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Programming Highlights Trailblazing Women in History, Science, and Art

The New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education proudly celebrates Women’s History Month with a dynamic series of programs highlighting the extraordinary women who have shaped New York’s past and continue to influence its future. Through lectures, exhibitions, archival explorations, and interactive programs, visitors will explore the diverse contributions of women, including scientists studying the state’s rivers and lakes, artists preserving cultural experiences, and faith leaders strengthening religious communities.  

The month’s signature program, Women of Science, provides an opportunity for families to meet scientists from the New York State Museum and beyond, inspiring a new generation of research and discovery.

Additional educational resources are available on the New York State Museum’s website.

Archive Adventures: Women, Words, and the Written Record – Exploring the NYS Archives’ Collections
Dates: Thursday March 5, March 12, and March 19
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Location: Discovery Place

Explore the impressive documents in the New York State Archives Collection, from the colonial correspondence of Lady Deborah Moody, a religious dissenter and the first white woman to establish a settlement on the continent, to the immense creativity of women’s arts collectives like the Women’s Interart Center. An expert archivist will be on hand to share stories, answer your questions, and reveal how we uncover and preserve the past.  

Meet the Scientist: Dr. Denise Mayer
Date: Friday, March 6
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Discovery Place

Meet Dr. Denise Mayer, Curator of Malacology, and explore the hidden world of freshwater mussels. Discover how scientists determine mussel age, monitor populations, and reveal what these remarkable organisms tell us about the health of our rivers and lakes. Learn about the research methods, data, and discoveries that highlight the vital role mussels play in freshwater ecosystems.

Opening Celebration Fashion and Faith: Hats of the Great Migration
Date: Friday, March 6
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: West Corridor

Join the New York State Museum for a special opening celebration of Fashion and Faith: Hats of the Great Migration, an exhibition honoring the Black women whose faith, resilience, and leadership helped shape Albany’s communities. Between 1910 and 1970, more than seven million African Americans left the South seeking new opportunities. Featuring remarkable hats worn by women who settled in Albany, the exhibition explores how church “crowns” became powerful symbols of dignity, creativity, and self-definition.  

The evening will include a 7:00 p.m. screening of WMHT’s original documentary North to New York: The Great Migration in NY’s Capital Region.

From Boats & Votes: The Erie Canal and the Woman Suffrage Movement
Date: Wednesday, March 11
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Location: Webinar

An engaging program with historian Pamela Vittorio exploring the Erie Canal—not just as a waterway of commerce, but as a powerful engine of social change. Learn how the canal shaped the movement of people and ideas across New York State, fueled reform movements, and ultimately helped pave the way for women’s suffrage and the passage of the 19th Amendment. This lively discussion will connect one of America’s greatest engineering achievements to the fight for equality and democracy.

Her Legacy in Their Hands: Shaker Women and the Making of the Museum’s Collection
Date: Friday, March 13
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Huxley Theater

Ashley Hopkins-Benton, Senior Historian and Curator of Social History, will present a special Lunchtime Lecture exploring the remarkable Shaker women who helped shape the New York State Museum’s renowned Shaker Collection. Beginning in 1926, as the Shaker communities in Watervliet and Mount Lebanon faced decline and closure, devoted members worked closely with Museum curators to preserve their material culture and document their communal way of life.

This talk highlights the women whose foresight ensured the survival of thousands of objects—from iconic oval boxes, furniture, and textiles to tools, seed packaging, bonnet molds, and even the only surviving Shaker fountain stone.

Five Indigenous Women Artists to Know Now
Date: Friday, March 20
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Location: First Peoples Hall

Join Dr. Gwendolyn Saul, Curator of Ethnography, for an engaging exploration of five remarkable Mohican and Haudenosaunee women artists. Their work speaks powerfully to Indigenous experiences, histories, and creativity rooted in their homeland territories in what is now New York State. Participants will have the opportunity to view artwork from the Museum’s collections, including a sneak peek at two recent acquisitions!  

Women of Science – *Our Signature Women’s History Month Program
Date: Saturday, March 21
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: New York State Museum

Discover the exciting world of science through the women shaping its future! Meet women scientists from the New York State Museum and beyond, learn about their cutting-edge research, and participate in interactive exhibits and stations. The day’s schedule features hands-on educational activities and several interactive “Ask a Scientist” panels designed for younger children, teens, and adults.  

‘Women Are Going to Have to Organize’: Why the History of the National Organization for Women Matters Today
Date: Wednesday, March 25
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Webinar

Historian Katherine Turk will discuss the deep roots, wide reach, and long-term impact of the most expansive feminist membership organization in American history, explaining NOW’s historical importance and its lessons for our own time.

Archive Adventures: Sojourner Truth Fights for Her Family
Date: Thursday, March 26
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Location: Discovery Place

Before she became a legendary abolitionist and women’s rights activist, Sojourner Truth fought a legal battle in New York to free her son from slavery. State Archives staff will display New York State Supreme Court documents from 1828, which recount Sojourner Truth’s historic legal victory to secure the freedom of her son, Peter, after he was illegally sold into slavery.

Revolutionary Women: Lady Johnson, Angelica Schuyler, and the Politics of Loyalty
Date: Saturday, March 28
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Huxley Theater

Join Schuyler Mansion and Johnson Hall State Historic Site for a compelling exploration of women in Revolutionary New York. In the spring of 1776, a dramatic arrest and uneasy imprisonment placed two prominent women at the heart of a growing political storm. Through two engaging talks, examine how status, loyalty, family ties, and personal conviction shaped their choices during the early days of the Revolution, and consider how their actions may have had consequences far beyond what appears in the traditional historical record.

About the Office of Cultural Education

Established in 1836, the New York State Museum is the oldest and largest public museum in the United States. Home to leading scientists, historians, archeologists, and anthropologists, its collections represent the State’s rich cultural and natural heritage from the past and present, including a staggering 20+ million artifacts spanning 1.1 billion years ago to today. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is free. For additional information, visit the New York State Museum website and subscribe to our newsletter.

The New York State Library, established in 1818, is the largest state library system in the nation and one of the largest research libraries in North America. It oversees a vast network of more than 7,000 libraries statewide. Collections are made available onsite and through a robust interlibrary loan program. The Library’s mission is advanced through several key divisions, including the Research Library, which houses a collection of over 20 million items, the Talking Book and Braille Library, and the Division of Library Development. The Library preserves and maintains invaluable historical collections and works, and serves as a Regional Depository for federal publications. Additionally, the State Library is the official repository of New York State government publications, ensuring their enduring preservation and accessibility for future generations. For more information, please visit the New York State Library website and subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Established in 1971, the New York State Archives has amassed one of the most extensive and historically significant state archive collections in the nation. The Archives manages, preserves, and provides open access to over 270 million colonial and New York State records dating back to the 1630s. In addition, the Archives provides records and archival management services to nearly 4,500 counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts, and other local governments across New York State. The Archives offers technical assistance, training, and grants to non-government repositories through the Documentary Heritage Program and Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York (DHPSNY). Researchers can access public records through the Archives’ online Digital Collections or by appointment on the 11^th floor of the Cultural Education Center. For more information, please visit www.archives.nysed.gov.

The Archives Partnership Trust, a 501(c)3 organization, works to advance New York State History by making the voices within over 350 years of records accessible, relevant, and heard. Education, preservation, and outreach programs unite scholars, students, and the interested public in the discovery, interpretation, and promotion of our shared history. Programs created and supported by the Trust include: ConsidertheSourceNY.org; Larry J. Hackman Research Residency Program; Student Research Awards; countless preservation projects to help stabilize and rehabilitate fragile records; and outreach programs such as New York Archives Magazine, the Empire State Archives and History Award, and other public education programs. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive timely updates.

The State Museum, State Library, and State Archives are programs of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or by visiting the Office of Cultural Education website.

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