Millbrook Art Museum's 'Rust & Renewal' Exhibit Opens to Packed Crowds

MILLBROOK, June 2 — Lines stretched out the front doors of the Millbrook Regional Art Museum on Caldwell Avenue Friday night as the institution opened "Rust & Renewal: Art from the Industrial Heartland," a sweeping 47-piece exhibit featuring works by 18 regional artists. The show, which will run through August 31, centers on themes of economic change, labor, and community resilience — subjects that resonate deeply in a city still feeling the ripple effects of factory closures a decade ago.

Art Rooted in Local Memory

Curator Priya Vasanthakumar spent nearly two years assembling the collection, which spans oil painting, large-scale photography, mixed-media sculpture, and textile art. Among the standout pieces is a towering 9-foot steel and reclaimed-wood sculpture by Millbrook native Gerald Foss, titled "Shift Change," which depicts workers clocking out at the end of a long day. "I wanted people to walk through this space and feel something true about where they live," Vasanthakumar said at the opening reception. "Not nostalgia — truth."

• The exhibit is free to the public on Sunday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon through August
• A panel discussion with featured artists is scheduled for June 18 at 6:30 p.m.
• The museum has seen a 34% increase in membership renewals since the exhibit was announced

Museum director Odette Chambers called Friday's turnout "the best opening night we've had since the Centennial Retrospective in 2017." She added that the museum is actively seeking a corporate sponsor to help fund a traveling version of the exhibit that could visit smaller communities across the state. Grant applications have been submitted to the State Arts Council, with a decision expected by late summer.