Coming up: The Art of Health celebration, collectors’ lecture, Survivors Swing Band

WATERBURY >> On Saturday, May 20, the Mattatuck Museum invites the community to come to The Art of Health celebration from 1 to 3 p.m.

The Museum and United We STAND Youth Chapter of Waterbury are teaming up for a lively celebration of music, dance and spoken word for Mental Health Awareness Month.

This program is free and open to all children and families.

Family programs are supported in part by the American Savings Foundation, Lauren & Mark Booth, Ion Bank Foundation and MacDermid Performance Solutions.

On Tuesday, May 23, join collectors Kevin McNamara and Craig Nowak at the Mattatuck for advice and insight into collecting art on a shoestring budget.

The evening will begin with a wine and cheese reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by the lecture at 6 p.m.

The lecture is free for Museum and BRASS members and $10 for non-members.

The event is presented in conjunction with Black & White: Photographs from the Collection of Kevin McNamara & Craig Nowak. The exhibit features photographs by masters of 20th and 21st century photography including John Dugdale, Sally Mann and Jock Sturges, among others. Like many contemporary photographers, the artists in this exhibition make imaginative use of the camera’s power to document reality. Their pictures pose questions about identity, self-representation, history and truth. Black & White will be on view at The MATT through July 16.

On Thursday, May 25, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., join us for another exciting performance of Music @ The MATT with the Survivors Swing Band.

A seven-piece professional jazz band, the group plays classic melodies from a bygone era — hot tunes and soothing ballads of the swing era, plus many of the wonderful melodies from the two decades that followed.

They generate energy and excitement wherever they perform. Members of the Survivors Swing Band include Jeremy Alston on drums, Jules Bashkin on alto saxophone, Greg Butko on reeds, Lauren Humpage on bass and vocals, Dave Mechler on cornet and trumpet, Bill Steinhauser on banjo and guitar, and Sandra Wittman on piano.

Admission is $3 for Museum and BRASS members, and $10 for non-members.

Located in the heart of downtown Waterbury’s architectural district, the Mattatuck Museum is a vibrant destination, known locally and regionally as a community-centered institution of American art and history.