The Beat

Tickets Now on Sale

New York, N.Y. - South Street Seaport Museum announces the 2026 sailing season for the 1885 schooner Pioneer and the 1930 tugboat W.O. Decker, beginning May 29 and running through October. Tickets range from $5–$70 to sail New York Harbor and are on sale now! Get them here for Pioneer, and here for W.O Decker.

The people’s lab for technology and culture, and new artist residency program

Both a co-creation studio and an artist-led space, MoMI LAB provides free access to the technologies shaping everyday life while fostering understanding about their impact

Astoria, New York, May 19, 2026 — Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) announces MoMI LAB, the people’s lab for emerging technology and culture, opening June 13, 2026. Located in the Museum’s lower level, MoMI LAB is a free, artist-led co-creation space where the public can engage directly with emerging technologies—not only to use them, but to understand, question, and shape how they are transforming everyday life.

Weekly Tang Guide Tours begin May 24; curator’s tours once a month

Saratoga Springs, NY (May 19, 2026) — The Tang Museum at Skidmore College announces its summer public tours, a series of free guided experiences that invite visitors to explore current exhibitions, ask questions, and engage with contemporary art and ideas.

With themes ranging from walking for brain health, infinity day, NYC wildlife, and more

May–October 2026

Astoria, New York, May 18, 2026 — The wildlife of New York City, walking and brain health, the nature of infinity, and alien encounters are some of the subjects explored in the second season of Open Worlds: Science, science-focused programs presented as part of Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI)’s free Open Worlds initiative. Running through October, Open Worlds: Science features scientist-led talks, screenings, and hands-on activities that all relate to science and the moving image to help illuminate and excite visitors of all ages about the ways science affects daily life.

Nearly 250 Years After His Death, Reconstruction Offers Powerful New Glimpse of Soldier Recovered from Courtland Street Burying Ground

Images Can Be Downloaded in the Online Press Kit

Albany, N.Y. - The New York State Museum has unveiled a facial reconstruction of a Revolutionary War soldier whose remains were recovered from the Courtland Street Burying Ground in Lake George, N.Y. Created by forensic artist Jenny Kenyon, the reconstruction depicts a young soldier believed to have been in his teens, offering a powerful new glimpse into the lives of the individuals who died while serving during America’s fight for independence.

Auburn, NY (May 14, 2026) – The West End Arts Campus, made up of the Schweinfurth Art Center and Cayuga Museum of History & Art, is hosting, Sa:gwáyoˀ Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ/Cayuga People, We Returned, an important exhibition that focuses on the Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ experience of forced displacement from and return to their homelands, as seen through their art, song, video, and historical documents.

A surge of donor support during the University’s For Ever Better campaign accelerates MAG’s timeline for expanding access to art and cultural education across the region.

Rochester, N.Y. - Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of its members and the community, the University of Rochester’s Memorial Art Gallery (MAG) will open its doors to all—free of charge—sometime in 2027, much sooner than anticipated.

Named Best Living History in America during the semiquincentennial, Fort Ticonderoga immerses visitors into REAL TIME as the fight for independence unfolds   

Additional photo, video and media materials may be accessed by clicking here. Photo and video credit: “Fort Ticonderoga”

Ticonderoga, N.Y. - Americans seeking to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday are finding Fort Ticonderoga on numerous national lists and collections as a best place to visit for the semiquincentennial of the United States of America.

Nearly 150,000 Documents and Over 5,000 Photographs to be Preserved in Jamestown, New York

Archival Photos Link: Mel Brooks Places Career Archives at National Comedy Center - Dropbox

Jamestown, NY (May 13, 2026) – Mel Brooks and the National Comedy Center, the United States’ museum and national archive dedicated to the art form of comedy, announced today that the Center will become the home of Brooks’ career archives – one of the most comprehensive collections of comedic creative material ever preserved, encompassing works that sit at the core of America’s cultural identity.