Year: 2010

A Call for Quilts from the Adirondack Museum

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Do you have an exceptional bed quilt or pieced wall hanging that was made in, inspired by, or depicts the Adirondack region?

The Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake is seeking quilts for &#8220The Second Annual Great Adirondack Quilt Show&#8221 to be held from September 14 to October 17, 2010. The show will be part of the museum’s Fabric and Fiber Arts Festival and will complement the exhibit &#8220Common Threads: 150 Years of Adirondack Quilts and Comforters.&#8221

There will be two divisions in the show. Historic quilts (those made before 1970) can be of any theme or technique, but must have been made in the Adirondacks. Modern quilts (those made after 1970) should have a visible connection to the Adirondack region.

An eligible quilt might depict an Adirondack scene in applique or be composed of pieced blocks chosen because the pattern is reminiscent of the region &#8211 &#8220Pine Tree,&#8221 Wild Goose Chase,&#8221 or &#8220North Star,&#8221 for example.

A &#8220People’s Choice&#8221 award will be presented to one quilt in each division.

Although the show will not be juried, applicants must complete a registration form prior to September 11, 2010. A statement by the maker is required to complete the application process. For additional information or to receive an application, please contact Hallie Bond via email at [email protected] , by telephone at (518) 352-7311, ext. 105, or through the postal service at P.O. Box 99, Blue Mountain Lake, NY, 12812.

Photo: Winner of the &#8220Best in Show&#8221 award at the quilt show held as part of the Adirondack Museum’s Fabric and Fiber Arts Festival on September 19, 2009. The quilt is &#8220Poppies&#8221 and was made by Betty deHaas Walp of Johnsburg, New York, in 2006.

@adkmuseum.org>

Champlain Maritime Museum Small Boat Fest

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A celebration of small-boating will be held at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes, Vermont on Saturday and Sunday, July 17th, and 18th. The event will include the Grand Opening of the new Hazelett Watercraft Center and the exhibit “Celebrating the Small Watercraft of Lake Champlain,” displays by contemporary boat builders, on-water boat trials, workshops, and illustrated talks. On Saturday there will be a Kids Duct Tape Regatta. On Sunday the Lake Champlain Challenge Race will be held during which participants with their own non-motorized boat, kayak, or canoe compete in a three-mile race from the museum’s North Harbor.

For information call 802 475-2022, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.lcmm.org.

Photo: The grand opening of Lake Champlain Maritime Museum’s newest exhibit building, the Hazelett Watercraft Center, will kick off the Small Boat Festival on Saturday July 17. The 1902 Ice Yacht Storm King is the centerpiece, surrounded by canoes and vintage wooden boats made and used on the lake.

Arto Monaco Historical Society Seeks Volunteers

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The board of the Arto Monaco Historical Society is seeking a small number of qualified volunteers to help coordinate two special projects. The first, will be organizing and documenting collections that will be transferred to the Adirondack Museum and other institutions. The society is seeking well-organized and responsible individuals with museum, library, or related experience who can help coordinate the work of additional volunteers.

The second is restoring and maintaining historic structures and grounds. Members of the society are looking for well-organized and responsible individuals with construction, maintenance, or related experience who can help coordinate the work of additional volunteers.

The work of Arto Monaco in designing the areas theme parks has become a central part of the history of tourism in the Adirondacks. Monaco was a local artist who designed sets for MGM and Warner Brothers, a fake German village in the Arizona desert to train World War II soldiers, and later his own Land of Makebelieve. Monaco died in 2005, but not before the Arto Monaco Historical Society (AMHS) was organized (in 2004) in order to preserve and perpetuate Monaco’s legacy, assemble a collection of his work, and stabilize and restore the Land of Makebelieve which was closed in 1979.

Since they first went into the woods with tools in 2006, volunteers of the AMHS have hacked the now overgrown Land of Makebelieve out of the encroaching forests in hopes of saving what’s left of Monaco’s legacy there from the ravages of nature.

If interested, please contact Anne Mackinnon at [email protected].

Maritime Center Offers Family Boat Building

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In collaboration with Buffalo Place the Buffalo Maritime Center is holding a Family Boat-Building workshop on the Buffalo Waterfront. Under the guidance of skilled boat-builders, families will construct their own boat this Saturday and Sunday, July 10th and 11th (9 am &#8211 4 pm). Everything needed to build the boat, along with instruction, will be provided to participants who can choose one from two boats: the 6 Hour Canoe (15 feet long, cost $600) or the Black Rock Skimmer (15 feet long, cost $750).

This first-ever Family Boat Building weekend for the Buffalo Maritime Center is designed for families that want to foster their cross-generational bonding and discover how well they can work together &#8211 introducing old and young family members to
woodworking. Families will take their boats home for painting and miscellaneous finish work. No previous woodworking experience required.

The workshop will be held adjacent to the Central Wharf near the Naval & Military Park located at the foot of Pearl and Main streets, across from HSBC Arena. Space is limited, so reserve soon by calling the Buffalo Maritime Center at (716) 878-6532
or e-mailing [email protected].

Mettawee River Theatre at Johnson Hall

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The Friends of Johnson Hall State Historic Site, 139 Hall Avenue, in Johnstown, NY, will host the Mettawee River Theatre on Thursday evening, August 5, 8:00 p.m., on the lawn under the black walnut trees &#8211 this popular annual theatre company presented their first production at Johnson Hall over 30 years ago. This year’s 35th anniversary production is an Iroquois creation story. Bring chairs, blankets, snacks, and bug spray – but no pets, please.

Mettawee’s outdoor production for the summer of 2010 is The Woman Who Fell from the Sky, which was originally produced in 1997. It is drawn from the Iroquois creation tale in which the Sky Woman falls from the spirit world and lands on the back of a turtle. Water animals bring up mud from the bottom of the sea so the earth can grow. The character Sapling creates all the earth’s delightful things- his brother Flint brings us mosquitoes and thorns and sharp rocks. The abrupt arrival of Hodu’i, a whimsical crack-pot who claims to have created it all, spells the readiness of the earth for the arrival of human beings. The production will incorporate many puppets representing the spirits and creatures of this young world.

According to Mettawee Artistic Director Ralph Lee, &#8220At this time, when serious concerns about the state of our environment weigh heavily on us, it’s nourishing to hear these clear voices from the beginning of the world, reminding us of the gifts we’ve been given.&#8221

For further information, contact Wanda Burch at 518-762-8712 or [email protected]

Winners of Play in the Parks App Contest

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The New York State Chief Information Officer and Office for Technology (CIO/OFT), the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and the Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly) have announced the winners of the NYS Play in the Parks App Contest.

The NYS Play in the Parks App Contest was an application development contest for graduate students at the NYU-Poly announced in April. Graduate students of NYU-Poly were challenged to create a web-based or mobile application proposal to help citizens discover the beauty and history of the New York State park system.

A panel of judges from the New York State Empire 2.0 Committee, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation and NYU-Poly selected Yigit Kiran’s project proposal &#8220Park Wise&#8221 as the grand prize winner. Mr. Kiran will receive a $2,000 scholarship provided by NYU-Poly and will develop his proposal as part of an unpaid internship at CIO/OFT. Mr. Kiran is a computer science student from Istanbul, Turkey.

&#8220Park Wise&#8221 is aimed at helping users obtain information on what they see as they travel through parks by using the newest technological trends in human computer interaction. &#8220Park Wise&#8221 will be developed as a mobile application to assist visitors of New York State parks. Individuals using the application can learn about the unique and historic sites in New York parks by pointing the camera of their mobile device at a key point of interest. For example, if users point a camera at the Helderberg Escarpment located in Thatcher State Park in Albany, they would learn it is one of the richest fossil-bearing formations in the world.

In addition, &#8220Park Wise&#8221 will feature a navigation application. While wandering the parks, &#8220Park Wise&#8221 will allow users to see their current location and where they are headed. &#8220Park Wise&#8221 users will also have the ability to take photos of their experiences and share them on Facebook, comment on key points of interest, and read other users comments.

Two proposals were also selected as second place winners and each team will receive a $1,000 scholarship to NYU-Poly. The second place team winners were Kunjan Sanghvi, Nisarg Shah and Yogesh Trivedi- and a team comprised of Marvin Charles and Ram Kumar. Honorable Mentions in the contest were awarded to Avinash Vutukuri and Barn Durukan, who will each receive a $500 scholarship to further their educational goals.

Historic Huguenot Street Elects New Board Members

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Historic Huguenot Street of New Paltz has elected three new members, including a key official from the Belgian Consulate, to the organization’s board of trustees. The elections occurred at the group’s annual meeting.

Christina Bark, Susan Ingalls Lewis and Edith Mayeux were welcomed to the board. Christina Bark is experienced as a corporate leader, attorney and entrepreneur. Most recently, Bark served as a Global Leader of Business Affairs and Chief Counsel for Oliver Wyman, a leading international consulting firm . She holds degrees from Vassar College and Stanford Law School.

Susan Ingalls Lewis is an Associate Professor of History at the State University of New York at New Paltz, where she teaches courses in American history and women’s studies. Lewis is an accomplished author and has held several leadership positions in the Mid Hudson Valley, including terms on the Rosendale Library and the Century House Historical Society in Rosendale. She holds degrees from Wellesley College and the State University of New York at Binghamton.

The third new member of the board of trustees is Edith Mayeux. Mayeux is the Trade Commissioner for the Wallonia Region of Belgium at the Consulate of Belgium in New York. Mayeux was born in French-speaking Wallonia, which is the ancestral home of the founders of New Paltz. In her current role, Mayeux helps companies from Wallonia access the U.S. market. Mayeux holds a degree in Modern Languages from the Ecole d’Interpretes Internationaux and in Applied Economics from the University of Mons, Belgium. She lives in Manhattan.

Mary Etta Schneider, president of Historic Huguenot Street, says of these new members, “We are so fortunate to have these three incredible women join our board of trustees. Each brings very special skills and perspectives. We are especially thrilled to have Edith Mayeux join our board. Historic Huguenot Street’s connection to Wallonia is a distinctive part of our history and we hope this can be the beginning of a growing relationship with our ‘homeland.’”

Also, Stephen Pratt Lumb of Dutchess County, himself a descendant of eleven of the twelve founders of New Paltz, returned to the board after a short break. Thomas E. Nyquist and Stewart P. Glenn of New Paltz were re-elected, as were Mark A. Rosen of Stone Ridge and Eileen Crispell Ford of Norwalk, Connecticut, who is also a descendant of the community’s founders.

Historic Huguenot Street, located on the banks of the Wallkill River, is where small group of French-speaking Huguenots settled in 1678. Today, just steps from downtown New Paltz, the site features seven stone houses dating to 1705, a burying ground and a reconstructed 1717 stone church – all in their original village setting. HHS offers six acres of landscaped green space and public programming to the local community and visitors from around the world. For more information about Historic Huguenot Street, visit www.huguenotstreet.org or call (845) 255-1660.

Picnic in the Park at the Adirondack Museum

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The Adirondack Museum will celebrate National Picnic Month on July 10, 2010. Activities are planned from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. All are included in the price of general museum admission. Children twelve years of age and younger will be admitted FREE of charge as part of the festivities.

&#8220Picnic in the Park&#8221 will include displays, tableaux, special presentations, music, a Teddy Bear’s Picnic just for kids, cookbook signings, demonstrations, menus, recipes, hands-on opportunities, and good food, as well as the museum’s new exhibit, &#8220Let’s Eat! Adirondack Food Traditions.&#8221

Visitors are invited to bring their own picnic to enjoy on the grounds or purchase sandwiches, salads, beverages, and desserts in the Cafe. Picnic tables are scattered throughout the campus.

The event will showcase &#8220Great Adirondack Picnics&#8221. Ann S. O’Leary and Susan Rohrey will illustrate how the use of design and menu planning can create two Adirondack picnics. A Winter’s Repast, En Plein Air &#8211 an elegant New Year’s Eve celebration will be set in a lean-to. The Angler’s Compleat Picnic will feature local products in a scene reproduced from a vintage postcard. Both women will be available from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to speak with visitors, and provide menus and recipes to take home.

To round out the elegant picnic theme, Chef Kevin McCarthy will provide an introduction to wines and offer tips on how to best pair wines with picnic foods. The presentations will be held at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Special presentations will be held in the museum’s Auditorium. Curator Hallie E. Bond will offer &#8220Picnics Past in the Park&#8221 at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Varrick Chittenden, founder of Traditional Arts of Upstate New York (TAUNY) will present &#8220Good Food Served Right: North Country Food and Foodways&#8221 at 1:30 p.m.

In addition, Sally Longo, chef and owner of Aunt Sally’s Catering in Glens Falls, N.Y. will offer &#8220Fun Foods for Picnicking with Kids&#8221 in the Mark W. Potter Education Center. &#8220Savory Foods and Snacks&#8221 will begin at 11:30 p.m. &#8220Sweet Treats and Desserts&#8221 will be presented at 3:00 p.m.

Museum visitors can create their own Adirondack picnic fare at home. From 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., regional cookbook authors will sign and sell their work in the Visitor Center. Participants include the Upper Saranac Lake Cookbook with Marsha Stanley- Good Food, Served Right, with Lynn Ekfelt- Northern Comfort with Annette Neilson- Stories, Food, Life with Ellen Rocco and Nancy Battaglia- and Recipes From Camp Trillium with author Louise Gaylord.

Tom Phillips, a Tupper Lake rustic furniture maker, will construct a traditional woven picnic basket in the Education Center from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Visitors will discover displays about &#8220Picnics and Food Safety&#8221 as well as the many uses of maple syrup (recipes provided) with the Uihlein Sugar Maple Research and Extension Field Station staff.

Guided tours of the exhibit &#8220Let’s Eat! Adirondack Food Traditions&#8221 are scheduled for 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m.

Singer, songwriter, and arts educator Peggy Lynn will give a performance of traditional Adirondack folk music under the center-campus tent at 2:00 p.m.

The Museum Store will be open from 9:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., featuring a wide array of North Country-made food products as well as a special &#8220farmer’s market.&#8221

Fur, Fortune, and Empire: A History of American Fur Trade

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&#8220The fur trade was a powerful force in shaping the course of American history from the early 1600s through the late 1800s,&#8221 Eric Jay Dolin writes in his new comprehensive history Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America. &#8220Millions of animals were killed for their pelts, which were used according to the dictates of fashion &#8212- and human vanity,&#8221 Dolin writes. &#8220This relentless pursuit of furs left in its wake a dramatic, often tragic tale of clashing cultures, fluctuating fortunes, and bloody wars.&#8221

The fur trade spurred imperial power struggles that eventually led to the expulsions of the Swedes, the Dutch, and the French from North America. Dolin’s history of the American fur trade is a workmanlike retelling of those struggles that sits well on the shelf beside Hiram Martin Chittenden’s 1902 two-volume classic The American Fur Trade of the Far West, and The Fur Trade in Colonial New York, 1686-1776., the only attempt to tell the story of the fur trade in New York. The latter volume, written by Thomas Elliot Norton, leaves no room for the Dutch period or the early national period which saw the fur trade drive American expansion west.

Dolin’s Fur Fortune, and Empire, is not as academic as last year’s Rethinking the Fur Trade: Cultures of Exchange in an Atlantic World by Susan Sleeper-Smith. It’s readable, and entertaining, ranging from Europe, following the westward march of the fur frontier across America, and beyond to China. Dolin shows how trappers, White and Indian, set the stage for the American colonialism to follow and pushed several species to the brink of extinction. Among the characters in this history are those who were killed in their millions- beaver, mink, otter, and buffalo.

Eric Jay Dolin’s focus, as it was with his last book Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America, is the intersection of American history and natural history. Readers interested in the history of the New York fur trade will find this book enlightening for it’s connection of the state’s fur business with the larger world as the first third deals with the period before the American Revolution, when New York fur merchants and traders were still a dominate factor. Yet, like last year’s Sleeper-Smith book, Dolin’s newest volume is simply outlines the wider ground on which the still necessary volume on the fur trade in New York might be built.

Note: Books noticed on this site have been provided by the publishers. Purchases made through this Amazon link help support this site.

Hyde Collection Presents Aaron Copland Lecture

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As part of The Hyde Collection’s Celebrating Wyeth’s America event series, the Museum will host a lecture by Dr. Suzanne Forsberg titled Another American Legend: The Music of Aaron Copland on Sunday, July 11, 2010.

Copland was the nation’s first to achieve international fame and produce compositions that sounded distinctly American. His music helped to identify the American landscape of Andrew Wyeth’s time.

Slated for 3 pm in the Helen Froehlich Auditorium, Forsberg’ s presentation will include video clips and CDs that illustrate Copland’s life and representative compositions.

Dr. Suzanne Forsberg, a graduate of Harvard University and New York University, is professor of fine arts at St. Francis College. She has lectured at the New York City Early Music Festival and her scholarly work on the early classical symphony has appeared in encyclopedias and journals, as well as in the series The Symphony, 1720-1840.

This talk is free with paid admission to the Andrew Wyeth: An American Legend exhibition or with a donation to the Museum. The talk is funded by New York Council for the Humanities.

For details on the Andrew Wyeth: An American Legend exhibition, which runs through September 5, 2010, and on all Celebrating Wyeth’s America events, visit www.hydecollection.org.