MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND CELEBRATION AT THE MUSEUMS
COOPERSTOWN, NY, MAY 19, 2008- Join us at The Farmers' Museum and the Fenimore Art Museum for our lively Memorial Day Weekend event on Saturday, May 24 from 10 am to 5 pm and on Sunday, May 25, from 10 am to 5 pm. The event brings a plethora of wool-related demonstrations together with the popular Heritage Plant Sale, the opening of the major new exhibition, Gilded Lions and Jeweled Horses: The Synagogue to the Carousel at the Fenimore Art Museum, the grand opening of the newly renovated Jonas More House, the unveiling of a new portrait panel for the beloved Empire State Carousel, and much more!
This year's Memorial Day Weekend celebration marks the second anniversary of The Empire State Carousel in its new and permanent home-The Farmers' Museum. On Saturday, May 24th, please join us as we celebrate "The Museum You Can Ride" and unveil the newest carving by the carousel's creator and head carver, Gerry Holzman. Louis Armstrong was chosen by popular ballot to be the next New Yorker immortalized in a portrait panel on the carousel. From Memorial Day to Labor Day 2007, museum patrons cast their votes on a ballot containing the famous New Yorkers Louis Armstrong, George Eastman, Sojourner Truth, and Polly Cooper in the Empire State Carousel Pavilion. It was a close race, but in the end Armstrong won by 200 votes. Renowned genre painter William Sidney Mount will be retired from the carousel's rounding board and placed on the wall of the pavilion.
Also on view for the first time will be many of the hand-carved and painted life-size birds of New York. These songbirds and raptors were created by carvers and painters during the two decades when the Empire State Carousel was a work in progress. The birds will be on display in the Carousel Pavilion from Memorial Day to Labor Day 2008.
Continuing the museum's celebration of spring and the region's agricultural roots, wool-related activities will be offered throughout the weekend, including demonstrations on sheep shearing, spinning and weaving, sheepdog herding, felting and carding wool.
The annual popular Heritage Plant Sale will be held on both Saturday and Sunday. Visitors will be able to purchase heritage plants and seeds, including plants and cuttings from The Farmers' Museum's Botanical Specimen Garden. Medicinal herbs, ornamental and dye plants, heirloom-variety vegetable seeds, and other garden accessories will also be on sale.
On Saturday, the recently restored Jonas and Deborah More House at The Farmers' Museum will open to the public. Visitors to the 1818 Federal-style house will explore the cycle of life on a mid-19th-century farm by experiencing it much as the original occupants did.
See what's in store this fall for The Farmers' Museum craft workshops during the Memorial Day celebration where we will be previewing the crafts featured in the fall workshop line-up. The workshop craft series will focus on decorative arts and design, including country tin painting, woodcarving, and creating beautifully decorated family records. Be sure to join us on Saturday or Sunday for a fascinating foray into these traditional crafts.
Across the road, the Fenimore Art Museum will open Gilded Lions and Jeweled Horses: The Synagogue to the Carousel, a major exhibition organized by the American Folk Art Museum, New York, that tells the story of a little-known aspect of American carousel history and its connection to Jewish visual culture.
The Fenimore Art Museum and The Farmers' Museum,
two distinct institutions that together explore and present the diverse history, art, and culture of rural American life, are located across from each other on Lake Road, Route 80, in Cooperstown, NY. Admission to each museum is $11 for adults, $9.50 for visitors age 65 and over, and $5 for children age 7 to 12; children 6 and under and members are admitted free. Reduced price combination admission tickets that include both museums and The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum are also available.†Fenimore Art Museum is open from April 1 through December 31; The Farmers' Museum is open from April 1 through October 31, with special events throughout the year. For museum hours or general information, please call 1-888-547-1450 or visit www.fenimoreartmuseum.org and www.farmersmuseum.org.
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For more information or images, please contact:
Christine Liggio, Public Relations office
Fenimore Art Museum/The Farmers' Museum
Phone: (607) 547-1472/E-mail: pr@nysha.org
