Museums-Archives-Historic Sites

14 State Historic Sites, 41 State Parks to Close, Another 24 At Risk

admin

At least 14 state historic sites and 41 state parks are targeted to close if Governor Paterson’s Executive Budget is enacted, according to a list released today by the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP). Twenty-four more parks and historic sites will face severely reduced hours and services. The historic site closures would mean nearly half of the 36 state operated historic sites would close indefinitely. In all a total of 25 of 36 historic sites will either close or under threat of closure. A complete list of the closings and those threatened is included after the jump.

“If parks are forced to close it will be the first time in the 125-year history of the System,&#8221 Robin Dropkin, Executive Director of Parks & Trails New York, said. &#8220Even during the Great Depression our parks remained open for people to enjoy and spend time with their families in nature.”

According to a 2009 report [pdf], state parks and historic sites generate $1.9 billion annually in economic activity statewide. Visitors from outside the community account for about 40% of that activity&#8211visitors and money communities will lose if parks are forced to close.

Additionally, state parks and historic sites account for 20,000 non-park jobs statewide. These are long-term, sustainable jobs that will last as long as our state invests in its parks system. The investment in State Parks is a good one- for every dollar the state spends on parks, it gets back $5 dollars in economic activity.

“News of the closings will devastate many communities as their citizens rely on parks for affordable, close to home recreation and their businesses rely on parks to bring in revenue,” said Dropkin.

In addition to economic benefits, state parks preserve wildlife habitat, provide an escape for millions of New Yorkers in these difficult economic times, and protect the state’s heritage for future generations. The NYS Park System is the oldest and most historic state park system in the nation.

The State Parks budget is only one-quarter of one percent of the total state budget. The savings to the state from closing the 57 parks is estimated to be $6.3 million.

Here is the list of Historic Sites to close (and those under threat of closure according to a memo leaked to the media yesterday):

Long Island Region
Walt Whitman State Historic Site [Under Threat]

Lower Hudson Region
Fort Montgomery Historic Site
Knox Headquarters Historic Site
New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site
Stony Point State Historic Site
Philipse Manor Hall Historic Site
Senate House State Historic Site [Under Threat]
Washington’s Headquarters Sate Historic Site [Under Threat]

Taconic Region
John Jay Homestead Historic Site [Under Threat]
Staatsburgh State Historic Site [Under Threat]
Olana State Historic Site {Under Threat]

Saratoga-Capital Region (Including the Adirondacks)

Bennington Battlefield State Park
Crailo State Historic Site [Under Threat]
Crown Point State Historic Site [Under Threat]
John Brown Farm Historic Site
Johnson Hall State Historic Site
Schoharie Crossing Historic Site
Schuyler Mansion Historic Site

Central Region
Fort Ontario State Historic Site
Herkimer Home Historic Site
Hyde Hall State Historic Site [Under Threat]
Lorenzo State Historic Site [Under Threat]
Oriskany Battlefield/Steuben State Historic Site

Finger Lakes Region
Ganondagan State Historic Site [Under Threat]

Thousands Island Region
Sackets Harbor State Historic Site

Finger Lakes Museum Site Selection Narrowed to Two

admin

First there were nineteen. Then there were five. Now there are two. John Adamski, president of the Board of Trustees of the Finger Lakes Cultural & Natural History Museum, said today that the Site Selection Committee has referred two sites to the board for further assessment. They are the Geneva/Seneca Lake State Park site along the lakefront in Geneva and Keuka Lake State Park near Branchport in Yates County. Both sites offer lake frontage.

No longer in contention is the Bush Farm in Ledyard, the Wells College campus in Aurora, and Sampson State Park in Romulus. Sponsors of those sites were informed of the decision last Friday and in a show of commitment and dedication, each pledged to continue supporting the project.

Adamski said that a great deal of effort was put into proposals from the five site sponsors and that each had to be fairly evaluated. Site selection committee members logged more than 150 hours in multiple site visits, committee meetings, and deliberations, not to mention the uncounted miles that were driven.

The committee has asked the board to consider a comparative marketing study to help determine which of the two remaining sites would be the most viable due to concerns for the long-range economic stability of the project based on its location.

Adamski said, “The advantage that the Geneva site has is its central location, which is close to the Thruway and halfway between Rochester and Syracuse. The benefit of the Keuka Lake site is its intimate lakefront and wilder setting, which is more conducive to outdoor wildlife exhibits.” Plans call for natural habitats to showcase native wild animals such as bald eagles, beavers, black bears, coyotes, foxes, otters, and the unique Seneca White Deer.

The proposed $40 million Finger Lakes Museum is planned to be primarily funded by private donations and corporate grants. A committee is currently working on a fundraising program.

Met Offers Chronology Museum Exhibitions 1870-2010&#8242-

admin

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Archives has announced the availability of a valuable new source of information on the Museum’s history. &#8220Museum Exhibitions 1870-2010&#8243- [pdf] is a chronological list of all special exhibitions held at the Museum from its founding in 1870 to the present. Although the document will be continually updated, for complete accuracy reserachers should verify information against primary source documents in the Museum Archives or publications in the Museum’s Watson Library.

Suggestions, corrections or information regarding any Museum exhibitions do not appear in the chronology should be directed to [email protected]@metmuseum.org.>

Artists of the Mohawk-Hudson Region Call For Entries

admin

The Hyde Collection announces the call for entries associated with the 2010 Artists of the Mohawk-Hudson Region Juried Exhibition, which will be on view at the Museum from October 1 through December 12, 2010.

Founded in 1936, the exhibition is one of the longest running annual juried exhibitions in the country. The Artists of the Mohawk-Hudson Region highlights the finest works of contemporary artists working along the Mohawk-Hudson corridor.

This is the first year that The Hyde Collection will host the exhibition, which rotates among three venues. The other two hosts are The Albany Institute of History and Art and the University Art Museum at the University at Albany.

Juror for the 2010 exhibition is Charles Desmarais, deputy director of art at the Brooklyn Museum. Desmarais leads a staff of eighteen curators and manages the collection, conservation, education, exhibition, and library departments at the museum. He previously served as director of the Contemporary Art Center in Cincinnati and was director of the Laguna Art Museum and the California Museum of Photography at the University of California.

&#8220The Hyde is thrilled to join the two Albany institutions in bringing the best of our region’s art to residents and visitors alike,” said Hyde Executive Director David F. Setford. &#8220Each year, the caliber of works submitted for this annual show is testament to the artistic community that thrives in the areas surrounding the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers.”

As many as 300 artists are expected to submit works, in a variety of media, from which approximately fifty will be selected for the exhibition. Eligible artists include those who reside within a 100-mile radius of either Glens Falls or the Capital Region. The deadline for entries is March 26, 2010. Awards will be announced at the exhibition’s opening reception scheduled for October 1, 2010.

Artists interested in receiving information on the exhibition are asked to call (518) 792-1761 ext. 35. Submission entry forms and additional information are available on the Museum’s website at www.hydecollection.org.

Thomas Cole Historic Site Seeks Paid Guides

admin

Applications are now being accepted for Visitor Center Guides, a seasonal paid position from April 1 through October 31, 2010, at the Thomas Cole Historic Site. Responsibilities include welcoming visitors to the historic site and orienting them to the opportunities that are available to them including guided tours, the orientation film, and the educational kiosks. The Guide operates the visitor center front desk including the cash register, and sells tickets and shop merchandise. The successful candidate will have excellent people skills, as he or she will be a visitor’s first impression of the organization. Applications are due February 5th.

The hourly pay is $13.41, and the hours are Thursday through Sunday, 9:30am to 4:30pm, April through October. Please note: weekend work is required, and candidates must be available for the entire seven months. More information and an application can be found online.

Do not send applications to the Thomas Cole Historic Site directly. The application process is being handled by the National Park Service, and applications can only be accepted through USAJOBS.

The National Park Service will rank candidates based on their amount of training and work experience that relates to the position, therefore it is very important to include the exact dates of employment when you apply. For example, do not list the start date of a recent job as &#8220January 2009&#8243-. Instead, include the actual day, for example &#8220January 10, 2009.&#8221

See their EMPLOYMENT page on their website.

Hyde Collection Announces 2010 Exhibition Schedule

admin

The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls has announced its 2010 Exhibition Schedule. This year’s schedule includes American Impressionist landscape paintings, twentieth-century Modern art, a regional juried high school art show, a major exhibition of the work of Andrew Wyeth, and the museum will also play host for the first time to the long-running Artists of the Mohawk-Hudson Region, an annual juried show founded in 1936. The complete schedule from the Hyde Collection announcement is below.

Through Sunday, March 28, 2010
An Enduring Legacy:
American Impressionist Landscape Paintings from the Thomas Clark Collection

This exhibition presents sixty-four paintings from the private collection of Saratoga
County, New York resident Thomas Clark. For twenty years, Clark has been amassing a significant group of pre-1940 American Impressionist landscape paintings with more than 100 works in the collection. Considered one of the finest private collections of this genre in upstate New York, it is testament to the enduring legacy of Impressionist painting in American art.

The collection, on public display for the first time, comprises examples from the last
great generation of landscape painters who emerged during, and in the aftermath of, the American Impressionist movement (1880-1920). Many of these artists were students and/or sketching partners of the seminal figures in Impressionism in America, such as William Merritt Chase and John Henry Twachtman. The Collection offers a comprehensive treatment of the regional schools of Impressionist activity in America. Forty-seven artists are featured in the exhibition, including Walter Emerson Baum, John Joseph Enneking, Emile A. Gruppe, Hayley Lever, Frederick Mulhaupt, George Loftus Noyes, and Harry A. Vincent. The exhibition is curated by Erin Coe, chief curator and deputy director of The Hyde Collection and is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue. Clark has announced his intention to make a future donation of his remarkable collection to The Hyde where it will greatly enhance the Museum’s current holdings of American art.

Through February 28, 2010
Divided by a common language?
British and American Works from the Murray Collection

Approximately twenty works of twentieth-century Modern art, donated to the Museum by the late Jane Murray, are on display in Hoopes Gallery. Works included in this exhibition were part of the first significant donation of twentieth-century art received by The Hyde and helped to form the foundation of the Museum’s Modernist holdings. Jane Murray passed away in April 2009 and bequeathed the remainder of her substantial collection to the Museum.

Curated by The Hyde’s Executive Director David F. Setford, the exhibition reflects one woman’s journey into the world of art and the creative process itself. Represented in the exhibition are British artists including Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth, John Piper, Howard Hodgkin, and Paul Mount. American artists include Gregory Amenoff, American, b. 1948, Gregory Amenoff, Betty Parsons, Stuart Davis, and Ellsworth Kelly. The works selected examine the similarities and differences between American and British works of the period, as both are areas of particular strength in the Murray
Murray Collection.

April 11 through May 23
Nineteenth Regional Juried High School Art Show

The Hyde proudly hosts one hundred works in various media by the best of area high
school art students. Entries into the competition average approximately 1,200 per year
and the top 100 works were chosen by jurors to be highlighted in this annual spring event, showcased in the Museum’s Charles R. Wood Gallery.

This unique show allows participating students to experience the preparation, submission, and jurying process crucial to their artistic development. The young artists entering the competition hail from as many as forty area schools located in Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Hamilton, and Essex counties.

June 12 through September 5
Andrew Wyeth: An American Legend

The Hyde Collection introduces the broad span of work by Andrew Wyeth in its major summer exhibition for 2010. Organized by The Hyde and curated by Executive Director David F. Setford and Deputy Director and Chief Curator Erin B. Coe in association with the Farnsworth Art Museum of Rockland, Maine, the exhibition will mark the first opportunity since the artist’s death in 2009 to begin to critically reevaluate his contribution to and position in American art of the twentieth century. Works will include pencil, watercolor, dry brush, and tempera works, and will feature sections devoted to early coastal watercolors and landscape paintings, as well as a look at Wyeth’s models, his interest in vernacular architecture, and his connection
with the Regionalist tradition and Magic Realism.

The exhibition will feature approximately fifty works, with the core from the Farnsworth Art Museum. Also on view will be The Hyde’s own Wyeth – The Ledge and the Island, 1937 – and major works from Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Hood Museum of Art, as well as from other museums and private collections.

The Museum continues its summer collaborations with other arts organizations in the region by coordinating a series of lectures, exhibitions, and performances with Wyeth-related themes.

October 10 through December 12
Exhibition by Artists of the Mohawk-Hudson Region

For the first time, The Hyde Collection is host of the Artists of the Mohawk-Hudson Region, one of the longest-running collaborative juried exhibitions in the country. The Museum joins the Albany Institute of History and Art and the University Art Museum at the University at Albany as the third collaborative sponsor of the exhibition, which is hosted by the organizations on a rotating basis. Founded in 1936, this annual show provides a leading benchmark for contemporary art in the Upper Hudson Valley. The exhibition is open to artists residing within a 100-mile radius of either Glens Falls or the Capital District. Past jurors have included artists, curators, critics, art historians, and art dealers such as Edward Hopper (1941), George Rickey (1971), Kenneth Noland (1977), Wolf Kahn (1980), Grace Gluck (1984), Dan Cameron (1997), and Ivan Karp (2005).

For the 2010 exhibition, The Hyde has invited Charles Desmarais, the Deputy Director of Art at the Brooklyn Museum, to be the guest juror. Mr. Desmarais leads the Brooklyn Museum’s collection, conservation, education, exhibition, and library departments.

Photo: George Loftus Noyes, American, 1864-1954, River Reflections, Evening ca. 1900, Oil on canvas on artist’s board, 9 7/8 x 11 in., Promised gift of Thomas Clark to The Hyde Collection, Glens Falls, NY.

Palestinian, Israeli Archivists – Archivists of the Year

admin

The Scone Foundation’s seventh annual Archivist of the Year Award will be awarded jointly to Dr. Yehoshua Freundlich, the Israeli State Archivist, and Mr. Khader Salameh of the Al-Aqsa Library and Muslim Museum. Both will attend the ceremony on January 25 at the CUNY Graduate Center.

This annual award recognizes an archivist who has made a contribution to his or her profession or who has provided support to scholars conducting research in history and biography.

As part of the program, which is open to the public, Professor Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies, Columbia University and Dr. David N. Myers, Director, UCLA Center for Jewish Studies will discuss “Archives and History”. Dr. Merav Mack of the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute will introduce the award winners and Dr. Chase F. Robinson, Provost of the CUNY Graduate Center and an outstanding scholar of early Islamic history, will moderate the post-discussion.

As conflicting narratives of past events have developed&#8221, commented Stanley Cohen, the President of the Scone Foundation, &#8220open archives may very well be instruments to reduce divergence, expand mutual understanding and fruitful cooperation.&#8221

Dr. Freundlich has served for many years as the general editor of the series, “Documents on the Foreign Policy of Israel’- he has also edited studies on the Jewish Agency and lectured on the relations between the U.N. and Israel. He joined the Israel State Archives in 1974 and was appointed State Archivist in 2006. He was born in Israel and educated at the Hebrew University with a major in the Modern History of Israel. He also earned a PhD studying diplomatic history of the Zionist Organization 1945-1948.

Mr. Salameh has served as director of the Islamic Museum and director of the al-Aqsa Mosque library for over two decades. He has published several catalogs on Arabic manuscripts, not only at the al-Aqsa library, but at private foundations as well. Mr. Salameh has played an important role in the preservation or archives and has delivered many lectures on the importance of digitization of archives. One of his ongoing concerns is the preservation of Palestinian newspapers from 1900 to the present day. Among his publications is a monograph: “A General Survey of Christians in Jerusalem through the Shari’ah Court Registers.” He was previously employed in the Hebrew University Library and worked as a librarian in Saudi Arabia and as a teacher in Libya. A PhD candidate in Ottoman History, he holds a Masters degree from Hebrew University.

Both honorees are active participants in the Endangered Archives Programme, which has been digitizing endangered archives and is sponsored by the British Library. This program has carried out a survey of the archives and libraries of Jerusalem, under the direction of Mr. Graham Shaw and Dr. Merav Mack. Dr. Mack, a research fellow at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, with a PhD in medieval history from Cambridge University, will moderate the discussion and introduce the award winners.

Previous recipients of The Scone Foundation’s Archivist of the Year Award have included John Taylor (National Archives), Sheryl Vogt (Richard B. Russell Archives), Jackie Kavanagh (BBC), Dr. David Sutton (Reading University), Dr. Saad Eskander (Iraqi National Library and Archives), and Dr. Conrad Crane, (U.S. Army Military History Institute). Speakers at previous award ceremonies have included Robert Caro, Lord Briggs (ASA Briggs) and Robert Skidelski.

The Archivist of the Year award was established to honor an otherwise unrecognized profession and to offer something more than an acknowledgment in the front or back of a book.

The Scone Foundations is a non-profit that provides grants for artist programs, historical societies, and art schools as well as the annual Calder Prize which provides to a sculptor residency at the Calder home and studio in France. The foundation has also awarded a series of gifts to small Off-Broadway theatrical productions on historical themes at experimental venues like La Momma.

Finger Lakes Boating Museum Moves Forward With Site

admin

The Board of Directors of the Finger Lakes Boating Museum in Geneva, NY has established a Site Development Committee and are moving forward with ambitous plans for a facility to research, document, preserve, and share the boating history of the Finger Lakes region. The Museum reached agreement with the City of Geneva last fall to establish a permanent home on the Geneva waterfront in association with the Visitor Center. The facility will be located on the current Chamber of Commerce site. The Museum anticipates occupying approximately 20,000 square feet of space initially, with future expansion on the lakefront and off-site eventually growing to approximately 60,000 square feet of space.

Newly elected board president Bill Oben said the Museum has assembled a collection of more than 90 wooden boats built in the Finger Lakes over the past 100 years, as well as numerous related artifacts and extensive reference material. Portions of the collection will be displayed on a rotating basis within the new facility. Also planned are interactive workshops and displays to engage visitors in the design, construction and use of the boats and an active on-water program including sailing and small boat handling.

The board also elected a new slate of officers and appointed four new directors at its January 4th. The officers for 2010 are Bill Oben as President, Ed Wightman as Vice President, Bill Smith as Secretary and Dennis Karalow as Treasurer. The new directors are Chrissy Bennett-West, Dave Bunnell, Vince Scalise and Bruce Tuxill.

Bennett-West is a Geneva native and a graduate of William Smith College. A long-time member of the Seneca Yacht Club, she sails Thistles and serves on the Executive Board as Vice Commodore. She and her husband live in Canandaigua where she is employed as a Special Education teacher in the Canandaigua School System.

Dave Bunnell relocated to Geneva following a 40-year career in law and business. He has practiced law with two commercial law firms in Dallas, Texas, served in senior management positions with international food companies, and engaged in various entrepreneurial activities. He is currently involved with others in efforts to accelerate the revitalization of downtown Geneva. He serves on the Boards of Geneva Growth, the Finger Lakes Regional Arts Council and the Business Improvement District.

Vince Scalise, a Geneva native and Korean War veteran, retired as Superintendent of the Geneva City School System. He has served on numerous boards including Cayuga-Seneca Canalway Trail Association, YMCA, Geneva Growth, Geneva Historical Society, United Way of Rochester and Ontario County, the Geneva Area Chamber of Commerce, and the FL Cultural & Natural History Museum. He has also served on the Geneva City Council.

Bruce Tuxill returned to his native Geneva in 2008 following a 40-year career in the Air Force and Air National Guard. At the time of his retirement he was serving as the Adjutant General of the Maryland National Guard. He is currently the President of the Tuxill Group, which provides consulting service for federal, state and local officials in the areas of national defense and homeland security. He currently serves on the Board of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Geneva and the Vestry of Trinity Episcopal Church.

Bill Oben, is a founding trustee who has served as president of the 300-member Museum since 2007, commented that the organization is “excited about establishing a permanent home for the museum on the Geneva waterfront. We intend to create a world class facility highlighting the boating heritage of the Finger Lakes region,” Oben said.

Hyde Collection Announces New Board Members

admin

The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, Warren County, has announced new members and 2010 officers of its board of trustees. New to the Museum board are Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy- Joseph F. Raccuia, president and CEO of Finch Paper, LLC- and Leo A. Rigby, CPA, Partner in Ross Rigby & Patten LLP.

Dr. Jackson, who has led Rensselaer since 1999, has held senior leadership positions in government, business, and academe. She serves on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). Prior to her leadership of Rensselaer, Dr. Jackson served as chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (1995-1999). She holds a Ph.D. in theoretical elementary particle physics and a S.B. in physics from M.I.T.

Joseph Raccuia joined Finch Paper in February 2009 after serving as president and CEO of SCA Tissue-North America. A twenty-five year veteran of the paper industry, Raccuia began his career in the Glens Falls area with the former Encore Paper Company in South Glens Falls. A resident of Wilton, he holds a B.A. in business administration and earned his MBA from Wagner College.

Leo Rigby is vice president and treasurer of Ross Rigby & Patten LLP, and the partner in charge of accounting and auditing services. He is a graduate of Clarkson University and a certified information systems auditor. Rigby is vice president of the Glens Falls Rotary Club and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Leading the 2010 board of trustees as chairman is Alan E. Redeker, who has been a member of The Hyde’s board of trustees for seven years and has most recently served the organization’s board vice chairman in 2009. Redeker is principal of Redeker Management Consulting, LLC and past president of Glens Falls Lehigh Cement Company. He succeeds Beth Saunders, who concluded her one-year term as chairman and will continue to serve The Hyde as immediate past chairman and as a trustee.

Officers for 2010 include Candace Wait as vice chairman, Dr. Michael J. Gardner as treasurer, and Michael S. Rapaport, Esq. as secretary. Wait, who joined the Museum’s board in 2004 is program director for The Corporation of Yaddo in Saratoga Springs. Gardner has been on the board for two years and is immediate past president of Prime Care Physicians in Albany, NY. Rapaport, a trustee since 2004, is a partner in Rapaport Brothers PC of New York, NY and Lake George, NY.

NYS Museum Chocolate Expo, Holiday Gift Market

admin

Shoppers can sample chocolate treats, listen to holiday carolers and purchase hand-crafted gifts from more than 40 vendors at the New York State Museum’s fourth annual Chocolate Expo & Holiday Gift Market on Sunday, December 6.

The Expo, from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., will offer samples and sales of chocolates, desserts, wines and specialty foods. Vendors from New York State and New England will also sell a variety of hand-crafted jewelry, glassware, ornaments, handmade bath and skincare products, clothing and accessories.

There also will be two chocolate fountains stations, free to all visitors, compliments of Price Chopper, presenting sponsor, and We Do Fondue. From 1:15 until 2:30 p.m., Vocal Point, South Glens Falls High School’s premier choral ensemble, will perform a wide variety of holiday music, representing various traditions, beliefs and cultures from around the world. The school’s flute choir will also perform from 2:30-3 p.m.

As a special promotion, visitors who purchase a State Museum membership will be eligible to win a gift basket full of products from Expo vendors. Many products offered at the Chocolate Expo are made using fresh, locally produced ingredients. Products will include organic and hand-dipped chocolates, chocolate fudge, candy, and several varieties of truffles, including vegan. Specialty foods and beverages will include homemade gourmet sauces, pesto, and wines “with an attitude.”

Other gift items will include chemical-free soaps, hand creams and bath products- handmade jewelry and Italian glass beads- hand-swirled glassware- hand-painted Christmas ornaments and children’s clothing- hand-knit sweaters and accessories, including scarves, hats and mittens made from hand-spun llama yarn.