History, Natural History & the Arts
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The new book Enterprising Waters: The History and Art of New York’s Erie Canal (SUNY Press, 2020) chronicles the story of the Erie Canal from its inception to today. [Read more…] about New Book Features History, Art of the Erie Canal
The bedrock of New York and its erosion created the landscape the Iroquois people made their home. It influenced their territorial boundaries, defenses, settlement patterns, trail systems, agriculture, and key natural resources. [Read more…] about Geology and the Iroquois Homeland
The New York State Museum has announced the opening of 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 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. [Read more…] about NYS Museum Opens Tonalism Art Exhibit
The New York State Museum is offering free monthly tours of the historic State Education Building on select Saturdays at 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm, beginning January 11th.
The 45-minute Education Building tours are being led by New York State Museum staff and visitors will have the opportunity to explore the historic Chancellors Hall, Regents Room and the Rotunda adorned with murals by Albany native Will H. Low. [Read more…] about Saturday New York State Education Building Tours
New York State Museum Cultural Resource Survey Program (CRSP) archaeologists Barry Dale, Aaron Gore, and Steve Moragne will speak on excavations they led of prehistoric and colonial remains adjacent to the historic Lake George Million Dollar Beach. [Read more…] about Lake George Archeology Digs Subject of Barroom Talk
Visitors will be able to shop at more than two dozen made-in-New York food and beverage vendors at the New York State Museum’s Taste NY Holiday Market, set for Sunday, December 8th from 11 am to 4:30 pm.
Vendors will offer samples and sales of chocolates; cheese; apple and 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 a cooking demonstration, educational activities and a chocolate fountain station courtesy of We Do Fondue and Price Chopper/Market 32. Admission is free. [Read more…] about State Museum Hosting Taste NY Holiday Market
The New York State Museum, State Library, and State Archives will celebrate New York State History Month in November with a variety of free public programs for children, families and adults. State History Month represents the opportunity for historians, museums and cultural institutions to highlight importance of New York State’s history through public programs, exhibitions and other learning opportunities.
In 1997, the New York State Legislature established November as New York State History Month with the goal “to celebrate the history of New York state and recognize the contributions of state and local historians.” The celebration had been all but abandoned by 2002, but was revived by then State Historian .
[Read more…] about NY State Museum, Library, Archives Celebrating NYS History Month
A new issue of the journal New York History was published in September 2019 under a new collaboration between the New York State Museum and Cornell University Press. The issue marks a return to print, after being a digital-only publication since 2012, and nearly ceasing publication when the New York State Historical Association (NYSHA) went defunct in 2017.
The New York State Historical Association began publishing the journal geared toward a popular and academic audience in 1919. It was first published as The Quarterly Journal of the New York State Historical Association, and since 1932 as New York History.
[Read more…] about New York History Journal Returns to Print
The New York State Museum has announced the first History Cafe program of the season, “Protest, Pride & Community: Representing LGBTQ+ Stories in the Museum’s Collection,” set for Tuesday, October 22nd at 6 pm.
New York State history is rich in stories of LGBTQ+ people, their accomplishments, and their fight for equality. Until recently, these stories were underrepresented in the New York State Museum’s collections. Senior historian Ashley Hopkins-Benton will talk about the LGBTQ+ artifacts the Museum currently has, the hidden stories in the collection, and how the museum plans to work to grow the collection in the future. [Read more…] about New York State Museum’s LGBTQ+ Collection
The New York State Museum is set to hold a book talk and gallery tour, focusing on the Erie Canal, on Wednesday, September 25th, from 6 to 8 pm.
Before the presentation, exhibit curator and Senior Historian Brad Utter will lead a themed exhibit tour of Enterprising Waters: New York’s Erie Canal in the South Hall of the Huxley Theatre. Utter will highlight what travel was like for tourists, travelers, and canalers. Highlighting artifacts and images in the exhibit, he will also discuss some of the popular tourist destinations in and around the canal in the 1800s. [Read more…] about Erie Canal Book Talk and Gallery Tour at NYS Museum