CT Humanities Sponsored:

Boats Along the Connecticut Coast

Spend your summer weekends at the Eli Whitney Museum & Workshop!

Each weekend, museum visitors of all ages can build a small-scale replica of historic boats from the region free of charge

Learn about essential Coastal Connecticut boats at the Eli Whitney Museum & Workshop.

Saturdays and Sundays, 10 am-3 pm July 8th to September 3rd.

Quantities are limited to the first 40 participants each weekend.

Summer Camp 2023: Spots Still Open!

Hiking & Journaling

Monday, June 26th - Friday, June 30th

Ages 11+

See spectacular views from the highest point of East Rock Park, observe the flora and fauna, and find hidden streams and burrows as you explore. Use our birder-approved binoculars to get a closer look at the wildlife in the park. Learn the essentials of hiking: planning, map reading, orienteering, and trail safety.

Hiking & Journaling will be taught by Josiah Venter, a lifelong resident of the East Rock Neighborhood and Head of Science at St. Thomas School in New Haven.

Register Here

Our Site: History & Architecture

Monday, July 10th - Friday, July 14th

Ages 9-12

John Allen Heany was an inventor of all sorts. One of his companies, Heany Industries, resided at 915 Whitney Ave until 1979 making industrial ceramic components. We challenge you to harness your inner industrial designer and create unique ceramic sculptures.

Register Here

This class will be taught by Preservation CT and Mara Tu, former museum apprentice.

What's Up at the Whitney Workshop?

Can you spot the 7 giant dodecahedrons on our site?

In our first week of summer camp of 2023, Pottery, Painting, and the Poetry of Design: The Black Mountain College, 6-11-year-old campers learned about artists from Black Mountain College, an institution rooted in interdisciplinary, experimental approaches to art-focussed learning from the 1930s to 1950s.

On your next visit to our campus, you may notice 7 giant dodecahedrons crafted by campers. 

Drawing on inspiration from R. Buckminster Fuller, Ruth Asawa, and Anni Albers, campers integrated various art and craft techniques to leave their marks on these site-specific sculptures. Come by to find them all!

A Call For Corks!

If you have a collection of corks, please consider donating them to us!

We need a few dozen more for our summer camp: The Reuse of Refuse starting on July 3rd. In this class, 6-8-year-old campers will look at and reimagine materials — in this case, corks — to create imaginative art pieces.

Find a new home for the forgotten corks in your kitchen drawer. Corks of all shapes and sizes are welcome for this project!

A.C. Gilbert Heritage Society Convention

July 20, 21, 22

Free and open to all ages

The convention show brings Gilbert toy collectors and enthusiasts “back to where it all began", spotlighting the extraordinary educational toys manufactured by The A. C. Gilbert Company of New Haven, CT, from 1909-1967.

The A.C. Gilbert Society will start its 2023 convention at the Eli Whitney Museum & Workshop with an informal tour on Thursday evening, July 20, and on Saturday, July 22, our very own Director, Ryan Paxton, will be the convention's featured speaker.

To learn more about the Convention, the A. C. Gilbert

Heritage Society, and related convention events, please visit www.acghs.org.