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New Exhibits in New York State
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State Museum Marking September 11th Attacks 25th Anniversary
The New York State Museum has announced a new photography exhibition, a new display of rarely seen artifacts, and a series of public programs to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
Opening September 5, 2026, “Witness to 9/11” is a new photography exhibition that explores the immediate response and aftermath of the attacks, told primarily through the work of two New York Daily News photographers, Todd Maisel and David Handschuh. [Read more…] about State Museum Marking September 11th Attacks 25th Anniversary
The Animal Artists of Woodstock
The Historical Society of Woodstock’s new exhibition, “Rosella Hartman and the Animal Sculptors of Woodstock,” celebrates the life and career of Rosella Hartman (1894-1993), who for almost seventy years made her home in Woodstock, New York.
The exhibition also touches on the work of the Woodstock sculptors Grace Mott Johnson (1882-1967), Hunt Diederich (1884-1953), Carl Walters (1881-1955), John B. Flannagan (1895-1942), and Hartman’s husband Paul Fiene (1899-1949), who joined her as part of a group of twentieth century American artists who were devoted to depicting animal subjects. [Read more…] about The Animal Artists of Woodstock
Fort Drum’s World War II Combat Con Artists
During the final year of World War II, more than 1,000 soldiers, including artists, engineers, radio operators, and sound technicians, used inflatable rubber tanks, fabricated radio transmissions, recorded sound effects, and carefully staged visual illusions to convince enemy forces that large American combat units were stationed where they were not. Many of the troops trained in Northern New York at Fort Drum in Jefferson County, then known as Pine Camp, before deploying to Europe. [Read more…] about Fort Drum’s World War II Combat Con Artists
Equine Eyes: A New Way of Looking at Things
In late July the National Museum of Racing in Saratoga Springs debuted a new one-of-a-kind exhibition, “Equine Eyes,” during an open house.
The exhibit is an interactive, research-driven presentation designed to simulate how horses perceive the world. [Read more…] about Equine Eyes: A New Way of Looking at Things
The Seven Taverns Which Saved the Ramapo Pass
Built originally around 1755 by Stephen Sloat, Harmony Hall functioned simultaneously as a family home and a roadside inn along the New York-to-Albany stage route. Because of its strategic location in the narrow Ramapo Pass, the tavern transformed into a vital military station during the American Revolution. [Read more…] about The Seven Taverns Which Saved the Ramapo Pass
Curatorial Challenges at New York Historical’s New Wing
Just a month after celebrating the grand opening of the $175 million Tang Wing for American Democracy, New York Historical is facing a curatorial crisis, according to Robin Pogrebin, writing in The New York Times.
Museum officials confirmed that the museum quietly replaced 17 historical artifacts with reproductions and removed another three in its signature “Democracy Matters” exhibit due to environmental threats posed by the building’s architecture. [Read more…] about Curatorial Challenges at New York Historical’s New Wing
Exploring the Revolution at the Long Island Museum
The latest Long Island History Project podcast takes listeners on a private tour of the exhibit “The Seat of Action: Long Island in the American Revolution and Beyond” at the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook, New York.
Running through October 18th, the exhibit tells the stories of the lives of people affected by the conflict at all levels of society. Joshua Ruff, Co-Executive Director, Collections and Programming, is our guide. [Read more…] about Exploring the Revolution at the Long Island Museum
Jeanne Robert Foster in Her Own Words
Jeanne Robert Foster (1879-1970) was an American occultist, Theosophist, poet, fashion model, journalist and social worker from the Adirondack Mountains. A disciple of Aleister Crowley (1875-1947), she was also known by the magical name Sister Hilarion.
Foster’s friends included many of the period’s leading authors and artists. She is buried next to her friend John Butler Yeats (1839-1922), the painter and father of William Butler Yeats, in the Foster family plot in Chestertown, NY. [Read more…] about Jeanne Robert Foster in Her Own Words
New Exhibits Explore Thomas Cole’s Influence: Historic and Contemporary
Five new exhibitions are now open at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in Catskill, NY. All five explore Thomas Cole and his influence on other artists – historic and contemporary. The five exhibitions are these: [Read more…] about New Exhibits Explore Thomas Cole’s Influence: Historic and Contemporary
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Annual Hyde Collection Community Day August 2nd
Community Day is an annual tradition at The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, NY. The Museum will open its doors to the community free of charge on Sunday, August 2, and everyone is invited to explore the current exhibitions, take a guided tour with a trained docent, create a work of art, enjoy live music, and more. [Read more…] about Annual Hyde Collection Community Day August 2nd
Wings and Wilderness: Birds and Landscapes of the Northeast
“Wings and Wilderness: Birds and Landscapes of the Northeast,” a selection of artworks from the Museum of American Bird Art at Mass Audubon (MABA) in Canton, Massachusetts, is now on view at The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, NY, through October 11, 2026.
The exhibition comprises a range of traditional and contemporary artwork portraying and interpreting species native to the region in a variety of media. [Read more…] about Wings and Wilderness: Birds and Landscapes of the Northeast
40 Years of the Goo Goo Dolls Exhibit Opening in Buffalo
A new exhibit, “Long Way Home: 40 Years of the Goo Goo Dolls,” will open September 16, 2026 at the The Buffalo History Museum. The exhibition traces the band’s 40-year trajectory, following John Rzeznik and Robby Takac from their underground, early club gigs in Buffalo to selling out massive arenas worldwide.
The title draws its name from the closing track of the band’s 2016 studio album Boxes. [Read more…] about 40 Years of the Goo Goo Dolls Exhibit Opening in Buffalo
Two Bathing Suits Highlight History in Everyday Life
Two bathing suits from the textile collection of The Buffalo History Museum highlight the long and varied history of swimsuits. In the early 1900s, women wore long gowns with bloomers underneath for swimming.
These bathing gowns were weighted down by several heavy layers of material, occasionally with weights sewn into the hem so the material would not float. Fabrics were chosen for bathing suits that would not become transparent when wet. [Read more…] about Two Bathing Suits Highlight History in Everyday Life
State Museum Opens Major ‘Revolutionary New York’ Exhibit
The New York State Museum has opened “Revolutionary New York,” a major new exhibition commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and exploring New York’s central role in shaping American democracy.
Remaining on display for several years, the nearly 7,000-square-foot exhibition brings together more than 200 artifacts, rare documents, immersive displays, interactive elements, and stories that connect the American Revolution’s founding ideals to the continuing pursuit of freedom, equality, justice, and civic responsibility across generations. [Read more…] about State Museum Opens Major ‘Revolutionary New York’ Exhibit
Excavations To Begin At Albany’s Lock One
The NYS Department of Transportation (DOT) has granted a permit for an archeological excavation to confirm the location of historic Lock One of the Erie Canal in Albany’s downtown Warehouse District.
This according to a recent message to supporters of The Albany Waterway’s project to uncover the old lock, buried for a century, and transform the site. The lock was once connected to a boat basin, an associated weigh lock, and the Hudson River. [Read more…] about Excavations To Begin At Albany’s Lock One
Newly Conserved George Washington Portrait On View
The New York State Office of General Services (OGS) has revealed a newly conserved 1813 portrait of George Washington by Albany artist Ezra Ames (1768 – 1836).
The painting, a significant piece of New York’s artistic and historical legacy, has undergone extensive conservation and has returned to its prominent location in the State Capitol‘s State Street Lobby. [Read more…] about Newly Conserved George Washington Portrait On View
Wood and Water: Furniture on Long Island, 1660–1860
Preservation Long Island’s new exhibition “Wood and Water: Furniture on Long Island, 1660–1860” explores two centuries of the region’s history through furniture and related decorative arts and highlights Long Island’s important contributions to American history and the decorative arts.
On view until November 22, 2026 at Preservation Long Island’s Exhibition Gallery in Cold Spring Harbor, the exhibit incorporates objects ranging from high-style chests to everyday seating furniture. [Read more…] about Wood and Water: Furniture on Long Island, 1660–1860
New York State Freedom Train Documents, Exhibit On View
In 1949 and 1950, the New York State Freedom Train, inspired by the national Freedom Train, carried 83 documents from New York’s history to cities and towns statewide.
Governor Thomas Dewey inaugurated the train January 26, 1949 in Albany and it spent the next 13 months traveling the state, meeting capacity crowds all through the year. In the end, nearly one million people in 159 cities visited the New York State Freedom Train. [Read more…] about New York State Freedom Train Documents, Exhibit On View