Press

The New York State Museum will open Art of the Erie Canal on April 28. On display through September 23, 2018, this companion exhibition to the State Museum’s current Enterprising Waters: New York’s Erie Canal looks at the art inspired by the canal and the opportunities it afforded artists, both trained and untrained, working in a variety of media, such as paintings, photographs, sketchbooks, ceramics, and beadwork.

A selection of 60 works comes from the collections of the New York State Museum, the Arkell Museum at Canajoharie, and other cultural institutions and private lenders from across the state. The Erie Canal, the foremost engineering marvel of the 19th century, sparked the imagination of artists in America and abroad. These works represent just a small sample of the wealth of Erie Canal art made over the course of its first 150 years.

The Museum will host a public opening for Art of the Erie Canal (http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/exhibitions/erie-canal-art) on Saturday, April 28. The program includes a reception with light refreshments at 1:00 p.m. A guided tour of the exhibition begins at 2:00 p.m., followed by a Question and Answer session with the curators. Photos of select artwork from the exhibition are available here: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/about/press/kits/art-erie-canal

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website, www.nysm.nysed.gov.

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