Barry A. Rosenberg, age 81, passed peacefully at home on Oct. 21. He was the much-beloved husband of Adrienne Saint-Pierre and father of Seth A. Rosenberg. Barry and Adrienne made Wilton their home in 2021 after 30 years as residents of Redding’s “Poverty Hollow.”
A native of Philadelphia, PA, Barry was the youngest child of Samuel and Henrietta (Broude) Rosenberg. Barry often recounted happy memories of growing up in a close-knit neighborhood that fostered several lifelong friendships. A highly creative person, he attended the Philadelphia College of Art and earned a BFA in 1965, the same year he married Carol “Carrie” Zakrzewski, whom he met at the PCA. The young couple then moved to Albuquerque where Barry earned a Master of Fine Arts at the University of New Mexico. This launched Barry’s teaching career, first in California, and then in 1969, taking a position at Miami University (Ohio) in the Art and Art History Department teaching painting and drawing. Barry’s innate skills as a teacher and mentor quickly emerged, and an impressive number of students from those years have stayed in touch throughout his life, always expressing the feeling that Barry was very influential in their lives. Tragedy struck when Carrie passed away suddenly in 1977.
Barry remarried in 1979, and the next year moved to Boston, MA, where he embarked on “alternative career” adventures, among them learning how to drive a tractor-trailer and teaching in a maximum-security prison. Barry made his art about these and other experiences. In 1984, his art career took a new direction as he became the executive director of the Museum of Contemporary Art at Wright State University in Dayton, OH. Curating became his art, and eventually, canvas and brushes were put away as he worked diligently to curate ground-breaking exhibitions and build a collection for the university. He had a genius for spotting both significant trends in contemporary art and emerging artists whose work was exceptional. He showed the work of a number of young artists who subsequently achieved international acclaim, and thus Barry’s own reputation for having “a great eye” was established.
In 1991 he was recruited by The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield to serve as its executive director and chief curator, where he and his staff organized many superb exhibitions. Later, Barry served as curator for Real Art Ways in Hartford, and had his own consulting business, New Century Vision, providing art advice to private collectors.
Barry missed teaching, and in the early 2000s, began working in the Art and Art History Department at the University of Connecticut, Storrs. His extraordinary gifts as a teacher came to the fore again, especially working with graduate students; he loved taking them to New York City to visit galleries and private collections, meet collectors, and provide firsthand experience with the “real” art world. In addition to his duties as an associate professor, Barry was the director and curator of the Contemporary Art Galleries at UConn. Many of his exhibitions can be viewed on his website. Despite a shoestring annual budget, he miraculously produced exhibitions of exceptional quality and truly “cutting edge” in the field of contemporary art. He often invited artists from here and abroad to create new, interdisciplinary artworks at UConn, thereby also providing opportunities for his students to gain valuable skills working with the artists and installing art in the gallery.
Barry and Adrienne found their greatest pleasure vacationing in Stonington, ME, where they went almost every year from 1987 to 2023. During their entire married life, they enjoyed antique hunting, birdwatching, and gardening together. Barry was immensely proud of his son and thoroughly enjoyed attending his baseball games in high school, which he also liked to photograph. He loved going to sports events with Seth and watching UConn games on TV with him. Despite severe dyslexia, Barry was an avid reader all his life, and during his long commutes to Storrs, he listened to hundreds of audiobooks. Another of his joys was casual fishing, a hobby he happily shared with his grandsons. Becoming a grandfather was extremely gratifying and he always looked forward to time with the boys.
In addition to his cherished wife of 45 years, Barry is survived by his son Seth (Caroline “Lina”) Rosenberg and three young grandsons, Leo, Brody, and Oliver, of Wilton; as well as his adored older brother Lee A. Rosenberg of Stockholm, Sweden. Barry’s gentle nature and lively spirit allowed him to make friends easily, and he not only leaves behind many long-time friends but also new friends he made since moving to Wilton, especially while volunteering at Ambler Farm, a “job” he thoroughly enjoyed and looked forward to.
Barry was a dear, rare person, a loyal friend, a brilliant curator, and a beloved teacher who will be greatly missed.
Interment of ashes will be private at Hillside Cemetery. A gathering of friends and family to honor Barry’s life is planned for the spring. Anyone who wishes to make a donation in Barry’s memory would honor his family with a gift to Wilton’s Ambler Farm or Smilow Cancer Hospital in New Haven.
Editor’s note: Following publication, the story was updated to include requests made by Barry Rosenberg’s family for suggested locations for anyone wishing to make a gift in his memory.
