New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Fenimore Art Museum

Art of the Americas Traveling Exhibits Planned

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Expulsion from the Garden of eden The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) has announced a partnership with Fenimore Art Museum and three additional museums in the Northeast to share works from its Art of the Americas collection through the new Terra-Art Bridges program, made possible by a grant of nearly $2 million awarded by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Curators from the MFA will collaborate with colleagues from these museums to co-organize a series of traveling exhibitions over the next six years, drawing on the combined breadth and depth of the museums’ holdings and encouraging engagement with American art within different communities. The project will launch in 2018, with Fenimore being the first museum to exhibit artwork derived from the collaboration. [Read more…] about Art of the Americas Traveling Exhibits Planned

New Endowed Curator of American Indian Art at Fenimore

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Feather headdressFenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York has received a gift of $2.5 million from the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust.

The gift will fund the principal curatorial position of the Thaw Collection of American Indian Art as well as to create a new fund for special projects related to the collection.

In recognition of the gift, the position has been named the Eugene and Clare Thaw Curator of American Indian Art. Present curator Eva Fognell, who has managed the collection since 2002, will assume the new title immediately. The curatorship is the first endowed position in the museum’s history. [Read more…] about New Endowed Curator of American Indian Art at Fenimore

New Book, Programs Planned On Hamilton-Burr Letters

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letter exchanged between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron BurrFenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown has received funding for new programs and a publication based on 35 letters between American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr – the man who killed him in a duel in 1804.

These documents, although familiar to historians, have remained largely unknown to the public until recently when they were brought to light in the song “Your Obedient Servant” from the hit Broadway musical Hamilton. [Read more…] about New Book, Programs Planned On Hamilton-Burr Letters

Former NYS Historical Assn President Responds To Criticisms

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New York State Historical AssociationI recently reported on a petition initiated by the New York Academy of History in support of local and state history.

Much of the details of the letter were against recent actions of the New York State Historical Association (NYSHA), an organization that has undergone some changes in 2017 as reported in New York History Blog by editor John Warren and columnist/advocate Bruce Dearstyne.

My post led to a response by Paul S. D’Ambrosio, President & CEO, Fenimore Art Museum & The Farmers’ Museum aka NYSHA. He sent me an email asking if I would publish it. I agreed to do so and he then sent a second draft which is published below. [Read more…] about Former NYS Historical Assn President Responds To Criticisms

NYSHA Defunct: New York State Historical Association Is No More

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The Hancock House in TiconderogaAfter nearly 120 years, the New York State Historical Association (NYSHA) is no more.  On March 13,  2017, the State Board of Regents approved NYSHA’s request to amend its charter to change its name to Fenimore Art Museum, revise its corporate purposes, designate the Commissioner of Education as agent for corporation service; and update the organization’s IRS dissolution language (pdf link).

The move follows years of debate over the role of the organization as a statewide advocate for the New York State History Community, a troubled history of publishing the State’s history journal New York History, and questions about NYSHA’s support for the long-standing annual spring meeting of the State’s historians, the Conference on New York State History. [Read more…] about NYSHA Defunct: New York State Historical Association Is No More

Otsego Lake Life Focus Of Fenimore Museum Event

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Lake OtsegoHear experiences and memories of Otsego Lake from oral histories of local residents during “Food for Thought” Wednesday, October 22 at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown.

William Walker, Associate Professor of History at SUNY Oneonta, will play excerpts and lead a discussion on the importance of the lake, how it has changed. [Read more…] about Otsego Lake Life Focus Of Fenimore Museum Event

Unique Winslow Homer Exhibit At Farmers Museum, Arkell Museum

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Winslow_Homer_-_MoonlightTomorrow, June 6th, the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown will present the opening of Winslow Homer: The Nature and Rhythm of Life, from the Arkell Museum at Canajoharie, featuring over 23 original works including oil paintings and delicate watercolors collected by Bartlett Arkell, the founder and first President of the Beech-Nut Packing Company.

This marks the first time these exceptional Homer paintings will be displayed as a complete collection. The exhibition contains two works now in other collections, including a painting owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The exhibition was organized by the Arkell Museum at Canajoharie and is on view at the Fenimore Art Museum from through August 24, 2014, and at the Arkell Museum at Canajoharie from September 2, 2014 to January 4, 2015. [Read more…] about Unique Winslow Homer Exhibit At Farmers Museum, Arkell Museum

Exhibit Highlights Native American Basket Design

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29_NA_105The Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York, presents Plain and Fancy: Native American Splint Baskets, an exhibition of baskets spanning two centuries. The art of ash splint basketry is a beautiful synthesis of form and function. The exhibition opens Saturday, August 10, and runs through December 29, 2013.

The exhibition includes over 30 baskets from the 1800s to the present day. Ash splint basketry ranges in form and decoration from practical storage and market baskets to fanciful and exquisitely designed artworks. Basket makers incorporate numerous design elements, such as a variety of weaves: checker, wicker, twill, and hexagonal plaiting. Artists also use sweetgrass and curled splints to embellish their baskets. Other design elements include dyes, stains, and paint. Domes, triangles, dots, or leaves are hand-painted or stamped with a carved potato, turnip, cork, or piece of wood. [Read more…] about Exhibit Highlights Native American Basket Design

Colonial New York Scholar to Address NYSHA Meeting

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nysha_logo_press-release3Dr. Timothy Shannon, Professor of History at Gettysburg College, will address members of the New York State Historical Association (NYSHA) at its 110th Annual Meeting. The meeting, held Thursday, July 18, at 4:00 pm at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York, is open to members of the association.

According to the Fenimore Art Museum’s webpage, NYSHA is “a private, non-governmental educational organization. It is closely affiliated with its sister organization, The Farmers’ Museum.” The website also publishes what it calls NYSHA’s “strategic plan”, as follows: [Read more…] about Colonial New York Scholar to Address NYSHA Meeting

Fenimore Lunch Lecture Series Spotlights New Exhibits

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Food for Thought, the popular lunch-and-lecture series at the Fenimore Art Museum, offers an in-depth understanding of the museum’s new exhibitions, including Tasha Tudor, G.C. Myers, and New York in the Civil War.

All Food for Thought programs are held on Wednesday from 12:30-2:30 pm at the Fenimore Art Museum. The museum offers two discounts: NYSHA members receive $5 off. Register for three or more Food for Thought programs at once, receive $2 off.
September 12: In Plain Sight: Hidden Gems of Native American Open Storage

Join Eva Fognell, Thaw Collection Curator, as she offers a behind-the-scenes look at the museum’s Study Center, which houses open storage of the Thaw Collection of American Indian Art. Appreciate the extraordinary range of art produced by North America’s first artists, including ritual objects, ceremonial clothing, pottery, and basketry.

September 19: Artist and Visionary: William Matthew Prior Revealed

Learn about America’s most prominent folk artist as Paul D’Ambrosio, President and CEO, explores the William Matthew Prior exhibition (on display through December 31).

October 10: On the Home Front: New York in the Civil War

Join John Hart, Assistant Curator of Collections, as he shares Civil War artifacts from the On the Home Front exhibition. Objects tell us so much about the past and the history of those who made and used them. Learn about New York State and its place in the American Civil War through lively discussion.

October 17: Tasha Tudor Around the Year

Come for a heart-warming discussion and tour of Tasha Tudor Around the Year, an exhibition from the Norman Rockwell Museum. This exhibition illuminates beloved author and illustrator Tasha Tudor and stirs the imagination through the artist’s iconic art and greeting cards. Co-curator Jeanette Chandler Knazek reflects on the changing seasons and special celebrations as depicted by Tudor.

October 24: Oral Histories of New York’s Farm Women

Professor William Walker of the Cooperstown Graduate Program plays excerpts from oralhistory interviews with women who have lived and worked on farms in central New York State. Using recordings available on the website CGP Community Stories, Dr. Walker leads a discussion of the varied experiences of women in the agricultural heartland of the state.

November 7: Internal Landscapes: The Paintings of G.C. Myers

Guest curator Gary C. Myers joins us in a discussion and tour of his contemporary exhibition, InternalLandscapes. Learn first-hand from the artist in this amazing exhibition of paintings that provide moments of stillness and encourage reflection and a renewed sense of purpose.

November 14: Flags, Uniforms, and Insignia: New York State Material Culture of the Civil War
Ted Shuart, printing supervisor at The Farmers’ Museum and re-enactor with the 125th New York State Volunteer Infantry, discusses flags, uniforms and insignia of New York troops during the Civil War. Learn about New York State’s wartime history while looking at objects from the period and understand what they tell us about one of the most tumultuous times in American history.

Pricing Information: Lunch and lecture fee – $20 members/$25 non-members. Register for three or more Food for Thought programs at once and receive a discounted price of $18 members/$23 non-members per program. Call (607) 547-1461 with questions regarding pricing or the cancellation policy.