The National Bottle Museum has installed a new display of decorated stoneware crocks and jugs.  All pieces were manufactured at Hudson Valley potteries.

BETHEL, NY (May 24, 2018) – For the fifth year, The Museum at Bethel Woods will again take part in Blue Star Museums, a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and more than 2,000 museums across America to offer free admission to the nation’s active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The program provides families an opportunity to enjoy the nation's cultural heritage and learn more about their community, especially after a military move. A list of participating museums is available at arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.

The free admission program is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), a DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID) or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card, which includes active duty U.S. military - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, as well as members of the National Guard and Reserve, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps - and up to five family members.

“Visiting a museum is a great way to get to know a community—whether it’s in your hometown or a stop on a road trip,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “We appreciate the enthusiasm of museums all across the country who open their doors for military and their families to spend time together and have new arts experiences.”

This year’s participating Blue Star Museums represent not just fine arts, science, history and children’s museums, but zoos and nature centers as well. Museums are welcome to sign up for Blue Star Museums throughout the summer by emailing bluestarmuseums@arts.gov.

“As many military families spend the summer months moving from one duty station to another, or reconnecting with a parent who has returned from deployment, Blue Star Museums helps service members and their families create memories,” said Blue Star Families Chief Executive Officer Kathy Roth-Douquet. “Blue Star Families has great appreciation for the generosity of the museums across the country who roll out the red carpet for the families who serve alongside their service members. We are thrilled with the continued growth of the program and the unparalleled opportunities it offers.”

Located at the historic site of the 1969 Woodstock festival, The Museum at Bethel Woods is dedicated to perpetuating the history of the decade by engaging visitors through a dynamic, immersive multi-media exhibit and annual special exhibitions. The Museum offers the opportunity to see, hear and feel the ‘60s while simultaneously connecting the iconic decade to today. Interactive arts and humanities programs for children and adults alike include concerts, festivals, workshops, films and speaker series. For a full list of events, please visit bethelwoodscenter.org.

In addition to its Main Exhibit, The Museum proudly presents its 2018 Special Exhibit Peter Max: Early Paintings. The art of Peter Max, with its colorful imagery of gurus, Zen boats, snow-capped mountains and sunbeams, helped define the psychedelic 1960s.  With paintings on exhibition in hundreds of museums and galleries worldwide, Peter Max’s artistry has become part of the fabric of contemporary culture.

Though Peter Max has stayed in the public eye through five decades, visitors to The Museum at Bethel Woods will have a rare opportunity to see inspiring artwork from a pivotal moment in the artist's illustrious career: the period from 1967 through 1972 when his work moved from nostalgic collage-inspired realistic paintings to his visionary, imaginative cosmic creations.

Peter Max: Early Paintings brings together for the first time the collections of Robert Casterline and Shelly Fireman for a Peter Max experience that should not be missed.

Bethel Woods will also debut its new outdoor art installation, Doors to Originality, inspired by the 2018 Special Exhibit, Peter Max: Early Paintings. Using Max’s cosmic ’60s art style as inspiration, twelve regional artists have created a series of Peter Max-inspired designs on vintage wooden doors which have been placed throughout the Bethel Woods campus.

The free outdoor installation will be open to the public until November 30, 2018. The special exhibit is on display during regular Museum hours through December 31, 2018.  

Museum Summer Hours:

April 30-September 3

Open every day, 10:00am-7:00pm

*Special hours on most Pavilion Concert days.
^Day of Show - The Museum at Bethel Woods will offer $5 admission two hours prior to show time for all evening concerts. 

Please call ahead to verify museum hours after September 3 and on concert days. Access to the grounds is closed on Pavilion concert days. The Monument continues to be open to visitors seven days a week, all year long via West Shore Road.

General support for The Museum at Bethel Woods is provided by a grant from the William and Elaine Kaplan Private Foundation.

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About Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts inspires, educates, and empowers individuals through the arts and humanities by presenting a diverse selection of culturally-rich performances, popular artists, and community and educational programming.  Located 90 miles from New York City at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival in Bethel, NY, the lush 800-acre campus includes a Pavilion Stage amphitheater with seating for 15,000, an intimate 440-seat indoor Event Gallery, the award-winning Museum at Bethel Woods, and a Conservatory for arts education programming.

Through the in-depth study and exhibition of the social, political, and cultural events of the 1960s, as well as the preservation of the historic site of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Bethel Woods educates individuals about the issues and lessons of the decade while inspiring a new generation to contribute positively to the world around them. The not-for-profit organization relies on the generous support of individuals, corporations, and foundations to develop and sustain programs that improve the quality of life in the region and beyond.

For more information please visit www.BethelWoodsCenter.org.

About Blue Star Museums

Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts,Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000museums across America. The program runs from Memorial Day, May 25, 2015 through Labor Day, September 7, 2015.

The free admission program is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), a DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card, which includes active duty U.S. military - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, as well as members of the National Guard and Reserve, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps - and up to five family members. Some special or limited-time museum exhibits may not be included in this free admission program. For questions on particular exhibits or museums, please contact the museum directly. To find participating museums and plan your trip, visitarts.gov/bluestarmuseums.

All summer long, Blue Star Museums will share stories through social media. Follow Blue Star Museums on Twitter @NEAarts and @BlueStarFamily, #bluestarmuseums, on Facebook and read the NEA Art Works blog for weekly stories on participating museums and exhibits.Museums that wish to participate in Blue Star Museums may contact bluestarmuseums@arts.gov, or Wendy Clark at 202-682-5451.

This is the latest NEA program to bring quality arts programs to the military, veterans, and their families. Other NEA programs for the military have included the NEA/Walter Reed Healing Arts Partnership; Great American Voices Military Base Tour; and Shakespeare in American Communities Military Base Tour.

            The nonprofit museums of New York State are essential promoters of the arts and culture, education, and economic development in the diverse communities we serve; however, threats to the place of our museums as bastions of learning, creativity, and nonpartisan constructive conversation are stronger than ever.

            There’s an old saying in Washington, says Ben Kershaw of Independent Sector (although you might remember him from the AAM): “You’re either at the table, or on the menu.” As museum professionals, it is critical we be at the table and assume our responsibilities as advocates for our institutions, our missions, and the people we serve by taking on a deliberate and active role in influencing public policy.

            Despite potential misconceptions to the contrary, there are many ways for museums as charitable nonprofits to shape public policy without endangerment of our tax-exempt status. Two essential rules apply to charitable museums when engaging with public policy:

1. always remain nonpartisan
   
2. do not lobby “excessively”
   

            The Johnson Amendment of Section 501(c)(3) of Internal Revenue Code establishes a requirement that tax-exempt organizations classified under Section 501(c)(3) "not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.” With this in place, 501(c)(3) organizations including many of our museums are welcome to influence public policy provided they remain nonpartisan in doing so.

            In his address to the National Prayer Breakfast in February 2017, President Donald Trump vowed to "get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment.” For more than 60 years, this important provision has required the nonpartisanship of and protected the trust vested in charitable organizations, including museums, to advance the collective public good. Should the Johnson Amendment be repealed, our charitable museums would be free to endorse and support or oppose candidates for office and to utilize collected tax-deductible funds in doing so.

            Organizations classified under Section 501(c)(3) may be disqualified from tax-exempt status “if a substantial part of its activities is attempting to influence legislation (commonly known as lobbying).”

            The Internal Revenue Service has two means by which it may evaluate if lobbying is a “substantial part” of the activities of a museum or other charity: the “Substantial Part Test” considers a “variety of [unspecified] factors” and the “Expenditure Test” which provides clear definitions of lobbying activities and brackets of allowable lobbying expenses based on organizational tax-deductible annual revenue.

            Should your museum choose to accept its role as an advocate and a lobbyist, I would strongly suggest you consider electing assessment under the Expenditure Test as it provides clear limitations on what is and is not considered “substantial”.

            When we do engage in advocacy and lobbying, the museum field can be tremendously impactful. A recent study conducted by Oxford Economics for the American Alliance of Museums and with the support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation reported the tremendous economic impact of museums. United States museums:

• ·         Directly support 372,100 jobs
• ·         Indirectly support 354,100 jobs
• ·         Generate a collective annual income of $15.9 billion
• ·         Contribute $50 billion to the gross domestic product
• ·         And contribute $12 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenue.

The 1,700 museums of New York State (more museums than any other state in the nation) employ 33,000 people and have an economic impact comparable to the politically influential agricultural sector.

            Armed with this data, at the 10th annual Museums Advocacy Day in 2018 organized by the American Alliance of Museums, 335 museum advocates representing museums of all types and made visits to 395 congressional offices to lobby for the restoration of and an increase in funding to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

            In February of that year, (as many of us no doubt remember,) President Trump proposed an executive budget that was truly appalling for our field. For the first time in the agency’s history, the IMLS was proposed for complete elimination with the justification that “it is unlikely the elimination of IMLS would result in the closure of a significant number of libraries and museums.”

            On March 23, 2018, about one month after Museums Advocacy Day, President Trump signed into law a temporary spending bill which included an additional $9,000,000 allocation for the IMLS above FY 2017 enacted spending. This ten percent funding increase to the IMLS after the dedicated actions of the museum field demonstrates that when we take on a deliberate and active role in public policy, museum advocates can and do make an impact.

            Former Speaker of the United State House of Representatives Tip O’Neill is credited with having said the phrase, “All politics is local.” While this statement is grammatically incorrect, the sentiment is accurate.

            Politicians always have the gaining and retaining of power as a major goal. Voters care about local issues and elected officials care about winning the loyalty of local voters. It is fundamentally the responsibility of a public policy-influencing museum advocate to tell elected officials that one of the issues constituents care about is the success of and government support for museums.

            While there are numerous actions museums can take to influence public policy, none is perhaps more effective than an in-person meeting with an elected official. A meeting at a museum within a policy maker’s district is an advantageous opportunity for the elected official to demonstrate their support for the community they serve. AAM has a handy guide on how to “Invite Congress to Visit Your Museum.”

            Should our museums choose to take on this responsibility as advocate and lobbyist, I beleive the conversation of how to do so should begin in the boardroom. Museums should engage in advocacy within the confines of a board-approved advocacy policy (as recommended by The Standards for Excellence Institute.) Such a policy should outline the process for making decisions relating to public policy and advocacy should define clear responsibilities of staff and board.

            While many of our museums think of advocacy as not within our purview, a growing number of museums are accepting our collective responsibility as public policy advocates.

            President Trump’s 2018 proposals endangered the status of museums in their communities and the defeat of his proposals demonstrates the collective power of the museum field in the realm of public policy. As museum advocates we MUST remind our elected officials why our institutions are essential in sustaining the public trust and fulfilling a common mission of service to our diverse communities. We have a responsibility to be advocates in the realm of public policy. Our missions demand it and the common good depends on it.

Submitted by Conner A. Wolfe, Principal, Conner Wolfe Consulting

Conner Wolfe Consulting is a sole proprietorship of Conner A. Wolfe dedicated to empowering the nonprofit sector, arts and culture, and students in higher education through capacity building services.

In May 2018, The Corning Museum of Glass will launch a statewide tour to commemorate the 150^th anniversary of the glassmaking industry relocating to Corning from Brooklyn via New York’s waterways. GlassBarge will retrace—and expand—the journey by traveling from Brooklyn to Buffalo and doubling back to head south through the Finger Lakes, all over the course of four months. The tour will end with a celebration in Corning on September 22. GlassBarge will feature one of the Museum’s mobile hot shops aboard a canal barge, from which free, live glassmaking demonstrations will be presented along the way.

In 1868, the Brooklyn Flint Glass Company’s equipment was loaded onto canal barges bound for Corning, NY. Once established in its new home, the company evolved into what is today known as Corning Incorporated. Since then, Corning has become synonymous with glass, and glass technology developed there has shaped the modern world. From the first electric light bulbs for Thomas Edison and the invention of optical fiber for telecommunications, to the glass used in modern flat screen displays, the way we live our lives has changed because of Corning’s advancements in glass.

“The 1868 trip on the Hudson River and canal systems of New York State launched 150 years of glass innovation in Corning,” said Rob Cassetti, senior director, creative strategy & audience engagement at CMoG. “The success of the company led to the opening of The Corning Museum of Glass in 1951. We’re honoring this occasion by taking innovations developed by CMoG—namely, our patented electric hot shop and mobile hot glass programming—back to its roots: that notable journey along New York’s waterways.”

The tour coincides with the Erie Canal’s Bicentennial (2017-2025)—for which GlassBarge is a 2018 signature event—as well as the centennial of the commemoration of the Barge Canal in New York State.

GlassBarge will be moved along the waterways by the historic tug W. O. Decker—part of the fleet of the South Street Seaport Museum. Also accompanying GlassBarge on the journey will be the Lois McClure, a replica of an 1862 canal barge, and the C. L. Churchill, a 1964 tugboat, both part of the permanent collection of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.

GlassBarge is enabled through the generous support of grants from I LOVE NEW YORK, Empire State Development’s Division of Tourism; the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA); and the New York State Canal Corporation through Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Regional Economic Development Council initiative.

BETHEL, NY (May 17, 2018) – To celebrate the tenth birthday of The Museum at Bethel Woods, the cultural center is hosting a FREE day of family fun on Saturday, June 2 – a decade to the day since the award-winning museum opened its doors. The Museum’s 10^th Anniversary Celebration & Open House kicks off at 11 a.m. and concludes at 4 p.m.

Festivities are free, family-friendly and will include guided museum tours, interpretive walks on the Woodstock festival historic site, a variety of activities and games, collaborative art projects, and live music by Little Sparrow, Clear Horizons and John Reddan. The Museum will offer free admission for Sullivan Country residents and discounted for all other.

In conjunction with The Museum’s anniversary, Bethel Woods will also debut its new outdoor art installation, Doors to Originality, inspired by the 2018 Special Exhibit, Peter Max: Early Paintings. Using Max’s cosmic ’60s art style as inspiration, twelve regional artists have created a series of Peter Max-inspired designs on vintage wooden doors which have been placed throughout the Bethel Woods campus. On June 2, Museum Director and Senior Curator Wade Lawrence will host a guided walking tour through the doors, introducing the work of each of the artists who participated in the installation.  Visitors will then be able to listen to the artists speak on the inspiration behind their designs and answer any questions the public may have on their work. This free outdoor installation will be open to the public until November.

After being inspired by these local artists, the community is invited to create their own original artwork in the Artist Hub, located in the Market Shed.  Projects include a collaborative project between guests and the “Doorway” artists, a family make-n-take activity, and a self-directed “inspiration station,” where people have the freedom to create what they please.

At 12:15pm ’69 Woodstock festival photographer Elliott Landy will be onsite for an exclusive and exciting presentation in the Event Gallery.  Elliott Landy: Woodstock Vision, The Spirit of a Generation, followed by a book signing outside the Bindy Bazaar Museum Shop at 1:15pm. The intimate program is free and open to the public.

Later that evening, Bethel Woods’ new Gather + Give series kicks off with a Summer Solstice Silent Disco in collaboration with Angry Orchard. Gather + Give is a new series of creatively fueled gatherings in support of Bethel Woods’ mission to inspire, empower and educate.  Proceeds help to support the organization’s arts & humanities programs.  Beginning at 7pm, party-goers will use wireless headphones to dance to their favorite music switching between three different types of music, while enjoying refreshing Angry Orchard Cider, snacking on lite fare from Benji & Jake’s, Organic Fairy Floss, Great Cape Baking and Lemon Love. Plus, there will be oversized lawn games and art making projects. Tickets to this 21+ event are $40 and include 2 drinks and headphones. Tickets can be purchased at www.BethelWoodsCenter.org.

Over the past decade, The Museum at Bethel Woods has welcomed visitors from near and far who have been inspired, educated and empowered by the lessons of the Sixties and their relevance today This not-for-profit cultural center has provided the region with a critical economic stimulus while preserving and interpreting the National Register Historic Site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival, and providing arts and humanities programming to local families, friends and youth.

For more information about Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, please visit www.BethelWoodsCenter.org.

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About Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

 

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts inspires, educates, and empowers individuals through the arts and humanities by presenting a diverse selection of culturally-rich performances, popular artists, and community and educational programming.  Located 90 miles from New York City at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival in Bethel, NY, the lush 800-acre campus includes a Pavilion Stage amphitheater with seating for 15,000, an intimate 440-seat indoor Event Gallery, the award-winning Museum at Bethel Woods, and a Conservatory for arts education programming.

Through the in-depth study and exhibition of the social, political, and cultural events of the 1960s, as well as the preservation of the historic site of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Bethel Woods educates individuals about the issues and lessons of the decade while inspiring a new generation to contribute positively to the world around them. The not-for-profit organization relies on the generous support of individuals, corporations, and foundations to develop and sustain programs that improve the quality of life in the region and beyond.

 

For more information please visit www.BethelWoodsCenter.org.

“Tonto, Teepees & Totem Poles: Considering Native American Stereotypes in the 21st Century” opened on April 5, 2018.  Developed and presented by the Iroquois Indian Museum (Howes Cave, NY), the exhibit with accompanying special programs and activities runs through Nov 30, 2018. “Tonto, Teepees & Totem Poles” is a multi-faceted response to the cultural misconceptions surrounding Native American people that persist in North America today. 

Once the subject of literary fantasy and frontier adventure, Native people have long been cast in mythical caricature. While many of the damaging and degrading stereotypes of the 1940's and 50's about Native people have largely disappeared, new and equally distorted stereotypes have become increasingly prevalent.  Popular culture and the fashion, sports, and entertainment industries create and promote stereotypes both positive and negative.  Most are generated and perpetuated by non-natives, but ironically, these inaccurate generalizations have, and continue to be propagated within Indigenous communities as well. 

Through objects from the Iroquois Museum's collection, advertising, and film footage, the exhibit examines the origins and repercussions of these stereotypes.  These and other artifacts of popular culture frame First Nations individuals as noble warrior, indian princess, mystical shaman, exotic oddity or vestige of an all but vanished race.  The exhibit contrasts these stereotypes and misconceptions with Iroquois and other First Nations art created specifically in response to this complex and divisive issue.  From New Mexico, Wisconsin, New York, and Ontario these creative declarations offer a thoughtful, challenging, and at times humorous counterbalance to the exhibit’s narrative. 

Participants include artists Shelley Niro (Mohawk); Peter B. Jones (Onondaga), Marion Snow (Mohawk); Cannupa Hanska Luger (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Lakota), Karen Ann Hoffman (Oneida), Frank Buffalo Hyde (Onondaga) & Courtney Leonard (Shinnecock); Eric Gansworth (Onondaga); Tom Huff (Seneca-Cayuga), Linley Logan (Seneca); Natasha Smoke Santiago (Mohawk) and others. Tonto, Teepees, & Totem Poles is supported in part by an Action Grant from Humanities New York.

About the Museum

The Iroquois Indian Museum (IIM) is an educational institution dedicated to fostering an understanding and appreciation for Iroquois/Haudenosaunee culture using Iroquois art as a window to that culture. Established in 1981, the IIM is a venue for promoting Iroquois art and artists and a setting for all peoples to celebrate and engage with Iroquois culture and diversity. 

Housed in a modern building architecturally and symbolically inspired by a longhouse, the IIM introduces the public to the rich complexities of Iroquois culture through thoughtful permanent and changing exhibitions; performances in a covered outdoor amphitheatre; two 19th C Iroquois log homes; interactive discovery area; school programs; performing and visual arts demonstrations, workshops; and festivals.

Submitted by Colette Lemmon, Curator of Exhibitions

Derfner Judaica Museum + The Art Collection at Hebrew Home at Riverdale is pleased to announce Jerusalem Between Heaven and Earth, jointly organized with the Jewish Art Salon and guest curator Ori Z. Soltes for the 2017 Jerusalem Biennale, which will be on view at the Derfner Judaica Museum through May 27, 2018. (The exhibition catalogue may be read here.)

The Jewish Art Salon’s exhibition was one of 26 exhibitions and projects from around the world that occupied multiple venues in Jerusalem this past fall. The Derfner Judaica Museum is honored to bring this exhibition to New York. Jerusalem Between Heaven and Earth includes 34 works by 30 artists who explore this year’s Biennale theme of “watershed.” According to Ram Ozeri, its Director and Founder, “The Jerusalem Biennale provides a stage for professional artists—from secular to ultra-Orthodox—who refer in their artwork to Jewish thought, spirit, tradition or experience.” The recent Biennale threw “a spotlight onto the concept of watershed, examining it from a literal, metaphorical and even historical perspective,” he elaborated. “The theme finds its expression in issues as varied as Jewish identity, immigration and refugees, alongside watershed moments in history. . . . Both in Hebrew (kav parashat hamayim) and in English, watershed is used to describe an important turning point—an event that changed the course of history.”

Ori Z. Soltes has taken the watershed theme and interpreted it with his selection of works by artists from the US, Israel, the UK and the Netherlands. According to Soltes, “A watershed yields a branching, be it of physical terrain, historical events or spiritual and aesthetic concepts. Such an idea is particularly powerful in conjunction with the city of Jerusalem” where “the spiritual foundations. . . branch in three Abrahamic directions. . . .”

Watershed ideas extend from Jerusalem’s topography to moments that shape history and thought—to contemporary aesthetics and politics. In the exhibition, paintings by Tobi Kahn and a video by Leah Caroline and Jeremy S-Horseman offer abstract suggestions of the geological watershed that helps define Jerusalem. In her video, Sarah Lightman turns that topography inward toward life’s profound watershed moments.

Joel Silverstein’s painting Promised Land—here the beach at Coney Island—is a reference to biblical Israel and to the American Jewish immigrant experience. Richard McBee’s painting Exodus Redux suggests watershed moments of the biblical Exodus that pushed the Israelites toward Sinai and from there toward Jerusalem and the building of Solomon’s Temple. Solomon is traditionally discussed as the author of the Book of Ecclesiastes, explored in Ellen Holzblatt’s paintings. Gabriela Boros considers the watershed warnings to the Israelite-Judeans by the Prophet Isaiah. The universal message of the Book of Jonah is the focus of Yona Verwer and Katarzyna Kozera, of Jan Lauren Greenfeld and of Alan Hobscheid. The tradition of rabbinic commentary is encountered through works by Rachel Kanter, Beth Krensky and Ben Schachter. From there the mystical strains of Judaism emerge in Susan Schwalb’s small, tight abstractions. In Carol Buchman’s work the mystical and geological become panentheistic: the Name of God suffuses nature.

Away from the sacred city, Jewish history and thought seek a return to Jerusalem—particularly at harsh watershed diaspora moments. Mark Podwal’s 1492 references the Expulsion from Spain; Billha Zussman imagines how that external watershed has internal consequences; Archie Rand offers cutting edge—watershed—visual references to the Shoah or Holocaust.

Jerusalem also reaches into Islam and Christianity. Siona Benjamin’s work reflects her background as a Jewish woman from predominantly Hindu and Muslim India, now living in the US. In Exodus #5, one from a series of paintings that considers the current wide-spread refugee crisis, she interweaves that issue with an exploration of how PaRDeS (as a Jewish, and particularly a Jewish mystical concept) intersects the equivalent Islamic concept of Jannat. In her abstract monoprint, Miriam Stern reimagines the Christian vision of the Hebrew Bible depicted in the Morgan Library’s 14th-century French illuminated manuscript known as the Crusader Bible.

Contemporary Jerusalem offers Aviva Shemer’s installation of suspended Hebrew, Arabic and Latin (English) letters, inspired by Martin Buber’s discussion of Jerusalem as a center of Am ve’Olam (A People and the World); Jane Logemann’s frenetic Hebrew and Arabic repetitions of the word “water” transform into abstract images. In her painting, Leah Raab imagines the Valley of Tears, the site of a massive assault in the Golan Heights during the Yom Kippur War. In two photographs, Dorit Jordan Dotan focuses on the crisis of Israeli-Palestinian water-sharing and the geological processes at work separating water from salt at the Atlit salt flats. Bruria Finkel turns the issue of potable and salt water back toward the geology of Jerusalem. Yehudis Barmatz-Harris turns water to fire as history moves back from the crucible of Jerusalem’s return to Jewish hands to the purification process of the Israelites in the wilderness and the burning of the Red Heifer. Pamela Fingerhut returns viewers to the moment when Moses is placed in the Nile, in this case by a modern day Miriam. Elaine Langermann’s mixed media work, Poem/Painting #11—“Watershed,” combines image and text to ask what art is and where we move forward, intersecting the questions: what is Jewish art? And what is Judaism? Both of these are suffused by questions—like the city of Jerusalem itself.

About the curator          

Ori Z. Soltes teaches theology, philosophy and art history at Georgetown University, Washington, DC. For seven years, Dr. Soltes was Director and Chief Curator of the B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum, where he created over 80 exhibitions focusing on aspects of history, ethnography and contemporary art. He has also curated diverse contemporary and historical art exhibitions at other sites, nationally and internationally. As Director of the National Jewish Museum he co-founded the Holocaust Art Restitution Project and has spent nearly 20 years researching and consulting on the issue of Nazi-plundered art.

Dr. Soltes has lectured at dozens of museums across the country, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He has been interviewed for a score of programs on archaeological, religious, art, literary and historical topics on CNN, the History Channel and Discovery Channel. Nearly 250 publications—books, articles and catalogue essays—have included, among others: Tradition and Transformation: Three Millennia of Jewish Art and Architecture and Fixing the World: Jewish American Painters in the Twentieth Century. OriZSoltes.com

About Jewish Art Salon 

The Jewish Art Salon is the largest, most-recognized Jewish visual art organization in the world. It is a global network of contemporary Jewish art. The Salon provides important programs and resources, and develops lasting partnerships with the international art community and the general public.

The Jewish Art Salon presents public events in the US and Israel, and produces art projects with international art institutions. Since 2008 the Jewish Art Salon has organized dozens of art exhibits and events exploring Jewish themes, related to current issues. In the New York area it hosts occasional salon sessions with international artists and scholars. JewishArtSalon.org

About Hebrew Home at Riverdale

As a member of the American Alliance of Museums, Hebrew Home at Riverdale by RiverSpring Health is committed to publicly exhibiting its art collection throughout its 32-acre campus including the Derfner Judaica Museum and a sculpture garden overlooking the Hudson River and Palisades. The Derfner Judaica Museum + The Art Collection provides educational and cultural programming for residents of the Hebrew Home, their families, and the general public from throughout New York City, its surrounding suburbs, and visitors from elsewhere. RiverSpring Health is a nonprofit, non-sectarian geriatric organization serving more than 12,000 older adults in greater New York through its resources and community service programs. Museum hours: Sunday–Thursday, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Art Collection and grounds open daily, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Call 718.581.1596 for holiday hours and to schedule group tours, or for further information, visit our website at RiverSpringHealth.org/art

This exhibition is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Calling all history buffs and trivia lovers! The Albany County Historical Association, Rensselaer County Historical Society, and Schenectady County Historical Society are hosting the first ever Tri-County Trivia Tournament on Tuesday, June 5th at 6:30pm at the Joseph E. Zaloga American Legion Post 1520 at 4 Everett Rd. in Albany. Our trivia master is Cordell Reaves, Historic Interpretation and Preservation Analyst for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. 

Pre-registration is required and space is limited. Register individually and be matched with a team or get a group of friends together and register as a team (up to 6 people). Win prizes! Don't want to play? Come and cheer on your county champions in the spectator section! Cash bar and food available for purchase. 

Tickets are $25 per person or $125 per team. This event is a fundraiser for the three organizations. Purchase your tickets and register your team here!

BETHEL, NY (March 26, 2018) –  On April 7^th, The Museum at Bethel Woods will open for the 2018 season, featuring a new Special Exhibit, Peter Max: Early Paintings. The exhibit will bring together for the first time the collections of Robert Casterline and Shelly Fireman for a Peter Max experience that should not be missed.

The art of Peter Max helped define the psychedelic 1960s, with its colorful imagery of gurus, sages, runners, flyers, Zen boats, snow-capped mountains, planets, stars, and sunbeams. With paintings on exhibition in hundreds of museums and galleries worldwide, Peter Max and his vibrant colors have become part of the fabric of contemporary culture. Max has been called a Pop Icon, Neo Fauvist, Abstract Expressionist and the United States “Painter Laureate.”

Peter Max has stayed in the public eye through five decades, but visitors to The Museum at Bethel Woods will have a rare opportunity to see inspiring artwork from a pivotal moment in the artist's illustrious career: the period from 1967 through 1972 when his work moved from nostalgic collage-inspired realistic paintings to his visionary, imaginative Cosmic creations.

The museum doors will open for the 2018 season at 10:00AM on Saturday, April 7. A private brunch and special exhibition preview is scheduled for Bethel Woods Members that morning, and the Special Exhibition will open to the general public at 11:30AM.  Museum Director and Senior Curator, Wade Lawrence will conduct gallery walks of Peter Max: Early Paintings for the general public at 12:00PM, 2:00PM & 4:00PM on opening day.

On display through December 31^st, Peter Max: Early Paintings is included in the regular museum admission. Special-exhibition-only admission is just $5.00.

In support of this year’s special exhibit, and in celebration of The Museum’s 10th anniversary, 12 regional artists will present Doors to Originality, a series of original Peter Max-inspired designs on vintage wooden doors. This outdoor installation, displayed throughout the Bethel Woods grounds, opens June 2, ten years to the day that The Museum at Bethel Woods opened its doors.

The Museum at Bethel Woods explores the social, political, cultural and musical transformations of the sixties while drawing connections to the issues that continue to affect our world today. It features an award-winning permanent collection, evolving exhibits and engaging programs. Visit bethelwoodscenter.org for more information and to plan your visit.

Museum Spring Hours:

April 7-April 29

Thursday-Sunday, 10:00am-5:00pm

Museum Summer Hours:

April 30-September 3

Open every day, 10:00am-7:00pm

Museum Early Fall Hours:

September 4-October 8

Open every day, 10:00am-5:00pm

Museum Fall Hours:

October 9-December 23

Thursday-Sunday, 10:00am-5:00pm

(Home for the Holidays hours: December 26–31, open every day, 10am–5pm)

 

NOTE: Please call ahead to verify museum hours on concert days. Access to the grounds is closed on Pavilion concert days. The Monument continues to be open to visitors seven days a week, all year long via West Shore Road. The Museum will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve day, and Christmas Day.

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About Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

 Bethel Woods Center for the Arts inspires, educates, and empowers individuals through the arts and humanities by presenting a diverse selection of culturally-rich performances, popular artists, and community and educational programming.  Located 90 miles from New York City at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival in Bethel, NY, the lush 800-acre campus includes a Pavilion Stage amphitheater with seating for 15,000, an intimate 440-seat indoor Event Gallery, the award-winning Museum at Bethel Woods, and a Conservatory for arts education programming.

Through the in-depth study and exhibition of the social, political, and cultural events of the 1960s, as well as the preservation of the historic site of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Bethel Woods educates individuals about the issues and lessons of the decade while inspiring a new generation to contribute positively to the world around them. The not-for-profit organization relies on the generous support of individuals, corporations, and foundations to develop and sustain programs that improve the quality of life in the region and beyond.

For more information please visit www.BethelWoodsCenter.org.

BETHEL, NY (March 23, 2018) – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is a one-of-a-kind cultural center for the arts and humanities. Drawing local, national, and international visitors, it is best known as a concert venue, museum and as a National Register Historic Site where the original Woodstock Music & Art Fair was held in August 1969. In 2019, the center will mark 50 years since the iconic festival took place and they are pleased to offer a limited time opportunity for patrons from around the world to make their own mark on history through an Anniversary Pavers Program.

Each 4″x8″ commemorative brick paver is etched with a personal message, stamped with an exclusive 50^th anniversary insignia and will then be incorporated into the classic design of the venue entrance pathway. Individually, the pavers are a unique way to celebrate a loved one; together, they exemplify the arts’ ability to unify the masses.  

A one-time tax-deductible donation of $269 ensures that local, national and international visitors can explore and understand the social and political impact that emerged from the 1960s, as well as how these experiences are inextricably linked to the values of cultural expression and freedom that are enjoyed daily. 

As a 501c3 non-profit organization, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts has evolved into an innovative, program-driven cultural center that includes The Museum at Bethel Woods, activity-based arts and humanities education programs, and a state-of-the art outdoor music venue.

Gifts will directly help the cultural center achieve important plans for the benefit of future generations. As stewards of a distinctive heritage site, future plans include the opening up of a newly restored trail systems in the Bindy Bazaar Woodland, restoration of the Woodstock stage area and the creation of a scenic interpretative outlook at the top of the field.

Pavers ordered before April 15, 2018 installed in May.

Pavers ordered before August 15, 2018 installed in September.

Pavers ordered before October 15, 2018 installed in November.

For more information and to order, please visit www.bethelwoodscenter.org/paver.

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About Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts inspires, educates, and empowers individuals through the arts and humanities by presenting a diverse selection of culturally-rich performances, popular artists, and community and educational programming.  Located 90 miles from New York City at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival in Bethel, NY, the lush 800-acre campus includes a Pavilion Stage amphitheater with seating for 15,000, an intimate 440-seat indoor Event Gallery, the award-winning Museum at Bethel Woods, and a Conservatory for arts education programming.

Through the in-depth study and exhibition of the social, political, and cultural events of the 1960s, as well as the preservation of the historic site of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Bethel Woods educates individuals about the issues and lessons of the decade while inspiring a new generation to contribute positively to the world around them. The not-for-profit organization relies on the generous support of individuals, corporations, and foundations to develop and sustain programs that improve the quality of life in the region and beyond.

 For more information please visit www.BethelWoodsCenter.org.