Join us at Common Roots Albany Outpost for an informal, engaging evening exploring the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution! Enjoy a drink while hearing from New York State Museum experts as they bring history to life. Dr. Michael Lucas, Curator of Historical Archaeology, will discuss the discovery of the World Trade Center Ship, a Revolutionary War-era vessel unearthed at Ground Zero. Aaron Noble, Senior Curator of Political and Military History, will highlight key objects from the Museum's collection, and Devin Lander, New York State Historian, will explore how the 250th commemoration connects the past to present-day events. It’s the perfect mix of history, conversation, and community!
This fun, interactive program is free to attend. Food and drink are not included but are available for individual purchase at the venue.
Location:
Common Roots Albany Outpost
19 Quackenbush Square
Albany, NY 12207
https://commonrootsbrewing.com/
Enjoy a day of hands-on learning at the New York State Museum on April 10 for Homeschool Day! Join scientists and educators for talks and activities about animal diversity and rich history in New York. Local community partners will be on hand to provide learning resources and contribute to understanding our local history.
Event Highlights
Gallery Tours:
- Tour Fire Engine Hall with Brad Utter
- Learn about the birds of New York and their habitats with Dr. Jeremy Kirchman
Open Classrooms:
- Learn about animal adaptations and do hands-on activities with the museum educators
Registration
Registration is encouraged and the first 40 individuals who register will receive reserved parking.
Please register here: https://forms.office.com/r/BZPbcY9Bbv
If you have any questions, call or email the Museum Group Registration Office:
(518) 474-5843
groupreg@nysed.gov
Community Partners:
- Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site
- Albany County Historical Association
- WMHT Public Media
- New York State Library Youth Services
- Talking Book and Braille Library
- Archives Partnership Trust
Join us for a special screening of Lumberjack Skypilot, a classic historical film that offers a nostalgic glimpse into the lives of lumberjacks in the Adirondacks and Tug Hill Plateau during the 1930s and 1940s. Filmed by Reverend Frank Reed, this captivating documentary captures the strength, resilience, and spirit of these hardworking men who shaped the region’s timber industry.
Join us for an opportunity to meet Devin Lander, New York’s 16th State Historian and Head of Museum Chartering. As the State Historian, Devin is dedicated to preserving and sharing New York's rich history. Stop by his table to learn about his role in shaping how we connect with and understand our past. As co-host of the award-winning podcast A New York Minute in History and co-editor of New York History, Devin brings history to life in exciting new ways. Whether you're a history enthusiast or just curious about the work of the State Historian, come have a conversation and discover how history is being made today!
Join us for a special screening of Journeys Through the Finger Lakes, an insightful exploration of the past and present of this iconic New York State region. Through captivating storytelling, this documentary delves into how the Finger Lakes were created and defined, examining the effects of its unique landscape and climate on local industry, agriculture, and community development. Discover the historical figures who shaped national issues in significant ways and learn about the individuals today who continue to cultivate the region's innovative and diverse cultural landscape. This film offers a deep dive into the heart of the Finger Lakes, celebrating its rich history and vibrant future.
Weather Event
Weather 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 environment near Lake Erie. In 1915, Burchfield made a series of sketches that show the changing weather and position of the sun over the course of several hours, which he called all-day sketches. Decades later, a 1950 journal entry recounts "The Day the Sun Disappeared over Western New York." In these unique instances and others the visitor experiences the landscape through Burchfield's eyes. This exhibition presents the dramatic and complex natural phenomenon chronicled in more than 50 years of Burchfield's writings, drawings and paintings.
"To me, the artist, interested chiefly in weather – all weather is beautiful, and full of power and emotion."
--Charles E. Burchfield, January 21, 1943
This Exhibition was organized by The Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY
Join us for a discussion on the legacy of Black farming in New York, exploring its historical significance and current challenges.
Dr. Michael Lucas, Curator of Historical Archaeology at the New York State Museum, will share his research the Powell homestead, which traces the journey of Thomas and Betty Powell, formerly enslaved individuals who purchased land in 1818 and built the largest African American-owned farm in the Albany area, their descendants maintaining ownership for 140 years while experiencing triumph, tragedy, success, and loss.
Christine Hutchinson, co-director of the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust, will then discuss the ongoing struggles and triumphs of Black farmers today, including issues of land access, food sovereignty, and community empowerment.
This event offers a unique opportunity to learn about the history and future of Black farming in New York. All are welcome to attend!
Dive into history with Dr. Daria Merwin, Co-Director of the Cultural Resource Survey Program. Naval battles and waterborne skirmishes were crucial in shaping the Revolutionary War in New York, where the powerful British Navy faced off against the resourceful Patriots. Many of these events have left behind hidden archaeological sites, offering fascinating glimpses into America's struggle for independence. Join Dr. Merwin as she uncovers New York's maritime history and reveals the untold stories beneath the surface.
Bring your favorite stuffed animal to the New York State Library for a fun overnight adventure! During Museum Storytime Adventures with the State Librarian, you can drop off your stuffie to participate in an exclusive after-hours tour of the Library, Museum, and Archives. Your stuffie will get checked in and have the chance to see special collections and meet junior archivist, Archie! Who knows what kind of mischief they'll get into?
Be sure to pick up your stuffie at the Museum on April 10 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm and follow along on the Library's social media channels to see all the excitement!
An Irrepressible Conflict: The Empire State in the Civil War
The 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 the meaning that the Civil War holds today. An Irrepressible Conflict will be open through September 22, 2013 in Exhibition Hall.
The exhibition includes objects from the collections of the State Museum, Library and Archives, as well as others from institutions across the state. Among the many significant objects are a Lincoln life mask from 1860, the earliest photograph of Frederick Douglass (a rare 8-by-10-inch daguerreotype image, courtesy of the Onondaga Historical Association) and the only known portrait of Dred Scott. Additional support for this exhibition is provided by RBC Wealth Management.
The exhibition’s title was inspired by an 1858 quote from then U.S. Senator William H. Seward, who also served as governor of New York (1839-42) and secretary of state (1861-69). Seward disagreed with those who believed that the prospect of war between the North and South was the work of “fanatical agitators.” He understood that the roots of conflict went far deeper, writing, “It is an irrepressible conflict, between opposing and enduring forces.”
Online Feature
Russel Wright: The Nature of Design
Russel 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 with the natural world. While examining Wright's entire career from the 1920s through the 1970s, this exhibition will focus on his work between 1945 and 1968, when Wright increasingly designed in experimental and innovative ways. This exhibition is organized by the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, SUNY New Paltz.
Unearthing Ceramic Technology and Pottery Traditions at the Mohawk Garoga Site
The Haudenosaunee (meaning “People of the Longhouse” or Iroquois) are famous for their pottery. In the 16th century, they produced thin walled, finely tempered pots of various sizes with well-defined collars decorated with incised geometric patterns. In every village, the Haudenosaunee used pots for cooking and storage, and skilled potters routinely produced pots of exceptional quality. Archaeological excavations at these ancient villages have recovered thousands of pottery sherd fragments.
One such example of a Haudenosaunee village is Garoga, a Kanien’keha:ka (meaning “People of the Flint” or Mohawk) village site situated on a steep-sided hilltop in Fulton County, and radiocarbon dated to circa 1550-1582 A.D. Excavations by the New York State Museum (NYSM) in the 1960s revealed a palisaded village with 13 longhouses and recovered thousands of pottery sherds and unexpectedly, 43 raw, unfired clay nodules that were likely intended for use in creating pottery. While pottery from the Garoga site has been described, these clay nodules have received little attention. In a recent re-examination of the Garoga site collection, we realized that complementary study of both the pottery sherds and clay nodules could lead to new insights into ancient pottery manufacture at Garoga and its roles in the lives of the Kanien’keha:ka (Mohawk) inhabitants.
This collaborative study will include geological and spatial analysis of the pottery and clay nodules from the site, coupled with replication of Garoga site pottery by award-winning Kanien’keha:ka (Mohawk) potter Natasha Smoke Santiago using clays harvested from the banks of Caroga Creek below the site (clay deposits that were likely used by the 16th-century site inhabitants).
For this research, we greatly appreciate the support of (1) the Archaeological Conservancy (www.thearchcons.org), owner of the Garoga site and its representative Ms. Kelley Berliner, and (2) the Charles Touhey Foundation. We look forward to sharing future insights stemming from this exciting collaboration!
Permission for this research has been granted by the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Preservation Office and Mr. Darren Bonaparte, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (www.srmt-nsn.gov).
Repatriation
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) is a federal law that provides a process for the return of Native American cultural items to federally recognized tribes. It applies to any institution that receives or has received federal funds such as museums, historical societies, and universities. The types of cultural items include Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony. The law establishes a process for consultation to determine cultural affiliation, and notification prior to repatriation.
New regulations passed in December 2023 simplify the repatriation process to expedite the return of cultural items. The new rules also require institutions to consult with tribes on the care, use, and interpretation of cultural items in their possession. Known as “duty of care”, this provision has broad implications for the ways in which Nations are represented in museums and other institutions, requiring the incorporation of Indigenous perspectives in all aspects of our work.
At the NYSM, NAGPRA compliance has proceeded steadily since the law was passed as we work with Indigenous Nations to identify ancestral remains and cultural items for return. A major repatriation concluded this year with the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, Delaware Tribe of Indians, and Delaware Nation with the return of Lenape ancestors and burial items from their homeland in eastern New York. A joint reburial held on June 20th was the culmination of several years of work by each Nation’s Tribal Historic Preservation Office and institutions across the state, including the NYSM.
In a statement issued by the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, on behalf of the Delaware Tribe of Indians and the Delaware Nation, they shared the following:
We offer many heartfelt thanks to community members, museum staff, and the many unseen hands of all of those who participated or facilitated this most deeply significant occasion. As always, we offer profound respect and love to our ancestors for all they have taught us and will continue to in our life’s journeys. Anushiik.
For more information:
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
Legislation: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/12/13/2023-27040/native-…;
Regulations: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/12/13/2023-27040/native-…;
Definitions
Human remains means any physical part of the body of a Native American individual. This term does not include human remains to which a museum or Federal agency can prove it has a right of possession.
- Human remains reasonably believed to be comingled with other materials (such as soil or faunal remains) may be treated as human remains.
- Human remains incorporated into a funerary object, sacred object, or object of cultural patrimony are considered part of the cultural items rather than human remains.
- Human remains incorporated into an object or item that is not a funerary object, sacred object, or object of cultural patrimony are considered human remains.
Funerary object means any object reasonably believed to have been placed intentionally with or near human remains. A funerary object is any object connected, either at the time of death or later, to a death rite or ceremony of a Native American culture according to the Native American traditional knowledge of a lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization. This term does not include any object returned or distributed to living persons according to traditional custom after a death rite or ceremony. Funerary objects are either associated funerary objects or unassociated funerary objects.
- Associated funerary object means any funerary object related to human remains that were removed and the location of the human remains is known. Any object made exclusively for burial purposes or to contain human remains is always an associated funerary object regardless of the physical location or existence of any related human remains.
- Unassociated funerary object means any funerary object that is not an associated funerary object and is identified by a preponderance of the evidence as one or more of the following:
(i) Related to human remains but the human remains were not removed, or the location of the human remains is unknown,
(ii) Related to specific individuals or families,
(iii) Removed from a specific burial site of an individual or individuals with cultural affiliation to an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization, or
(iv) Removed from a specific area where a burial site of an individual or individuals with cultural affiliation to an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization is known to have existed, but the burial site is no longer extant.
Sacred object means a specific ceremonial object needed by a traditional religious leader for present-day adherents to practice traditional Native American religion, according to the Native American traditional knowledge of a lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization. While many items might be imbued with sacredness in a culture, this term is specifically limited to an object needed for the observance or renewal of a Native American religious ceremony.
Object of cultural patrimony means an object that has ongoing historical, traditional, or cultural importance central to a Native American group, including any constituent sub-group (such as a band, clan, lineage, ceremonial society, or other subdivision), according to the Native American traditional knowledge of an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization. An object of cultural patrimony may have been entrusted to a caretaker, along with the authority to confer that responsibility to another caretaker. The object must be reasonably identified as being of such importance central to the group that it:
- Cannot or could not be alienated, appropriated, or conveyed by any person, including its caretaker, regardless of whether the person is a member of the group, and
- Must have been considered inalienable by the group at the time the object was separated from the group.
Duty of care. These regulations require a museum, Federal agency, or DHHL to care for, safeguard, and preserve any human remains or cultural items in its custody or in its possession or control. A museum, Federal agency, or DHHL must:
- Consult with lineal descendants, Indian Tribes, or Native Hawaiian organizations on the appropriate storage, treatment, or handling of human remains or cultural items;
- Make a reasonable and good-faith effort to incorporate and accommodate the Native American traditional knowledge of lineal descendants, Indian Tribes, or Native Hawaiian organizations in the storage, treatment, or handling of human remains or cultural items; and
- Obtain free, prior, and informed consent from lineal descendants, Indian Tribes, or Native Hawaiian organizations prior to allowing any exhibition of, access to, or research on human remains or cultural items. Research includes, but is not limited to, any study, analysis, examination, or other means of acquiring or preserving information about human remains or cultural items. Research of any kind on human remains or cultural items is not required by the Act or these regulations.
Seneca Ray Stoddard: Capturing the Adirondacks
Our 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 photographs and writings, to visit the Adirondacks in the post-Civil War era. His work captured how people came and what they did to make the Adirondacks a sought-after destination.
The exhibition will feature over 100 of Stoddard’s Adirondack scenes, and will also include his images of the Statue of Liberty.
Online Feature
Gordon Parks: 100 Moments
Gordon 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., during a pivotal time in U.S. history. These photographs were taken when both cities were going through significant changes—arising from post-WW II urban migration, the expansion of the black press, concern for children’s education, and entrenched segregation and economic discrimination.
This exhibition is on loan from The New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and showcases several works from its Photographs and Prints Division. Guest curator Deborah Willis is a Professor of Photography and Imaging and Africana Studies at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Eugene Ludins: An American Fantasist
This 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, sketch books, photographs and memorabilia illuminate the life of an artist who was both unique and emblematic of his time.
Eugene Ludins: An American Fantasist is organized by the New York State Museum and the Estate of Eugene Ludins. It is based upon an exhibition of the same name curated by Susan Torruella Leval for the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, SUNY New Paltz, on display there from February 11 – July 15, 2012.
New York's Goodwill Moon Rock!
This 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. Evans, and Harrison H. Schmitt, the only geologist ever to become an astronaut.
While retrieving samples from the Taurus-Littrow valley, Schmitt and Cernan picked up a rock that became sample 70017. They dedicated it to all of the young people of the planet Earth. In 1973, President Richard Nixon had fragments of the moon rock sent to all 50 U.S. states and provinces, as well as 135 foreign heads of state. These became known as the Goodwill moon rocks. New York's moon rock will be on view with pertinent information and fun facts.
CANstruction, "Can You Imagine"
Envision 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 invited to bring canned goods to the exhibition and use them as ballots to vote for their favorite "can" structure!
At the close of the exhibition, every can is donated to the Food Pantries for the Capital District to help feed families in the Capital Region.
1934: A New Deal for Artists
During 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 works of art that would embellish public buildings across the country. They painted regional, recognizable subjects — ranging from portraits, to cityscapes and images of city life, to landscapes and depictions of rural life — that reminded the public of quintessential American values such as hard work, community and optimism.
1934: A New Deal for Artists examines more than 50 paintings from the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum created under the auspices of the Public Works of Art. The paintings in this exhibition are a lasting visual record of America at a specific moment in time.
1934: A New Deal for Artists is organized and circulated by the Smithsonian American Art Museum with support from the William R. Kenan, Jr. Endowment Fund and the Smithsonian Council for American Art. The C.F. Foundation in Atlanta supports the museum's traveling exhibition program, Treasures to Go.
Best of SUNY 2013
The 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 the addition of digital imaging and mixed media installations. The SUNY student art shows were inaugurated in 2002 to bring the work of SUNY’s many talented student artists to a wider audience.
I Shall Think of You Often: The Civil War Story of Doctor and Mary Tarbell
Childhood 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, Doctor returned to Tompkins County to wed Mary. The honeymoon was short lived, however, as Tarbell returned to his unit where he served the remainder of the war.
This exhibit, from the Tompkins County History Center, features the wedding dress worn by Mary Conant along with images and personal effects of the couple.
The Marshall House Flag
Shortly 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, entered Alexandria.
Ellsworth decided to remove Jackson’s flag from the Marshall House hotel. With a small party, including Corporal Francis Brownell of Troy, New York, Ellsworth climbed to the roof and cut down the flag. During their descent Ellsworth and his party encountered Jackson, who was armed with a shotgun. Gunfire ensued, leaving both the hotel owner Jackson and the charismatic Ellsworth dead. The Marshall House incident became national news and plunged the entire country into mourning – the North for Ellsworth, the South for Jackson. The Marshall House flag accompanied Ellsworth's body home to New York State. Relics connected to Ellsworth’s death became prized possessions, including pieces cut, or “souvenired,” from the flag.
The Marshall House flag, in the collection of the New York State Military Museum, has been conserved at the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation’s textile laboratory at Peebles Island in Waterford, New York. As part of the New York State Battle Flag Preservation Project, the preservation and display of the Marshall House Flag has made possible with generous support from the Coby Foundation.
Sanford Gifford's Civil War
Sanford 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 Saratoga Springs, as well as artifacts and images from the New York State Museum and New York State Library.
9/11 Flag from FDNY Engine 6 Pumper
On 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 killed in the tower's collapse. Firefighters Billy Green and Jack Butler survived.
This American flag was draped over the crushed remains of the Engine Company 6 pumper as it was removed from Ground Zero. The flag's origins, as well as the identity of the individual who placed it over the rig, are unknown. The flag was later retrieved and given to the Engine 6 house, where it hung in honor of the four men killed on September 11, 2001.
For the first time this iconic flag is on display in the Museum along with the FDNY Engine 6 pumper, an artifact central to the State Museum's 9/11 collection. These objects from the World Trade Center site speak to the loss, heroism and global impact that the exhibition evokes for visitors.
Mission
The New York State Museum serves the lifelong educational needs of New Yorkers and visitors through its collections, exhibitions, scholarship, programs, media and publications in science, history, anthropology, and art. The Museum explores and expresses New York State’s significant natural and cultural diversity, past and present.
About Us
The New York State Museum is a center of art, science, and history dedicated to exploring the human and natural history of the state. Established in 1836, it is the oldest and largest state museum in the country. From its beginning, the Museum has been home to some of the nation’s leading scientists, including the founders of American paleontology, ethnology, botany and mycology. Its collections rank among the finest in many fields and total more than 16 million scientific specimens and one million cultural objects.
Located at the southern end of the architecturally stunning Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza in Albany, the New York State Museum welcomes visitors from across the globe and thousands of students each year. Its 100,000 square feet of exhibition space features several new exhibitions per year in addition to long term exhibitions. The Museum also offers a variety of educational public programs for learners of all ages.
The New York State Museum is a program of The University of the State of New York / The State Education Department / Office of Cultural Education.
A Fish Returns? Investigating the Possible Reappearance of the Silver Chub
Amidst the various harmful changes to aquatic communities that have been observed due to human activities, we sometimes find reasons to hope that some components of these communities can be restored. The Silver Chub (Macrhybopsis storeriana) is a medium-sized, relatively nondescript minnow that, in New York, has only been collected from the watersheds of lakes Erie and Ontario. This species was last seen during surveys of the Lake Erie watershed in 1929 and has long been thought to be extirpated from the state, largely due to extensive pollution in the lake and its tributaries.
There have been indications, however, that the species is beginning to expand its range to areas where it was historically found. In 2022, a New York angler caught an individual in Cattaraugus Creek that was possibly a Silver Chub. Unfortunately, the specimen was not retained, and photographs were not 100% conclusive. In 2024, the NYSM fish collection received a specimen collected by NYSDEC personnel, also from Cattaraugus Creek, that resembles a Silver Chub in many respects. This specimen, however, appears to be atypical in some ways, again leading to some uncertainty in its identification.
NYSM fish collection scientists are planning fieldwork in western New York for the summer of 2025 in the hopes that additional specimens can be located and genetic samples taken for more conclusive identifications.
The Archaeology of Slavery in the Hudson River Valley
The archaeology of slavery in the Hudson River Valley project has the broad goal of exploring the material evidence of slavery as it existed in Hudson River Valley from the seventeenth through the early nineteenth centuries. Slavery has often been portrayed in the media as a southern phenomenon ending with the civil war. Yet, a rich historical scholarship has been produced on the institution of slavery and how it functioned in the Northeast. Far less has been written on the material lives of enslaved people or how the use of enslaved labor structured the acquisition and use of material culture by those who engaged in slavery. This is especially true of the middle and upper Hudson Valley regions. This project aims to address this void by using archaeological data recovered from sites along the Hudson River to demonstrate the impact of slavery on the lives of both free and enslaved people of New York State.
1019 Sunset Avenue Historic Site
This site consists of the remains of two long term family occupations at 1019 Sunset Avenue in Utica, NY, spanning from the mid-1800s to the early twentieth century. Though the site was primarily a domestic residence, both families incorporated personal businesses into their space. My focus is on the division of space and how the residents used the landscape for domestic versus business purposes.
State Museum Announces Gallery Renovation Project
On June 15, 2015, State Museum Director Mark Schaming presented a renovation master plan for the Museum's galleries to the New York State Board of Regents. The master plan calls for 35,000 square feet of new exhibitions, a changeable wall system and new interactive technology and media. Click here to read the master plan, which includes artist renderings and floor plans.
There has not been a major renovation of the galleries since the Museum moved to its current space in the Cultural Education Center in 1976. The renovation project presents the Museum with an opportunity to better explain the state's natural and human history. A chief goal of the Museum's mission is to serve the educational needs of New Yorkers - the renovated galleries and new exhibitions will offer a more integrated, updated and memorable educational experience for all visitors.
We are excited to create new galleries and exhibitions for visitors to experience. However, while we are bringing in new exhibitions, we are keeping the best of our current exhibitions, including the World Trade Center exhibition, the A-Train, Sesame Street, the Cohoes Mastodon, Native Peoples of New York Hall, and Discovery Place.
The renovation is funded through a $14 million New York State capital bond item. With the master plan complete, the next stage is the exhibition design process. The renovation is expected to occur over a four-year timeline and will be completed in multiple phases. The Museum will remain open throughout the project, although certain gallery spaces will be closed temporarily while undergoing renovation.
The Museum encourages the public to participate in the renovation project by submitting their suggestions and feedback to museuminfo@nysed.gov. In addition, the Museum will provide regular project updates through the Museum's website, social media accounts, and email newsletter.
Recent Acquisition: Long Island Archaeology Collection
The State Museum recently acquired an archaeological collection from the former Institute for Long Island Archaeology at Stony Brook University. This collection consists of artifacts from 47 significant archaeological sites, including both prehistoric Native American and historic Euro-American sites.
An interesting group of artifacts from the Hick-Seaman House site (Oyster Bay, NY) is included in the collection. Intact stone and brick foundations were uncovered along with a variety of household artifacts and food remains dating from the late 18th through the 19th century. The Hicks-Seaman House collection provides an excellent example of rural household economy on Long Island prior to the 20th century.
This new collection has important research potential for better understanding the historic and prehistoric human past on Long Island.
State Museum Acquires Unique Collection of Abenaki Native American Materials
The Museum recently acquired a unique collection of 20th century Abenaki Native American materials. The collection was donated by Rodney Johnson of Rochester, NY. Rodney wanted to find a permanent home for the collection that had been handed down through four generations of his family - he chose the State Museum as a place where he can share his family's legacy.
The collection - which includes baskets, basket-making tools, birch bark and other wooden items - represents the objects once made by Rodney's great-grandparents, Norman and Angeline Sarah (Totoson) Johnson, and his great-uncle George Johnson during the early to mid-1900s.
As early as the mid-19th century, it was common for Native American families to sell baskets and other hand-made items as souvenirs to tourists at well-known vacation destinations. The Johnson family was among a group of Native American artisans who settled in Lake George, NY where they operated a small store selling baskets, canoes, and other items.
The Johnson family collection, which also includes a cradleboard donated by Rodney's great-grandmother in 1909, is the largest and best-documented collection of Abenaki material culture ever acquired by the State Museum.
Museum Adds 1917 Women's Suffrage Petitions to Collection
The Museum recently acquired a series of 1917 Franklin County women's suffrage petitions from Jean Kubaryk, a teacher at North Warren Central School District. Ms. Kubaryk had been displaying the petitions in her classroom for years, but decided to donate the petitions to the Museum so they can be preserved for future generations.
After the petitions were officially acquired by the Museum, staff sent copies of the petitions to Ms. Kubaryk so her students can assist in researching the women who signed the petitions.
In 2017, New York State will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the passage of women's suffrage. The petitions will be displayed in an upcoming State Museum exhibition titled, Votes for Women: Celebrating New York's Suffrage Centennial, scheduled to open in fall 2017.
Archaeology Work in Utica
Since 2012, archaeologists from the State Museum have been working alongside a highway construction project in Utica, uncovering artifacts from the early 19th century.
Why? The archaeologists are members of the Cultural Resources Survey Program (CRSP)at the State Museum. CRSP helps agencies meet state and federal historic preservation mandates during construction projects. If any archaeological or cultural resources are found at a site, CRSP ensures that the objects are preserved for future research.
The CRSP work in Utica centers around the location of the former Chenango Canal. The archaeologists have uncovered evidence of what life was like in the Utica area in the early to mid-1800s, from pieces of pottery to household goods to children's toys.
"This is a unique opportunity to look at a snapshot in time and study what life was like for an average working class citizen in the Utica area in the early 19th century," says State Archaeologist Christina Rieth.
The project is expected to be completed in the next few years, after which the artifacts will be added to the Museum's collections and made available to researchers. A selection of artifacts will be on display at the Museum in May.
State Museum Opens Exhibition on Franklin Roosevelt’s “First New Deal” in New York
An exhibition on President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the "First New Deal" in New York will open at the New York State Museum on Roosevelt's birthday, January 30. On display through May 4, "New York and the First New Deal" will feature bronze bust sculptures of Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, as well as other images and artifacts from Roosevelt's economic revitalization efforts in New York.
"Franklin Roosevelt's legacy in the White House and New York's State Capitol is well-remembered today," said State Museum Director Mark Schaming. "This exhibition tells the story of how Roosevelt helped alleviate the significant economic effects of the Great Depression on New Yorkers in his role as governor, which later helped him secure his seat in the White House."
The Board of Regents and the State Museum are dedicated to educating New Yorkers and visitors to the State Museum about the State's history. In addition to Franklin Roosevelt, five other United States Presidents were from New York State, including Martin Van Buren, Millard Fillmore, Chester Arthur, Grover Cleveland and Theodore Roosevelt.
The exhibition features two bronze busts of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt by sculptor Carolyn Palmer of Montgomery, New York. Palmer originally created a set of Roosevelt busts for the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, NY. She created another set which is currently on loan to the State Museum.
On October 29, 1929—less than a year after Franklin Roosevelt was elected governor of New York —the stock market crashed and the United States plunged into the Great Depression. Almost overnight New Yorkers found themselves amidst severe economic crisis and mass unemployment. As governor, Roosevelt implemented a series of measures designed to help alleviate the crisis for average citizens.
Funds were poured into projects around the state in an effort to put New Yorkers back to work. New York State would become a proving ground of sorts for Roosevelt's extraordinary response to the Great Depression, which made him an attractive presidential candidate. He won the 1932 presidential election and served as President from 1933 through 1945.
The exhibition features artifacts from the State Museum, State Library, and State Archives. A photo of the bronze busts of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt is available at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/PRkit/2014/FDR/.
The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department's Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.
Phone: (518) 474-1201
State Museum Announces Acquisition of 21 New Artworks From Native American Artists in New York
The New York State Museum today announced the acquisition of twenty-one new works of art by eighteen artists from Native American Nations in New York State. From baskets and beadwork to modern art, the newest additions celebrate the traditional roots of Native American artistry through modern expression. An exhibition featuring the artwork is scheduled for fall 2014.
"The Board of Regents and the State Museum are pleased to add twenty-one works of art by talented Native American artists from across the State to our collection," said State Museum Director Mark Schaming. "We have collected Native American cultural items since the 1840s. The collection was developed to work with Native American communities in the acquisition of artwork that best represents their cultures and history."
The artists and their work include:
David Fadden, Mohawk
At the Social, acrylic on canvas painting
Ronni-Leigh Goeman, Onondaga, and Stonehorse Goeman, Tonawanda Seneca
Blue Heron with Baby basket, made with black ash, sweet grass and moose hair with moose antler and buffalo horn carvings
Tony Gonyea, Onondaga
Two-Row Wampum Belt, made with ceramic beads, deerskin, and sinew
Brenda Hill, Tuscarora
Pot with Wampum Bead Rim, earthenware with wampum bead inlay
Bear Comb lid and dish, earthenware
Tom Huff, Seneca-Cayuga
Ancestors/Tree of Life, Brazilian soapstone with walnut base
Mary Jacobs, Seneca
New Age Hat, velvet with raised beadwork and satin ribbon
David Martine, Shinnecock
Mandush, Shinnecock Sachem of the 17th century, acrylic on canvas painting
Towanna Miller, Mohawk
Residential School, acrylic on canvas painting
Penny Minner, Seneca
Corn Wash, Market, and Tote/Purse baskets made of black ash
Roger Perkins, Mohawk
Bear Clan, digital, archival ink on canvas
I Pop Arted Tonto, digital, archival ink on canvas
Bryan Printup, Tuscarora
Ring Bearer Cushion, velvet with raised beadwork
Sheila Ransom, Mohawk
Bird’s Beak, black ash and sweet grass fancy basket
Natasha Smoke Santiago, Mohawk
Emerging Corn (Belly series), densite, acrylic & raffia sculpture
Alyssa Schmidt, Seneca
Beaded hair ornament and earrings
Antoinette Scott, Seneca
Three Sisters: Corn, Beans, and Squash, cornhusk dolls with traditional beaded clothing
Samuel Thomas, Cayuga
Bandolier Bag, wool and cotton with glass seed beads, 14 karat gold beads, and satin ribbon
Carson Waterman, Seneca
Man with Gustowets, acrylic on canvas painting
Photos of some of the artwork from the collection are available at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/PRkit/2014/NativeAmerican/.
The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.
Phone: (518) 474-1201
State Museum To Host “New York in Bloom” February 21–23
Spring will arrive early at the New York State Museum where visitors will find more than 100 floral displays throughout the Museum February 21-23 for the 23rd Annual "New York in Bloom" fundraiser benefiting the Museum’s educational programs for children. Admission is $5 (cash only); children ages 12 and under will receive free admission when accompanied by an adult.
Garden club members, professional designers, interior designers and floral enthusiasts from the Capital District and beyond will create unique floral arrangements that complement and interpret the Museum’s exhibitions. David Michael Schmidt of Renaissance Floral Design will transform the front window area of the Museum lobby with a floral display incorporating rustic furniture by Clarence O. Nichols from the Museum’s collections.
Visitors can view several demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday about gardening, design and creating floral arrangements. There will also be children’s arts and crafts activities throughout the weekend. A flower market will be open in the lobby area on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., while supplies last. Mazzone Hospitality and Losee’s Homestyle Deli will offer a selection of light luncheon fare on the 4th floor of the Museum.
Supporters of "New York in Bloom" are Renaissance Floral Design, Ambiance Florals and Events, Spotlight Newspapers, Quality Retail Systems, and Price Chopper.
For more information, please visit the Museum’s website at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/programs/nybloom/.
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 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.
Phone: (518) 474-1201
Fourth Annual Canstruction at the State Museum: “Storytown” Display April 9–April 24
The fourth annual Capital Region Canstruction, a design competition benefiting The Food Pantries for the Capital District, will be held at the New York State Museum April 9 through April 24, 2014. Canstruction participants design and build giant-sized unique structures made entirely out of canned goods. This year’s participants have been challenged to collect 50,000 cans and $50,000 to support local food pantries.
Nine teams comprised of local architecture, engineering and construction firms, as well as design students, will transform tens of thousands of cans of food into larger than life pop art masterpieces inspired by this year’s theme, "Storytown", at the 4th floor of the State Museum. Participants include CSArch, Creighton Manning, EYP, MJ Engineering, Mosaic, Price Chopper, RPI, SMRT, and Spring Line Design.
Sculpture designs include James and the Giant Peach, Toy Story, Green Eggs and Ham, Winnie the Pooh, The Little Engine That Could, Horton Hears a Who, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland, The Rainbow Fish, The Wizard of Oz and Humpty Dumpty. All cans used in the displays were purchased from Price Chopper, the major event sponsor, and will be donated to The Food Pantries for the Capital District at the end of Canstruction.
Visitors are encouraged to bring canned goods to the State Museum and participate in the Canstruction competition. Visitors can use their canned goods as ballots to help determine the winner of the Community Choice award. Other awards, including "Best Use of Labels" and "Structural Ingenuity", will be chosen by a panel of local judges.
"We are pleased to once again host Canstruction at the State Museum," said Mark Schaming, State Museum Director. "Canstruction showcases the talent and creativity of the designers, but most importantly, it provides support for vital community services. We invite the Capital Region to visit the State Museum during Canstruction, experience these amazing creations and help our local community."
"Our nine talented teams have spent months planning their entries and are allowed one adrenaline filled night to meticulously stack and color-coordinate their cans into ingenious feats of design. This event showcases the deep talent of local design firms and students, and ultimately donating tens of thousands of cans of food to feed the hungry in our region," said Sara Stein, AIA, LEED AP, President of Capital Region Canstruction and Architect at EYP Architecture and Engineering.
Natasha Pernicka, Executive Director of The Food Pantries for the Capital District said, "The Food Pantries is proud to share its fourth year with Canstruction, as we continue working together to stock the shelves of the Capital Region's Food Pantries. This magnificent event heightens the awareness of the need in our community and has played an important role in helping to feed the hungry in the Capital District. The impact is more powerful than ever as we respond to the sustained high demand for food in our region."
Capital Region Canstruction is supported by The American Institute of Architects' Eastern New York Chapter. This year's Canstruction is presented by Price Chopper with EYP Architecture & Engineering, Ryan-Biggs Associates and media sponsor the Times Union. Gold sponsors include Key Bank, Camelot, A.W. Hastings & Co., Harbrook, CMC-Kuhnke, CSArch, CHA, and Mazzone Hospitality. Silver sponsors include Gilbane, Centria, Eastern Contractors Association and Greco Construction.
Last year's event resulted in a donation of approximately 51,000 cans of food to The Food Pantries for the Capital District. Since its inception in 2011, the Capital Region event has donated approximately 140,000 cans of food and raised more than $34,000 to help fight hunger.
Canstruction events are held annually in over 150 cities around the world including North America, Australia, South America, Europe and Asia. Capital Region Canstruction is currently ranked #10 in the world for most food raised and meals donated.
The New York State Museum is a program of the State Education Department's Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.
Phone: (518) 474-1201
State Museum to Exhibit Nature-Based Artwork From Artists Around the World
An exhibition featuring nature-based artwork created by talented artists from around the world will open at the New York State Museum on April 19, 2014. Focus on Nature XIII: Natural and Cultural History Illustration showcases 91 natural and cultural history illustrations from 71 artists.
Open through January 4, 2015 in Photography Gallery, this biennial exhibition has continued to grow in both scope and reputation. This year's artwork was selected from 379 entries submitted by 172 artists. Artists represented this year are from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, England, France, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States of America. A list of the featured artists is available here: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/fon/exhibitions/fon13/artists.pdf.
"Focus on Nature continues to be a popular exhibition and the Board of Regents and the State Museum are proud to again display illustrations created by artists from around the world," said State Museum Director Mark Schaming. "The selected works this year are extraordinary and are brilliant examples of illustrations of the natural world by a group of very accomplished artists."
The exhibition's goal is to demonstrate the important role illustration has in natural science research and education and to display images of nature that people might not otherwise be able to experience. A five-member jury of artists and scientists selected the artwork included in the exhibition based on the illustration's scientific accuracy and uniqueness, educational value and artistic quality.
The subjects represented in the exhibition are diverse, ranging from those only found in the artists' home countries, to those that have a worldwide distribution. The exhibition features illustrations of extinct creatures such as the Titanosaur by Chilean artist Mauricio Alvarez Abel and the Kosmoceratops by New York artist James Gurney, to newly discovered and named organisms such as the Principe Thrush (Turdus xanthorhynchus) and Coelogyne species. A special feature of this year's exhibition is a 3-D illustration of Neanderthal (Homo neanderthalensis) by Swiss artist Livia Maria Enderli. This reconstruction of a skull from an archaeological site in Uzbekistan found in 1938 uses the latest technology available to artists and scientists.
More information about Focus on Nature can be found at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/fon/. Photos from the exhibit are available at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/PRkit/2014/fon/.
The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department's Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.
Phone: (518) 474-1201
Best of Suny Art Exhibition Opens May 31 at State Museum
The Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition returns to the New York State Museum May 31, showcasing artwork created by SUNY’s talented student artists from across New York State.
Open through August 31, 2014, the exhibition features artworks chosen by individual art departments across SUNY’s campuses. The exhibition includes 69 artworks selected from 295 submissions. The exhibition includes drawings, paintings, photography, sculpture and digitally produced works.
A list of the artists featured in the exhibition is available at the following link: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/PRkit/2014/SUNY/NYSM-SUNY2014.pdf.
Three student artists will receive $1,000 scholarships. Honorable Mention awards of $500 will be given to four additional students. SUNY will announce the awardees in June.
“The Board of Regents understands the importance of art education," New York State Education Commissioner John B. King, Jr. said. "The Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition at the State Museum speaks volumes of the quality of artwork created by talented SUNY students and also highlights the gifted faculty who teach in the arts. And now thousands of New Yorkers will have the opportunity to view these impressive pieces of art over the next few months.”
“We are deeply proud to have our Best of SUNY art exhibition on display at the New York State Museum again this year,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “Showcasing our top student works from the past year in this annual exhibit has become a must-see attraction for those who live in Albany as well as the Museum’s many visitors from across the state and nation. Congratulations to all of this year’s contributors.”
“The New York State Museum is pleased to once again host the Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition,” said State Museum Director Mark Schaming. “Each year a new group of talented student artists create diverse artwork that reflects the superior art education opportunities at SUNY campuses across the state. This exhibition is a great tribute to the artists, faculty and families across the state who are dedicated to a public education in the visual arts.”
The SUNY student art shows were initiated in 2002 so that the work of SUNY’s most talented student artists would be seen by a wider audience. SUNY student art is also on display year-round at State University Plaza in Albany, SUNY Global Center in New York City, and Governor Cuomo’s Washington, DC office.
Photos from the exhibition are available at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/PRkit/2014/SUNY/.
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating nearly 463,000 students in more than 7,500 degree and certificate programs, and more than 1.8 million NYS citizens in professional development and personal enrichment programs, on 64 college and university campuses, and online through Open SUNY. There are nearly 3 million SUNY alumni worldwide. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit SUNY.
The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.
Phone: (518) 474-1201
State Museum Exhibits Two Historical Vehicles at New York State Fair, August 21 – September 1
The New York State Museum will display two historical vehicles at the Great New York State Fair in Syracuse, NY, August 21 – September 1, 2014. The two vehicles, a 1932 Packard Phaeton and a 1967 Lincoln Executive Limousine, were used by New York Governors Franklin D. Roosevelt and Nelson A. Rockefeller, respectively.
"The Board of Regents and the New York State Museum are honored to exhibit two historical vehicles from the Museum's collections at the Great New York State Fair," said State Museum Director Mark Schaming. "For the first time at the State Fair, thousands of New Yorkers will have the opportunity to see these two historical cars that transported Governors Roosevelt and Rockefeller across New York State."
The 1932 Packard Phaeton was purchased in 1932 by Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt for his use in Albany. When Roosevelt was elected to the Presidency, the vehicle became part of the state fleet. Though kept in running condition, it was rarely used after 1942 when Governor Thomas Dewey acquired a Cadillac. In 1982, Governor Hugh Carey transported Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus of the Netherlands in the Packard when they visited Albany.
The 1967 Lincoln Executive Limousine was placed into service for Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller on March 6, 1967. Rockefeller privately purchased an identical vehicle for his use while in New York City. Its amenities included air conditioning, radio, cassette player and television receiver, as well as a sliding window for privacy. The car was used by succeeding governors until 1988.
Earlier this year, both vehicles were on display at the New York International Auto Show at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. The display at the State Fair will mark the second time both vehicles are on display together outside of Albany, NY.
Photos of the 1932 Packard Phaeton and the 1967 Lincoln Executive Limousine are available at:http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/PRkit/2014/autoshow/. An online webpage with information about the two vehicles is available here: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/virtual/exhibits/vehicles/
The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department's Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.
Phone: (518) 474-1201
State Museum to Open Two Exhibitions on Plant Fossils and Extinction of Passenger Pigeon
Two exhibitions featuring New York State plant fossils and specimens of the extinct passenger pigeon will open at the New York State Museum on August 30, 2014. The Binghamton University Paleobotany Collection and The Passenger Pigeon: From Billions to Zero will be the Museum's newest exhibitions located in the New York Discoveries area.
"We're eager to open two new long-term exhibitions for our visitors," said State Museum Director Mark Schaming. "The Board of Regents and the State Museum are grateful for Binghamton University's donation of their significant paleobotany collection. We have organized an exhibition to display this impressive collection of fossils to the people of New York State. The passenger pigeon is also an important New York story; the exhibition describes how the once-popular passenger pigeon went from a population of billions to zero."
In 2013, the New York State Museum acquired Binghamton University's paleobotany collection containing thousands of plant fossils. In conjunction with the Museum's previous holdings, it is the largest Middle Devonian plant fossil collection in North America. While most of the collection derives from New York, some fossils are from Pennsylvania, Virginia, Canada, and Belgium. The Binghamton University Paleobotany Collection showcases this important collection that allows scientists to learn more about how the diversification of plants caused significant changes in Earth's atmosphere over 350 million years ago. The exhibition will feature fourteen plant fossils from the collection.
Two hundred years ago, the passenger pigeon was the most common bird in North America. Because they were so abundant, passenger pigeons were an important food source for humans for thousands of years. In the mid-1800s, over-hunting and habitat destruction led to a rapid decline in the passenger pigeon population. On September 1, 1914, the last passenger pigeon died. The Passenger Pigeon: From Billions to Zero marks the 100 year anniversary of the extinction of this once common bird. The exhibition will provide visitors a rare opportunity to see passenger pigeon specimens and related artifacts from the Museum's biology and history collections.
Dr. Jeremy Kirchman, Curator of Birds at the New York State Museum, will present a free lecture, "The Passenger Pigeon: Icon of Extinction" on Sunday, September 28 at 1:00 PM in the Huxley Theater. "Only a few generations ago passenger pigeons were so numerous no one could have imagined they would become extinct." said Dr. Kirchman. "By commemorating the centennial of the passenger pigeon extinction with an exhibition and free public programs, we hope to remind visitors how over-exploitation of natural resources can lead to permanent loss of biodiversity."
Photos from The Binghamton University Paleobotany Collection are available at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/PRkit/2014/paleobotany/. Photos from The Passenger Pigeon: From Billions to Zero are available at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/PRkit/2014/pigeon/.
The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department's Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.
Phone: (518) 474-1201
State Museum Opens World Trade Center “Family Room” Exhibition
A new exhibition that honors those lost in the September 11 World Trade Center attacks will open on September 11, 2014 at the New York State Museum, a program of the New York State Education Department. The 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 summer to the State Museum.
"America suffered tremendous loss on September 11, 2001," said Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl H. Tisch. "The family members of those lost at the World Trade Center have remembered and honored their loved ones at a private Family Room for over a decade. The Board of Regents and the State Museum are humbled to preserve the Family Room's personal remembrances and tributes for future generations. We consider ourselves a temporary home. We're going to use this opportunity to find a permanent place closer to ground zero that would be of significance to the families."
"History is sometimes written in tears. Thanks to the dedicated family members who worked with us to preserve the memory and history of the Family Room, we can share that history with all of New York," said State Education Commissioner John B. King, Jr. "We are honored to be entrusted with the thousands of personal memorials and tributes from the Family Room. The exhibition at the State Museum will give visitors a deeper understanding of the ongoing impact of September 11 and the immense grief families experienced in the days, months, and years following the attacks."
"It is an honor to serve as the permanent repository of the Family Room's precious legacy," said State Museum Director Mark Schaming. "The families of those lost on September 11 have allowed us into this very personal place for the first time. The countless personal photos and reflections speak to the enormous loss that the families have experienced since that tragic day."
Soon after September 11, 2001, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) recognized the need for a private space near the World Trade Center site for families to grieve and remember their loved ones. A room adjacent to the LMDC offices on the 20th floor of One Liberty Plaza was designated as the Family Room, which overlooked the World Trade Center site, and was closed to the media and the public. Over the past 13 years, family members installed thousands of photographs, notes, tributes and other personal objects in remembrance of their loved ones.
In 2014, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum opened and a new family space was established. Most of the original Family Room's contents have been transferred to the New York State Museum with the cooperation of family members who are dedicated to preserving the memory and history of this special room.
The exhibition includes artifacts from the Family Room, quotes from family members, large photographs of the room, and a visitor-operated digital program that includes full 360-degree images of the Family Room.
More information about the exhibition is available at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/familyroom/. Photos from the exhibition are available at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/PRkit/2014/familyroom/.
NOTE: Attached are quotes from family members who visited the Family Room at One Liberty Plaza.
The State Museum is the nation's largest repository of artifacts recovered from the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. Artifacts are rotated through the Museum's permanent World Trade Center exhibition, which opened in September 2002. The Museum also supports other institutions nationwide and around the world with their World Trade Center-related exhibitions.
The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department's Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.
Below are quotes from family members who visited the Family Room at One Liberty Plaza:
"For so many years the Family Room was all we had. Many of us had no remains of our loved ones. The 9/11 Memorial and Museum were not yet open, and the Family Room became a place of pilgrimage, tribute, quiet reflection and pride—it was our place to grieve, to connect to our loved ones. Through years of visits and tributes, it grew organically, and over time, the space was infused with a power and sacredness." – Anthony Gardner, brother of Harvey Joseph Gardner III (1 WTC, 83rd Floor) and Founding Director of The September 11th Education Trust.
"The Family Room was a place where we could collectively, as family members, memorialize our loved ones and express in some small way the grief we were feeling and the love we had for those we lost so senselessly on 9/11. Whenever I visited the Family Room, I would always go to my sister's picture to see her beautiful face and to think about how much I miss her. While there I would make sure to also look at all the faces of the people whose pictures hung on the wall. Over time those faces became so familiar to me and I was able to connect with them by seeing the personal tributes their families left for them and hoped families visiting the room felt that same connection to my sister, Lorraine." – Patricia Reilly, sister of Lorraine Mary Greene Lee.
"My visits to the room were not long, 15 minutes or so were about all I could absorb. On every visit I was always taken aback by the breadth and the depth of 9/11 as a tragedy; raw emotion and surreal reality were the norm. It became such that there was no longer room to leave a memento of remembrance for my husband, so on my visits I would sit and write a short letter to him in the journal book. I would cry in the elevator up to the Family Room, while I was in the room, and then in the elevator down to the lobby. These tears flowed without any urging, it was just what happened and I suppose will always happen when I am surrounded by and remember such personal sorrow. This room was as difficult for me to enter as it was to leave and here's the reason why. Inside the room I found neither peace nor justice and I found even less outside of the room. I would describe this room as an infinite collection and compilation of respectful grief, contained anger, exacting despair, fleeting hope and traumatic, somber reflections around unwarranted and unjustified death." – Lynn S. McGuinn, wife of Francis Noel McGuinn.
"I never put up a missing flyer of Gary. I knew he was dead. I didn't want to return to the site. It was the dedication of the Family Room at One Liberty Plaza that brought me downtown for the first time, after having worked in the World Trade Center for so many years. You will not see a picture of my 36 year old brother in the Family Room. It was never there. That did not however stop me from going to that organically formed room of love, loss and remembrance countless times. By sharing our Family Room with you we share a piece of ourselves. We share our love for those we lost. We entrust you to share in their memory." – Edie Lutnick, sister of Gary Lutnick (Cantor Fitzgerald, 104th Floor).
"Part of my job, while working at the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, was taking care of the Family Room. It was an extremely emotional, yet gratifying task. Sometimes I would sit alone in the room, at the end of my day, switch off the lights, breathe in the scent of fresh flowers, and I swear I could feel the presence of angels among me. This room, created by and for family members, will forever hold a special place in my heart. It was truly a memorial and a tribute to my brother John and all our unforgettable loved ones." – Anthoula Katsimatides, sister of John Katsimatides.
"Al and I came to the family room often in the early days. We would look out at the site and see the "progress." What was so special about this room is that it was away from everyone. It was a quiet space filled with the faces of those who were "lost." Everyone in the room had the same pain so crying and sadness was OK because we all felt the same. We continued to come for many years. The pictures increased and each time we came we looked at different pictures. In spite of the overwhelming sadness we were comforted and felt safe in this room. Our journey to healing began here and we feel sad that the room is no more." – Retired Deputy Chief Alexander and Maureen Santora, parents of firefighter Christopher A. Santora, Engine 54.
"The Family Room space was like no other. The moment you entered you were transported back to that time. It was a singular intersection where horrific tragedy and boundless caring and love meet. Each visit was a new experience and familiar all at once. Selectively visited, I always found it comforting to be there. Somehow, it brought me closer to Glenn, and all those lost, peaceful souls. And that is good." – Jay S. Winuk, brother of Glenn J. Winuk, Attorney and Volunteer Firefighter/EMT, 9/11 Rescuer. Jay Winuk is a co-founder of 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance.
Phone: (518) 474-1201
State Museum to Host Eugene Speicher Art Exhibition, Opens October 18
The New York State Museum will open a new exhibition featuring the work of New York artist Eugene Speicher on October 18, 2014. Along His Own Lines: A Retrospective of New York Realist Eugene Speicher explores Speicher's diverse art career ranging from portraits to still life to landscape.
On display in West Gallery through March 22, 2015, the exhibition features more than 70 artworks by Speicher, demonstrating his lengthy and successful art career. The exhibition is organized by the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at State University of New York at New Paltz.
"The Board of Regents and the State Museum are committed to partnering with institutions across New York to bring great collections to Albany," said State Museum Director Mark Schaming."We are pleased to be a venue for the work of Eugene Speicher, an important American artist who, through his life's work in New York State, has left an enduring impact on the art world of the twentieth century."
Born in Buffalo, NY, Speicher first garnered national recognition in the 1910s for his incisive portraits of actors, artists, and friends. Speicher's portraits were highly sought after by collectors and prominent museums and he developed a national reputation for portraiture. At the height of his success in the mid-1920s, Speicher largely abandoned commissioned portraiture and instead chose to paint more personal subjects, mainly flower still lifes, landscapes, and figurative compositions.
From 1912 and through the 1940s, Speicher received many significant awards and his work was acquired by major art museums for their permanent collections. Today, Eugene Speicher is best remembered as a New York realist associated with Robert Henri, George Bellows, and Leon Kroll, all of whom were involved with the Woodstock art colony.
The New York State Museum will host a public opening reception for the exhibition on Saturday, October 18, 2014. Light refreshments will be served at 1:00 PM, followed by a tour of the exhibition by curator Valerie Ann Leeds at 2:00 PM. The reception is open to the public; no RSVP required.
Major lenders for this exhibition include the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; The Whitney Museum of American Art; American Academy of Arts and Letters; National Academy Museum; Woodstock Artists Association and Museum; and Arthur A. Anderson.
Photos from the exhibition are available at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/PRkit/2014/speicher/.
The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department's Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.
Phone: (518) 474-1201
New York State Museum Celebrates New York State History Month in November
The New York State Museum will celebrate New York State History Month in November with a variety of free, public programs for children, families and adults. The Museum will also open a new exhibition that explores the history of the Shaker community on November 15, The Shakers: America's Quiet Revolutionaries.
"November is New York State History Month," said State Museum Director Mark Schaming. "The Board of Regents and the State Museum understand the importance of history education. New York's history is central to American history. Across the State and at the State Museum, New Yorkers can learn about the Empire State's history at our wonderful museums and educational institutions. From talks with historians to children's educational activities, there's a free history program for everyone, everywhere in New York."
"New York State History Month is a time for all New Yorkers to appreciate the importance of the Empire State's history and visit some of the extraordinary cultural institutions and historic sites throughout New York," said New York State Historian Robert Weible.
The Museum has created a webpage to celebrate New York State History Month. The website features a list of history programs and statewide history organizations, educational resources, and a "New York Minutes" feature which includes a New York State history fact of the day for every day in November.
Below is a schedule of free programs at the Museum to celebrate New York State History Month, including a special presentation by Harold Holzer, one of the county's leading authorities on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War era. Holzer will speak about the Civil War, his new book on President Lincoln, and the catalog book for the State Museum's 2012 award-winning Civil War exhibition. For more information about any of the programs below, visit New York State History Month.
American Experience: The Rise and Fall of Penn Station
Film Screening, November 2, 2:00 – 3:00 PM
Lasting Impact: The Waterford Flight
Lecture, November 12, 7:00 – 8:00 PM
Behind the Scenes Tour: State Museum Shaker Collection
Tour, November 15, 1:00 PM (pre-registration is required, call 518-474-0575)
Cities Under Pressure: How the Great Migration Affected Upstate New York
Lecture, November 19, 7:00 – 8:00 PM
New York State's Great Places and Spaces
Family Program, November 22, 12:00 – 4:00 PM
Gallery Tour of The Shakers: America's Quiet Revolutionaries
Tour, November 22, 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Civil War History: Special Presentation by Harold Holzer and Double Book Signing
Lecture and Book Signing, November 24, 7:00 PM
Celebrating 100 Years of the New York State Museum's Carousel
Family Program, November 29, 1:00 – 4:00 PM
Preserving the Carousel: The History and Conservation of the Museum's Carousel
Lecture, November 29, 2:00 – 3:00 PM
The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department's Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.
Phone: (518) 474-1201
State Museum to Open Shaker Exhibition
The New York State Museum will open a new major exhibition about the history and culture of the Shakers on November 15, 2014. The Shakers: America's Quiet Revolutionaries will feature 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.
Open through March 6, 2016, the 7,000 square foot exhibition explores the Shakers as one of the most significant and influential communal religious groups in American history. A two-minute video trailer for the exhibition is available.
"The Board of Regents and the New York State Museum are committed to collaborating with institutions across the state to bring great collections to Albany. That's why we have partnered with three significant Shaker historical sites to bring State Museum visitors a comprehensive exhibition about the people, history and culture of the Shakers," said State Museum Director Mark Schaming. "For the first time, visitors will not only find Shaker artifacts from the State Museum's own collections, but also unique artifacts from the Shaker Heritage Society, Hancock Shaker Village and the Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon. "This expansive exhibition, in addition to a variety of public educational programs and online resources, offers visitors a unique opportunity to learn about the history and lasting influence of the Shakers."
In the late 1700s, the Shakers sought religious freedom in America, but their unique culture and spiritual practices set them apart from society. Their devotional routines as well as their product innovations and views towards gender equality seemed "revolutionary".
Thematically divided into six areas, the exhibition shows how the Shakers' unique model of an equal society challenged the norms of the "outside world":
Settlement in America, 1774–1787 – explores the beginnings of the Shaker society, including their journey to America and their establishment at Niskayuna (Albany), Mother Ann Lee's missionary travels, and the efforts of the first Shakers to grow their numbers and establish the first communities.
Shaker Theology and Religious Practice – explores the central beliefs of the Shakers. Drawing upon the words of the Shakers themselves, visitors will learn how Shakers worship not only within the Meetinghouse, but through tasks performed in their everyday lives.
Spreading the Faith, Keeping Union – documents the first attempt to replicate the Shaker communities at Watervliet and Mount Lebanon (later expanding to 19 major communities nationwide).
Shaker Made: Agriculture and Industry – highlights four major industries of the Shakers: broom making, garden seeds, medicines and chairs. This section also explores how the Shakers used their products and reputation for honest business practices to present a "brand" to potential converts.
Comfortable Shaker Home: Being a Shaker – explores the concept of family, as defined by the Shakers, including the care of children, the elderly and the disabled, as well as gender relations.
Enduring Design: The Shaker Influence on Design – shows how Shaker design influenced artists and designers around the world up through the present day.
The exhibition is presented by the New York State Museum in collaboration with the Shaker Heritage Society, Hancock Shaker Village, Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon, the New York State Library and the New York State Archives. Additional support for the exhibition is provided by the Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau and RBC Wealth Management.
The State Museum is planning a variety of programs to complement the exhibition, including lectures, guided tours and educational activities for children and families. More information about the exhibition can be found here:http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/shakers/. Photos of artifacts from the exhibition are available here: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/PRkit/2014/shakers/.
The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department's Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.
Phone: (518) 474-1201
State Museum Hosts Taste NY Holiday Expo on December 7
Visitors can shop at more than 60 "made in New York" food and beverage vendors at the New York State Museum's Taste NY Holiday Expo on Sunday, December 7, 11:00am – 4:30pm. Admission is $5 (cash only); children ages 12 and under are free.
Over 60 vendors will offer samples and sales of chocolates; cheese; maple and apple products; hand-crafted beer, wine and spirits; and other edible gifts. All participating vendors produce their products in New York State. There will also be cooking and tasting demonstrations, children's activities, and a chocolate fountain station, courtesy of We Do Fondue and Price Chopper.
A full schedule of activities is below:
12:00pm – 4:30pm, Display: Schenectady County Historical Society's Mabee Farms presents: "Colonial Cuisine and Brewing".
12:00 – 4:30pm, Display: Empire State Eats! New York State Foodways Project
12:00, 1:00 and 2:00pm sessions, Children's Activity: Edible Aliens. Limit of 20 per session.
12:00pm, Tasting Demo: Sample New York State Cheeses with the Honest Weight Food Co-op
1:00pm, Cooking Demonstration: Holiday Cooking with Chef Michael Lapi
2:00pm, Cooking Demonstration: Holiday Cooking with Chef Steve Kerzner
2:00pm – 4:00pm, Display: Peter Rose presents her new book, "Delicious December", along with an array of artifacts reflecting Dutch New York's contributions to our American holiday traditions.
3:00pm, Information Session: Field Goods: Fresh Foods from Small Farms
The annual Holiday Tree Lighting and Fireworks Festival at the Empire State Plaza will also be held on December 7, 1:00 – 8:00pm.
For more information, including a list of participating vendors, visit:http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/programs/tasteNY/.
Taste NY is an initiative that highlights the quality, diversity, and economic impact of New York's food and beverage industry. Taste NY provides an opportunity for New York growers and producers to receive increased exposure of their products to consumers, restaurateurs, retailers, wholesalers, and distributors.
The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department's Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.
Phone: (518) 474-1201
State Museum Opens Contemporary Native American Art Exhibition
The New York State Museum will open a new exhibition featuring contemporary Native American artwork on December 13, 2014. Represent: Contemporary Native American Art features twenty-one artworks created by eighteen artists from Native American Nations in New York State.
On display in Crossroads Gallery through September 20, 2015, the exhibition features a variety of contemporary Native American artwork. From baskets and beadwork to modern art, the artwork celebrates the traditional roots of Native American artistry through modern expression.
“This year the State Museum acquired twenty-one artworks created by Native American artists throughout the state to add to our permanent collection,” said State Museum Director Mark Schaming. “The Museum worked with Native American communities to collect contemporary works of art that represent the culture, history and artistic direction of these talented artists. Now we are pleased to premiere this important collection at the State Museum.”
The Board of Regents and the State Museum are dedicated to educating New Yorkers and visitors to the State Museum about the State’s history. In addition to the exhibition, there will be a variety of free educational programs about Native American art throughout the run of the exhibition. The first family program, “Family Fun Day: Native Peoples Art”, will be held on Saturday, December 20 from 1:00 – 4:00pm.
The Museum will also host a public opening reception for the exhibition on Sunday, December 14, 1:00 – 3:00pm. Light refreshments will be served. The reception is open to the public; no RSVP required.
The artists and their work include:
David Fadden, Mohawk
At the Social, Acrylic on canvas
Ronni-leigh Goeman, Onondaga, and Stonehorse Goeman, Tonawanda Seneca
Blue Heron with Baby basket, Black ash, sweet grass, buffalo horn, moose hair and antler
Tony Gonyea, Onondaga
Two-Row Wampum Belt, Ceramic beads, deerskin, and sinew
Tom Huff, Seneca-Cayuga
Ancestors/Tree of Life, Brazilian soapstone with walnut base
Mary Jacobs, Seneca
Beaded Velvet New Age Hat, Velvet, glass beads, and satin ribbon
David Bunn Martine, Chiricahua Apache-Shinnecock/Mohawk
Mandush, Shinnecock Sachem of the 17th century, Acrylic on canvas
Towanna Miller, Mohawk
Residential School, Acrylic on canvas
Penelope Minner, Seneca
Corn Wash, Market, and Tote/Purse Baskets, Black ash
Roger Perkins, Mohawk
Bear Clan, Digital print, archival ink on canvas
I Pop Arted Tonto, Digital print, archival ink on canvas
Bryan Printup, Tuscarora
Ring Bearer Cushion, Velvet, glass beads
Sheila Ransom, Mohawk
Bird’s Beak Fancy Basket, Black ash and sweet grass
Natasha Smoke Santiago, Mohawk
Emerging Corn, Densite plastic, acrylic and cornhusk
Alyssa Schmidt, Seneca
Beaded Hair Ornament and Earrings, Glass beads, fabric
Antoinette Scott, Seneca
Three Sisters: Corn, Beans, and Squash, Cornhusk, glass beads, cotton fabric
Samuel Thomas, Lower Cayuga
Bandolier Bag, Wool and cotton, glass beads, 14 karat gold beads, and satin ribbon
Carson Waterman, Seneca
Man with Gustowets, Acrylic on canvas
Photos from the exhibition are available at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/PRkit/2014/represent/.
The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department's Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.
Phone: (518) 474-1201
State Museum to Open Shaker Photography Exhibition
The New York State Museum will open a new exhibition featuring Shaker photographs on February 14, 2015. A Promising Venture: Shaker Photographs from the WPA features the photography of Noel Vicentini and documents Shaker sites, architecture, craft and people.
On display in Photography Gallery through December 31, 2015, the exhibition is organized by Hancock Shaker Village and features more than 100 photographs. This exhibition complements the State Museum’s 7,000 square-foot exhibition, The Shakers: America’s Quiet Revolutionaries, which explores the history and culture of the Shakers.
"We are pleased to be a venue for this impressive collection of Shaker WPA photographs," said State Museum Director Mark Schaming. "Vicentini's photographs capture the definitive aesthetic of the Shakers and are a great companion to the State Museum’s major Shaker exhibition now on view. The Board of Regents and the State Museum are grateful to Hancock Shaker Village for organizing this remarkable exhibition."
During the Great Depression, the United States Government established the Works Progress Administration (WPA), including the Federal Art Project, to put Americans back to work. The Index of American Design, a division of the Federal Art Project, grew out of a desire to document and preserve the nation’s artistic heritage. Shaker design fit perfectly into this program, a truly American aesthetic worthy of recognition.
Noel A. Vicentini and his assistant, George Herlick, were two of many artists sent to document the Shakers during the summer of 1936. His images captured the Shaker villages during a time of decline. Vicentini’s photographs helped to inspire a national design aesthetic. His images stand on their own as works of fine art, beautiful scenes of form and design, yet they also tell a story about Shaker history and culture during a time of great change.
Photos from the exhibition are available at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/PRkit/2015/shakersWPA/.
The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department's Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.
Phone: (518) 474-1201
State Museum Honors World War I Medal of Honor Recipients Henry Johnson and William Shemin with Special Exhibition
The New York State Museum will open a special exhibition honoring two World War I Army Sergeants from New York State who will posthumously receive the Medal of Honor on June 2, 2015. Sergeant Henry Johnson and Sergeant William Shemin will receive the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military honor, in a White House ceremony led by President Barack Obama.
On display in the Main Lobby through June 8, 2015, The Battle for Henry Johnson and A Wrong Made Right explores Johnson and Shemin’s heroic actions as World War I soldiers as well as the public efforts to officially recognize their bravery decades after their deaths. The exhibition also features photographs of Johnson and Shemin as well as World War I era artifacts.
“The State Museum is proud to commemorate Sergeant Henry Johnson and Sergeant William Shemin’s award of the Medal of Honor as New York State and the nation celebrate two great American soldiers,” said New York State Museum Director Mark Schaming. “The Medal of Honor formally recognizes Johnson and Shemin’s great courage and is an important moment in American and New York State history.”
Sergeant Henry Johnson
On the night of May 14, 1918, Henry Johnson and fellow soldier Needham Roberts were at a listening outpost in No Man's Land to detect enemy movements when they were attacked by a German raiding party. Roberts was quickly incapacitated, but he continued to hand grenades to a wounded Johnson. The Germans attempted to drag Roberts back to their trenches, but Johnson pursued them. Firing his rifle until it jammed and then using it as a club until it broke, Johnson drew a bolo knife and continued to fight. After reinforcements arrived, Johnson collapsed from twenty-one wounds.
Although Johnson’s heroism was well-publicized immediately after his homecoming, the fanfare surrounding him quickly disappeared. He was unable to collect any benefits due to him as a wounded veteran despite ample evidence of those wounds. He died on July 10, 1929 at the age of 32 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
The racial climate in the nation at the time also meant that official recognition of Johnson’s bravery would not be forthcoming. In 1996 Johnson was awarded the Purple Heart – an award presented to every American service man or woman wounded in combat. In 2002, Johnson was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest award for valor. President Barack Obama will present the Medal of Honor to Sergeant Henry Johnson in a White House ceremony on June 2, 2015.
Sergeant William Shemin
In the summer of 1918, American and other Allied forces launched attacks on German fortifications in the Aisne-Marne region of France. Among the Americans involved in the fighting was Sergeant William Shemin. During combat operations near the Vesle River from August 7-9, 1918, Sergeant Shemin and the 4th Division encountered stiff German resistance as they attempted to secure Allied gains from the Aisne-Marne Offensive.
During the fighting, William Shemin left the cover of his platoon's trench and crossed open space, repeatedly exposing himself to heavy machine gun and rifle fire to rescue three wounded soldiers. After officers and senior noncommissioned officers of the unit were killed or wounded, Sergeant Shemin took command of the platoon and displayed great initiative under fire until he was wounded August 9.
For his actions, Sergeant William Shemin received the Purple Heart and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, this nation’s second-highest award for valor, in 1919. The heroism that Shemin displayed was considered by many, including Jim Pritchard, one of the three soldiers rescued by William Shemin, to be worthy of the Medal of Honor. Pritchard confided to Shemin’s daughter that he believed the reason her father had not received the honor he had earned was due to his Jewish heritage. President Barack Obama will present the Medal of Honor to Sergeant William Shemin in a White House ceremony on June 2, 2015.
The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department's Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.
Phone: (518) 474-1201
Best of SUNY Art Exhibition Opens June 6 at State Museum
The Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition returns to the New York State Museum on June 6, 2015. The annual exhibition showcases artwork created by SUNY’s talented student artists from across New York State.
Open through September 6, 2015, the exhibition features artworks chosen by individual art departments across SUNY’s campuses. The exhibition includes 84 artworks selected from over 300 submissions. The exhibition includes drawings, paintings, photography, sculpture and digitally produced works.
A list of the artists featured in the exhibition is available at the following link:http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/PRkit/2015/SUNY/. Three student artists will receive $1,000 scholarships. Honorable Mention awards of $500 will be given to four additional students. SUNY will announce the awardees in June.
“The New York State Museum is an ideal location for the outstanding student works included in the annual Best of SUNY art exhibition,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “This year’s pieces are breathtaking and imaginative, and they come to us from students at campuses across the State. We are proud to showcase their work here in the heart of New York’s capital city, where the museum attracts visitors from throughout state and the country. Congratulations to all of our student artists.”
“The Board of Regents and the State Museum recognize the importance of visual arts in higher education, which is why we are honored to once again host the Best of SUNY Student Art exhibition,” said State Museum Director Mark Schaming. “The quality and diversity of the artwork on display is a reflection of the hard work, dedication and talent of SUNY art students and deserves to be shared with the public. We’re pleased that Museum visitors will have the opportunity to view these impressive artworks over the next several months.”
The SUNY student art shows were initiated in 2002 as a platform for the work of SUNY’s most talented student artists to be seen by a wider audience. SUNY student art is also on display year-round at State University Plaza in Albany, SUNY Global Center in New York City, and Governor Cuomo’s Washington, DC office.
Photos from the exhibition are available at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/PRkit/2015/SUNY/.
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating nearly 463,000 students in more than 7,500 degree and certificate programs, and more than 1.8 million NYS citizens in professional development and personal enrichment programs, on 64 college and university campuses, and online through Open SUNY. There are nearly 3 million SUNY alumni worldwide. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit SUNY.
The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.
Phone: (518) 474-1201