The Beat

Schenectady, NY – We could all use a little extra cheer this holiday season. Most of us are sticking close to home this December, celebrating with those who live close by. The Festival of Trees brings wintry brightness to our community during this difficult time, by offering a safe, socially-distant, and glittering celebration of the holidays. Hosted jointly by the Schenectady County Historical Society and YWCA NorthEastern NY, the Festival of Trees features dozens of lighted fir trees, each decorated in eccentric to classic styles, with their own evocative flair.

Saratoga Springs,, NY (November 20, 2020) — Kids, parents, grandparents, friends, and relatives near and far are invited to take part in Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery’s first online Make-a-Turkey-Out-of-a-Potato Festival!

The Tang tradition, now in its 18^th year, aims to inspire intergenerational creativity for the holidays. For the first time, it is all happening online at http://tang.skidmore.edu.

Saratoga Springs, N.Y. — Coinciding with the 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland Race Course, a new interactive exhibit will debut at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame to showcase the history of the Breeders’ Cup and the Eclipse Awards — two annual thoroughbred racing events that celebrate the best competitors of the sport.

Museum visitors can explore a searchable race footage archive containing replays of every Breeders’ Cup race since the inaugural championship weekend was held at Hollywood Park in 1984 and view a historical listing of Eclipse Award winners by category on two interactive touchscreens in the Museum lobby.

New exhibition celebrates radical communities created by the Shakers and the late gallerist Hudson 

Work by influential artists such as Jim Isermann, G.B. Jones, Roy McMakin, Richard Rezac, Kay Rosen, and Nancy Shaver to be exhibited alongside objects from the Shaker Museum Permanent Collection 

Saratoga Springs, NY (October 28, 2020) – The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College announces Energy in All Directions, an exhibition that brings rarely seen works and new acquisitions from the Tang Teaching Museum collection in dialogue with objects from the Shaker Museum’s extensive holdings to celebrate the life and legacy of artist and gallerist Hudson (1950–2014). …

Visitors are required to wear a mask in accordance with COVID guidelines

SLATER will be open for tours through Thanksgiving

Albany, N.Y. – USS SLATER, the last Destroyer Escort afloat in America, will be open to the public Monday October 12, for Columbus Day. Tours run every half an hour from 10 AM to 4 PM. Admission is $9 for adults and $7 for children.

USS SLATER is committed to the safety of all visitors, volunteers, and staff. In accordance with the COVID-19 guidelines set forth by the governor everyone is required to wear a mask. The staff of USS SLATER are sanitizing the ship and shore facilities throughout each day.

Albany, N.Y. – The Albany Pine Bush Preserve is now accepting films made by kids for our Karner Kids Film Festival. “This is a great opportunity for kids and teens to show us their perspective on the Pine Bush through film making,” said Education Program Manager, Sara Poggi-Decker. The Karner Kids Film Festival is open to kids ages 10-17. The films must be original creations of 5 minutes or less and must be about the Albany Pine Bush. Films could feature wildlife, plants, history, personal experience or other Pine Bush-inspired themes. 

Saratoga Springs, N.Y. — The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will host an online preview discussion for the 145th running of the Preakness Stakes on Friday, Oct. 2, and will participate in the annual Secretariat Festival on Saturday, Oct. 10 with a virtual Museum tour highlighting the institution’s connections to Secretariat, the 1973 Triple Crown winner and Hall of Fame member.

Brien Bouyea, the Museum’s Hall of Fame and Communications Director, will be joined by Michael Veitch, the Museum’s Historian, for a look at the Preakness, which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 3. The discussion will take place at 1 p.m. Eastern on Friday, Oct. 2.

Granville, N.Y. – After several months of closure following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, the Slate Valley Museum is ready to re-open its doors. On Friday, September 25, the Museum will begin welcoming guests for scheduled visits.

“The Museum opened 25 years ago this month, and we are excited to re-open and begin our anniversary year by welcoming people back to visit us,” shared Interim Director Sarah Kijowski, “We’ve reviewed guidelines and recommendations, and we’ve looked toward other museums of our size to see how they are handling visits and programs. We really wanted to take our time, learn from our peers, and open in the safest way possible for our visitors and our staff.”…

Explore, make, and share during five Zoom sessions from Sept. 25 to Nov. 20

Saratoga Springs, NY (September 17, 2020) — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College announces the fall 2020 Tang at Home Studio series. This series will be conducted online to ensure the health and safety of our audiences and our staff. The Museum building is closed to the public for now, but we are open online to bring the Tang experience into your home.

Tang at Home Studio gives kids the chance to explore their creativity, make new things, and share their artwork with peers online! Each session, which occurs every other Friday at 5:00 PM from September 25 to November 20, includes an at-home looking and exploration of an artwork, instructions for project preparation and a real-time online gathering led by Sunny Ra,  The Laurie M. Tisch Educator for K-12 and Community Programs, with assistance from Skidmore College student interns. Learn how to take part and read the description of all five sessions…

Albany, N.Y. – The New York State Museum is offering programming to commemorate the 19^th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Beginning Friday, September 11, 2020, a display of World Trade Center artifacts will be added to the  Windows on New York (http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/exhibitions/windows-new-york) exhibition in the museum’s Madison Avenue lobby window. While the museum facility remains closed to the public, the display can be viewed outside while socially distancing during our closure.