If you're like me, you love a good art gallery. I find it so fulfilling to spend an afternoon being visually satiated by colorful works of all forms. There are a number of options close by, such as the Mystic Museum of Art or the Lyman Allyn Art Museum in New London, but if you're looking for a wider range of time periods and mediums, I'd head up to the RISD Museum in Providence, Rhode Island.
Our visit was on a Sunday, when admission to the museum is FREE from 10am-5pm. There is plenty of variety at the museum. In addition to student art, you can browse ancient art, contemporary art, Asian art, photography, costume and textiles, as well as sculpture. Take a look at pictures from our visit and a few of my favorite works below.
Besides Sundays from 10 a.m.−5 p.m., the museum is open free the third Thursday of every month from 5−9 p.m. It's closed Mondays. Regular admission is only $12 for adults and $3 for youths ages five to eighteen. Their newly redesigned website has all the info you need to plan a visit. You can preview much of the work there and learn more about it, but it doesn't compare to a live encounter. We're lucky that we have such a treasure close by. It's not always easy to find time for it, but when you can, it always proves worthwhile. Learn more at risdmuseum.org.