The Westport Historical Society is changing its name to the Westport Museum for History & Culture, effective Sept. 28, in tandem with the launch of its 2019-20 exhibit “Becoming Westport.”
“The name change is part of a strategic planning process that the organization underwent from 2014 to 2017 with the help of a state program funded by CT Humanities,” Westport Museum Board Chairperson Sara Krasne said.
That program, the Standards and Excellence Program for History Organizations, allowed the organization’s board of directors to re-evaluate its operations, funding, and mission, Krasne said. “The board of directors voted to change the name back in 2017,” she added, “but elected to wait until this year to formalize it after some milestones had been reached.”
Krasne said the new name “more adequately represents the work the museum is doing daily to fulfill our mission to inspire the holistic discovery of our town’s history inclusive of our collective heritage and its place in the larger American story.”
Official rollout of the name will take place at the Westport Museum’s annual benefit dinner, Night at the Museum, on Sept. 28. The event will include live music, costumed interpreters and a silent auction; celebrity chef Chris Scott; and a Q&A Keynote by CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota.
“Becoming Westport” features archetypes of individuals who helped build the town, and follows the evolution of Westport from colonial settlement through the 20th century.
