President Abraham Lincoln’s handwritten draft of the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation will be on exhibit at the New York State Museum from February 11 through March 1, 2020. President Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War on September 22, 1862 ordering that in 100 days the federal government would deem all slaves free in states still rebelling against the Union. The iconic document, in the collections of the New York State Library since 1865, has been recently re-encased in a state-of-the-art, custom-designed encasement.

The exhibition is dedicated in honor of the late Regent Judith Johnson. The Board of Regents and the State Education Department commemorate Regent Johnson’s life and her unrelenting advocacy for educational equity and excellence for all children by dedicating this exhibition in her honor.

“The Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, written by President Lincoln in 1862, is a treasured document in the New York State Library’s collections,” said Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa. “This historic document presents a learning opportunity for adults and children to reflect on our nation’s past and celebrate the progress we have made and continue to work toward. We’re honored to dedicate this exhibition to the late Regent Judith Johnson and celebrate the countless lives she impacted with her compassion and knowledge and her vision that all students deserve equal opportunity to succeed in life.”

“The Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation is truly a national treasure,” said Interim State Education Commissioner Shannon Tahoe. “More than 150 years after President Lincoln drafted this iconic document, we are proud to exhibit it and commemorate this pivotal, transformative moment in our nation’s history. It also reminds us that America is still a work in progress as we continue to work towards freedom and equality. The document’s new encasement will ensure that President Lincoln’s handwritten draft will continue to be preserved for generations to come.”

On September 22, 1862, following the Union victory at the Battle of Antietam, President Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, ordering that in 100 days the federal government would deem all slaves free in those states still rebelling against the Union.

The Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation is one of two surviving Proclamation documents in Lincoln’s own hand. Lincoln probably glued in sections of the printed Congressional Confiscation Act (laws passed in 1861 and 1862 with the intention of freeing enslaved people still held by Confederate forces) to save time—the fingerprint visible on the first page of the document could be his own. Although Lincoln’s handwritten final Emancipation Proclamation burned in the Chicago fire in 1871, the Preliminary Proclamation survived the State Capitol fire of 1911 and has been preserved by the State Library.

Photos and a transcript of the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation are available on the State Library’s website.

The New York State Museum will open Tonalism: Pathway from the Hudson River School to Modern Art, an exhibition exploring a late 19th century movement in painting with deep connections to New York State, on February 15.  On display through June 14, 2020, the exhibition features over 60 artworks – including paintings, prints, and photographs – from institutions across the state as well as private collections.

“We’re proud to present this new art exhibition at the State Museum,” said Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa. “Art often conveys emotion and the Tonalism exhibition explores how artists created landscapes that evoke feeling and mood. Students and teachers will enjoy learning about this artistic style and exploring how it set the foundation for future art movements.”

“Art exhibitions are a great opportunity for visitors of all ages to learn not only about art but also about history and culture,” said Interim State Education Commissioner Shannon Tahoe. “The Tonalism exhibition at the State Museum invites visitors to see incredible artwork from cultural institutions and private collectors across the state, including some artwork that has rarely been exhibited in public.”

Emerging in the years after the Civil War, Tonalism appealed to audiences seeking respite from the devastation of war, the political turmoil of Reconstruction, and the rise of industrialization and urbanization. In the broadest sense, Tonalism can be understood as an approach to representation that relied less on faithfulness to visual reality than on creating an evocative mood, often through memory. Tonalist artists achieved a prevailing sense of quiet by depicting subjects at either end of the day, in soft light and with a delicate range of colors – thus, “tonal”. Landscapes dominated, but figurative works were not excluded. Overall, Tonalism encouraged contemplation.

Tonalism: Pathway from the Hudson River School to Modern Art is organized by the New York State Museum and the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art. The group of artists included in the exhibition is a representation of those who practiced Tonalism. The artists range from Frederick Kost on Long Island, to those working in Woodstock, including Birge Harrison, Eva Watson-Schütze, and Bolton Brown, to Alexander Helwig Wyant in Arkville and Keene Valley, to Walter Launt Palmer and others who had ties to Albany. The goal is to cast a wide net and consider Tonalism as a broader concept than heretofore presented.

The public is invited to attend a reception for the exhibition on Saturday, April 4 from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. The reception will begin with light refreshments at 1:00 p.m., followed by an exhibition tour led by senior historian and curator Karen Quinn at 2:00 p.m.

Photos of artwork from the exhibition are available on the Museum’s website.

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

The New York State Museum will open The Historic Woodstock Art Colony: The Arthur A. Anderson Collection on November 10. On display through December 31, 2019, the exhibition features over 100 artworks – including paintings, lithographs, sculpture and works on paper – from the major collection of artwork of the historic Woodstock Art Colony that collector Arthur A. Anderson donated to the State Museum in 2017. This exhibition introduces to the public for the first time just a sample of the highlights of this extraordinary collection, which represents a body of work that together shaped art and culture in New York and forms a history of national and international significance.

Long before the famous music festival in 1969, Woodstock, New York, was home to what is considered America’s first intentionally created, year-round arts colony—founded in 1902 and still thriving over 100 years later. Collecting the remarkable range of work produced there was Anderson’s focus for three decades, resulting in the largest comprehensive assemblage of its type. The artists represented in it reflect the diversity of those who came to Woodstock, including Birge Harrison, Konrad Cramer, George Bellows, Eugene Speicher, Peggy Bacon, Rolph Scarlett and Yasuo Kuniyoshi, among many others. Anderson donated his entire collection—some 1,500 objects by almost 200 artists—to the State Museum.

“This exhibition presents an extraordinary opportunity for State Museum visitors to see a variety of artwork that highlights an important chapter of New York’s art history,” said Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa. “We’re grateful to Arthur Anderson for donating the collection to the Museum, which allows this remarkable collection of artwork to be seen, appreciated and researched by students and adults for generations to come.”

“Thanks to Arthur Anderson, the State Museum has a collection of historic artwork that represents the culture, history and artistic direction of talented Woodstock artists,” said State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia. “The exhibition invites children and adults to view these unique and inspirational artworks and explore how these artists were at the center of artistic development in New York in the 20^th century.”

“We are deeply grateful to Arthur Anderson for his generosity and foresight in donating this exceptional collection to the State Museum,” said Mark Schaming, Deputy Commissioner of Cultural Education and State Museum Director. “The exhibition showcases spectacular artworks by some of New York and America’s influential artists of the 20^th century. We are pleased to share this collection with New Yorkers and explore Woodstock’s history as an innovate center of artistic development in New York.”

“Ever since I began spending quality time in the Hudson Valley, I have been enamored with the historic Woodstock Art Colony,” said donor Arthur Anderson. “Over the course of three decades, my collection grew to 1,500 works by 200 artists, with an emphasis on George Bellows and his Woodstock circle. After considering various permanent homes for the collection, it became clear to me that the best place was the New York State Museum. The collection’s new home at the State Museum helps re-introduce the Historic Woodstock Art Colony into the American art canon. It also, I hope, motivates others to donate their treasures for public appreciation and education that express the culture and history of New York State.”

The public is invited to attend an opening reception for the exhibition on Saturday, November 10 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. The reception will begin with light refreshments at 1:00 p.m., followed by an exhibition tour led by senior historian and curator Karen Quinn at 2:00 p.m. Donor Arthur Anderson will attend the reception.

The Woodstock story begins in 1902, when Byrdcliffe was established as a year-round artists’ colony focusing on the Arts and Crafts movement. The utopian community drew furniture craftsmen, painters, printmakers, photographers, ceramicists, and other artisans to an environment that emphasized individual work over mass production. In 1906, the Art Students League of New York, one of the country’s most important and progressive art schools, moved its summer school to Woodstock, bringing some 200 students a season to the area. The Woodstock Artists Association was founded in 1919 by artists of differing mindsets but unified in their quest for a centralized exhibition space.

Throughout the 20th century, and now into the 21st century, Woodstock attracted and continues to attract a range of artists working in a variety of media and approaches ranging from realism to abstraction – something that sets Woodstock apart from other art colonies that flourished for a limited time and were centered on a single style.

Photos of select artworks included in the exhibition are available on the Museum’s website.

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

Visitors can shop at 30 “made in New York” food and beverage vendors at the New York State Museum’s Taste NY Holiday Market on Sunday, December 2 from 11:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Admission is free.

Vendors will offer samples and sales of chocolates; cheese; maple products; hand-crafted beer, wine, spirits and cider; and other edible gifts. All participating vendors produce their products in New York State. There will also be cooking demonstrations, educational activities and a chocolate fountain station courtesy of We Do Fondue and Price Chopper/Market 32. For more information, including a list of vendors, visit the Museum’s website. 

Following is a schedule of demonstrations and educational activities at the event:
 

• Lavada Nahon – Culinary Historian (11:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.): Enjoy learning about the diverse foodways of New Netherland and early New York. Explore how the lives and cultures of the Dutch mixed with those of the English, enslaved Africans, French, Germans, Jews and others to create a vibrant foundation found nowhere else in colonial America.
   
• Second Regiment of the Albany County Militia – Colonial Foodways (11:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.): Explore 18^th century food in both the military and the home front. Enjoy everything from beer to bread and learn how our founding mothers and fathers ate during the American Revolution.
   
• Paul Supley – Chocolate Historian (11:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.): Enjoy historic foodways at their sweetest with culinary historian Paul Supley of Van Wyckes Chocolate House. Van Wyckes Chocolate House explores the importance of chocolate in the 18th century through hands-on engagement. Discover the historical uses of chocolate as a medicine, a breakfast food and a pleasurable treat. Explore the material culture behind the making of chocolate and take the opportunity to discuss with Mr. Supley the different ways 18^th century New Yorkers enjoyed one of our favorite guilty pleasures.
   
• Cooking Demo with Chef Michael Lapi (1:00 – 2:00 p.m.): Focusing on fresh ingredients from local farms in the Mohawk Valley, Chef Lapi will cook up a recipe perfect for holiday entertaining.

The annual Holiday Tree Lighting and Fireworks Festival at the Empire State Plaza will also be held on December 2.

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 State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

Representatives from over a dozen New York State historic sites and cultural organizations will provide educational hands-on activities, unique artifacts to explore and information about upcoming events during the annual “New York State’s Great Places and Spaces” program on Saturday, January 12 from noon to 4:00 p.m. at the New York State Museum.

A guided tour of The Historic Woodstock Art Colony: The Arthur A. Anderson Collection will be held at 1:00 p.m., followed by a Hudson Valley art project inspired by the exhibition. A guided tour of Enterprising Waters: New York’s Erie Canal will be held at 3:00 p.m.

Participating organizations include: Capital District Civil War Round Table; Crailo State Historic Site; Friends of the Pine Bush Community, Inc; Hudson Mohawk Industrial Gateway; John Brown Farm State Historic Site; Johnson Hall State Historic Site; The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame; New Windsor Cantonment and Knox’s Headquarters State Historic Site; Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum; Saratoga National Historic Park; Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site; Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site; Shaker Heritage Society; New York State Archives; New York State Library; and the Underground Railroad History Project of the Capital Region, Inc.

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

The New York State Museum will host two geology and paleontology-themed programs in February: The Rock and Fossil Fun Fair on February 16 and 17 and the Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show and Sale on February 23 and 24.

The Rock and Fossil Fun Fair will be held on Saturday, February 16 and Sunday, February 17, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Children can mine for minerals, forage for fossils, experiment with a river replica and participate in more than 10 hands-on geology and paleontology activities. Visitors are encouraged to bring their rocks and fossils from home for identification from Museum scientists. This program is free admission; donations are appreciated.  

The 26^th Annual James Campbell Memorial Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show and Sale will be held on Saturday, February 23 and Sunday, February 24, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. More than 30 vendors from throughout the region will display and sell gems, minerals, fossils and jewelry. Admission is $5 (cash only); children ages 12 and under are free. This event is co-sponsored by the Capital District Mineral Club and the New York Academy of Mineralogy. All proceeds benefit the Museum’s mineral acquisition fund.

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

The New York State Museum will open a poster exhibition on February 5, Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow, detailing the national story of the struggle for black equality after the end of slavery and through the Jim Crow era. In recognition of Black History Month, this poster exhibition created by the New-York Historical Society Museum and Library will be on view in the State Museum’s main lobby through April 28. In addition, artifacts from the State Museum’s African American history collection will also be on display from February 5 through March 3.

Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow explores the struggle for full citizenship and racial equality that unfolded in the decades after the Civil War. While Black Americans gained new liberties after the Civil War and the end of slavery, by the early 1900s these liberties had been sabotaged by a repressive racial system known as Jim Crow. The exhibition features eight posters with images of artifacts and documents that chronicle the long strides forward, bruising setbacks, and heroic struggle for equality that took place during these years.

“As we commemorate Black History Month, we remember and honor the achievements, sacrifices and struggles of African Americans throughout our nation's history," said Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa. "Although some progress has been made, intolerance and discrimination still persist in our society. One of the goals of our My Brother's Keeper initiative is to create culturally diverse and engaging environments that foster respect and trust. Let us work collaboratively to build equity not only in our educational system but in society as well."

“When we remember and learn from the past, we can make our future better and brighter,” said State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia. “This exhibition at the State Museum prompts us to learn about a chapter in our nation’s past between the Civil War and World War II when African Americans’ rights were not respected. As we learn from this exhibition, we salute and honor the African Americans of the past and present who lead us forward and demonstrate the true meaning of progress and equality.”

“Although slavery was abolished soon after the end of the War, African American men, women and children’s liberties were challenged by the Jim Crow era,” said Regent Roger Tilles, Co-Chair of the Board of Regents Cultural Education Committee. “With this exhibition at the New York State Museum, visitors will learn about the challenges African Americans faced following the Civil War and the struggle for equality that continues to today.

“During Black History Month, we reflect and honor African Americans’ achievements and contributions, despite injustices of the past and present,” said Regent Judith Johnson, Co-Chair of the Board of Regents Cultural Education Committee. “Cultural organizations throughout the state host programs and exhibitions that share the history and stories of African Americans not just during Black History Month but every month of the year. I encourage students to study the triumphs and struggles of African Americans throughout our country’s history and celebrate diversity – the very thing that makes our country and society strong.”

Classroom materials and an educator guide for the Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow exhibition, developed by the New-York Historical Society Museum and Library, are available for teachers. The curriculum materials include primary and secondary resources, classroom activities and discussion questions.

Images from the exhibition, including artifacts from the State Museum’s collection, are available on the Museum’s website.

The Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow poster exhibition is based on a larger exhibition currently on view at the New-York Historical Society through March 3, 2019. Lead support provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor. Major support provided by the Ford Foundation, Crystal McCrary and Raymond J. McGuire, and Agnes Gund.

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

The New York State Museum has launched an online resource for educators about New York’s Dutch history, including an educational guide, photos of historic artifacts and artwork, and video interviews with content experts. Funded through a generous grant from the Dutch Culture USA program administered by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York, the educational guide provides five lessons that introduce students to Fort Orange (present-day Albany, NY) and the world of New Netherland, the first Dutch colony in North America.

The educational guide’s lesson topics include: Native American daily life before Dutch arrival, trade and global commerce, archaeology, and economical and political tensions. In these lessons, students use digital images of archaeological collections, archival material and artwork to learn about Fort Orange and New Netherland in the 17^th century and develop skills for analyzing and interpreting primary sources.

“This educational resource is a treasure trove of primary source material, photos and videos, and engaging lessons for teachers to use to educate children about what New York State was like in the 17^th century,” said Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa. “We’re proud to provide this to educators across the state and hope students and teachers alike discover and learn about New York State’s Dutch history.”

“Studying New Netherland is essential to students’ understanding of the history and development of New York State,” said State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia. “Now teachers can use the wealth of information and research available at the New York State Museum, Library and Archives in the classroom and make this important chapter of our history come alive for New York’s students.”

“This educational guide continues our work in sharing the story of New York’s colonial past and how the Dutch’s influence and impact in the 17^th century continues through today,” said Deputy Commissioner of Cultural Education and State Museum Director Mark Schaming. “The State Museum, Library and Archives’ holdings of artifacts and documents related to New York’s Dutch history are unrivaled and allow us to provide this extraordinary educational resource.”

“We highly commend the Fort Orange educational guide, a platform provided by the New York State Museum,” said The Netherlands Cultural Attaché to the United States, Joost Taverne. “This educational resource makes the Dutch history of New York easily accessible for all teachers and students. The Dutch legacy of diversity, trade and tolerance is still present in New York State today and will help students understand what makes New York so unique in the history of the USA.”

In the coming year, video interviews with experts will be added to the lessons, including interviews with: Dr. Charles Gehring, Director of the New Netherland Research Center; Dr. Janny Venema, Associate Director of the New Netherland Research Center; Dr. Michael Lucas, Curator of Historical Archaeology at the State Museum; Dr. Paul Huey and the late Joseph McEvoy, retired archaeologists from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; and artist Len Tantillo. Additional support for the educational guide was provided by the New York State Archives Partnership Trust.

Fort Orange was the first permanent Dutch settlement in New Netherland, built as a trading post by the West India Company in 1624 at the present-day location of Albany, making the city the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the United States, north of Virginia. Fort Orange was located at the nexus of the lucrative beaver-pelt trade. Between 1624 and 1664, the fort’s role in the development of New Netherland evolved from a point of contact and trade between Native Americans and Europeans, to an enclosure with dwellings and private enterprises, and finally an abandoned space consumed by the development of Albany.

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

“Women of Science” on Saturday, March 9, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. This free program invites visitors of all ages to meet Museum scientists and learn more about their work, current research projects and museum collections.

Throughout the day visitors can meet over a dozen scientists, engage in hands-on educational activities, complete an activity booklet, and attend short talks and “Ask a Scientist” panels. A schedule of talks is listed below:

• 11:00 a.m. - “Ask the Scientist” for Families
  What does a typical day in the life of a museum scientist look like? Please bring your questions and join Dr. Daria Merwin, archaeologist, to learn about the opportunities and challenges of becoming a scientist.
   
• 11:45 a.m.- The Science of Fossils: What to Do When You Find Them
  Fossils can be used to determine how creatures lived, how they changed over time, and what they were like when they were alive. Join state paleontologist Dr. Lisa Amati and learn how to study animal and plant fossils.
   
• 12:30 p.m. - Diversity Gradients, Birds and Parasites
  State Museum Ornithology Fellow Naima Starkloff talks about the diversity patterns of malaria-causing parasites in a group of birds in North America.
   
• 1:15 p.m. - A Day in the Life of an Entomologist/Evolutionary Biologist
  Dr. Julie Urban, Research Associate Professor at Pennsylvania State University, will discuss the field and lab components of the research she conducts with planthopper insects.
   
• 2:00 p.m. - Not All Anthropologists are Archaeologists! The Adventures of a Cultural Anthropologist at the State Museum
  Anthropology is the study of human beings, our past and our present. So what does it look like to study human beings today doing everyday human being things? Join Dr. Gwen Saul, cultural anthropologist, for an introduction to cultural anthropology and the contemporary Native art collection at the State Museum.
   
• 2:30 p.m. - “Ask the Scientist” Panel Discussion featuring all participating scientists
  Visitors of all ages are invited to meet State Museum scientists and ask them what it’s like to be a scientist.

Participating scientists include: Dr. Christina Reith, Dr. Daria Merwin, Kristin O’Connell, Susan Winchell-Sweeney, Jessica Vavresek and Sarita Morse from Archaeology; Lisa Anderson, Andrea Lain, Jessica Campbell, and Julie Weatherwax from Bioarchaeology; Naima Starkloff from Ornithology, Diana Hurlbut from Botany; Dr. Gwendolyn Saul from Cultural Anthropology; Dr. Denise Mayer from Malacology; Kathleen Bonk from Geology; Dr. Lisa Amati from Invertebrate Paleontology; Jessica Watson from Zooarchaeology; and Dr. Julie Urban from Pennsylvania State University’s Department of Entomology (former research doctoral student at the State Museum).

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

The New York State Museum today announced the addition of 14 new artworks to its contemporary Native American art collection. Building on an initiative launched in 1986 and now numbering more than 160 artworks, the contemporary Native American art collection is an impressive assemblage of work showcasing the breadth of Native artistic skills and craftsmanship.

In accordance with the mission of the collection, each artist is a citizen of an Indigenous nation whose ancestral lands are located in what is now New York State. The artists and their work include:

• 1687 War, acrylic on paper, by Peter Jemison (Seneca)
• Quilled leather pouch and knife sheath, 17th century replica, by Jamie Jacobs (Tonawanda Seneca)
• Dan Nanamkin at Standing Rock, from the series We Are Still Here, photograph print by Camille Seaman (Shinnecock)
• Christian Branden Weaver at Shinnecock Pow wow (Portrait), from the series We Are Still Here, photograph print by Camille Seaman (Shinnecock)
• Three Sisters, acrylic on canvas, by Erwin Printup Jr. (Cayuga)
• Never Alone, beadwork on watercolor, by Dawn Dark Mountain (Oneida Nation, WI) and Karen Ann Hoffman (Oneida Nation, WI)
• Three Sisters, carved stone sculpture, by Scott Hill (Oneida Nation, WI)
• Hawk, antler carving, by Hayden Haynes (Seneca)
• Tadodaho, wampum belt replica, by Tony Gonyea (Onondaga)
• Journey: The Red and Black Experience in the New World, quilt, by Faye Lone (Tonawanda Seneca)
• Beaded pin cushion and bird, by Grant Jonathan (Tuscarora)
• Beaded regalia (cuffs, hat, belt), by Reva Fuhrman (Stockbridge Munsee Mohican)

“These artworks not only speak to Native American and New York history but also represent Native American culture today,” said Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa. “We’re grateful to the artists for sharing their heritage with the people of New York. Now generations of New Yorkers to come will learn from and appreciate these artworks.”

“Adding new artworks to the State Museum’s contemporary Native American art collection is much more important than simply growing this collection,” said State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia. “The collection is a commitment to support emerging and established Native American artists and to share Native American culture with New Yorkers of all ages.”

The Contemporary Native American Art Collection is part of the State Museum’s Ethnology collection. The new artworks will significantly contribute to future exhibitions, educational programming and research publications. Included in the collection are examples of beadwork, sculpture, quillwork, regalia, carvings, paintings and textile art. The collection reflects the broad range of artwork from Native artists using multiple mediums and techniques and addresses historic and contemporary subject matter relevant to all New Yorkers.

Photos of some of the newly acquired artworks are available on the State Museum’s website.

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

Over 100 Capital Region students will compete in the annual Capital Region History Day competition at the New York State Museum on Saturday, March 23. The public is invited to view the students' public exhibitions of their contest submissions from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. as well as the awards ceremony from 3:30 – 4:15 p.m. Don Wildman, host of the Travel Channel’s “Mysteries at the Museum”, will distribute awards to the winners.

The New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education is the regional coordinator for the Capital Region contest of the National History Day competition. Students in grades 6-12, working individually or in groups, conduct research and present their findings in one of the five following formats: exhibit, documentary, paper, website or theatrical performance. The national theme for this year’s competition is “Triumph and Tragedy”. Students’ exhibitions will be on display on the Museum’s 4^th floor for the public to view from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at the State Museum’s Clark Auditorium from 3:30 – 4:15 p.m. State Museum representatives, State Historian Devin Lander, and host of the Travel Channel’s “Mysteries at the Museum” Don Wildman will distribute awards to the top two winners in each category. An additional winner will receive the New York State Archives Partnership Trust Award and a one-year subscription to New York Archives magazine for best use of historical records. The top two winners in each category proceed to the state competition in Cooperstown, NY on April 29. Winners of the state competition have the opportunity to move on to the national level competition at the University of Maryland in June.

Each year, more than half a million students, encouraged by thousands of teachers and parents nationwide, participate in the National History Day program. The program makes history come alive for America's youth by engaging them in the discovery of the historic, cultural and social experiences of the past.

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

The State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education (OCE), housed in the Cultural Education Center, operates three major institutions with stewardship responsibilities for collections — the New York State Museum, State Library, and State Archives — and the Office of Educational Television and Public Broadcasting and the Summer School of the Arts. Further information about OCE programs and events can be obtained by visiting the OCE website.

The New York State Museum will present “Women of Science” programming on Facebook Live and YouTube through the month of August. Viewers can virtually meet Museum scientists, learn about their research through filmed presentations, and post questions which will be answered by the scientists themselves.

More than a dozen scientists will treat viewers to hands-on educational activities and deliver short talks.

All programs will be at 1:00 p.m. on Facebook and will later be available on YouTube.

A schedule of talks is listed below:

• Wednesday, August 12 – Cultural Resource Survey Program (CRSP) with Christina Reith
  CRSP provides research and assessment of archaeological and architectural resources for other state agencies. Join Dr. Christina Reith, Co-Director, CRSP in this look at the Smith-Holloway site located in the Schoharie Valley of New York. The site contains several different occupations with the most prevalent being the Transitional and Early Woodland occupations. Dr. Reith will share the artifacts that came from the site and discuss how these artifacts will be used in the future for research and public outreach.
   
• Wednesday, August 19 – Caring for Unique Records in the Geologic Open File, New York State Museum with Kathleen Bonk
  A geology technician at the New York State Museum, Kathleen Bonk is responsible for the Open File Collection, a unique collection of geology-related archival records. Hear how Kathleen cares for this small-but-significant archive through processing and preservation. Explore the importance of these materials and how she makes the materials in her care available to researchers onsite and remotely.
   
• Thursday, August 20th – Archaeology with Dr. Daria Merwin
  CRSP provides research and assessment of archaeological and architectural resources for other state agencies. Join Dr. Daria Merwin, Co-Director, CRSP, as she explores shipwrecks. Did you know that New York has hundreds of shipwrecks that can be found in rivers, lakes, the ocean, and even on land? Dr. Merwin will address underwater and maritime archaeology and explore what these amazing sites can tell us about the past.
   
• Tuesday, August 25th – Geo-Physical Testing at the Douw 1 Site, Papscane Island, NY with Susan Winchell-Sweeney & Kristin O’Connell
  Archaeology is an important tool when investigating the lives of enslaved people living in the Hudson Valley. Discover how the archaeological remains of a house constructed by Volkert P. Douw, a prominent politician during the mid- to late- 1700s, provide insight into the individuals that may have occupied the site including people enslaved by Douw in the 18th century. As part of a larger project to study the impact of slavery in the Hudson Valley, the New York State Museum, in collaboration with the Open Space Institute and Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Tribal Preservation Office, undertook both a controlled surface artifact collection and a magnetic susceptibility (MS) survey at the Douw Site. MS is a non-invasive geophysical technique that is becoming increasing more popular for archaeological investigations in the United States.
   
• Wednesday, August 26th – Fossils in the Field with Dr. Lisa Amati, Sarita Morse, and Kathleen Bonk
  What do scientists do when they are “out in the field”? Enjoy this video from the field with State Paleontogist Dr. Lisa Amati and collections technicians Sarita Morse and Kathleen Bonk as they show how they collect fossils, research the area they are studying, and conduct work outside. Learn about the process of collection and hands-on research that helps the New York State Museum increase collections, make discoveries, and share the rich and exciting paleontological history of New York State with you!

Participating scientists include: Dr. Christina Reith, Dr. Daria Merwin, Kristin O’Connell, Susan Winchell-Sweeney, Sarita Morse, Kathleen Bonk, and Dr. Lisa Amati.

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 currently closed. It is closed on the Fourth of July, 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.

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The New York State Museum today launched the Portal to Online Educational Resources & Activities that brings together many of the museum’s resources, including links to the popular virtual “Fieldtrips,” digital collections, online resources, and many fun activities for kids derived from the museum’s research and collections. The Portal provides opportunities for educators, caregivers, and students looking for engaging and educational activities that can be done from home.

“The New York State Museum is a wealth of resources for those looking to explore our State’s rich history and culture,” said Board of Regents Vice Chancellor T. Andrew Brown. “By expanding the resources that are available online during the COVID pandemic, we are opening the Museum up to students and families.”

“As we all continue to look for new and exciting ways to engage students in learning amidst this pandemic, these online resources provide wonderful options for educators and parents alike whether from home or in the classroom,” said Interim Commissioner Betty A. Rosa. “For many students across the state, a field trip to the State Museum is a thrilling part of their school year. Thanks to these virtual field trips and learning resources, we are able to allow teachers to keep the Museum’s vast collections and resources in their lesson plans even while the Museum is closed to visitors.”

The portal resources and activities are updated often to provide new resources and direct access to online content. Throughout the school year, educational resources for educators and caregivers including NYS Learning Standards supporting online lessons, content-created publications, and virtual activities will be added. These resources will support the work of educators, engage students in the research and collections of the New York State Museum, and connect the real-world work of scientists and historians with the NYS Learning Standards.

Portal Resources & Activities

360 Degree Virtual Field Trips

• The Rotunda Murals - Learn more about the 36 paintings, created by Albany artist Will Hicok Low, that complement the State Education Building Rotunda’s architectural nobility and its aura of intellectual enlightenment. Museum Educator, Carly Benedict leads this tour of the beauty and meaning of these groundbreaking murals. 
   
• The Replica Liberty Bell - Gifted by President Harry Truman in 1950, the New York State’s “Liberty Bell” is an exact replica of the original Liberty Bell located in Philadelphia. Museum Educator, Anna Doren, showcases the history behind the creation of this replica and how it came to be a featured element at the New York State Education Building.  
   
• Regents Room of the State Education Building - Located inside the NYS Education Building, this elaborately decorated room is the meeting place for the Board of Regents. Join Museum Educator Ben Russell as he highlights the Regents history and the room’s design.
   
• The Rotunda at the NYSED - Explore the NYS Education Building where Museum Educator, Carl Morrone, highlights the building's history and unique architectural elements. Designed by renowned architect and New York City native Henry Hornbostel, the Education Building was the first major building constructed in the United States solely as a headquarters for the administration of education.
   

Educational Resources

• Women’s Suffrage Commemoration Resources – “Votes for Women: Celebrating New York’s Suffrage Centennial” honors the centennial of women’s suffrage in New York State and raises awareness of the struggle for equal rights up through the present day.
   
• NYSM Women of Science Programming – This August, we are taking our popular Women of Science program online! During several virtual sessions, you will be able to learn from female scientists and staff about their area of study, collections, and career paths.
   
• Fun Activities – Videos and downloadable activities for fun at home. Families can “color the collections” with coloring sheets inspired by exhibits and artifacts from the museum’s collections or watch a video from our museum education department about topics inspired by the museum and then make a craft activity at home.
   
• Teacher Guides & Activities for Students – The New York State Museum offers educational opportunities for learners of all ages and abilities. Through online educational resources, children, families, educators, and students can experience the art, science, and history of New York State in a fun and engaging way. NYSM Teacher Guides meet New York State Learning Standards. 
   
• NYSM Videos – Learn about the research and collections of the New York State Museum through videos from scientists, historians, and educators.
   

These resources and more can all be found in one place on the NYSM Portal to Online Educational Resources & Activities.

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 currently closed. It is closed on the Fourth of July, 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.

The New York State Museum will exhibit three special installations in honor of Women’s History Month and the centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which ended the exclusion of voters on the basis of sex. Open March 10 through April 26 the Museum will exhibit the 2020 Quilt Project, the Central Park Women’s Monument maquette, and a 1913 suffrage wagon.  

“In March we celebrate Women’s History Month and this year we also we commemorate the centennial of the passage of the 19^th Amendment,” said Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa. “This exhibition is a learning opportunity for all of us, especially our children and students, to appreciate the immense contributions that women and men before us have made to champion women’s rights. We continue that advocacy and work today as we work toward equity and opportunity for all.”

“We’re honored to open this special exhibition that highlights significant achievements for women’s rights,” said Interim State Education Commissioner Shannon Tahoe. “We hope the thousands of visitors to the Museum will view these unique artifacts and reflect on our ancestors’ fight for equal rights – an extraordinary effort that continues to today.”

The 2020 Quilt Project is a collaborative textile art project initiated by the National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House in Rochester, New York. The 2020 Quilt celebrates the achievements women have made in fighting for equal rights, but also addresses “unfinished business,” or rights yet to be won. Fabric arts, traditionally seen as a women’s activity, have a long history of being used to protest.

The Central Park Women’s Monument maquette is the first version of a model for a statue that is scheduled to be unveiled in New York City’s Central Park on August 26, 2020. Women’s rights activists Pam Elam and Coline Jenkins formed the Statue Fund to create the first statue in Central Park that both honors and depicts real women. Sculptor Meredith Bergmann’s design was chosen out of 91 entries. The final design represents three major leaders in 19th-century women’s rights movement: Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony.

The centerpiece of the main lobby exhibit is a large wooden wagon that was once covered in suffrage banners and hand-painted signs as suffrage activists used the wagon as both a prop and a speaker’s platform between 1913 and 1917, when New York State awarded women the vote. This suffrage wagon is part of the Museum’s permanent collection.

These special installations honor the centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920, which ended the exclusion of voters on the basis of sex. In 1917 New York State granted women the right to vote, helping to shift the national conversation toward passage of the Amendment. New York-based suffragists played an important role in the national fight for women’s suffrage.

The public is invited to attend a reception on Saturday, March 28 from 1:00 – 3:00 pm celebrating the 2020 Quilt Project. Visitors can enjoy light refreshments followed by a talk by State Museum curator and historian Ashley Hopkins-Benton at 2:00 pm.

Photos are available for download on the Museum’s website.

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

Focus on Nature XV, a nature-based artwork exhibition featuring 87 illustrations by 69 artists, will be on display at the Roberson Museum and Science Center in Binghamton, NY from July 21, 2019 – January 20, 2020. The exhibition, which is organized by the New York State Museum, celebrates natural and cultural history illustration and the talented artists who create a connection between science and art.

Focus on Nature is a biennial exhibition of scientific, natural and cultural history. Since its inception in 1990, the exhibition has reflected the standards, materials, and skills of contemporary natural and cultural history illustrators. It has increased awareness of a genre that requires scientific accuracy for publications, interpretive nature centers, as well as many research and educational purposes. A five-member jury of artists and scientists select the artwork for each exhibition based on the illustration’s scientific accuracy and uniqueness, educational value and artistic quality. Artists featured in the exhibition are from countries around the world, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. An exhibition catalog with artist commentary is available on the State Museum website.

“Focus on Nature encourages visitors to learn about the animals and plants around us through art,” said Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa. “People of all ages, especially students, will be interested in not only the artwork itself but also the artists’ thought process and approach to creating each piece.”

“These artworks are great examples of illustrations of the natural world by a group of very accomplished artists,” said State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia. “We’re proud to partner with the Roberson Museum to bring this nature-based art exhibition to Binghamton. The art showcased in the exhibit can serve as inspiration and encouragement for students to illustrate the natural environment and learn about the plants and animals in their community and beyond.”

“These pieces offer such a unique and intimate study of life on Earth,” said Natalie Shoemaker, Events & Marketing Coordinator at the Roberson Museum and Science Center. “We’re so excited and honored to host this stunning exhibition at the Roberson Museum and Science Center here in Binghamton, NY, and we hope these artworks can spark important conversations surrounding the life portrayed within.”

This year is the fifteenth iteration of the Focus on Nature exhibition and the illustrations reflect a variety of artistic formats and subjects. Notable illustrations include:

• Octopus (Keuppia species) by Esther van Hulsen – this painting of a 95-million-year-old octopus was painted with its own ink. The fossil of the octopus was found in Lebanon in such excellent condition that it was possible to obtain some ink. Octopus ink has historically been used on occasion for drawing and painting most notably by English paleontologist Mary Anning who made a similar drawing in the early 1800s.
   
• Gorgosaurus libratus, Lambeosaurus lambei by Christian Gerisch – this painting depicts two dinosaurs encountering each other in a riverbed in southeastern Alberta, Canada. Both animals seem unsure what to do. The scene is based on an assumption made by paleontologist Dr. David Hone. He theorized fully grown apex predators seldom go for large, healthy prey – a similar behavior observed in modern animals. The commonly depicted image of dinosaurs battling large prey animals would have been a rare sight, only happening in desperate circumstances.
   
• Aloe (Aloe species) by Dorothy DePaulo – this painting is created on drafting film, a semi-translucent plastic film that allows the artist to layer pieces of film. The artist wanted to draw the aloe plant in the dominant view with its native habitat, the Sonoran Desert of southwestern North America, in the background. To achieve this, two layers of drafting film were used with the aloe on the top layer and the desert scene in monotone on the underlaying film.

Photos of select artworks from the exhibition are available upon request. Please email nysmpress@nysed.gov. 

The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

Roberson Museum and Science Center is open Wednesday through Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday from 12PM to 5PM, and Friday from 12PM to 9PM. The Museum is located at 30 Front Street, Binghamton, NY 13905. Admission information can be found by calling (607) 772-0660 or visiting the Roberson website.

New York State Museum scientists have completed research that reveals when and why large mammals—including caribou, mammoths, and mastodons—re-colonized and ultimately went extinct in New York State after the last Ice Age. This research may help scientists better understand how ecosystems formed and why certain species went extinct after the last Ice Age.  Dr. Robert Feranec, the Museum’s curator of Pleistocene vertebrate paleontology, and Dr. Andrew Kozlowski, the Museum’s glacial geologist, co-authored the research that appears in the most recent issue of the journal “Quaternary Research” (Volume 85, Issue 2).

At the height of the last Ice Age, approximately twenty-five thousand years ago, the area that is now New York State was nearly entirely covered in ice. As the earth moved from a glacial climate to an interglacial climate and the ice melted, new land opened up to colonization by plants and animals. By carbon dating specimens in the State Museum collections as well as analyzing carbon dates of caribou, mammoths, and mastodons from other published research, Feranec and Kozlowski were able to determine the colonization and extinction patterns of those species following the last Ice Age.

Based on the carbon dates, a pattern in the timing of colonization emerges with caribou appearing first, about 17,000 years ago. Mammoths followed shortly thereafter, arriving when their preferred habitat, a tundra environment, was present in the state.  A few thousand years later, mastodons then colonized the state when their preferred habitat, boreal forest, became present.

Interestingly, the scientists found that the pattern of extinction was opposite that of colonization.  At the end of the Pleistocene epoch, about 12,000 years ago, mastodons went extinct in the state first, followed by mammoths. There are historical records of caribou in the state up to and during the Colonial period (about 200 years ago).

Paleontologists have long debated the cause of the end-Pleistocene extinction when over 50 species of large mammals went extinct in North America. Different arguments have focused on whether the extinction was caused by human-related impacts, such as over-hunting animals, by climate change and subsequent habitat change associated with the shift from a glacial period to an interglacial period, or by a combination of the simultaneous impacts of humans and climate.

Based on this study, at the time of their extinction in the state, the preferred habitats of both mammoths and mastodons were still present; therefore implicating that lack of food or preferred habitat alone could not have been significant contributors to their demise. However, about 1,000 years before these species go extinct, humans enter the state. Feranec and Kozlowski determined that while humans may not have been the only cause in the extinction of mammoths and mastodons in New York, and elsewhere in North America, they likely played a role in the extinction of many species.

Feranec and Kozlowski note that these results not only provide clues to life in the past, but also help provide a basis for understanding more modern concerns, such as the effects of current climatic change on species today and how those species will respond. This study illustrates the need and value of collections-based research to address modern societal issues.

The article is available for free through May 24, 2016 at: http://authors.elsevier.com/a/1Spf87eobDNef.

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.