Membership Application (pdf)
Please join us! When you become a member of the New York State Museum, you join a growing community helping to preserve the state’s natural and cultural history.
Since its inception in 1836 as the New York State Geological and Natural History Survey, the New York State Museum has communicated the excitement of discovery to its visitors. The collections have expanded to more than 12.5 million artifacts and specimens that document the history of life in New York State over millions of years. As the steward of New York’s history, the State Museum holds these treasures in trust for all New Yorkers.
The New York State Museum is a dynamic and vibrant place. Membership is a vital resource that enables the Museum to host world-class exhibitions, present exciting programs and events, and enhance gallery spaces. It also helps support the ongoing research of the Museum’s scientists and historians in the fields of anthropology, archaeology, biology, geology, history, and paleontology. Through their groundbreaking research and discoveries, they advance the Museum’s mission to increase our knowledge of the natural and human history of New York State.
In appreciation of your membership, you receive such benefits as behind-the-scenes tours, invitations to exhibition openings, and exclusive program opportunities. All members receive the quarterly magazine Legacy, which takes readers further inside the Museum with articles on research, exhibitions, and programs, as well as the people who make the Museum the most-visited cultural attraction in the Capital Region.
Extensive collections
From among the smallest—a microscopic arthropod—to the largest—the 1921 canal motorship Day Peckinpaugh—the 12.5 million specimens and artifacts in the collections represent the cultural and natural history of New York State.
World-class research
As a research institution, the Museum supports the work
of a remarkable staff of scientists and historians who
specialize in anthropology, archaeology, biology, geology, history, and paleontology.
Engaging exhibits
Permanent and changing exhibitions highlight the Museum’s research and collections, and traveling exhibitions from other museums complement our focus on New York.
Family events
The Museum is the place to be on weekends with fun, educational activities and programs for the entire family.
Exciting programs
From behind-the-scenes tours and gallery talks, to creative activities for children and field trips with Museum scientists, there is something for everyone at the State Museum.
Great Art
The Bank of America Great Art Series brings works of art from New York’s premier art institutions to the State Museum for unique exhibitions.
Science and history lectures
The Museum Series Lectures showcase the ongoing research of Museum scientists and historians.
After-school programs
Membership support helps fund the Museum’s nationally recognized after-school programs, which provide an
educational experience based on the Museum’s collections for children age 8 to 18.
Community events
Signature annual events include New York in Bloom, the James Campbell Memorial Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show and Sale, Earth Day, and Haunted Museum and Pumpkin Patch.
The New York State Museum: There’s more than meets the eye.
For more information please contact us at (518) 474-1354 or email membership@mail.nysed.gov