Albany Institute For History and Art

Lecture: Slavery At Albany Ten Broeck Mansion

December 2, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Recent excavations and research on the grounds of Ten Broeck Mansion in Albany have revealed outbuildings likely used as summer kitchens and/or slave quarters.

On Sunday, December 7 at 2 pm, the Albany Institute of History & Art will host Matthew J. Kirk, Principal Investigator and Cultural Resource Specialist at Hartgen Archeological Associates, for a special lecture focused on these findings and the insight they provide into slave/master relationships shortly before abolition. They suggest we reconsider our modern concepts of slavery in the north at the end of the eighteenth century. [Read more…] about Lecture: Slavery At Albany Ten Broeck Mansion

Thomas Cole Exhibition, Lecture At Albany Institute

October 30, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Albany Institute of History & Art has announced that it will install a special exhibition of Thomas Cole materials to coincide with Dr. Paul Schweizer’s lecture and book signing at the Albany Institute on Sunday, November 2, 2014, at 2 pm.

Dr. Schweizer is Director Emeritus of the Munson-Williams-Proctor Art Institute’s Museum of Art and will speak about his new book Thomas Cole’s Voyage of Life as part of the Institute’s Making it American lecture series. The Albany Institute owns Cole’s original oil studies for the Voyage of Life series as well as the first concept drawing for his painting, “Youth.” This event is open to the public and free with museum admission. [Read more…] about Thomas Cole Exhibition, Lecture At Albany Institute

Upper Hudson Beer Book Launch, Beer Tasting

September 4, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

On Thursday, September 11th from 6 pm to 8 pm, the Albany Institute of History & Art will host a special launch of Craig Gravina and Alan McLeod’s new book Upper Hudson Valley Beer. Author Craig Gravina will give a presentation about the book and Remarkable Liquids, the area’s only craft-focused beer distributor, will be on hand to provide samples of some of the best beer made in our region.

Attendees will savor learning about the Upper Hudson Valley’s long and full-bodied brewing tradition and the opportunity to connect its past with its present. [Read more…] about Upper Hudson Beer Book Launch, Beer Tasting

Presentation On Clark Art Institute’s New Campus

July 22, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Albany Institute of History & Art will host Michael Conforti, Director of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, to share his insights into the creation of the Clark’s newly expanded campus.

The campus, which was designed by architects Tadao Ando, Annabelle Selldorf, and Reed Hilderbrand, opened its doors on July 4, 2014. The renovations and expansions at the Clark were completed to enhance sustainability and energy efficiency, and increase exhibition and event space. [Read more…] about Presentation On Clark Art Institute’s New Campus

Albany Institute’s Third Annual Brewery Event April 12th

March 19, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

On Saturday, April 12 from 4pm to 7pm, the Table Hopping Blog and the Albany Institute of History & Art will host the third annual Hudson Valley Hops. This event is a celebration of the strong history of brewing in Albany and today’s craft beer industry. Guests can sample local craft beers, hear talks by beer historians and brewery experts, enjoy food, and take home a commemorative glass.

There will also be a special exhibition with artifacts that tell the history of brewing in Albany and the capital region. Historic photographs, advertisements, and packaging from local brewers will be on view for this event. [Read more…] about Albany Institute’s Third Annual Brewery Event April 12th

Albany Institute Hudson River Steamboat Event Sunday

March 13, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Albany Institute of History & Art will host local historian J. Thomas Allison for a lecture about his book Hudson River Steamboat Catastrophes: Contests and Collisions. The lecture will be followed by a book signing. Allison will provide an entertaining look at the romantic but perilous age of steamboat travel on the Hudson River, including tales of reckless captains racing each other and passengers’ eyewitness accounts of collisions, crashes, explosions, and fires.

Hudson River Steamboat Catastrophes: Contests and Collisions focuses on nineteenth-century steamboat travel on the Hudson River. It points out that a crowded river, unreliable boat equipment, and the audacity of some steamboat captains created yearly catastrophes that put passengers and vessels at risk. Researched through eyewitness accounts, the stories are both exciting and frightening and give a real sense of the danger that traveled on the Hudson River. [Read more…] about Albany Institute Hudson River Steamboat Event Sunday

An Evening With Jane Austen: Talk and Tea

March 10, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

On Thursday, March 13, enjoy the ambiance of the historic Rice House while you sip tea and celebrate the world of Jane Austen. Guest speaker, David Shapard will share fascinating facts about the clothing, architecture, landscapes, homes, and gardens in Austen’s novels, and will answer your most pressing questions. This event will take place at 6PM and is free and open to the public as part of the Institute’s Evenings at the Institute initiative.

Shapard has a PhD in European History from UC Berkley, and is the author of five books on Jane Austen, including The Annotated Pride and Prejudice, The Annotated Emma, and the recently published The Annotated Northanger Abbey. He has taught at several colleges and his specialty is the eighteenth century. He lives in upstate New York. [Read more…] about An Evening With Jane Austen: Talk and Tea

Historic Punch Recipes Featured At Albany Institute

February 19, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

On Wednesday, February 26 from 6PM-8PM, the Albany Institute of History & Art will host Potent Potables, which will highlight historic punch recipes and showcase punch bowls from the museum’s collection. The event, which is hosted by the Albany Institute’s Special Events Committee, costs $25 per person to attend and participants must be 21 and over (ID required). Featured punches include Champagne Punch, Cherry Bounce, Lime Rub Shrub, Pumpelly Punch, and Regents Punch.

Punch, an Eastern drink, is from the Hindi word panch, meaning “five,” for its five basic ingredients of rum, water, sugar, juice, and spice. Punch was introduced to the West in the late seventeenth century. By the eighteenth century it had become the drink of choice in England and the American colonies where punch making was considered a social accomplishment. [Read more…] about Historic Punch Recipes Featured At Albany Institute

Albany Institute Offers Free Admission On Monday

January 14, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Albany Institute of History & Art will offer FREE admission to the museum on Monday, January 20, 2014 from 10AM-5PM. Gallery Tours will take place at 1PM and 3:30PM.

Guests of all ages are invited to spend the day viewing several new exhibitions including The Mystery of the Albany Mummies; Big and Bold: Contemporary Paintings, Collage, and Sculpture from the Albany Institute’s Collection (in the recently renovated Lansing Gallery); and The Hudson River School and the Nineteenth-Century Landscape. Additional exhibitions include, Traders and Culture: Colonial Albany and the Formation of American Identity; Nineteenth-Century American Sculpture: Erastus Dow Palmer and His Protégés Launt Thompson, Charles Calverley, and Richard Park (in the recently renovated Sculpture Court); Robert Hewson Pruyn: An Albanian in Japan, 1862-1865; and A Gather of Glass: Selections from the Museum’s Collection. Gallery Tours, led by museum docents, will start at 1PM and 3:30PM, and are also free. [Read more…] about Albany Institute Offers Free Admission On Monday

Albany Institute to Host Veteran Newspaperman

December 12, 2013 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Albany Institute of History & Art will host veteran newspaperman and Albany Times Union editor at large, Harry Rosenfeld, for a lecture about his recent book, From Kristallnacht to Watergate: Memoirs of a Newspaperman on Sunday, December 15 at 2PM.

Rosenfeld will recount some of the most compelling moments of his life, from his childhood in Hitler’s Berlin, to his years at the Washington Post. After the lecture, Rosenfeld will be available to answer questions about the historic events he witnessed and he will also sign copies of his book. The lecture and book signing is organized by the Museum Shop at the Albany Institute of History & Art and is free with museum admission. [Read more…] about Albany Institute to Host Veteran Newspaperman