Be part of the conversation as we explore how the fight for freedom and equality didn’t end with the American Revolution—it evolved. As we commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence, this engaging panel invites you to discover how generations of New Yorkers continued to challenge injustice and expand the meaning of liberty.

In New York, independence was just the starting point. From uprisings over land and rent in the 1840s to labor activism in 20th-century classrooms and the movement for LGBTQ+ rights ignited by the Stonewall Uprising, the state has consistently been at the forefront of transformative change.

Featuring historians and authors Bruce W. Dearstyne, Nancy Newman, Dennis Gaffney, and Ashley Hopkins-Benton, the panel draws on insights from Revolutionary New York: 250 Years of Social Change to highlight powerful stories of activism, resistance, and reform.

Bring your questions and join the discussion as we reflect on New York’s ongoing legacy of revolution—and what it means for the future.

Celebrate spring at the New York State Museum with a hands-on acrylic painting workshop led by Adirondack artist Patrice Jarvis-Weber of Paint with Patrice. Inspired by the Museum’s beloved Bird Hall, participants ages 7 and up will create their own canvas featuring a charming chickadee. Designed for all skill levels, this step-by-step class offers personalized guidance and all materials provided, ensuring everyone leaves with a finished masterpiece to take home. 

Registration Required. 

Session 1 (1-2:30 pm):
**Our apologies, this section has reached capacity.** 

Session 2 (3-4:30 pm):
**Our apologies, this section has reached capacity.** 

Join the New York State Museum for a compelling lecture with author, historian, and storyteller Sandra Weber, featuring her newest book, John Brown in New York: The Man, His Family, and the Adirondack Landscape. Weber offers an intimate and deeply human portrait of the famed abolitionist, focusing on the years of the Brown family’s connection with North Elba, Essex County (1848–1863), where they farmed, raised children, and forged powerful bonds with Black neighbors and fellow settlers.

Set against the rugged beauty of the Adirondack Mountains, this biography explores John Brown not only as a national figure but as a husband, father, farmer, and advocate for justice whose moral convictions shaped his life’s mission. Weber’s insightful narrative bridges the myth and the man, revealing the emotional heart of the Brown family story. A Q&A session and book signing will follow the talk. 

Unleash your creativity and explore New York State through the exciting world of comics! During Comic Book Day, visitors of all ages will discover how comic storytelling can bring science, history, anthropology, and art to life. From illustrating fascinating discoveries to sharing powerful cultural stories, comics offer a unique way to learn about the world around us.

Throughout the day, guests can explore examples of comics inspired by Museum collections and research, then try their hand at creating their own!

Join us for a fun, imaginative day where creativity meets learning.

Celebrate Dutch-American Friendship Day with Dr. Chelsea Teale, Director of the New Netherland Research Center. Stop by the exhibit "a small fort, which our people call Fort Orange" to learn about the often-overlooked contributions of the Dutch during the American Revolution. Ask questions, learn more about the Dutch influence on early America, and pick up a brochure highlighting the New Netherland Research Center.

Join Beyond Plastics for a special screening of the documentary The Plastic Detox, followed by a panel discussion exploring the environmental and public health impacts of plastic pollution. The conversation will bring together voices in the field, including Beyond Plastics president Judith Enck and Dr. Kathy Nolan, president of Physicians for Social Responsibility - New York State Chapter. Together, they will discuss key themes from the film, including the lifecycle of plastics, their effects on human health and ecosystems, and actionable strategies for addressing plastic waste at local, national, and global levels.

Celebrate Mother’s Day with creativity and color! Join us for a family-friendly craft

Celebrate Mother’s Day with creativity and color! Join us for a family-friendly craft making activity inspired by the beauty of spring blooms. Kids and families are invited to design their own one-of-a-kind crafts using a variety of art materials, perfect for gifting to the special mothers, grandmothers, or caregivers in their lives. Drop in and let your imagination blossom in this fun, hands-on activity that’s bursting with love and creativity—just in time for Mother’s Day!

All ages welcome. Supplies provided.

Drop in and let your imagination blossom in this fun, hands-on activity that’s bursting

with love and creativity—just in time for Mother’s Day!

All ages welcome. Supplies provided

Join Dr. Jeremy Kirchman, Curator of Birds and Mammals at the New York State Museum, for a gallery tour of Birds of New York with a special focus on spring migration. Discover how and why birds navigate to and through New York. Dr. Kirchman will guide you through the exhibit’s habitat groups, highlighting the remarkable journeys and diverse ecologies of migratory bird species. The tour concludes with time for Q&A, so come with your birding questions!

Bugs are changing—just like the seasons! 🐛🦋 Join us outside Discovery Place for a fun, hands-on bug adventure where kids can explore real specimens, learn how insects grow and transform, and meet favorites like butterflies, bees, and ladybugs. Discover the wild world of metamorphosis in action! 

From Oscar-nominated Director and Producer Kim A. Snyder ("Death By Numbers," “Newtown,” “Us Kids”) and Executive Producer Sarah Jessica Parker, “The Librarians” takes viewers from Texas to Florida and beyond, where local libraries have become unexpected battlegrounds in a national struggle over parental control, intellectual freedom, and democracy itself. Sparked by the controversial “Krause List” in Texas, which targets 850 books centered on race and LGBTQIA+ stories, the film takes a deep investigative dive into the escalating movement against book banning. The film captures the courage and resilience of the everyday heroes, librarians, as well as concerned parents and students flanking them, who have become first responders in the fight for the freedom to read, standing defiantly against censorship at all costs. 

This event will begin with a screening of the film in the Huxley Theater, followed by a panel discussion with State Librarian Lauren Moore, New York Public Library Senior Director of Reading and Engagement and author Brian Jones, Past-President of the American Library Association Emily Drabinski, American Libraries columnist and Library Freedom Project member Reanna Esmail, and Amanda Hoffman, a former library assistant who fought for their community through the turmoil surrounding a Drag Queen Story Hour. They will discuss the challenges libraries face today, their personal experiences in the battle against censorship, and their suggestions for what libraries and their supporters can do in the continuing struggle for intellectual freedom.

The discussion will be moderated by James Paleologopoulos, Producer for WAMC/Northeast Public Radio’s On the Road, and will be recorded for later broadcast.

Registration encouraged: https://nyslibrary.libcal.com/event/16637063

Join Dr. Chuck Ver Straeten, Curator of Sedimentary Rocks, for a 40-minute gallery walk through the Adirondack Hall. Together, we’ll explore the remarkable rocks of New York State and the fascinating stories they hold about ancient waterways and landscapes that shaped the region over 1.2 billion years. As we move through the gallery, Dr. Ver Straeten will bring these stones to life, revealing how each layer preserves clues to long-lost environments and dramatic changes through deep time. The program wraps up with a short look at one of New York’s most charismatic and rarely seen wild residents, the North American porcupine, drawing on fieldwork and trail camera research to share surprising insights into its behavior and ecology.

Join Ashley Hopkins-Benton, Senior Historian and Curator of Social History, for a gallery talk at the Tuck High Co. Chinatown Store exhibit. Centered on a 1970s Singer industrial sewing machine, this program explores how a single object can hold multiple meanings and connections across time, place, and community.

As we kick off Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, discover how everyday artifacts can reveal deeper stories about work, family, and identity in New York State and consider whose histories are carried within the objects around us.

Join Heather Clark, CRSP Principal Investigator and CADD Specialist, for an informal “Meet the Scientist” tabling program featuring fascinating discoveries from the O’Donnell Site in Dutchess County. Heather will share a selection of historic ceramics recovered during excavation, highlighting the remarkable variety, craftsmanship, and stories these artifacts reveal about the past.

Drop by to view these objects up close, learn how they were identified and analyzed, and ask questions about the archaeological process to bring history back to light.
 

Join us for a one-hour drop-in session where objects, ideas, and questions come together. Get hands-on and see where your curiosity takes you—right inside the Museum’s collections and stories.

Created by Tony Award winner Shaina Taub, this musical recorded from Broadway tells the story of the American suffragist movement and the remarkable friendships, heartbreak, and action that brought women together or, in some cases, tore them apart. The ensemble cast features Taub as Alice Paul, Tony winner Nikki M. James as Ida B. Wells, Tony nominee Jenn Colella as Carrie Chapman Catt, and Grace McLean as President Woodrow Wilson.  
                                                           
Premieres Friday, May 8, 2026, at 9 p.m. on PBS, PBS Great Performances and the PBS app. This special preview is presented courtesy of The WNET Group and WMHT Public Media. 

Free and open to the public, but registration is required. Questions? Email: lwvac@lwvalbany.org. 

Cosponsored by the Leagues of Women Voters of Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Schenectady Counties.

Registration Recommended: https://lwvalbany.org/

Join us for a hands-on creative experience inspired by the natural world! In this unique session, participants will get an up-close look at insect specimens from the New York State Museum’s collections and learn directly from State Entomologist Dr. Timothy McCabe. Discover the fascinating details of form, color, and structure before translating what you see into your own artwork. After an engaging introduction to the specimens, artist and educator Audrea Din will guide a short demonstration on color mixing and shadow techniques to help bring your subjects to life. Then, it’s your turn—experiment with watercolor and/or gouache as you create your own insect-inspired masterpiece. We’ll wrap up by gathering for a friendly group critique, where participants can share their work, exchange ideas, and celebrate the creative process. 

All materials are provided—just bring your curiosity and creativity! Open to participants ages 13+. 

(4) Spots have reopened! 
Register Here for Paint the Collections

Celebrate the New York State of Poetry! Student poets from the region will share their poems at a special poetry reading for New York State of Poetry, a program developed by Teachers & Writers Collaborative in partnership with the New York State Council on the Arts. Fifty-nine high schools from across New York State—representing more than 5,000 students—registered for the program. Students explored a curated collection of classic and contemporary poetry, including works by New York State Poet Laureates, and then wrote their own original poems in response. Student poems are published in the 2026 New York State of Poetry anthology.

This event will be hosted by Mary Panza who has been a mainstay of the Albany poetry scene since 1988. She was the host of the long-running Poets Speak Loud open mic series. 

Register Here (Recommended) for New York State of Poetry

Join Senator Michelle Hinchey and Assemblymember Emily Gallagher for a free screening of the acclaimed documentary film, Teenage Wasteland, 2025 Sundance Film Festival Official Selection and New York Times Critic's Pick. The screening will be followed by a live Q&A with Director Jesse Moss and film subject Fred Isseks.

About the documentary:
Middletown, New York. 1991. Renegade English teacher Fred Isseks sends his students out on a film assignment that exposes a web of toxic dumping, political corruption, and environmental injustice hiding in plain sight. Teenage Wasteland is a coming-of-age story based on exclusive access to hundreds of hours of candid, humorous, and nostalgic footage, and the cooperation of Fred Isseks and his intrepid students as they reckon—30 years later—with a life-defining event and a remarkable story of civic courage. Their story is a testament to speaking truth to power and a reminder that the fight for environmental justice in America and across New York is far from over.

Join us for a fun-filled STEAM Sundays adventure as we blast off into space science! 🚀✨

We’ll start by meeting Dr. Andrew Clift, Curator of Bedrock Core at the New York State Museum, who will help us uncover the mysteries of meteorites, micrometeorites, and how space rocks teach us about our solar system.

Then it’s your turn to become a space explorer! With educator Venu Toolaram, families will jump into a hands-on creative activity to design and build their own solar system models using colorful materials, imagination, and a little bit of cosmic inspiration. Get ready to learn, create, and explore the universe. 

No spaceship required, but *registration is!

*Our apologies, but registration is now full.

Go behind the scenes with Dr. James C. Lendemer, Curator of Botany at the New York State Museum, for a guided tour of the Museum’s historic herbarium. Explore collections, learn how they’re preserved and studied, and discover how these specimens help scientists track environmental change and biodiversity across New York and beyond. 

Capacity is limited; *registration is required.  

*Our apologies, registration is now full.

Join us at the NYS Museum for a showing of Searching for Timbuctoo (2021), a film by writer and photographer Paul Miller. In 1846 New York State enacted a law requiring African American men to own $250 worth of property to vote. To circumvent this unjust law, radical abolitionist Gerrit Smith gave away 120,000 acres of land in Essex and Franklin Counties to 3,000 free Black men, thereby qualifying them to vote. Searching for Timbuctoo tells the history of this forgotten settlement and New York State on the brink of the Civil War and follows an archaeology team looking to unearth evidence of the community. (The 55-minute film will run on a loop throughout the day.)

View the trailer: https://www.timbuctoofilm.com/

Pedro A. Regalado is Assistant Professor of History at Stanford University where he researches and teaches the history of race, immigration, planning, and capitalism in urban America. His first book, Nueva York: Making the Modern City, is a history of New York City’s Latinx community during the 20th century, from the “pioneers” who arrived after World War I to the panoply of Latinx people who rebuilt the city in the wake of the 1975 fiscal crisis. Across a range of topics, from urban renewal to the rise of Latinx bankers, US military operations in Central America to drug workers who repurposed tenement buildings, Nueva York demonstrates how the democratic ideals of the city hinged, in large part, on the experiences of Latinx New Yorkers.

Regalado’s work has been featured in the Journal of Urban History, Boston Review, The Washington Post, Platform, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Public Books. Before coming to Stanford, Regalado was a junior fellow of the Society of Fellows at Harvard University. Born in the Dominican Republic, he was raised in New York City’s Washington Heights.
 

Join hosts Frieda and Carmie at the New York State Museum for a fun-filled, fabulous family show. There will be songs, games, prizes, and sing-alongs for kids of all ages. Bring the entire family for a one-of-a-kind afternoon of fun and music.

For information on other 2024 Capital Pride events, visit www.518capitalpride.com/.

Join Senior Historian, Ashley Hopkins-Benton as she highlights some of the LGBTQ+ stories that can be found in the New York State Museum’s galleries.

Throughout its history, New Yorkers have led the charge for equality, including fighting for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals. In 1969, a spark was lit in the already growing gay rights movement at the Stonewall Uprising in Greenwich Village, New York City. As the movement continued to grow nationally over the next few decades, New Yorkers participated in activism across the state, from the struggles of Gay Liberation through the AIDS crisis to the successful fight for marriage equality in 2011.

New York holds a special place in LGBTQ+ history, as a haven for those in search of a safer environment and like-minded companionship. Across the state, the LGBTQ+ community has celebrated its strength and diversity, while working for equal rights, visibility, and inclusion through protests, Pride celebrations, and community center activities.   

Throughout the summer, programs designed to spark creativity and curiosity will pop-up around the Museum. These family-friendly programs will change regularly, so make sure to come back!

This program series is supported by Albany City Summer Youth Employment.

Explore the genetic and physical differences between wolves and coyotes by joining Dr. Jeremy Kirchman as he sheds light on the historical decline of wolves and the colonization of coyotes in New York. Learn how the history of coyote-wolf hybridization has made it difficult, for hunters and wildlife management agencies, to distinguish our ubiquitous eastern coyote from the occasional wolf that wanders outside of its core breeding range in neighboring Canada.  

This program includes a 20-minute talk, and a brief Q&A. Participants are welcome to bring their lunches. 

In choosing their wedding clothes, brides and grooms are influenced by fashion, economics, technology, religion, geography, celebrity, personal taste, and their role in society. This was as much the case in the past as it is today.

Wedding clothing holds memories, and pieces—dresses, shoes, suits, and head wear—are often preserved and passed to subsequent generations. A couple’s choices reveal information about both the individuals who wore them and those who made them. Some garments, like those exhibited here from the 1910s to 1940s, find their way to museum collections. Unveil these stories with clothing expert, Connie Frisbee Houde, as she highlights pieces from the exhibit, Unveiled: Wedding Wear in New York, 1910s–1940s.

Celebrate National Carousel Day on July 25th with a day of fun activities at the New York State Museum. Enjoy carousel-themed stories, crafts, and, of course, a ride on the Museum's 110-year-old carousel. This free, family-friendly event will have everyone spinning with joy!

National Carousel Day commemorates the registration of the first patent for a carousel design by William Schneider on July 25, 1871.

In choosing their wedding clothes, brides and grooms are influenced by fashion, economics, technology, religion, geography, celebrity, personal taste, and their role in society. This was as much the case in the past as it is today.

Wedding clothing holds memories, and pieces—dresses, shoes, suits, and head wear—are often preserved and passed to subsequent generations. A couple’s choices reveal information about both the individuals who wore them and those who made them. Some garments, like those exhibited here from the 1910s to 1940s, find their way to museum collections. Unveil these stories with clothing expert, Connie Frisbee Houde, as she highlights pieces from the exhibit, Unveiled: Wedding Wear in New York, 1910s–1940s.

In choosing their wedding clothes, brides and grooms are influenced by fashion, economics, technology, religion, geography, celebrity, personal taste, and their role in society. This was as much the case in the past as it is today.

Wedding clothing holds memories, and pieces—dresses, shoes, suits, and head wear—are often preserved and passed to subsequent generations. A couple’s choices reveal information about both the individuals who wore them and those who made them. Some garments, like those exhibited here from the 1910s to 1940s, find their way to museum collections. Unveil these stories with clothing expert, Connie Frisbee Houde, as she highlights pieces from the exhibit, Unveiled: Wedding Wear in New York, 1910s–1940s.

Explore the genetic and physical differences between wolves and coyotes by joining Dr. Jeremy Kirchman as he sheds light on the historical decline of wolves and the colonization of coyotes in New York. Learn how the history of coyote-wolf hybridization has made it difficult, for hunters and wildlife management agencies, to distinguish our ubiquitous eastern coyote from the occasional wolf that wanders outside of its core breeding range in neighboring Canada. 

This program includes a 20-minute talk, and a brief Q&A. Participants are welcome to bring their lunches. 

In choosing their wedding clothes, brides and grooms are influenced by fashion, economics, technology, religion, geography, celebrity, personal taste, and their role in society. This was as much the case in the past as it is today.

Wedding clothing holds memories, and pieces—dresses, shoes, suits, and head wear—are often preserved and passed to subsequent generations. A couple’s choices reveal information about both the individuals who wore them and those who made them. Some garments, like those exhibited here from the 1910s to 1940s, find their way to museum collections. Unveil these stories with clothing expert, Connie Frisbee Houde, as she highlights pieces from the exhibit, Unveiled: Wedding Wear in New York, 1910s–1940s.
 

Join Dr. Lisa Amati for an in-person behind-the-scenes tour of the New York State Museum’s Paleontology Collection. The tour provides a glimpse into our vast holdings of invertebrate fossils. Learn about how specimens are organized, stored, and catalogued, and view cases full of fossil trilobites, cephalopods, and crinoids from the Invertebrate Paleontology Collection. Participants will also see specimens of the world-famous Gilboa tree fossils from the Paleobotany Collection.

Visitors should meet in the Museum Lobby prior to the start of the tour.

Registration

We invite families to join us for a book reading followed by an age-appropriate tour of the exhibit World Trade Center: Rescue, Recovery, Response led by New York State Museum Senior Historian and Curator Aaron Noble as we commemorate the anniversary of September 11, 2001.

In choosing their wedding clothes, brides and grooms are influenced by fashion, economics, technology, religion, geography, celebrity, personal taste, and their role in society. This was as much the case in the past as it is today. 

Wedding clothing holds memories, and pieces—dresses, shoes, suits, and headwear—are often preserved and passed to subsequent generations. A couple’s choices reveal information about both the individuals who wore them and those who made them. Some garments, like those exhibited here from the 1910s to 1940s, find their way to museum collections. Unveil these stories with clothing expert, Connie Frisbee Houde, as she highlights pieces from the exhibit, Unveiled: Wedding Wear in New York, 1910s–1940s. 
 

Join NYSM Curator of Birds and Mammals Dr. Jeremy Kirchman on a guided tour of our renovated permanent exhibit on the birds of New York State.  

Archaeology and genealogy are critical components for understanding our past. Learn how Dr. Paul Huey and Dr. Michael Lucas use these components to help create a more accurate picture of the material culture, architecture, and people of New York. This event is jointly sponsored by the New York State Museum and the Capital District Genealogical Society (CDGS). For more information on how to become a member of the CDGS, please visit https://www.cdgsny.org/.

This presentation comprises of two separate talks, followed by a Q&A session:

Dr. Paul Huey discusses the careful genealogical research necessary for the correct identification and interpretation of the physical and archaeological evidence at two historic sites that were the homes of tenant farmers in the Manor of Rensselaerswyck in the 18th century. Archaeological excavations have occurred at both sites. One site, where the house is still standing, is the Vandenburgh-Mark House in the Town of Colonie, Albany County. The other site is the Martin Gehler, Jr., site in the Town of Schodack, Rensselaer County. The Gehler site is now occupied by a Stewart’s convenience store and gas station. Analysis of Van Rensselaer Manor leases and maps clarified the evidence from artifacts.

From the NYSM Public Program: The Intersection of Archaeology and Genealogy Archaeology and genealogy are critical components for understanding our past. Learn how Dr. Paul Huey and Dr. Michael Lucas use these components to help create a more accurate picture of the material culture, architecture, and people of New York.

NYSM Historical Archaeologist Dr. Michael Lucas discusses John and Lucretia Jackson of Becker’s Corner south of Albany, and Thomas and Elizabeth Powell of Boght Corners to the north of the city, two of the first African American couples to purchase land during the early 19th century. Descendants of the founding Jackson and the Powell families held on to this land into the 20th century. Genealogical and archaeological research is crucial to understanding the importance of land-to-family legacies and long-term neighborhood continuity. The historical trajectories of the Jackson and Powell families are presented as examples of the importance of land and place.

From the NYSM Public Program: The Intersection of Archaeology and Genealogy Archaeology and genealogy are critical components for understanding our past. Learn how Dr. Paul Huey and Dr. Michael Lucas use these components to help create a more accurate picture of the material culture, architecture, and people of New York.

Dive into the world of fish with NYSM Curator of Ichthyology Dr. Jeremy Wright. Join us near Discovery Place to engage with Dr. Wright, ask your burning questions, and explore the evolution and ecological interactions of fishes. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn from an expert in the field!

Spend the day learning about New York’s rich history. Enjoy interactive experiences with interpretive historians, collections-highlighting tours and programs, and hands-on opportunities to engage the whole family. 

Join Lavada Nahon, culinary historian and interpreter of African American history at the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, for a delectable exploration of New Netherland and early New York's rich foodways. Explore the vibrant tapestry of colonial cuisine where Dutch traditions mingled with those of Indigenous people, enslaved Africans, the English, Jews, and other cultures. Discover how this unique blend of culinary practices shaped a distinctive gastronomic heritage found nowhere else in early America.

Celebrate New Netherland Day with Chelsea Teale of the New Netherland Research Center. Join us for a lunchtime lecture focused on the 1685 journal of Kiliaen Van Rensselaer. This diary, kept as van Rensselaer prepared to become lord of the manor of Rensselaerswijck, includes practical details such as shopping lists, financial accounts, and notes from his journey from the Netherlands to New York. It provides insight into the priorities of Van Rensselaer, who died just two years after arriving and who remains an ambiguous character in the history of colonial New York.  

Join us for a captivating film screening of Back to Las Villas, followed by an insightful panel discussion featuring Ismael “Ish” Martinez, author of Las Villas of Plattekill and Ulster County, and Jimmy Castro, the film’s director and Founder/CEO of Ritmo Caribe Promotions. Moderated by New York State Historian Devin Lander, the discussion will delve into the rich cultural legacy of these once-bustling resorts, their impact on Latin music, and their role in shaping Latino community life outside of New York City. Don’t miss this chance to learn about how these retreats became a vital cultural and recreational hub for Spanish-speaking communities and delve into their lasting impact on New York’s heritage.