, or tolerating it, we should really do something a little more in a highlighting capacity.”
Asis describes I-95 and “limiting visual access” of the Greenwich Historical Society campus. Using that challenging piece of infrastructure allowed Asis and his team at Untapped New York to bring attention to, and appreciation for, something that is often overlooked.
When designing art, Asis draws focus towards objects similar to I-95: forgotten aspects that do not fit into a typical definition of beauty. He believes that it is important to understand the entire context of a place, not just one part of it.
On the Greenwich Historical Society’s campus, artistic frames are also available for visitors to view I-95 from.
“Whether they want to imagine it not there, whether they want to frame it as being there, whether they want to take pictures or contemplate, there’s just, like, a chance to really ground yourselves,” Asis said.
"Reframing-95" tours will take place April 5-6 from noon to 3 p.m.
Starting in May, guided walking tours will give appreciation to the old, historic buildings on Greenwich Avenue. The sides of these buildings will be used as canvases for large-scale murals, designed by Asis, that depict how these buildings appeared in the past.
“There’ll be snapshots that take you back in time,” Asis said. “So literally in real time, while you’re walking down the street you’ll have moments to see the street as if it were, you know, 100 years ago.”
Murals will be accompanied by quotes from people talking about their experiences on Greenwich Avenue, and QR codes will remain at the buildings so Greenwich education can continue outside of tour-hours.
A special art exhibit at Greenwich Arts Council will also feature the murals in an interpretative, gallery setting.
Dianne Niklaus, director of marketing and communications at the Greenwich Historical Society, hopes the program offers the public a broader perspective of Greenwich’s history.
“I think what Greenwich Historical Society does best, more and more, is bringing history to life and creating a sense of place for our community,” Nikalaus said.
With many of their events usually reaching capacity, she encourages interested individuals to preregister for walking tours at greenwichhistory.org.
