Do you remember Old Lyme’s Nut Museum?  

Christopher B. Steiner, PhD- Professor of Art History & Anthropology at Connecticut College  will talk about the rescue mission and the archival process of preserving Miss Tashjian’s unique collection.  You may remember the Nut Museum, or perhaps Miss Tashjiian?

Elizabeth Tashjian (1912-2007) opened the Nut Museum in 1972 on the ground floor of her Victorian home in Old Lyme. The museum featured Miss Tashjian’s original artwork devoted to nuts, her collection of nuts, and, for her museum visitors, acapella performances of her songs about nuts. Beginning in 1981, Miss Tashjian appeared regularly on late-night television talk shows, including twice on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. In response to her new-found celebrity status, Miss Tashjian transformed herself from an academically-trained painter into an avant-garde visual and performance artist. This talk explores the unique trajectory of Elizabeth Tashjian’s life and her eclectic artistic career.