Trout Gallery Extends Hours for Community Advancement

Trout+Gallery+Extends+Hours+for+Community+Advancement

On Thursday, Jan. 30, the Trout Gallery held a spring launch party to celebrate the beginning of Twilight at the Trout, a series of nights where the Trout Gallery will be open for students and members of the community to visit the gallery after its normal hours.  

Heather Flaherty, curator of education at the Trout Gallery, said that the normal hours for the gallery were not matching up well with students’ schedules. “[W]e thought it would be great to provide another option for people in the community for cultural entertainment in the evenings,” she said and explained there were not a lot of family friendly night events. 

Bianca Martucci-Fink, museum communications and event coordinator for the Trout Gallery and a new member of the Trout Gallery staff explained her goal of connecting the Dickinson community with the Carlisle/Cumberland county community. “I really want the Trout to be a place where people can come together for a variety of events and discussions–thinking of the Gallery as a community space for various collaborations and creativity,” she said. 

Flaherty explained that with Twilight at the Trout, they hope to gain a broader audience “so that we have a more diverse audience that’s more representative of the community.” Flaherty also hopes to better support students who are using the gallery, as well as opportunities for students to talk about the galleries. 

Bizz Fretty ’20, a museum ambassador said, “Twilight at the Trout has been a long due event for the museum as many students are involved in the museum,” and explained that she is looking forward to future collaborations with the Trout. 

While the Trout Gallery hosted Twilight at the Trout in the Fall semester, the hours were not well known. “At the time, we didn’t have a communication and events coordinator who could market these events,” Flaherty said. 

Martucci-Fink hopes that the hours will become more well-known among students and members of the community. “Part of my job will be promoting the series on a larger scale–and seeing if people are enjoying the event. I think it’s important that the Trout and our partners adapt to what serves our audiences and communities.”

Many people expressed positive sentiments to Twilight at the Trout. Natalia Arjona, a teaching assistant for the Spanish department, said,“It’s a good way to know about American art. It’s amazing how Dickinson contributes to the growth of artists on campus.”

Emilia Kark, also a teaching assistant for the Spanish department, said, “It has been a nice opportunity to spend some time with friends and listen to good music.”

“We try to make sure [Twilight at the Trout] is built-in time that we can engage in conversations with the community about our exhibitions,” Flaherty said and explained events can connect to things happening on campus and in the Carlisle community. 

Martucci-Fink urges everyone to check out the Trout Gallery’s social media to stay up-to-date regarding events such as Twilight at the Trout.