The Beat

The museum announces its photography and film workshop schedule for 2020; three brand-new workshops being offered

Rochester, N.Y., December 3, 2019—The George Eastman Museum has announced its 2020 schedule of photography workshops. The museum is offering 19 hands-on workshops next year, including three brand-new offerings, including Handmade 35mm Black-and-White Film in April; Salt, Albumen, Collodion Printing Out Processes in July; and Lippmann Color Plates in August (Sold out; waitlist only). Registration is now open for all 2020 workshops at eastman.org/workshops.

The former Pell family’s summer estate home at Fort Ticonderoga is undergoing major restorations

Ticonderoga, N.Y. – Fort Ticonderoga, a premiere historic and travel destination, has been awarded $100,000 under the 2019 Adirondack Park Community Smart Growth Grant Program.

The money awarded will help support the restoration and adaptive reuse of the Pavilion, a National Historic Landmark house located adjacent to The King’s Garden on the Fort Ticonderoga grounds. The historic Pell family home was built in 1826 by William Ferris Pell and later used as a hotel. It welcomed historic figures such as Robert Todd Lincoln, the son of President Lincoln, and was visited by William Howard Taft and Alice Paul.

Author of IN THE CAULDRON: TERROR, TENSION, AND THE AMERICAN AMBASSADOR'S STRUGGLE TO AVOID PEARL HARBOR

Saturday, December 7, 2019 at 2:00 p.m., Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Presidential Library and Home

Hyde Park, NY – The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum presents a Pearl Harbor Day author talk and book signing with Lew Paper author of IN THE CAULDRON: TERROR, TENSION, AND THE AMERICAN AMBASSADOR'S STRUGGLE TO AVOID PEARL HARBOR on Saturday, December 7, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. The program will be held in the Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Presidential Library and Home.

This is a free public event but registration is required.

A featured one-day exhibit displays a collection of rare books Henry Knox recommended to John Adams about the art of war

Ticonderoga, N.Y. – Fort Ticonderoga, a premiere historic and travel destination, will present a one-day living history event on December 7 to highlight Henry Knox’s epic feat as he prepared to move massive cannon from Ticonderoga to Boston to force the British evacuation of 1776.

VIDEO LINK: Canalway Challenge Finisher Video 2019,   https://youtu.be/ajNyj1iv4YI 

Waterford, NY – People from 26 states and Canada walked, ran, cycled, and paddled their way to fitness and fun this year as part of the new Canalway Challenge, launched by the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor in May. More than 1,279 individuals, 267 teams, and 30 organizations signed on. Participants completed 285,000 miles on the Canalway Trail and NYS Canal System, the equivalent of circling the globe 11 times.

New Paltz, NY (November 19, 2019) - Historic Huguenot Street (HHS) has been awarded a $20,000 New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) Implementation Grant for FY2020 with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. NYSCA grants support the transformative impact of the performing, literary, visual and media arts in New York State.

The grant will be used to offer thought-provoking, accessible, educational programs that encourage people to reflect, learn, and engage in dialogue related to women’s rights and history. This includes lectures, a book club, partnerships, a new school program, exhibits, and an immersive theater experience. The programs will be implemented in 2020 in honor of the national centennial of votes for women.

Temporary closures scheduled during construction

Rochester, N.Y., November 18, 2019—The George Eastman Museum has announced it will break ground on January 6, 2020, for a new visitor center, which includes construction of the ESL Federal Credit Union Pavilion. The visitor center project, which involves relocating the museum’s main entrance to the west side of the building, is the most significant structural change to the museum since the gallery and collections building was constructed in 1989. The project is expected to be complete by July 2020.

Dancing, Food, Holiday Gift Market, Raffles, AND Iroquois Creation Story’s Skywoman, with Airigami’s visual storytelling addition

Victor, NY— Visitors to Friends of Ganondagan’s 2019 Native American Winter Arts Festival on Saturday, December 7 will experience the wide array of Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) living culture, but with a new and unusual twist, literally.

From 10 am - 4 pm, Ganondagan’s Seneca Art & Culture Center will host performances by Iroquois Social Dancers in regalia, storytelling, traditional foods, a silent auction, and a Native American artisan gift market. However, a new collaboration with Airigami—the artists who create large-scale installations entirely of balloons—will provide a unique visual, educational, and participatory storytelling addition to the day.

Newburgh, NY – Create your own distinctive way of writing – a la 18^th century style - using a quill pen and ink when you come to Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site, in Newburgh, during Thanksgiving Weekend, Friday, November 29^th and Saturday, November 30^th, 11 AM until 3 PM. 

The take-home craft is open to all ages and is free with Museum admission which includes self-guided exploration of the Museum’s over 1,300 artifacts and guided tours of Washington’s Headquarters and the newly restored Tower of Victory. (Access to the Tower may be limited based on staffing and weather conditions).

Sundays In December, 1:00 - 3:00 pm

Staatsburg, N.Y. (11/13/19) — Staatsburgh State Historic Site will host The Holiday Whodunit, a mystery for children, every Sunday afternoon this December.  Children ages 6 to 11 and their family members can come anytime between the hours of 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. to attend the program.  The children become detectives and solve a mystery by interviewing costumed interpreters, who portray Gilded Age houseguests and servants.  One of Staatsburgh’s most popular programs, the Holiday Whodunit has become an annual tradition for many families, who come each December to enjoy the holiday decorations and crack another Gilded Age case.