News Articles
Gilder Lehrman Institute Student Opportunities
Published August 26, 2022 | State History
This article originally appeared in a Gilder Lehrman Institute newsletter. The Gilder Lehrman Institute is pleased to offer numerous programs and activities—all 100% free—that make history come alive for K–12 students. They include...
A New York Minute in History Podcast Receives a Journalists Association of New York 2022 Broadcast Award
Published August 19, 2022 | State History
This article originally appeared on the WAMC website. WAMC has received a number of honors in the Journalists Association of New York 2022 Broadcast Contest. Awards will be distributed at an October 15 ceremony when first-place winners are anno...
NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is Hiring an Interpreter of Native American History
Published August 18, 2022 | State History
The NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation serves as the steward of properties across the state that reflect the natural resources and social history of New York State and the nation. All of these properties are the original hom...
ITPS Podcast: New Episode Featuring Dr. Joe Stahlman
Published August 17, 2022 | State History
This article originally appeared on the ITPS website. This month, I interview Dr. Joe Stahlman. Joe is a scholar of Tuscarora descent whose research focuses on culture and history as well as on the ongoing socio-economic and health and wellness...
NEH Announces $31.5 Million for 226 Humanities Projects Nationwide
Published August 17, 2022 | State History
This article originally appeared on the NEH website. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has announced $31.5 million in grants for 226 humanities projects across the country. These grants will support the publication of a Libra...
Pomeroy Fund for NYS History
Published August 17, 2022 | State History
This article originally appeared on the MANY website. The Museum Association of New York is partnering with the William G. Pomeroy Foundation for a fifth round of the Pomeroy Fund for NYS History, providing a total of $100,000 for salary suppor...
Six IMLS Grant Opportunities Now Available to Support Museum Services
Published August 17, 2022 | State History
This article originally appeared on the IMLS website. Museums and related organizations across the United States have six opportunities in the coming months to apply for grants from the nation’s primary source of federal funding for museum serv...
IMLS Invests Over $6 Million in Museum National Leadership Projects
Published August 15, 2022 | State History
This article originally appeared on the IMLS website. The Institute of Museum and Library Services announced the selection of 16 projects from a pool of 46 applicants for the highly competitive National Leadership Grants for Museums program. ...
IMLS Invests More Than $29 Million in Grants to Museums Across America
Published August 15, 2022 | State History
This article originally appeared on the IMLS website. The Institute of Museum and Library Services announced grant awards totaling $29,681,960 for museums across the nation to improve services to their communities. Through the agency’s large...
Friends of Taconic State Park Receives $100K Pomeroy Foundation Grant for Historic Site Project
Published August 4, 2022 | State History
This article originally appeared on the William G. Pomeroy Foundation website. Friends of Taconic State Park (FTSP) has received a $100,000 grant from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation to support the development of The Pomeroy Family Railroad a...
Alexander Hamilton is Back in Nevis
Published July 29, 2022 | State History
This article originally appeared on the Caribbean Journal website. “Hamilton, you are back!” Under a sunbeam on the water’s edge in Charlestown, Nevis, historian Harvey Hendrickson reads his ode to a still-shrouded sculpture on the law...
The Story of Urban Renewal
Published July 29, 2022 | State History
This article originally appeared on the Times Hudson Valley Media website. City of Newburgh residents and families, affected by the Urban Renewal process, will now have the opportunity to share their own stories and testimonies through a newly ...
Bobbie Reno, Author, Artist, and Advocate for Black Sculptress, Presents at Emancipation Day
Published July 25, 2022 | State History
This article originally appeared in a National Abolition Hall of Fame & Museum newsletter. The 12th Annual Peterboro Emancipation Day will commence on Saturday, August 6 at 10:00 am with its traditional morning activities that replicate the...
National Abolition Hall of Fame & Museum 2022 Inductions
Published July 25, 2022 | State History
This article originally appeared on the National Abolition Hall of Fame & Museum website. Robert Everett, Calvin Fairbank, and Stephen Myers will be inducted into the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum (NAHOF) in Peterboro NY ...
Pomeroy Fund for NYS History to Support Museum Educators
Published July 22, 2022 | State History
This article originally appeared on the William G. Pomeroy Foundation website. The Museum Association of New York (MANY) is partnering with the William G. Pomeroy Foundation for a fifth round of the Pomeroy Fund for NYS History, providing a tot...
Gardiner Town Historian A.J. Schenkman Named Best Author of 2022 by Hudson Valley Magazine
Published July 19, 2022 | State History
This article originally appeared on the Hudson Valley Magazine website. Hudson Valley Magazine has announced their 2022 Best of Hudson Valley winners. Gardiner Town Historian A.J. Schenkman has been named Best Author for his recent bo...
In-Person DHPSNY Services Return, Summer Planning & Assessment Deadline Extended to July 29
Published July 8, 2022 | State History
This article originally appeared in a DHPSNY newsletter. DHPSNY is excited to announce the return of in-person Planning & Assessment Services! Starting this application round, accepted sites will have the option of choosing in-person servic...
John Brown Lives! Unveils "Timbuctoo" Historic Marker
Published July 5, 2022 | State History
This article originally appeared in a John Brown Lives! newsletter. The first commemorative marker recognizing an enclave of Black families who settled in Adirondacks in the mid-1800s was unveiled on Saturday, July 2. A project of John Br...
AASLH Annual Update on the Semiquincentennial
Published July 5, 2022 | State History
This article originally appeared in a AASLH newsletter. The Semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary, of the founding of the United States is now just four years away! This anniversary is an opportunity for all history organizations to highl...
Gilder Lehrman Institute Fourth of July Resource Page
Published June 29, 2022 | State History
This article originally appeared in a Gilder Lehrman Institute newsletter. The Gilder Lehrman Institute invites everyone—students, teachers, and history enthusiasts—to visit our new Fourth of July resource page and explore mate...
Staff Contact
Staff Contact
NYSM Collections Databases
At the New York State Museum, staff have been digitizing the museum’s collections as they continue to grow. In order to help make the collections more accessible to researchers, portions of the museum’s database have been shared online with national and international data aggregators. These data can be accessed by following the links below. If data pertaining to a specific inquiry cannot be found at any of the linked aggregators, contact the collection manager of the department of interest for more information.
Select from the following areas to view associated NYSM database records available online:
ALGAE
NYSM Algae records via Macroalgal Herbarium Portal
https://macroalgae.org/portal/collections/misc/collprofiles.php?collid=49
BRYOPHYTES
NYSM Bryophyte records via Consortium of North American Bryophyte Herbaria:
https://bryophyteportal.org/portal/collections/misc/collprofiles.php?collid=70.
*Approximately 40% of the Bryophyte Herbarium is currently digitized.
LICHEN
NYSM Lichen records via Consortium of North American Lichen Herbaria Portal:
https://lichenportal.org/cnalh/collections/misc/collprofiles.php?collid=81
*Approximately 60% of the Lichen Herbarium is currently digitized.
MYCOLOGY
NYSM Mycology Database
This database includes all of the new species and varieties described by Charles Peck and Homer House. Also included are a number of unpublished herbarium names, new names, invalidly published names, and new species described by other mycologists. Separate entries exist for each taxon as well as for every individually packeted collection, for example: isotypes, syntypes, and paratypes. This listing is as complete as the authors of the database can make it at the present time.
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/research-collections/biology/botany-mycology/collections/online-collection
NYSM Mycology records via Mycology MycoPortal:
https://mycoportal.org/portal/collections/misc/collprofiles.php?collid=38
VASCULAR PLANTS
NYSM Vascular Plants records via Great Lakes Invasives Network Portal
*This represents a small portion of the Vascular Plant Herbarium records.
http://greatlakesinvasives.org/portal/collections/misc/collprofiles.php?collid=11
NYSM Virtual Core Library
The Virtual Core Library provides a comprehensive core inventory and some core images.
https://esogis.nysm.nysed.gov/Cores_TOC.cfm
Empire State Organized Geologic Information System (ESOGIS)
The Empire State Organized Geologic Information System (ESOGIS) is a complete resource for deep well information in the state of New York. In addition to allowing you to query and view data (logs, permits, drilling reports, etc.) for all of New York's 47,000+ deep wells, it provides easy access to the museum’s bedrock core and cuttings collection catalogue, digital maps, published reports, and other related information.
https://esogis.nysm.nysed.gov/
NYSGS and Open File Data Page via National Geologic Map Database
NYSM Mammalogy records via Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF):
https://www.gbif.org/dataset/835ff8be-ea5c-45e4-b3f3-126852ac56fe
NYSM Mammalogy records via VertNet:
http://portal.vertnet.org/search?q=gbifdatasetid:835ff8be-ea5c-45e4-b3f…
NYSM Ornithology records via Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF):
https://www.gbif.org/dataset/5345b34d-82a4-44b7-9d82-5109df1ca243(link is external)
NYSM Ornithology records via VertNet:
http://portal.vertnet.org/search?q=gbifdatasetid:5345b34d-82a4-44b7-9d8…
External Database Portals
Records from NYSM databases appear on the following online portals:
Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
An international network and data infrastructure funded by the world's governments and aimed at providing anyone, anywhere, open access to data about all types of life on Earth.
NYSM page:
https://www.gbif.org/publisher/baa8ccb1-8d9d-4940-93a6-2241c8a04ba5
VertNet:
This NSF-funded collaborative project helps people discover, capture, and publish biodiversity data. It is also the core of a collaboration between hundreds of biocollections that contribute biodiversity data and work together to improve it.
NYSM page:
http://portal.vertnet.org/p/new-york-state-museum
iDigBio
Integrated Digitized Biocollections (iDigBio), the National Resource for Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections (ADBC) funded by the National Science Foundation. Through ADBC, data and images for millions of biological specimens are being made available in electronic format for the research community, government agencies, students, educators, and the general public.
https://www.idigbio.org/portal/recordsets/82bcf2f2-b2d6-45a5-b0ca-d70d8…
Bionomia
Bionomia tracks individual researchers and the specimens they have collected and/or identified and the impact they have had on natural history collections. It also tracks the impact that a museum or institution has had on the field of natural history. At Bionomia, past and present collectors and researchers from the New York State Museum can be found as well as the impact they had on their field.
https://bionomia.net/organization/Q3875588
Charles Clough's "Clufffalo: Art Omi
A gift to the NYSM last year, Charles Clough's monumental painting—an awe-inspiring 9 x 16 feet—has just been installed in New York Hall. To create it, Clough invited visitors to Art Omi, a contemporary art gallery and sculpture park in Ghent, New York, to participate in the work which he then finished.
Charles Clough calls his approach to art “painterly, gestural abstraction.” Born in Buffalo, New York, he studied at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, the Ontario College of Art in Toronto, and the State University of New York at Buffalo. In 1974, Clough co-founded Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center in Buffalo, which presents exhibitions, performances, and visiting artists. This context provided the setting for Clough’s earliest participatory projects. He established the Clufffalo Institute in 2012 at the Roycroft Campus in East Aurora, New York.
The Fort Ontario Refugee Shelter (1944–1946)
On view in New York Metropolis Hall
Commemorating the 982 Jewish Holocaust refugees who found temporary respite at Fort Ontario, Oswego, New York, during World War II, "The Fort Ontario Refugee Shelter (1944–1946)" tells the poignant story of resilience and struggle. From the initial sense of security in the beautiful surroundings of Lake Ontario to the harsh winter conditions that tested their endurance, visitors will gain a deeper understanding of the refugees' experiences.
On display is a piece of chain-link fence from the fort. Topped with barbed wire, the fence served as both protection and a painful reminder of the atrocities from which the refugees fled. Please join us at the New York State Museum to honor their spirit and resilience.
Iconic New York Motorcycles on Display!
July 1 through December 3, 2023 | NYSM Lobby
Join the New York State Museum in celebrating the release of the second edition of The Motorcycle Industry In New York State: A Concise Encyclopedia of Inventors, Builders, and Manufacturers. Delve into the extraordinary 120-year legacy of motorcycle manufacturing in the Empire State, as meticulously documented within the pages of this comprehensive volume. Explore over 200 pages brimming with engrossing facts, captivating stories, vintage photographs, and advertisements. Authored by Geoffrey N. Stein, retired Senior Historian/Curator at NYSM, this extensively researched book has been revised by and features a foreword by Brad Utter, Senior Historian/Curator of Science and Technological History.
The motorcycles showcased in this display include an iconic 1970s Yankee Boss and a custom chopper crafted by Fabro Industries. Both bikes are prominently featured in the book, emphasizing the significant contributions of New York's inventors, builders, and manufacturers throughout history, including its re-emerging motorcycle industry.
Bring home a copy of your own!
For anyone who loves motorcycles or for those enthusiasts/collectors that wish to know more about these unique makers and the bikes that they created, The Motorcycle Industry in New York State is the ideal companion.
Purchase online from Amazon.com here: https://a.co/d/gbRhBKr
The NYSM's Bald Eagle
Happy Fourth of July from the NYSM! This bald eagle, currently on display in Birds of New York Hall, is one of the oldest specimens from our collections and even pre-dates the discovery of the Cohoes Mastodon by sixteen years! The specimen, an adult male, was part of the personal collection of H. Casimir De Rham Jr. and was donated to the State Cabinet of Natural History (the precursor to the NYSM) in 1850. For many years, it sat on exhibit on the 5th floor of the “Old Museum” housed in the State Education Building from 1912-1976.
The bald eagle’s role as our national symbol began on June 20, 1782, when Congress adopted its use on the Great Seal of the United States. The Seal, originally designed by Pennsylvania lawyer William Barton and improved upon by Secretary of Congress Charles Thomson, features a bald eagle clasping olive branches and arrows in its talons and a banner with the motto "E Pluribus Unum" in its beak. Eventually, Congress tasked Tiffany & Co. with creating an improved Seal. The resulting design, created in 1885 by chief designer James Horton Whitehouse, remains relatively unchanged to this day.
In spite of its national significance, the Bald Eagle faced near-extinction due to habitat destruction, hunting, and exposure to the chemical pesticide DDT. By the 1960s, there were only about 400 breeding pairs left and in 1978, they were placed on the endangered species list. While the recovery of the Bald Eagle following the DDT ban and the passage of the Endangered Species Act is well documented, the scale of the change in New York State is truly remarkable. In the period between the first and second New York Breeding Bird Atlases (1980-1985 and 2000-2005, respectively), the number of survey blocks in which the species was found increased by 1,174%! On June 28, 2007, bald eagles were officially removed from the endangered species list.
For more information about the NYSM's Birds of New York Hall, visit: https://www.nysm.nysed.gov/exhibitions/online/birds-of-new-york
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Adirondack WildernessAdirondack Hall
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Art for the People: Decorated Stoneware from the Weitsman CollectionNew York Metropolis Hall
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Birds of New YorkBird Hall
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Black Capital: Harlem in the 1920sNew York Metropolis Hall
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Cohoes MastodonSouth Lobby
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Fire Engine HallWorld Trade Center Gallery
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First PeoplesSouth Hall
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Ice Ages: How Ice Shaped the Land and the Life in New YorkCrossroads Gallery
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Minerals of New YorkAdirondack Hall
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New York Metropolis HallNew York Metropolis Hall
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St. Paul's Chapel: A Place of RefugeWorld Trade Center Gallery
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The New York State Museum Carousel4th Floor Terrace
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The World Trade Center: Rescue, Recovery, ResponseWorld Trade Center Gallery
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Tuck High Co. Chinatown StoreNew York Metropolis Hall
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World Trade Center Center Commuters - The Kristen Artz CollectionWorld Trade Center Gallery
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2025
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January 31, 2025 to July 27, 2025Enslavement was a devastating reality for peoples of African and Indigenous descent in New York from the time of the Dutch occupation in the 1620s until the state abolished slavery in 1827. The number of people enslaved in New York rose from 2,256 in 1700 to over 21,000 by 1790. Following their emancipation, many rural families stayed close to w... -
March 11, 2025 to April 5, 2026Mary Elizabeth Banning (1822–1903) was one of the first American mycologists, specialists in the study of fungi. She was a talented, self-taught scientist who studied mushrooms in Maryland in the mid-1800s. Banning was also one of the first women to describe new species of fungi to science. Throughout her life, she produced scientific descriptio... -
May 14, 2025 to December 2, 2025In 2010, archaeologists excavating the World Trade Center site made an extraordinary discovery: the remains of an 18th-century wooden gunboat buried deep beneath Manhattan’s historic landfill. Likely built near Philadelphia in the early 1770s, this Revolutionary War-era vessel once patrolled shallow waterways before being abandoned along the Hud... -
July 1, 2025 to January 4, 2026For nearly 250 years, George Washington has stood as a symbol of American independence and democratic ideals. Revered as the commander who led the Continental Army to victory and as the nation’s first president, his leadership helped shape the foundation of the United States. Yet a fuller view of his legacy reveals profound contradictions. Washi... -
December 6, 2025 to April 26, 2026Meet Barbie®: the multi-generation powerhouse that started it all, made history, and broke boundaries. Barbie™: A Cultural Icon Exhibition celebrates Barbie as a reflection of culture, with exclusive designer interviews and an up-close look at vintage dolls, iconic cultural moments, and fashion trends from each era. The exhibition features ...
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2024
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February 13, 2024 to March 3, 2024This exhibition is the centerpiece of the Office of Cultural Education’s observance of Black History Month 2024. Here, the State Museum, Library, and Archives bring together two remarkable documents: Abraham Lincoln’s 1862 Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation and select pages from a speech Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered in New York City o... -
November 23, 2024 to November 9, 2025Margery Ryerson (1886–1989), best known for compiling the influential notes of artist Robert Henri, for the 1923 publication, The Art Spirit, was important in her own right as a prolific painter and printmaker whose artistic career spanned an impressive seven decades. Her diverse subjects included landscapes, cityscapes, still lifes, and portrai...
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2023
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September 5, 2023 to June 2, 2024Each One Inspired: Indigenous Art Across the Homelands examines the sources of inspiration for Indigenous artists across what is now New York. Featuring over 60 original artworks from the NYSM Contemporary Indigenous Art Collection, this thematic exhibit focuses on the connections to lands, community, the natural world, ancestors, and histo... -
September 29, 2023 to April 28, 2024The Fidelity Medal: Treason at West Point delves into Major General Benedict Arnold’s betrayal of West Point during the American Revolution and British Major John André’s involvement in Arnold’s plot. Featured in the exhibit are important historical artifacts and information related to this aspect of the American Revolutionar...
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2022
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May 5, 2022 to December 31, 2022In 1846, New York State enacted a law requiring African American men to own $250 worth of property to vote. To circumvent this unjust law, radical abolitionist Gerrit Smith gave away 120,000 acres of land in Essex and Franklin Counties, New York, to 3,000 free Black men, thereby qualifying them to vote. Timbuctoo: Gerrit Smith’s Experiment pr... -
September 24, 2022 to March 26, 2023The New York State Museum is pleased to present a selection of recent acquisitions by four photographers: Irving Browning (1895–1961), Diana Mara Henry (b. 1948), Joel Meyerowitz (b. 1938), and Joseph Squillante (b. 1949). Browning captured New York City in the 1920s and 1930s; Henry is best known as a photojournalist document...
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2021
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June 1, 2021 to September 1, 2021The New York State Museum is pleased to announce a panel exhibition highlighting the 50-year history of the Pride Center of the Capital Region, the oldest continuously operating LGBTQ+ community center in the country. To commemorate the Pride Center’s anniversary in 2020, the New York State Museum partnered with the Center to collect oral histor... -
September 9, 2021 to August 1, 2022This exhibition seeks to present the various viewpoints of the September 1971 Attica prison uprising and its aftermath. It will also discuss the wider impacts of the event and create a dialogue as to why this story is important fifty years later. The uprising, which left 43 people dead and hundreds wounded, played out against the backdrop of ... -
October 22, 2021 to April 1, 2023This 20-panel exhibition explores the visions and aspirations of courageous leaders and parents who have been seeking to educate Black children. It looks at the obstacles Black children have faced, the comparative nature of learning environments, and belated examples of educational success that have been established in New York City’s public sch... -
November 18, 2021 to March 30, 2025In choosing their wedding clothes, brides and grooms are influenced by fashion, economics, technology, religion, geography, celebrity, personal taste, and their role in society. This was as much the case in 19th and 20th centuries New York as it is today. Wedding clothing holds memories, and pieces—dresses, shoes, su...
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2020
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February 11, 2020 to March 1, 2020President Abraham Lincoln issued two emancipation proclamations—one on September 22, 1862, and another one hundred days later. In the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln declared that all slaves would be “forever” free on January 1, 1863, unless the Confederate states returned to the Union. Lincoln followed through with his promise, a... -
February 15, 2020 to November 30, 2020Tonalism has long been considered a conservative approach to painting, often discussed as the antithesis to Impressionism. But recent publications have begun to reconsider this late 19th-century movement as innovative in its approach to representation both conceptually and as realized, an approach that helped to lay the groundwork for Moder... -
March 4, 2020 to March 18, 2020CANstruction is an annual exhibit and design competition that connects talented architects, engineers, contractors, and students to imagine and create colossal structures built completely out of canned food items. This year, fourteen structures will be on display on the State Museum’s 4th Floor Terrace to raise awareness of food insecurity in ou... -
March 10, 2020 to April 26, 2020In honor of Women’s History Month and in recognition of the centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which ended the exclusion of voters on the basis of sex, the State Museum is proud to display three installations. -
June 13, 2020 to May 9, 2021The New York State Museum is excited to present a new outdoor experience that can be enjoyed while social distancing during our closure. From Madison Avenue, make your way to the Empire State Plaza and up the steps to the Museum Terrace. We’ve highlighted popular items from our 4th Floor Gallery, along with new objects from our collections that ... -
November 10, 2020 to December 31, 2025In 1956 Thomas Hart Benton was commissioned by Robert Moses, chairman of the New York Power Authority, to create two murals for the powerhouse building of the state’s first hydropower facility in Massena. They feature Jacques Cartier’s explorations of the St. Lawrence River and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Alternately titled The Seneca Discove...
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2019
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February 5, 2019 to April 28, 2019Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow details the national story of the struggle for black equality after the end of slavery and through the Jim Crow era. This poster exhibition created by the New-York Historical Society Museum and Library will be on view in the State Museum’s main lobby through April 28. In addition, artifacts from the State... -
December 23, 2019 to December 31, 2025When Henry DiSpirito (1898–1995) emigrated from Italy in 1921 he was already a trained stonemason and bricklayer. In Utica, New York, he found work in those trades but longed to devote his life to art. He found his calling in the direct-carving style of sculpture. Most of his subjects were animals or human figures, rendered in fieldstone or wood...
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2018
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April 28, 2018 to September 23, 2018The Erie Canal, the foremost engineering marvel of the 19th century, sparked the imagination of artists in America and abroad. This companion exhibition to Enterprising Waters: New York’s Erie Canal looks at the art inspired by the canal, and the opportunities it afforded artists, both trained and untrained, working in a variety of media—such as... -
July 16, 2018 to December 30, 2018On June 20, 2018, a pipe tomahawk stolen from the New York State Museum nearly 70 years ago was returned by an anonymous donor. This tomahawk has particular significance—at one of several meetings between the U.S. and Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) leaders in the years 1792–1794, President George Washington gifted it to Gy-ant-waka, or Cornplanter,... -
November 6, 2018 to February 26, 2020In celebration of New York State History Month and in commemoration of the 101st anniversary of women's suffrage in New York State, the Museum is proud to display a model of a statue honoring Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. The statue will be unveiled in New York City's Central Park in 2020—the first statue in the park to honor a wo... -
November 10, 2018 to December 31, 2019Long before the famous music festival in 1969, Woodstock, New York, was home to what is considered America’s first intentionally created, year-round arts colony—founded in 1902 and still thriving over 100 years later. Collecting the remarkable range of work produced there has been Arthur A. Anderson’s focus for three decades, resulting in the la...
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2017
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February 24, 2017 to February 26, 2017The votes are in! Visit the State Museum February 24 – 26, 2017 to see what objects are on display for the first exhibition at the museum curated by children across the state! Throughout November, children voted for their favorite artifacts and specimens in the Museum’s collections to go on display at the first Kids Curate exhibition. The ... -
April 15, 2017 to June 17, 2018As the nation commemorates the centennial of American participation in World War I, A Spirit of Sacrifice examines how New York State and its citizens played a critical role in the United States’ efforts during the war, and discusses its significance to understanding history today. Both on the battlefield and on the home front, through industria... -
September 16, 2017 to July 31, 2020The Erie Canal directed the course of New York and American history. When it opened in 1825, this “boldest and biggest American engineering project of its century” unlocked the Western interior for trade and settlement. Boomtowns sprang up along the canal’s path and New York City, with its deep harbor connecting to the Hudson River, grew to be t... -
November 4, 2017 to May 13, 2018The New York State Education Department and the Office of Cultural Education present this large-scale exhibition and companion catalog titled, Votes for Women: Celebrating New York’s Suffrage Centennial, at the New York State Museum between November 4, 2017 and May 13, 2018. Votes for Women celebrates the centennial of women’s suffrage ...
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2016
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March 16, 2016 to March 30, 2016CANstruction helps feed those in need throughout the Capital Region by inviting the design and construction industry to give back to the communities they help build. Regional design teams have joined forces with The Food Pantries for the Capital District to fight hunger by creating playful sculptures made entirely out of canned goods. Fifteen te... -
April 9, 2016 to July 17, 2016At the turn of the twentieth century, works of art depicting majestic landscapes, Native Americans, cowboys and cavalry, and animals of the Western plains and mountains were collected eagerly. Through bronze sculptures, paintings, and works on paper, the exhibition Imaging the American West explores the popularity of artworks with American Weste... -
June 4, 2016 to October 23, 2016The Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition presents artwork selected by a panel of jurors from the fall 2015 and the spring 2016 student art exhibitions at the State University Plaza in downtown Albany over the past academic year. The works on exhibit at the New York State Museum represent the wide range of media being studied by art students ... -
August 20, 2016 to December 31, 2017This photography and architecture exhibition is based on the work of Robert Yasinsac and Thomas Rinaldi. Their 2006 book, Hudson Valley Ruins: Forgotten Landmarks of an American Landscape, studies the region's forgotten cultural treasures. In addition to great river estates, the book profiles sites more meaningful to everyday life in the Va... -
October 22, 2016 to September 3, 2017The Empire State Plaza Art Collection has been heralded as one of the greatest collections of modern American art in any single public site. Beginning in 1965, Governor Nelson Rockefeller assembled a commission of art experts to select the works for the Plaza and personally signed off on each acquisition. The exhibition The People’s Art: Se... -
November 7, 2016 to November 28, 2016New York’s first constitution (1777) and the United States constitution (1787) established stable governments after the turmoil of the American Revolution. Though Great Britain had no written constitution, its political system profoundly influenced the American constitutions. New Yorkers Alexander Hamilton and John Jay argued forcefully for the ...
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2015
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June 1, 2015 to January 17, 2016In June 1965, the cornerstone was laid for what would become The Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza. Marketed at the time as a “Design for the Future,” the Plaza exists today as an icon of 20th century Modernist architecture. This exhibit commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Empire State Plaza and tells the story of how the ce...
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June 1, 2015 to March 6, 2016Discover the lives of Shaker children in a fun, creative, hands-on learning experience for young visitors Explore Shaker innovation through their inventions and then design your own! Enjoy learning about the innovation, spirituality, education, and culture of the Shakers through an interactive experience for the whole family! Make sure to vis...
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October 24, 2015 to February 21, 2016The Coast & the Sea features more than fifty paintings ranging in date from 1750 to 1904 along with a medley of artifacts culled from the New-York Historical Society's collection of marine paintings and maritime artifacts. This exhibition offers audiences a rich trove of maritime works set in a meaningful historical and cultural narrati...
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2014
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April 19, 2014 to January 4, 2015Focus on Nature XIII features 91 natural and cultural history illustrations, representing the work of 71 illustrators from 15 different countries. The subjects represented are diverse, ranging from those only found in the artists’ home country to those that have a worldwide distribution. A special feature of FON XIII is a 3D illustration by Swis... -
May 31, 2014 to August 31, 2014The 2014 Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition presents artwork selected by a panel of jurors from the fall 2013 and the spring 2014 student art exhibitions. The Museum exhibition features a wide range of media used by the students. The traditional areas of drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, ceramics, and sculpture are enhanced by the ad...
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August 30, 2014 to March 30, 2015September 1st 2014 marked 100 years since Martha, the last Passenger Pigeon, died, and thus the extinction of Ectopistes migratorius. This event will be commemorated in the nation's museums as a way to address extinction, evolution, and the conservation of biodiversity. NYSM will exhibit Passenger Pigeon specimens, an egg, and skeletal materi... -
August 30, 2014 to August 30, 2015The Binghamton University collection, acquired in 2013, comprises roughly 100 cabinets containing several thousand specimens, the result of 60+ years of collecting in areas across New York state, Pennsylvania, Virgina, Belgium,and Canada. It is an important research collection as many of the fossil localities represented in the material are no l...
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September 11, 2014 to September 12, 2015The Family Room at One Liberty Plaza – World Trade Center Site includes personal remembrances, photographs, and tributes from the Family Room at the World Trade Center site. The Family Room was established as a private place for families to remember their loved ones killed in the 2001 attacks. Contents from the Family Room were transferred this ... -
October 18, 2014 to March 22, 2015New York painter Eugene Speicher (1883-1962) was one of the foremost American realists of his generation, closely associated with George Bellows, Robert Henri, Leon Kroll, and Rockwell Kent. Born in Buffalo, NY, Speicher first garnered national recognition in the 1910s for his incisive portraits of actors, artists, and friends, which were collec... -
November 15, 2014 to March 6, 2016The Shakers: America's Quiet Revolutionaries features over 150 historic images and nearly 200 Shaker artifacts, including artifacts from three Shaker historical sites: the Shaker Heritage Society, Hancock Shaker Village and the Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon. The 7,000 square foot exhibition explores the Shakers as one of the most significan... -
December 13, 2014 to July 3, 2016Despite centuries of outside influence, the Native People of New York State are culturally and governmentally distinct and today remain deeply proud of this designation. While language, values, ceremony, and physical territory unite and define these communities, their most accessible expressions are found in the fine and traditional arts. Rec...
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2013
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January 26, 2013 to May 19, 2013Gordon Parks: 100 Moments celebrates a photographer who transformed the visual story of America with his ever-questioning lens, highlighting—in particular—the significance of Parks’s photographs from the early 1940s. 100 Momentsfocuses on Parks’s photographic practice of documenting African Americans in Harlem and Washington, D.C.... -
February 16, 2013 to May 12, 2013This retrospective exhibition spans the 70-year career of artist Eugene Ludins, beginning with his residency at the Maverick colony in Woodstock in 1929. Ludins was a leading member of the Hudson Valley arts community, Ulster County Director of the Federal Arts Program of the WPA, and an avid baseball player. Dozens of paintings, drawings, sketc... -
March 28, 2013 to April 11, 2013Envision a world where design feeds much more than your imagination. In March of 2013, this vision will come to life with the 3rd Annual Capital Region Canstruction event as teams of architects, engineers, contractors and students come together to create whimsical and innovative structures using only canned goods. Visitors are ... -
March 30, 2013 to September 22, 2013Childhood sweethearts Doctor Tarbell and Mary Lucy Conant met one another at a very young age while attending school in Groton, Tompkins County. Their courtship, interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War, endured the hardships of separation familiar to many New Yorkers during the conflict. Following his release from a Confederate prison, Doct... -
May 4, 2013 to December 31, 2013Russel Wright: The Nature of Design explores the work and philosophy of renowned industrial designer Russel Wright, whose former home in the Hudson Valley—Manitoga—is now a national historic landmark. The exhibition focuses on one of Wright's most pervasive preoccupations, which also has much relevance today: the relationship of humankind w... -
June 1, 2013 to September 1, 2013Coinciding with the Annual Capital District All-American Soap Box Derby, this exhibition features two prized derby cars. The first, designed by Richard F. Russell, was built and raced in 1949 in Schenectady, New York. The second, a modern Stock car built from a standardized kit, was raced by Taylor Van Denburg in last year’s ... -
June 15, 2013 to September 15, 2013The 2013 Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibitionpresents artwork selected by a panel of jurors from the fall 2012 and the spring 2013 student art exhibitions. The Museum exhibition features a wide range of media used by the students. The traditional areas of drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, ceramics, and sculpture are enhanced by th... -
September 10, 2013 to December 31, 2013On September 11, 2001, six firefighters from the FDNY Engine 6 Company were dispatched to the World Trade Center where they hooked the Engine 6 Pumper into a Trade Center standpipe on West Street. Four men from the Company— Lieutenant Thomas O’Hagan, Firefighter Paul Beyer, Firefighter William Johnston, and Firefighter Thomas Holohan—were kille... -
November 2, 2013 to February 23, 2014Weather Event focuses on Charles E. Burchfield’s depictions of the weather south of Lake Erie, where the artist lived for most of his life. Individual weather events are examined through both an artistic and scientific lens. Burchfield's representations of weather, wind, skies and sounds are unique historical records of the environ... -
November 9, 2013 to June 21, 2014Sanford Gifford's Civil War chronicles the wartime experience of New York State native and renowned Hudson River School painter, Sanford Robinson Gifford, who served during the war with the 7th Regiment, New York State Militia. The exhibit will feature three of Gifford’s paintings from the collection of the New York State Military Museum in... -
November 16, 2013 to June 27, 2014Since 1969, the decorative and fine arts collections of the New York State Museum have been enhanced by generous donations from the Wunsch Americana Foundation Inc. under the direction of Eric Martin Wunsch. The Wunsch Collection consists of over 700 pieces of furniture, paintings, silver, ceramics, and folk art crafted primarily between 1700 ... -
December 12, 2013 to June 29, 201460 from the 60s features 60 prints from the 1960s by 10 of the most significant photographers of that eventful decade, offering a dynamic look at photography of the era. Many of the photographers were just beginning to create a name for themselves in the 1960s, and some were established artists in the midst of successful careers. The exhibi...
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2012
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January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012To commemorate the Bicentennial of the War of 1812, the New York State Museum, Archives, and Library present this web feature exhibition in coordination with museums, historic sites, re-enactors and other partner organizations across the state and in Canada.
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March 1, 2012 to March 20, 2012In Gilboa, NY, scientists have been finding fossil Eospermatopteris tree stump casts for over 150 years. As new material has come to light interpretation of this early forest has changed. The March 1, 2012 issue of the scientific journal, Nature, explores the history of this varied and complex forest ecosystem as it was revealed during a two-wee... -
April 28, 2012 to December 31, 2012Focus on Nature XII is a juried exhibition of natural and cultural history illustration that features artwork from around the world. Artists depict biological, geological, and archeological subjects using a wide range of media, from traditional watercolor to recently developed digital techniques. The basis for selection of these works is scienti... -
May 2, 2012 to June 1, 2012Genetic Studies on the Carolina Parakeet Reveals Evolutionary Origins The Carolina Parakeet became extinct before any systematic study of its ecology or evolution was undertaken. New insights concerning the natural history of extinct species can come from only two sources: studies of related species, and the study of museum specimens. New Y... -
June 2, 2012 to September 3, 2012The 2012 Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition presents artwork selected by a panel of jurors from the fall 2011 and the spring 2012 student art exhibitions. The Museum exhibition features a wide range of media used by the students. The traditional areas of drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, ceramics, and sculpture are enhanced by the ... -
June 29, 2012 to February 24, 2013Our 21st-century appreciation of the Adirondacks is certainly derived from this area’s obvious natural beauty. That perception has also been influenced by the descriptions and practices of the many 19th-century tourists who came to visit the landscape. Seneca Ray Stoddard was a leading figure in inspiring people, through his photogra... -
September 22, 2012 to March 23, 2014The pivotal role New York State played in the war is the focus of this 7,000-square-foot exhibition. As the wealthiest and most populous state, the Empire State led all others in supplying men, money, and materiel to the causes of unity and freedom. New York’s experience provides significant insight into the reasons why the war was fought and th... -
October 19, 2012 to January 20, 2013During the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt promised a "new deal for the American people," initiating government programs to foster economic recovery. Roosevelt's pledge to help "the forgotten man" also embraced America's artists. The Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) enlisted artists to capture "the American Scene" in work... -
October 24, 2012 to February 24, 2013Shortly after the Confederates bombarded Fort Sumter, South Carolina, in April 1861, James Jackson hoisted an extremely large Confederate national flag onto a 40-foot-tall flagpole atop his hotel, the Marshall House, in Alexandria, Virginia. On May 24, 1861, Federal forces, including Colonel Elmer Ellsworth and the 11th New York Volunteers, ente... -
December 19, 2012 to February 10, 2013This exhibition features fragments of moon rock brought back to Earth by Apollo 17. When Apollo 17 returned from the moon on December 19, 1972 it made the record books for several reasons. It was the last and longest manned lunar mission and brought back the largest amount of moon samples. The mission was manned by Eugene A. Cernan, Ronald E. Ev...
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2011
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July 15, 2011 to April 30, 2012The New York State Museum traces its origins to an 1836 survey of the state’s geology, plants, and animals. To celebrate 175 years of adding to the scientific and historical knowledge of New York, the State Museum presents an exhibition that showcases many of its important collections in anthropology, history, and natural science. The exhib... -
September 9, 2011 to April 28, 2012Before the Fall: Remembering the World Trade Center Beginning in 1997, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) sponsored artist residencies at the World Trade Center. The exhibition includes works by artists who were part of the LMCC’s residency programs from 1997 through September 10, 2001, including works that were recreated aft... -
October 8, 2011 to October 15, 2011The Artists' I explores the essence of all things creative that an artist draws upon. Whether the artist is inspired by beauty, a place in time or a particular story, the “I” is the movement of energy that flows from the artist to his or her work. The exhibition includes paintings, drawings, photographs, quilts, textiles and mixed media. Organi... -
October 15, 2011 to March 31, 2012Since the early years of photography, African Americans appeared in front of and behind the camera. In some images, they were the loving focus of the picture. In others, the photographer scarcely recognizes their humanity. This range of images allows us to perceive how African Americans were seen by others, and how they wished to be seen. They... -
November 11, 2011 to February 26, 2012Marking Time: Voyage to Vietnam offers insight into the thoughts and feelings of young Americans going to war during the 1960s, a turbulent time in our nation’s history. This unique, multidimensional exhibit features a complete eight-man berthing unit recovered from the troopship General Nelson M. Walker, which transported thousands of America...
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In the Field: Albany Pine Bush Summer Series - Moth Mania
- Off-Site
New York by Sea Gallery Tour
- New York Metropolis Hall
Fashion and Faith: Hats of the Great Migration Gallery Talk with Dr. Jennifer Lemak
- West Corridor
Journey Through Time: Cohoes Mastodon Gallery Tour
- South Lobby
Your Museum, Your Voice: Help Shape the Future of the New York State Museum
- Museum Lobby
In the Field: Albany Pine Bush Summer Series - M.A.P.S. Bird Banding
- Off-Site
Past Program Video Library
Never miss a moment of NYSM virtual programming! Access our most recent lecturs, guided tours, collection highlights, and educational programs for all ages.
Interning with the New York State Museum
An Internship at the State Museum encourages participants to take an active role through hands-on learning opportunities throughout research and collections, education, public programs and administration offices. Internships exist in a wide variety of specialized departments throughout the museum providing exciting educational opportunities that not only provides personal and professional growth to participants but is a valued resource for the museum itself enlisting talented motivated individuals. Museum internships are unpaid, may be part-time or full-time, and set up to accommodate any semester throughout the year. A typical internship lasts 6-12 weeks, but can be shorter or longer, depending on the school requirements and the organizational needs.
Internships should be pre-planned well in advance to allow time for the application process, interviews and to complete necessary agency/educational institutional agreements provided by the educational institution.
Intern's Supervisor
Each intern will be assigned a supervisor within their accepted internship program placement.
The Assignment (description of job)
A variety of specialized skills are required to run any museum. While specific projects fluctuate with the institution's needs and priorities, a diverse assortment of opportunities are generally available. Positions are typically project-oriented within a specific department. Examples are noted here of the types of placement opportunities the NYS Museum offers.
Internship Opportunities
Museum Program Internships - Summer 2026
Interns will support the Program team by assisting museum staff to help coordinate, project plan, and support programs and activities related to history and natural science for visitors.
For questions, please contact nysmvolunteer@nysed.gov.
Research & Collections Internships
Research and Collections interns engage in term-based placements with learning objectives and professional development. Depending on placement, interns may assist with lab or research support, storage and conservation projects, photography or 3D scanning, or work directly with objects, specimens, and archival materials.
For questions, please contact nysmvolunteer@nysed.gov.
Available Opportunities
Museum Club - After School Program
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The Museum Club is an award-winning, nationally recognized educational enrichment program designed to serve youth, ages 8-13, in partnership with the Albany City School District. Students participate in hands-on learning and activities that connect Museum exhibits to curriculum, current events, and social issues. Volunteers may assist with a variety of tasks, including:
- Assist students with homework, reading, and skill-building.
- Support students with hands-on projects and creative activities.
- Help with program logistics, including support with multi-disciplinary, interactive projects guide by Museum staff
- Ensure a positive, safe, and engaging experience for all students.
Volunteer Eligibility & Placement:
- Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older.
- Previous experience or enjoy working with children ages 8–13
- Have an interest or background in education, social work, psychology, sociology, or related fields
- Are reliable, enthusiastic, and able to engage students in positive, hands-on learning experiences
- Can collaborate with Museum staff, other volunteers, and interns to support program logistics
- Are committed to creating a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment for all students
- Program Hours: Monday - Friday, 2:30PM - 5:00PM (Flexible shifts available)
For more information, please contact nysmvolunteer@nysed.gov.
Museum Programs
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Museum Programs offer events and activities that engage visitors of all ages with the Museum’s exhibitions, collections, and research. Volunteers support these programs by supporting with activities and crafts, assisting at educational tables and demonstrations, and ensuring a smooth and engaging visitor experience.
Some of areas Volunteers may assist with include:
- Activity & Crafts: Activity Volunteers engage children and families in themed crafts, games, or science-based activities. They help spark curiosity and creativity while ensuring safe and enjoyable participation.
- Event Support: Event Support Volunteers help ensure each program runs smoothly by assisting with setup, visitor flow, and general logistics. They create a welcoming environment and provide information to guests throughout the day.
Volunteer Opportunities - December 2025
There are three dates where we anticipate needing extra hands for crafts and activities. Shifts are generally 2–4 hours, and volunteer support may include assisting with activity tables, helping with setup, guiding families, and supporting visitor flow:
- Saturday, December 20, The Muppet Christmas Carol Holiday Screening & Family Activities
- Sunday, December 21, A Visit from St. Nicholas: A Holiday Reading and Historic Treasure
- Wednesday, December 31, New Year’s Midday Celebration
For more information, please contact nysmvolunteer@nysed.gov.
Research and Collections - Placement as Needed
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Volunteers support many different teams across Research and Collections. Tasks may include cataloging, inventory, specimen care, database entry, lab or field support, photography or 3D scanning, and rehousing collections. Some activities require specific skills or training, and staff will provide guidance as appropriate.
Volunteer Eligibility & Placement:
- Volunteer must be 18 years of age or older.
- Placement depends on departmental needs and may vary each quarter. A resume may be requested depending on the department.
- As part of the application process, all Volunteers will complete a reference check.
For more information, please contact nysmvolunteer@nysed.gov.
Volunteer Benefits
- On The Job Training
- Rewarding Work
- Learning Opportunities
- New Experiences
- Meet People with Common Interests
- Personal Satisfaction
- Special Volunteer Benefits and Discounts
NYSM Record
The New York State Museum Record is a peer-reviewed, open-access series published on an occasional basis by The University of the State of New York/The State Education Department. The Record publishes original volumes in the fields of archaeology, biology, ethnology, ethnography, geology, history, and paleontology. Sole- and multiple-authored monographs and compiled volumes are appropriate for the series.
Atlas of Inland Fishes of New York
Weebermobile: Christian F. Weeber, Jr. Inventor, Entrepreneur, and Manufacturer
BEYOND MANHATTAN: A Gazetteer of Delaware Indian History Reflected in Modern-Day Place Names.
Daniel and Floyd Hungerford: Rocket Power, Interstellar Travel and Eternal Life
Mineral Industry of the State of New York 2007–2010
Current Research in New York Archaeology: A.D. 700–1300
Preserving Tradition and Understanding the Past: Papers from the Conference on Iroquois Research, 2001–2005
Museum Memoir
Volume 27
Geoffrey N. Stein
2001
Publications in the Record series and Museum Memoir are copyrighted by the New York State Education Department. Use of the Record and/or Memoir is governed by the general principles of open-access publishing as stated in the Creative Commons Attribution License and Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishing, and by the New York State Education Department's Terms of Use. Users may download, print, archive, distribute, and extract all volume contents for non-commercial purposes with appropriate attribution given to the authors and source. All volumes in the Record series and Museum Memoir are assigned a Persistent Uniform Resource Locator (purl) and permanently deposited with the New York State Library. Potential contributors should request a prospectus form by contacting john.hart@nysed.gov. The submitted prospectus will be reviewed by the New York State Museum's publications committee for the appropriateness of the proposed volume. If deemed potentially suitable for the series, an electronic copy of the manuscript will be requested. The manuscript will be reviewed by internal and external experts selected by the State Museum. Based on the results of the review, the State Museum will make a final decision on the manuscript's appropriateness for publication in the Record series. The volume authors/editors will be notified as soon as possible regarding acceptance (with or without revision) or rejection.
NYSM Bulletins
Published by The University of the State of New York/The State Education Department from 1887 through 2010, the New York State Museum Bulletin was the Museum’s flagship, peer-reviewed publication series. Bulletins presented the results of original research in archaeology, biology, ethnology, geology, history, and paleontology by Museum staff and scientists and historians from other organizations. The series included monographs and compiled volumes.
Since 2010 the Museum has changed its primary publication standard to its open-access, electronic series including the New York State Museum Record and Cultural Resource Survey Program series.
Most of the Museum’s Bulletins are now available freely on-line as scans of the original documents via the New York State Library’s on-line catalog. Clicking on the title will take you to the Bulletins catalog which allows downloading of the Bulletin’s scan. Some of the more recent Bulletins are available as pdfs made from the original electronic files. Clicking on those titles will initiate the download.
Use of Bulletin content is governed by the New York State Education Department’s Terms of Use. Permission to reproduce images from Bulletins can by requested here.
Bulletins
Volunteer-Intern
Research and Collections - Placement as Needed
Volunteers support many different teams across Research and Collections. Tasks may include cataloging, inventory, specimen care, database entry, lab or field support, photography or 3D scanning, and rehousing collections. Some activities require specific skills or training, and staff will provide guidance as appropriate.
Volunteer Eligibility & Placement:
- Volunteer must be 18 years of age or older.
- Placement depends on departmental needs and may vary each quarter. A resume may be requested depending on the department.
- As part of the application process, all Volunteers will complete a reference check.
For more information, please contact nysmvolunteer@nysed.gov.
Research & Collections Internships
Research and Collections interns engage in term-based placements with learning objectives and professional development. Depending on placement, interns may assist with lab or research support, storage and conservation projects, photography or 3D scanning, or work directly with objects, specimens, and archival materials.
For questions, please contact nysmvolunteer@nysed.gov.
Apply Now
Contact Volunteer Services
Call the Office of Volunteer Services at (518) 402-5869 for further information today.
Staff Contact
Staff Contact
Dr. Gwendolyn Saul
I am an ethnographer and cultural anthropologist interested in creative and innovative ways to implement critical Indigenous theory into museum spaces and practices.
Museum Publications
A critical component of scientific and historical inquiry is publication of research results. The New York State Museum has published research results since its origination as the New York State Geological and Natural History Survey in 1836. Three of our series are currently available free on-line. Individual volumes of the New York State Museum Bulletin, Record, and Cultural Resources Survey series can be accessed for downloads as pdf files by clicking on the links below. A complete listing of Museum staff publications in journals, books, magazines and other outlets can be accessed by clicking on the Staff Publications link. Many of these publications can be accessed on by clicking on DOI or URL, which link to publishers' websites, or by clicking on Google Scholar, which provides links to copies when available.
Education Leaflets
New York State Museum Education Leaflets are published on an occasional basis by The University of the State of New York/The State Education Department. Education Leaflets provide information to teachers, students, and the general public on topics related to the Museum’s collections and research in the fields of archaeology, biology, ethnology, ethnography, geology, history, and paleontology. Education Leaflets are written by Museum scientists, historians, and/or educators based on contemporary research on New York’s natural and cultural histories. Publications in the Education Leaflet series are copyrighted by the New York State Education Department. Current Education Leaflets are published in electronic form. Use of Education Leaflets is governed by the general principles of open-access publishing as stated in the Creative Commons Attribution License and Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishing, and by the New York State Education Department's Terms of Use. Users may download, print, archive, distribute, and extract all volume contents for non-commercial purposes with appropriate attribution given to the authors and source. All volumes in the Education Leaflet series are assigned a Persistent Uniform Resource Locator (purl) and permanently deposited with the New York State Library.
Volume 28 - Second Edition
Geology of New York, A Simplified Account(PDF)
Y.W. Isachsen, E. Landing, I.M. Lauber, L.V. Rickard, and W.B. Rogers, editors Second Edition
2000
Volume 28 - First Edition
Geology of New York, A Simplified Account (PDF)
Y.W. Isachsen, E. Landing, J.M. Lauber, L.V. Rickard, and W.B. Rogers, editors
1991
Native American Heritage Month
Celebrate and honor the cultural heritage, diverse histories, and continuing contributions of Native People during Native American Heritage Month (and every month) at the New York State Museum.
We invite you to explore special virtual programming, educational materials, and additional resources below.
Highlights from the Collections
Contemporary Indigenous Art Collection
These artworks are a sampling of some of the pieces found in the NYSM Collection of Contemporary Indigenous Art. The collection includes over 150 artworks by established and emerging Indigenous artists.
Jamie Jacobs (Tonawanda Seneca)
Untitled, quilled leather pouch, 2017
Smoke tanned leather, dyed and natural quills, glass seed beads, dyed white tailed deer hair, metal tinkler cones
NYSM Collection E-2018.29.1
Courtney Leonard (Shinnecock)
Matcik Way, 2005
Coiled, glazed ceramic
NYSM Collection E-2009.02
Peter Jones (Onondaga)
Winter’s Stories, 1996
Wolf Clan Singer, 1999–2000
Stoneware
NYSM Collection E-A96.1.23 and E-2000.10.01
Angela Doxtater, Six Nations Mohawk
Cornhusk moccasins
NYSM Collection E-2022.01A-B
Shelley Niro (Mohawk, Six Nations)
Surrender Nothing Always, 2004
Photograph on canvas
NYSM Collection E-2017.62
Niio Perkins and Isabella Thompson, Akwesasne Mohawk
“She/Her”
NYSM Collection E-2019.05.1-4
Tohanash Tarrant, Shinnecock/Hopi/Ho-Chunk
Beaded graduation mortar board
NYSM Collection E-2019.22.01 A
Tohanash Tarrant, Shinnecock/Hopi/Ho-Chunk
Beaded medallion
NYSM Collection E-2019.22.02
Angela Doxtater, Six Nations Mohawk
The Most Beautiful Woman in the Village
Cornhusk dolls, beadwork
NYSM Collection E-2022.02
Leah Shenandoah (Oneida, NY/Haudenosaunee)
“Bourgeoisie Turquoise Iroquois”, 2019
Resin, gold leaf, mixed metals and stones, metal chain
NYSM Collection E-2019.12.1
Brenda Hill (Tuscarora, Choctaw)
Wampum pot from Honor Our Strings series, 2018
Porcelain, Quahog shell beads
NYSM Collection E-2018.11
Misti Moede (Stockbridge Munsee Mohican)
Untitled, Many Trails symbol in paper, 2023
Paper
NYSM E-2024.09.3
Samuel Thomas (Lower Band of Cayuga, Six Nations)
Untitled, beaded cushion with Calla Lillies, 2006
Velvet, glass beads
NYSM E-2020.04.1
Stanley Hill Sr. (Mohawk, Akwesasne)
Untitled, Loon Comb, 1991
Moose antler, walnut wood base
NYSM Collection E-2019.10
Bruce Boots (Akwesasne Mohawk)
The Creation of the Iroquois Confederacy, 2016
Acrylic on canvas
NYSM Collection E-2017.61
Native American Archaeology
These images show examples of indigenous archaeological objects curated at the New York State Museum. Numbering over 2 million specimens, these collections document this long indigenous presence in the New York region, beginning nearly 13,000 years ago in the Ice Age.
Stemmed projectile point and oyster shell (A2020.10)
George's Island site, Westchester County, circa 6600-5500 years before present.
Ground stone gorgets, used for personal adornment, circa 3300-500 years before present.
A: A2008.13B.99.7 (Bronx County)
B: A32591 (Onondaga County)
C: A28546 (Ontario County)
D: A31719 (Onondaga County)
E: A28396 (Ontario County)
F: A4255 (Chautauqua County)
Flaked stone projectile points (A2019,02.1), Columbia County
McVaugh Collection, circa 9000-1000 years before present.
Paleoindian flaked stone artifacts, Beardsley/Clymer Collection, OPS site, Madison County, circa 12,000 years before present.
A: Crowfield fluted point with tip damage (A2019.08B.169.1)
B: Endscraper (A2019.08B.166.1)
C: Hafted perforator (A2019.08B.197.1)
D: Flake graver (A2019.08B.171.1)
E: Side scraper (A2019.08B.163.1)
Paleoindian fluted point (A44042.4/13), West Athens Hill site, Greene County, circa 12,800 years before present.
Artist's concept, hafting fluted point as stone tip for hunting weaponry, circa 12,800 years before present.
Join Historian Pedro Regalado at the New York State Museum’s History Month Programming Lecture Series
October is New York State History Month
The New York State Museum is pleased to announce esteemed author, historian, and assistant professor Pedro Regalado as a special-lecture-series presenter on Thursday, October 20, 2022. As part of the museum’s New York State History Month, this event will explore New York City’s Latinx small business owners by focusing on the topic, The Bodega: Place, Urban Redevelopment, and Political Power in Postwar New York.
This lecture will revisit the history of Gotham’s Latinx storefronts, in particular bodegas, during the 1950s and beyond to investigate how they helped to shape the community and culture of New York. This in-person only event is free and open to the public. Media are invited to attend.
Pedro A. Regalado is an assistant professor of history at Stanford University where he researches the history of race, immigration, planning, and capitalism in urban America. His first book, Nueva York: Making the Modern City, traces the history of New York City’s Latinx residents throughout the twentieth century. It demonstrates how Gotham’s ability to fulfill its pluralistic, democratic promise increasingly depended on Latinx presence, work, and popular reception. Regalado has been awarded the Michael Katz Award for Best Dissertation from the Urban History Association. He was also a finalist for the Ralph Henry Gabriel Prize for Best Dissertation from the American Studies Association. His work has been featured in the Journal of Urban History, Boston Review, Washington Post, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. Born in the Dominican Republic, he was raised in New York City’s Washington Heights.
WHAT:
Historian Pedro Regalado at the New York State Museum’s History Month Programming Lecture Series
WHEN:
Thursday, October 20, 2022
TIME:
7:00 P.M
WHERE:
Huxley Theatre
New York State Museum Cultural Education Center
222 Madison Avenue, Albany, New York, 12230
-30-
(518) 474-1201
Transporting Grains on the Erie Canal
On October 26, 1825, the Erie Canal officially opened from Albany to Buffalo. The canal was an immediate success: shipping costs plummeted, and new services and goods became widely available. Cheap, reliable transportation opened new markets to farmers and businessmen, creating a commercial windfall from New York City to Buffalo.
Like today, grains formed the base of many of the foods people ate in the nineteenth century. The canal was a cheap and reliable way to transport grains to feed the growing American population. The growing population also needed lumber for fuel and to construct buildings, ships, and wagons.
As a result, wheat, flour, and lumber accounted for the most tonnage on the canal for the entire nineteenth century. To demonstrate the boon, between 1815 and 1825 the cost of shipping wheat from Buffalo to New York City dropped from roughly $100 to $10 per ton.
Pictured here are 19th-century harvesting tools from the NYSM collections.
19th-century grain cradle or cradle scythe
A farmer could harvest about two acres of wheat a day with this grain cradle.
NYSM H-1968.36.1
19th-century barley fork
The importance of barley as a crop increased in New York after the opening of the canal. Barley forks, like this one, were used to harvest the grain which was used as animal feed and as a main ingredient in malt beverages, especially beer, which was a growing industry in New York State.
NYSM H-1919.3.1
For more on the canal, see our recently published book, “Enterprising Waters: The History and Art of New York’s Erie Canal”
https://www.sunypress.edu/p-6857-enterprising-waters.aspx
Join Historian Dr. Robert Chiles and Curator of Sports Stephen Loughman for a Discussion About Sports and Identity Politics
NY Yankees-Related Artifacts on Display, Including Signed Babe Ruth Baseball
A senior lecturer and historian, Robert Chiles, and Curator of Sports, Stephen Loughman, will hold a special lecture, Babe Ruth Gets Political: Sports and Identity Politics in the Roaring Twenties, on Thursday, November 17, 2022, at the New York State Museum.
Dr. Chiles’ lecture will take an in-depth look at how the Roaring Twenties had an impact on sports celebrities in American culture, and the role of identity in American politics with an emphasis on Babe Ruth and his support for New York State Governor Al Smith’s 1928 run for president. The event will also include a short presentation about the history of Babe Ruth and the “House that Ruth Built” from Stephen Loughman, Curator of Sports, at the New York State Museum. He will discuss New York Yankees-related artifacts in the Museum’s collection, including a recently donated Babe Ruth signed baseball.
This in-person event is free and open to the public. Media are invited to attend.
As a senior lecturer at the University of Maryland, Dr. Robert Chiles teaches an array of courses. Dr. Chiles became a Research Associate in History with the New York State Museum in 2021. He is co-editor of New York History, a member of the editorial board of The Hudson River Valley Review, and the host of "Empire State Engagements." He has written numerous pieces on New York State history, including in his first book, The Revolution of '28: Al Smith, American Progressivism, and the Coming of the New Deal, which was published in 2018 by Cornell University Press, as well as in articles for Environmental History, the Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, New York History, and op-eds for Newsday, the New York Daily News, and the Albany Times Union.
Stephen Loughman is the Curator of Sports at the New York State Museum. He has presented several times on New York State sports history and is working to build the Museum’s sports collections.
WHAT: Special Lecture About Sports and Identity Politics
WHO: Senior Lecturer and Historian Robert Chile and Curator of Sports Stephen Loughman
TIME: 7:00 PM
WHERE: Huxley Theatre, New York State Museum Cultural Education Center
222 Madison Avenue
Albany, New York, 12230
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Phone: (518) 474-1201
New York State Museum Opens Exhibition: “The Fidelity Medal: Treason at West Point” on September 29
Rare Fidelity Medal, the Great Chain Links, and Images of the André Papers from the Revolutionary Era on Display
The New York State Museum will open The Fidelity Medal: Treason at West Point Exhibition on Friday, September 29, State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa announced today. On display through December 2023, the exhibition will feature important historical artifacts and information related to the American Revolutionary War, including the rare Fidelity Medallion, the first military medal authorized by the United States Congress; three links from the Great Chain, which was once part of a chain boom constructed across the Hudson River at West Point created to prevent British ships from sailing north from New York City; and papers found on British Army Major André when he was captured.
Board of Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. said, “This new exhibition with artifacts from our rich history as New Yorkers reminds us that our liberty is a result of those who chose bravery and allegiance over fear and treachery. These ideals continue to inspire us all to cherish the hard-won freedoms we enjoy today.”
State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said, “The significance of receiving and displaying artifacts from the American Revolutionary War cannot be overstated. Having such treasured relics from such a pivotal chapter in our nation’s journey to freedom helps us all to make an instant connection between the past and the present. I hope that this new exhibition helps Museum visitors to appreciate how our state history correlates to the broader history of our country.”
Deputy Commissioner of Cultural Education Mark Schaming said, “The gift of this precious medal is even more significant because the New York State Archives holds the papers created by Major General Benedict Arnold during the Revolutionary War that supplied information to the British Army concerning the conditions, personnel, and American fortifications at West Point, New York. These papers were found in the boot of British spy Major John Andre by Isaac Van Wart and two other men.”
The Fidelity Medallion on display at the New York State Museum was awarded to Isaac Van Wart, a militiaman from Westchester County. Van Wart was born in 1750 and died After his death, the medallion remained in the custody of Van Wart’s family until 2023, when it was bequeathed to the historical collections at the New York State Museum.
The Fidelity Medallion was created specifically for the three enlisted Westchester County militia men, Isaac Van Wart, John Paulding, and David Williams, who captured British Army Major John André on September 23, 1780, and it was never presented again. It can be considered the oldest decoration in the U.S. military, preceding by nearly two years the Badge of Military Merit—the precursor to the modern Purple Heart Medal. The two-sided medal has a Latin inscription, which translates as, “Love of Country Conquers,” on one side, and “Fidelity” on the other.
The three links on display were forged in 1778 at Sterling Iron Works in Warwick, Orange County, and remained in use until the end of the war in 1783. Each link measures approximately two feet in length and weighs between 140 and 180 pounds.
High-resolution photos of the Fidelity Medal, Great Chain links, and two of the papers found on British Army Major André are available here.
The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about events, other exhibitions, and programming can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.
Phone: (518) 474-1201