Art history grad takes on show at New Britain museum

Dan Fulco ’04

Dan Fulco ’04 surrounds himself with what he loves most: art.

The Glastonbury, Conn. native, who majored in art history and earned a certificate in CC’s museum studies program, has taken his passion out of the classroom and into his first post-graduation job. For the past year Fulco has been working at the New Britain Museum of American Art as assistant to the director and recently embraced the opportunity to curate his first show.

“I am at home working in an environment where I am surrounded by art,” he said.

The theme of the 65-work exhibition is the loss of childhood innocence in American art from the 18th century to the present. Aptly named Innocence, the display includes paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and photography from artists like Winslow Homer and Sally Mann.

Fulco planned the exhibition, with some help from museum director Douglas Hyland, from soup to nuts. He was responsible for defining the theme, choosing pieces of art and acquiring them for use by the museum. He also drafted the explanatory text that accompanies many of the works and researched and wrote an essay about the display.

The fruits of his labor are on display until Sept. 18, 2005. Since the exhibition opened on June 25, the museum has had a number of visitors to see the collection.

Fulco was a member of the art history advisory board and involved with the film society while at CC. He credited the professors in the art history department and the museum studies program for providing him with a solid background in American art, which helped him prepare the exhibition.

Fulco said he would like to attend graduate school with the goal of one day becoming a museum curator. He’s already part way there.

“It has been a remarkable experience,” he said. “I am looking forward to building a career in the field.”