Museums-Archives-Historic Sites

Former Plattsburgh State Museum Director Recognized

admin

SUNY Plattsburgh has announced that the recipient of the college’s 2010 Distinguished Service Award is Edward R. Brohel. After 30 years and 10,000 works of art, Brohel hung his last painting as Plattsburgh State Art Museum director in the summer of 2008.

When Brohel arrived on campus in 1978, the college was a different place. In the words of E. Thomas Moran, SUNY distinguished service professor and director of the Institute for Ethics in Public Life, &#8220The galleries were undeveloped and underutilized. Much of the architecture seemed cold and austere.&#8221

During his tenure on campus, Brohel went a long way toward changing all of that. Under his leadership, the college’s art collection grew from less than 500 pieces to 10,000 pieces and came to include the Meisel Collection, the Student Association Collection, the Nina Winkel Collection, and the Slatkin Study Room and Collection. In addition, Brohel helped to oversee the installation of the Rockwell Kent collection, a gift Sally Kent Gorton bestowed on the college because of the Kents’ friendship with then-President George Angell. This collection represents the largest gathering of Kent’s work in the world.

In addition, new galleries took shape, including the Hans and Vera Hirsch Gallery, the Louise Norton Room, the Winkel Sculpture Court and the Rockwell Kent Gallery.

But Brohel’s work was not limited to galleries. He changed the face of the campus by erecting the Museum Without Walls – a network of art, placed in public spaces and offices throughout campus, based on a concept by Andre Malraux. And, with the help of co-curator Don Osborn, he put in place the college’s sculpture park – a permanent collection of monumental pieces.

&#8220In addition to beautifying the campus in ways that cannot be measured, Ed’s efforts have helped to raise more than $1 million in charitable gifts to the college’s museum, including the George and Nina Winkel, Rockwell Kent, Regina Slatkin, Don Osborn and Hasegawa Art Collections endowments,&#8221 said SUNY Plattsburgh College Council Chair Arnold Amell, &#8220His service has, indeed, meant a lot to this campus.&#8221

As Moran said at a retirement reception honoring Brohel two years ago, &#8220In the end, he created everywhere on campus little grottos of beauty and contemplation. In doing so, he gave our college genuine distinction and amplified the ideal and the essence of what a campus should be.&#8221

Brohel and his wife, Bette G., reside in Plattsburgh.

The Distinguished Service Award is presented by the College Council to honor individuals who have made a lasting contribution to the college, community, state, nation and/or to the international community. The award will be given to Brohel during the college’s commencement ceremonies at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday, May 15.

Mothers: Free Admission to Fenimore, Farmers’ Museum Sunday

admin

In recognition of Mother’s Day, all mothers and grandmothers will receive free admission to the Fenimore Art Museum and The Farmers’ Museum on Sunday, May 9.

Visitors can start the day at the Fenimore Art Museum by taking in one of the new exhibitions, such as Empire Waists, Bustles and Lace: A Century of New York Fashion &#8211 an exciting exhibition of the Museum’s collection of historic dresses. The exhibition includes the oldest known example of a dress with a label, stunning examples of Empire, Romantic and Civil War era dresses and turn-of-the-20th century items. Afterwards, visitors can enjoy lunch on the terrace overlooking Otsego Lake and then stroll across to The Farmers’ Museum to visit the baby lambs and ride on The Empire State Carousel.

About the Fenimore Art Museum

The Fenimore Art Museum, located on the shores of Otsego Lake &#8212- James Fenimore Cooper’s “Glimmerglass Lake” &#8212- in historic Cooperstown, New York, features a wide-ranging collection of American art including: folk art- important American 18th- and 19th-century landscape, genre, and portrait paintings- an extensive collection of domestic artifacts- more than 125,000 historical photographs representing the technical developments made in photography and providing extensive visual documentation of the region’s unique history- and the renowned Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection of American Indian Art comprising more than 800 art objects representative of a broad geographic range of North American Indian cultures, from the Northwest Coast, Eastern Woodlands, Plains, Southwest, Great Lakes, and Prairie regions. Founded in 1945, the Fenimore Art Museum is NYSHA’s showcase museum.

About The Farmers’ Museum

As one of the oldest rural life museums in the country, The Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown, New York, provides visitors with a unique opportunity to experience 19th-century rural and village life first-hand through authentic demonstrations and interpretative exhibits. The museum, founded in 1943, comprises a Colonial Revival stone barn listed on the National Register for Historic Places, a recreated historic village circa 1845, a late- nineteenth-century Country Fair featuring The Empire State Carousel, and a working farmstead. Through its 19th-century village and farm, the museum preserves important examples of upstate New York architecture, early agricultural tools and equipment, and heritage livestock. The Farmers’ Museum’s outstanding collection of more than 23,000 items encompasses significant historic objects ranging from butter molds to carriages, and hand planes to plows. The museum also presents a broad range of interactive educational programs for school groups, families, and adults that explore and preserve the rich agricultural history of the region.

Finger Lakes Museum Selects Keuka Lake Site

admin

On Thursday, the Finger Lakes Cultural & Natural History Museum Board of Trustees adopted a resolution to select Keuka Lake State Park in Yates County as the future home of the Finger Lakes Museum. The vote was unanimous with one abstention.

After nearly a year of evaluating 19 sites that were originally submitted, the Site Selection Committee, under the direction of chairman Don Naetzker, recommended two sites for the Board’s consideration: Seneca Lake State Park in and adjacent to the City of Geneva, and Keuka Lake State Park near Branchport.

The idea to create a museum to showcase the cultural heritage and ecological history of the 9,000 square-­mile Finger Lakes Region was first floated in a Life in the Finger Lakes magazine article by John Adamski in March 2008.

After enlisting ConsultEcon Inc., a Boston­based market research firm in March, it was determined that the project is viable at either site although for different reasons. Board president, John Adamski added, “While the Seneca Lake site has significant advantages like a central location, the Board determined that the Keuka Lake site more closely met the requirements that were originally established in the Strategic Plan, especially as they relate to natural history programming.”

Among the advantages that he said tipped the scales in favor of the Keuka Lake site are the following:

• There is 700 feet of intimate lakefront with a level, sandy beach.

• The natural history element of the project is predicted to draw the most visitors. The rolling, hilly terrain, ravines, brook, woods, and areas of natural succession that exist there are ideal for wildlife exhibits in natural habitats.

• Several hundred acres of land are available for wildlife habitats and interpretive use—now or in the future.

• A 350­-car paved parking lot already exists.

• Keuka College has offered to add Museum Sciences to its curriculum
and become a partner in the educational aspect of the Museum.

• Yates County and Keuka­area business leaders have pledged over $2 million in start-up funding.

In addition, Adamski said, “The Branchport Elementary School, which is presently vacant, has been purchased by the Finger Lakes Visitors Association for use as the Museum’s base of operation during the project’s start-up phases. The building will provide 15,000 square­ feet for business offices and initial programming as well as storage for the acquisition of artifacts and collections.” Its 13­-acre site provides navigable water access to Keuka Lake.

He also stated, “Finger Lakes State Parks and the Finger Lakes Museum Project will undertake a joint master plan for the entire 620­acre park. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation has been very cooperative and enthused over the proposal and we look forward to working with them to bring the project to fruition.”

Although the Museum will be built on lands leased from Finger Lakes State Parks, it will remain a privately­-owned and mostly privately­-funded not­-for­-profit educational institution.

Documenting Leadership: Symposium on Public Executive Records

admin

The New York State Archives Partnership Trust and the Albany Law School’s Government Law Center have joined forces to sponsor a two-day event focused on the need for effective record keeping by elected government executives. Entitled Documenting Leadership: A Symposium on Public Executive Records in the 21st Century, the program is designed to explore the importance of the records generated by governors and other
high ranking elected public executives, such as presidents, attorneys general, and mayors. The symposium will be held on the Albany Law School campus, New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY on May 20-21.

Panelists for the program are coming from throughout the nation and represent government, the media, academia, and law. Among the presenters will be former U.S. Attorney General and former Governor of Pennsylvania Richard Thornburgh, nationally renowned presidential historian Richard Norton Smith, and former NYS Comptroller Ned Regan.

Sessions will include: Public Policy and the Public Interest- Transparency, Executive Records, and the Media- Executive Records: Access and Disclosure- Access in the Digital Age- and Executive Records as Legacy.

The event is free and open to the public. For information about the program and to register, go to www.albanylaw.edu/executiverecords/

Brooklyn Museum Offers Adult Programs

admin

During May and June the Brooklyn Museum will present a variety of public programs for adults including a panel discussion about pioneering female classical musicians, a fashion showcase featuring Brooklyn designers, a performance by the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and a symposium about the historic collaboration that has resulted in the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

PERFORMING ARTS

Music Off The Walls: The Brooklyn Philharmonic
Sunday, May 16, 1-4 p.m.
Members of the Brooklyn Philharmonic perform compositions highlighting the long-term installation Extended Family: Contemporary Connections. A related gallery talk precedes the program at 1 p.m. Tickets are $15- $10 for Members, students, and seniors. To purchase tickets, visit www.brooklynphilharmonic.org or call .

Fashion Showcase: Brooklyn Designers
Saturday, June 12, 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Brooklyn designers present fashions inspired by the special exhibition American High Style. A panel discussion and gallery talk precede the show.

Music: Jazz
Sunday, June 27, 3-5 p.m.
Heart of Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Museum present a jazz showcase in the Museum’s Sculpture Garden. A gallery talk on art and jazz precedes the performance.

TALKS & TOURS

Symposium: &#8220Costume Collections: A Collaborative Model for Museums&#8221
Friday, May 21, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., at the Brooklyn Museum- Saturday, May 22, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A two-day examination of the historic collaboration that has resulted in the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Co-hosted by the Brooklyn Museum and the Met’s Costume Institute.

Forum: &#8220Making Ourselves Visible&#8221
Saturday, May 22, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
This interactive program, organized by artist Liz Linden and writer Jen Kennedy, explores the question &#8220What does feminism look like today?&#8221 and encourages visitors to take part in a variety of ways, from posting their own feminist works on a public billboard to participating in teach-ins on subjects such as &#8220Feminist Utopias&#8221 and &#8220Feminist Pedagogy.&#8221

Panel Discussion: &#8220Groundbreakers and Music Makers: The First Generation of Orchestral Women&#8221
Sunday, June 13, 2-4 p.m.
Three pioneering female classical musicians&#8211Jacqui Danilow, Metropolitan Opera bassist since 1980- Laura Flax, New York City Opera principal clarinetist since 1984- and Orin O’Brien, New York Philharmonic member since 1966&#8211tell their story. Moderated by Deborah Siegel, author of Sisterhood, Interrupted: From Radical Women to Grrls Gone Wild.

Gallery Tours
Gallery tours with a volunteer Museum Guide or Student Guide occur Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 1:30 p.m. and weekends at 1, 2, and 3 p.m. Check www.brooklynmuseum.org or the What’s Happening This Week guide at the Visitor Center for current topics.

Guided Tours for Groups
Guided tours of the Museum’s permanent collection and special exhibitions are available for adult groups. For information, e-mail [email protected] or call (718) 501-6234.

Tours for College Students
The Museum offers student groups guided tours of the permanent collection and special exhibitions designed to complement their curriculum. For information, e-mail [email protected] or call (718) 501-6214.

Tours for Persons Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
Special touch tours can be arranged by calling (718) 501-6229 or e-mailing [email protected]. Tours are limited to groups of six and are available on Tuesdays between 1 and 3 p.m.

Tours for Persons Who Are Deaf or Hearing Impaired
Sign Language-interpreted gallery tours are offered every Target First Saturday and on the second Saturday of each month at 3 p.m. See the What’s Happening This Week guide at the Visitor Center for current topics.

CLASSES & WORKSHOPS

Creative Art Making: Brooklyn Chic Men’s and Women’s Accessories
Saturday, May 15, 2-4 p.m.
Kae Burke of Make Fun Studio leads this workshop in how to design and create your own Brooklyn chic accessories, including vintage-inspired cocktail hats and ties. There is a $15 materials fee, and registration is required. Register in person at the Museum’s Visitor Center. A limited number of free tickets are reserved for Museum Members on a first-come, first-served basis. Members should call (718) 501-6326 for tickets.

Young Interpreters Sought at The Farmers’ Museum

admin

The Farmers’ Museum is seeking applicants for its Young Interpreter Program. By pairing young people with museum staff, this popular summer program teaches students about America’s past, helps them develop new skills, and allows them to share their newfound knowledge with museum visitors. Boys and girls between the ages of 12 to 14 as of May 1, 2010, are invited to apply. A limited number of students will be accepted for the program.

The Young Interpreter Program began in 1993. The program takes place at The Farmers’ Museum, a premier rural history museum established in 1943. The museum presents the trades and crafts common to ordinary people of rural 19th-century New York State in its historic village and farmstead. Young interpreters will have the opportunity to work in various selected sites throughout the museum including: Peleg Field Blacksmith Shop, Bump Tavern, Lippitt Farmhouse, Dr. Thrall’s Pharmacy, The Middlefield Printing Office, Todd’s General Store, the Children’s Barnyard, or developing spinning and weaving skills.

Young interpreters are expected to work one day a week for a period of eight weeks, beginning the last week in June and ending the last week in August. Students who would like to participate should submit a one or two-page letter expressing their interest and reasons for wanting to be a Young Interpreter, as well as an explanation of where they would like to work and why, to: Young Interpreter Program, The Farmers’ Museum, P.O. Box 30, Cooperstown, NY 13326. Letters of application must be received by May 15, 2010. Letters of reference are not necessary. A committee of museum staff will review the applications. Candidates may be asked for an interview. Applicants will be chosen based on their commitment and interest, maturity, willingness to learn, and ease with the public. Students applying for the Young Interpreter Program must have parental permission and transportation to the museum during the course of the program.

For more information, please contact Deborah Brundage at 607-547-1484.

NYCs Trinity Wall Church Offers New Blog, Online Resources

admin

Trinity Wall Street, the Episcopal Church in Lower Manhattan founded in 1697, has started a new blog. The Archivist’s Mailbag is an effort to publicize the archives and attract scholarly researchers interested in the church’s long and complex history. Multimedia Producer Leah Reddy says that &#8220We like to say that the archives are &#8216-the history of New York that nobody knows’, as they only recently became fully accessible and they stretch back to the earliest days of New York City history.&#8221

Trinity Wall Street’s archives go back to 1695, making them an excellent resource for students of history&#8211as well as those who want to shape the future. Trinity’s Archive was made fully accessible for the first time in 2003. In addition to its own history and the history of the city, Trinity’s records shed light on the development of the Episcopal Church and the Dioceses of New York. As landowner since 1705, its archives detail the stories of the New York neighborhoods now known as Tribeca and the West Village. Trinity’s congregants have included Alexander Hamilton and John Jay- among its tenants were Aaron Burr and John Jacob Astor.

Information about the scope of the archives can be found online as well as a guide to the holdings.

There is also an interactive timeline and an interactive search-the-churchyard feature.

Advocates: Parks, Historic Sites, to Remain Closed

admin

Parks & Trails New York, the statewide advocacy organization that works to expand, protect and promote a network of parks, trails and open spaces throughout New York State has issued the following press release regarding the closing of 55 state parks and historic sites:

At a meeting of the Senate Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation today, Parks Commissioner Carol Ash told Committee members her agency is going ahead with plans to close 55 parks and historic sites, and curtail programming and services at an additional 22, unless sufficient funding is restored to the budget of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in the final state budget.

Commissioner Ash said, “Given that there is no final state budget at this time, our agency has neither funding nor authorization to open the 55 State Parks and Historic Sites that were identified for closing.”

State Parks needs $6.3 million to keep open the 55 parks. The fate of an additional 52 parks and historic sites, 34 tagged for closing and 18 for service reductions, is tied to a $5 million Environmental Protection Fund appropriation in the executive budget.

In total, State Parks needs $11.3 million to prevent any park or historic site from closing. In their budget proposals, the Senate and Assembly have committed to keeping all NYS parks and historic sites open this season.

“We’re deeply grateful to the Senate and Assembly for their commitment to restore $11.3 million in park operating funds, which will allow all state parks and historic sites to remain open,” said Robin Dropkin, Parks & Trails New York Executive Director. “Legislators, and hopefully now the Governor, understand how critically important parks are to New Yorkers and how cutting parks makes no sense in terms of the economy, quality of life or citizen morale.”

“We’re alarmed that the late budget is putting parks in limbo. Will the 55 parks and historic sites slated to close ever be able to open this year? By the time the budget is passed will there be enough time for the parks agency to get the facilities ready for the season? What if the budget doesn’t pass until June?” questioned Dropkin.

“Should agreement on the final state budget continue to be delayed, the Governor and Legislature need to come up with an immediate solution to keep state parks open and accessible to the public,” said Dropkin.

Every dollar invested in state parks and historic sites generates $5 in economic activity for the surrounding communities. In 2008, state parks and historic sites generated $1.9 billion in annual economic activity, including supporting 20,000 long-term sustainable non-parks jobs that generate tax revenues far above the amount of the proposed cuts.

The system’s 178 state parks and 35 historic sites, encompassing 325,000 acres of land and water from Montauk to the Thousand Islands and Niagara Falls, collectively draw more than 56 million visitors a year, 40 percent of whom come from outside the immediate area.

In the 125 years since Niagara Falls State Park became the first state park in the nation, New York State has never closed a park, not even in the depths of the Great Depression. Parks and historic sites on the governor’s hit list for closure affect every region of the state, from Orient Beach State Park at the tip of Long Island’s North Fork to Wilson-Tuscarora State Park in Niagara County.

Patronage of parks and historic sites has been increasing each year, especially as the current recession leads financially strapped New Yorkers to seek recreational opportunities closer to home.

“It is incumbent upon legislators and the Governor during budget negotiations to restore $11.3 million, a mere four-thousandths of one percent of the state budget, to the parks budget to keep our unparalleled system of parks and historic sites open and accessible to the people of New York,” said Dropkin.

Ed. &#8211 New York History reported on the potential for these closings in February.

NYS Archives Student Research Award Contest

admin

The State Archives has announced its twentieth annual Student Research Award contest which encourages grade 4-12 students to explore the wealth of historical records found in archives, libraries, and other historical community organizations throughout New York State. A total of three awards will be given, one each for students in grades 4-5, grades 6-8, and grades 9-12. Each award consists of a certificate and cash prize. Certificates of Merit will be awarded to those entries, other than the winners, that show a heavy reliance on historical records to support their research.

Recipients will be selected by September 15, and winners will be announced during Archives Month in October, 2010. Entries submitted for competition must be researched and developed during the July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010 school year. Entries are due July 1, 2010- details can be found at the NYS Archives website.

Photo: October 7, 1921 &#8211 School in Session, Sunset School, Marey, WV, Lewis Hine

Hyde Collection Promotes Erin Coe to Deputy Director

admin

The Hyde Collection Executive Director David F. Setford has announced that Erin B. Coe has been promoted to deputy director, curatorial affairs and programming, which went into effect January 1, 2010.

Coe, who has served The Hyde as chief curator since 1999, was also appointed deputy director in 2007. In her new capacity, she will continue to serve as the Museum’s chief curator and take on additional responsibilities including overseeing the education department. In her expanded role, she works closely with The Hyde’s director of education on developing and growing the Museum’s offerings of adult programs and outreach initiatives.

“Erin is one of The Hyde’s true assets,” said Setford. “Her knowledge of art and Text Box: Erin B. Coe, deputy director, curatorial affairs and programming, The Hyde Collectionthe museum world, along with her strong connection to the community, make her the perfect person to oversee both the curatorial and programming activities of the Museum.”

Coe served as in-house curator for last year’s highly successful Degas & Music exhibition and has curated more than twenty-five exhibitions at The Hyde Collection. She is responsible for the current exhibition, An Enduring Legacy: American Impressionist Landscape Paintings from the Thomas Clark Collection, on view in the Charles R. Wood Gallery through March 28, 2010. She recently authored an article for the prestigious American Art Review and has written for several other national periodicals, including The Magazine Antiques and the Catalogue of Antiques and Fine Art.

During her tenure at The Hyde, she oversaw the interior restoration of Hyde House, the Museum’s historic building and has been the recipient of several honors including The Business Review’s “40 Under Forty”and the Brunshwig & Fils Scholarship to attend the prestigious Attingham Summer School for the Study of Architecture, Fine, and Decorative Arts in the U.K.

Coe has served on several area boards, including the Marcella Sembrich Memorial Association, and the Lake George Arts Project. She currently serves on the board of the de Blasiis Chamber Music Series.