Florence Griswold Museum’s 44th Benefit Auction Recreates the World of the Lyme Art Colony (moved)

NOTE: The benefit auction has been moved to Sunday September 27 from 4 pm to 8 pm due to the nor’easter.

Florence Griswold Museum’s 44th Benefit Auction Recreates the World of the Lyme Art Colony Saturday, Sept. 26, transforming the Old Lyme museum grounds into an evening inspired by the artists who gathered there more than a century ago.

Running from 6 to 10 p.m., this year’s annual fundraiser is built around the light, landscape, and creative energy that helped turn Florence Griswold’s boardinghouse into the center of one of America’s most significant art colonies.

Rather than holding a conventional gala with assigned tables and a formal dinner, the Museum is taking a more immersive approach. Guests will move through the property for cocktails, food stations, and hors d’oeuvres while artists work, auctions unfold, and the historic grounds become part of the evening.

Artistic and creative attire is encouraged. Black tie is optional.

The Place Where American Impressionists Came to Stay

The theme has unusually deep ties to the property hosting the party.

At the turn of the 20th century, artists began arriving at Florence Griswold’s home in Old Lyme, attracted by the Connecticut landscape and the opportunity to work alongside other painters.

The arrival of Henry Ward Ranger in 1899 helped establish what became known as the Lyme Art Colony. Other artists followed, including Childe Hassam, Willard Metcalf, Matilda Browne and William Chadwick.

Many stayed as boarders in Florence Griswold’s house.

What developed was part boardinghouse, part artists’ clubhouse and part creative experiment. Painters worked outdoors during the day, then returned to the house for meals and evenings together.

They also left their work behind in an extraordinary way.

Artists painted directly onto doors and wall panels inside the house, creating an informal collection that remains there today. Instead of encountering the Lyme Art Colony only through paintings hanging in a modern gallery, visitors can enter the rooms where its members ate, talked and lived.

Saturday night’s benefit takes that history as its starting point.

Artists Creating Art While the Party Unfolds

The Museum describes the evening as an opportunity to experience artists creating their own masterpieces while guests circulate through the event.

That connects the fundraiser to one of the defining features of the original Lyme Art Colony: art wasn’t isolated from everyday life on the property.

Painters worked throughout the surrounding landscape, capturing the Lieutenant River, gardens, fields, trees and changing New England light. The Museum grounds still preserve much of the relationship between art and landscape that attracted them.

The 13-acre campus now includes the historic Florence Griswold House, the Robert and Nancy Krieble Gallery, gardens and the half-mile Robert F. Schumann Artists’ Trail.

On Sept. 26, those surroundings become more than scenery for a fundraiser. They’re part of the theme.

No Sit-Down Dinner This Year

The Museum is deliberately moving away from the traditional gala dinner format.

Instead of spending much of the evening at a table, guests will find hors d’oeuvres, food stations and cocktails distributed throughout the event, encouraging people to explore and socialize.

Food comes from Gourmet Galley, the catering team behind the Museum’s seasonal Café Flo.

Vegetarian and gluten-free options will be available.

It’s a format that makes particular sense on this property. Café Flo normally overlooks the Lieutenant River, the Museum grounds stretch well beyond the galleries and the historic house itself is central to the story being celebrated.

The evening is intended to use that setting rather than confine the benefit to a ballroom.

How the Evening Unfolds

The benefit is structured to keep guests moving rather than settling in for a traditional gala dinner.

From 6 to 10 p.m., cocktails and heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served throughout the evening. The first two hours also give guests time to explore the silent auction and watch demonstrations by artists working during the party.

At 8 p.m., the silent auction closes and guests gather beneath the tent for a champagne toast. The live auction begins at 8:30 p.m.

Then the evening shifts from bidding to music. From 9 to 10 p.m., a live jazz and funk quartet performs, leading into what the Museum is billing as a grand finale under the stars.

The Silent Auction Starts Before the Party

Guests don’t have to wait until Sept. 26 to start bidding, and they don’t have to attend the benefit to participate.

The Museum’s online silent auction opens Monday, Sept. 14 at 8 a.m. and continues until 8 p.m. on Sept. 26, when bidding closes during the benefit.

The auction is built around what the Museum describes as rare experiences, art and objects of beauty that aren’t easily found elsewhere. Offerings include exceptional works of art, décor, experiences and travel.

An early preview begins Sept. 8, giving bidders nearly a week to look through the offerings before online bidding officially opens.

Every silent-auction bid is placed online, including bids from guests attending the benefit in person. That also means supporters can participate from home and still win without ever setting foot at the party.

Silent Auction Preview: Begins Sept. 8
Online Bidding Opens: Sept. 14 at 8 a.m.
Online Bidding Closes: Sept. 26 at 8 p.m.
Attendance Required to Bid: No
Online Bidding: FloGrisAuction.GiveSmart.com

The Auction Extends Beyond Old Lyme

The benefit has been held every September for more than four decades, but bidding isn’t limited to the people attending Saturday night’s event.

An accompanying online silent auction is open to bidders from anywhere, with hundreds of items spanning art, home décor, jewelry, travel and experiences.

A live auction will also take place during the benefit.

That makes the auction itself substantially larger than the four-hour party in Old Lyme, while allowing supporters who aren’t attending the benefit to participate.

Where the Money Goes

The evening is one of the Museum’s major annual fundraisers.

Proceeds directly support the Florence Griswold Museum’s education and outreach programs, extending the impact of the auction beyond exhibitions and preservation of the historic property.

That’s particularly fitting for an institution built around the idea that art should be experienced rather than simply stored.

Today, the Museum combines the historic house and its Lyme Art Colony collection with changing exhibitions, family programming, classes, public events and educational activities.

For one September night, though, the focus returns to the people who first made the property famous and the environment they found when they arrived in Old Lyme: artists gathering together, food and conversation flowing and somebody nearby working on the next painting.

More information is available at the Event Website link below.

To purchase tickets, click the Event Ticketing link below.

Details

Event: 44th Annual Florence Griswold Museum Benefit Auction
Date: Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026
Time: 6–10 p.m.
Venue: Florence Griswold Museum
Address: 96 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT 06371
Format: Indoor/outdoor benefit evening with food, cocktails, artists, live auction and online silent auction
Food: Hors d’oeuvres and food stations by Gourmet Galley
Dietary Options: Vegetarian and gluten-free options available
Auctions: Live auction during the event plus an online silent auction with hundreds of items
Attire: Artistic and creative attire encouraged; black tie optional
Beneficiary: Florence Griswold Museum education and outreach programs
Note: Café Flo is closed Sept. 26 for the Museum event

 

 

Featured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people, location, or activities shown.