New-York Historical Society Celebrates Presidents’ Day with Week of Family Programs at new DiMenna Children’s History Museum

The Presidents will be in residence  at the New-York Historical Society’s DiMenna Children’s History Museum, a new museum-within-a-museum  © 2013 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

The Presidents are in residence starting Saturday, February 16 at the New-York Historical Society’s DiMenna Children’s History Museum, a new museum-within-a-museum. Families explore, learn, and compete together with Presidents’ Day-themed programs, including scavenger hunts, an Abraham Lincoln quiz, chocolate-making from the colonial era, storytelling, writing workshops, and more, taking place through Tuesday, February 19.

PRESIDENTS SCAVENGER HUNT

Saturday, February 16 through Tuesday, February 19, 10 am – 6pm

Ages 6 and up; Free with Museum admission.

Families will search high and low throughout the galleries for presidential objects in this scavenger hunt. These hunts combine clues, images, and facts that help you locate these amazing president-related pieces. Scavenger hunts can be picked up any time in the DiMenna Children’s History Museum on the Lower Level.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN FAMILY QUIZ

Saturday, February 16 through Tuesday, February 19, 2 pm

Ages 7 and up; Free with Museum admission.

Who in your family knows the most about Abraham Lincoln? Test your knowledge about Honest Abe with multiple choice questions for kids and adults. As each question pops up on our big screen, families confer and write down their best guess. Each answer also highlights an object from the New-York Historical Society’s collection, so participants learn as they compete! A grand prize will be awarded to the family (or families) with the most correct answers, but every contestant receives a prize for participation as well.

PRESIDENTIAL ART PROJECTS

Saturday, February 16 through Tuesday, February 19, 1 – 4 pm

Ages 4 and up; Free with Museum admission.

Vote for me! Choose a slogan and create an election button to wear home. Or create a funny-faced president by shuffling up some New-York Historical Society portraits. Drop-in throughout the afternoon and create the project of your choice!

MACY’S SUNDAY STORY TIME: PRESIDENTS’ DAY

Sunday, February 17, 11:30 am

When Mrs. Madoff’s class decides to hold an assembly about Presidents’ Day, everyone in class helps set up and perform a grand play. Families are invited to a reading of Presidents’ Day by Anne Rockwell to discover why we celebrate the holiday. Then, kids can re-enact George Washington’s Oath of Office in the DiMenna Children’s History Museum!

THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE WITH AMERICAN HERITAGE CHOCOLATE®

Monday, February 18, 12 – 4pm

All Ages; Free with Museum admission.

Chocolate was not always sold as a candy bar! See, smell, and taste colonial hot chocolate — watch as American Heritage Chocolate® educators grinds cocoa beans, add spices like red pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon, and heat up hot chocolate to taste.

 

TWO-DAY WWII WRITING WORKSHOP FOR KIDS AND TEENS

Monday-Tuesday, February 18-19, 10am-3pm

Recommended for ages 10 and up; Payment required ($395).

Spend your Presidents’ Day holiday in a special workshop taking advantage of the incredible stories from the WWII era. In collaboration with Writopia Lab, writing and history educators will lead age-based groups through this fascinating time period and exhibition, inspiring their short fiction, poetry and other forms of writing. Each day will combine time in the galleries, up close investigation of objects and documents, and time writing and critiquing.

The DiMenna Children’s History Museum is a new museum-within-a-museum and occupies the New-York Historical Society’s entire lower level. It covers 350 years of New York and American history and includes character-based pavilions, interactive exhibits and digital games, and the Barbara K. Lipman Children’s History Library. Families explore and learn together, through visiting the museum and through participating in our intergenerational family learning programs. All ages can enjoy and learn in the DiMenna Children’s History Museum, but the exhibits are targeted at age 8-13.

New-York Historical Society is recognized for engaging the public with deeply researched and far-ranging exhibitions, such as Alexander Hamilton: The Man Who Made Modern America; Slavery in New York; Nature and the American Vision: The Hudson River School at the New-York Historical Society; Grant and Lee in War and Peace; and the 2009 exhibition Lincoln and New York. Supporting these exhibitions and related educational programs is one of the world’s greatest collections of historical artifacts, works of American art, and other materials documenting the history of the United States and New York.

From October 5, 2012 through May 27, 2013, New-York Historical Society is presenting WWII & NYC, a major new exhibition on the most widespread, destructive, and consequential conflict in history. WWII & NYC restores to memory New York’s crucial and multifaceted role in winning the war, and commemorates the 900,000 New Yorkers who served in the military while also exploring the many ways in which those who remained on the home front contributed to the national war effort.

The New York Historical-Society is open Tuesday- Thursday: 10 am – 6 pm; Friday: 10 am – 8 pm (pay-as-you-wish from 6 pm – 8 pm); Saturday: 10 am – 6 pm; Sunday: 11 am – 5 pm

Museum Admission is Adults/$15, Teachers and Seniors/$12, Students/$10, Children (5-13)/$5, Children (4 and under)/free.

The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024, (212) 873-3400, www.nyhistory.org.

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George Lucas, Lesley Stahl, Lee Grant Among Speakers at New-York Historical Society’s Fall Film Series: WW II and Its Legacy in Film

The New-York Historical Society is mounting its inaugural Bernard and Irene Schwartz Classic Film Series, World War II and Its Legacy in Film, featuring opening remarks by notable directors, writers, actors, and historians, including George Lucas, Lesley Stahl and Lee Grant.

Produced in conjunction with New-York Historical’s exhibition WWII & NYC, this selection of classic films will show a broad scope of life during and after the war and reflect many of the exhibition’s themes, including life on the home front, the dispatch of troops and the struggle to readapt to postwar life.

A screening of the documentary Double Victory (2012) about the legendary Tuskegee Airmen of WWII, the first African-American aerial unit, will feature opening remarks by George Lucas, Tuskegee Airman Roscoe Brown, and Brent Staples. Among other special guests who will deliver opening remarks before film screenings are Adam Gopnik of The New Yorker on I Was A Male War Bride (1949); Ron Simon, Curator of Television and Radio at the Paley Center of Media, with author Ian W. Toll on From Here to Eternity (1953) Catherine Wyler discussing her father William Wyler’s film Mrs. Miniver (1942); and Stanley Donen on On the Town (1949) which he directed and co-choreographed with Gene Kelly.

Entrance to the film series is included with Museum Admission during New-York Historical’s Pay-as-you-wish Friday Nights. All films will start at 7 pm at the Robert H. Smith Auditorium.

When World War II broke out, New York was a cosmopolitan, heavily immigrant city, whose people had real stakes in the war and strongly held opinions. WWII & NYC will explore the impact of the war on the metropolis, which played a critical role in the national war effort, and how the city was forever changed.

The exhibition will draw upon extensive collections at New-York Historical and on important loans from the US Navy, the Smithsonian Institution, the Mariners’ Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among other institutions. This exhibit will be open from October 5, 2012 – May 27, 2013.

Bernard and Irene Schwartz Classic Film Series World War II and Its Legacy in Film 2012-13 Schedule & Speakers

• · October 19 – Mrs. Miniver (1942) Speakers: Catherine Wyler, Lesley Stahl
• · October 26 – Double Victory (2012) Speakers: George Lucas, Roscoe Brown, Brent Staples
• · November 2 – The Clock (1945) Speakers: Adam Gopnik
• · November 9 – Onoe of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942) Speakers: Michael Korda
• · December 7 – From Here to Eternity (1953) Speakers: Ian W. toll, Ron Simon
• · December 14 – Twelve O’Clock High (1949) Speakers: Gordon S. Wood
• · December 28 – It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
• · January 11 – The Search (1948) Speakers: Lee Grant, Susan Lacy
• · January 18 – On the Town (1949) Speakers: Stanley Donen
• · January 25 – I Was a Male War Bride (1949) Speakers: Adam Gopnik
• · February 1 – Casablanca (1942) Speakers: Kati Marton, David Denby
• · February 8 – The Third Man (1949) Speakers: Kati Marton, David Denby

New-York Historical Society

The New-York Historical Society, one of America’s pre-eminent cultural institutions, is dedicated to fostering research and presenting history and art exhibitions and public programs that reveal the dynamism of history and its influence on the world of today. Founded in 1804, New-York Historical has a mission to explore the richly layered history of New York City and State and the country, and to serve as a national forum for the discussion of issues surrounding the making and meaning of history.

New-York Historical is recognized for engaging the public with deeply researched and far-ranging exhibitions, such as Alexander Hamilton: The Man Who Made Modern America; Slavery in New York; Drawn by New York: Six Centuries of Watercolors and Drawings at the New-York Historical Society; Grant and Lee in War and Peace; Lincoln and New York; and The Grateful Dead: Now Playing at the New-York Historical Society. Supporting these exhibitions and related education programs is one of the world’s greatest collections of historical artifacts, works of American art, and other materials documenting the history of the United States and New York.

New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, N.Y.; for information, 212-873-3400, www.nyhistory.org.

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New-York Historical Society Puts Rare 1823 ‘Stone’ Declaration of Independence on View as Part of July 4 Celebrations

The New-York Historical Society is celebrating Independence Day by adding a rare copy of the “Stone” facsimile of the Declaration of Independence —one of approximately fifty in existence—to the displays in the Judith and Howard Berkowitz Sculpture Court. The document is being lent to New-York Historical through the courtesy of collector David Rubenstein, managing director of The Carlyle Group, and will remain on view through July 15.

 

When the Declaration was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, a manuscript copy signed by John Hancock and Charles Thomson (secretary to Congress) was immediately sent to John Dunlap’s press, and the first broadsides (single printed pages meant to convey news) were rushed into print. Congress waited until later in July to authorize the manuscript, after New York’s assembly instructed their delegates to change their vote to “yes,” making it unanimous. The signers then added their now famous names in August of 1776.

 

The original Declaration was moved many times, and was frequently unrolled for display to individual visitors. By 1820, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams had become concerned about the fragile condition of the document. With the approval of Congress, Adams commissioned William J. Stone to engrave an exact facsimile. Stone finished his copperplate in 1823, and Congress ordered 200 official copies to be struck on vellum and distributed to signers, families of signers, the Marquis de Lafayette, the President and Vice President and other public officials and institutions.

 

According to Seth Kaller, president of Seth Kaller, Inc., who acquired the document for Mr. Rubenstein, and arranged its loan to New-York Historical, “The signed Declaration is now so faded only small parts are legible. We are lucky that John Quincy Adams had the foresight to have the Stone facsimiles, thus preserving the image of the Declaration as it looked when it was created in 1776.” Mr. Kaller keeps a census of Stone copies. Approximately 50 of the 200 authorized Stone facsimiles are known to survive.

Visitors who come to New-York Historical during the Independence Day period will be able to commemorate the Fourth of July by viewing the rare “Stone” facsimile, and by

• · meeting re-enactors portraying Benjamin Franklin and his wife, Deborah Read
• · learning about the life of Revolutionary War soldiers from members of the 2^nd New York Provincial Battalion
• · hearing about the role of the Hudson River in the War of Independence from master storyteller Jonathan Kruk and balladeer Rich Bala
• · participating in a Presidential Scavenger Hunt
• · and tasting beer from the Empire Brewing Company after visiting the exhibition Beer Here: Brewing New York’s History

 

The New-York Historical Society, one of America’s pre-eminent cultural institutions, is dedicated to fostering research, presenting history and art exhibitions, and public programs that reveal the dynamism of history and its influence on the world of today. Founded in 1804, New-York Historical has a mission to explore the richly layered political, cultural and social history of New York City and State and the nation, and to serve as a national forum for the discussion of issues surrounding the making and meaning of history.

Visit the New-York Historical Society at 170 Central Park West, New York, N.Y. 10024, 212-873-3400, www.nyhistory.org.

For more travel features, visit:

www.travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate

www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

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New-York Historical Society Presents ‘New York Cool’ Free Concert Series

In the spring of 2012 the New-York Historical Society will present New York Cool, a free concert series highlighting musical history makers, past and present. Made possible through the generous support of Bank of America, this seven concert series features hip, well-known and emerging names from across the spectrum of classical, jazz and popular music genres, performing in our Robert H. Smith Auditorium for free on Friday evenings. A unique combination of live music, art, history and culture, New York Cool will attract a young, cool and dynamic new audience to the New-York Historical Society.

This season’s performers include Jay Leonhart, his family and friends, all prominent members of the New York jazz scene; rockers The London Souls; vocal group Just Friends; the Beijing Guitar Duo; Ahn Trio, who blend classical music with a twenty-first century sensibility; and the Ted Rosenthal Quintet, who will perform music from Images of Monk.

With the completion of our new Robert H. Smith Auditorium, the musicians will have the opportunity to perform to an audience of up to 420 in a state-of-the-art facility featuring a 75-foot-long high definition screen. All performances will be first come, first served, and refreshments will be available for purchase. Concertgoers will also have a pre-performance chance to view our Robert H. and Clarice Smith New York Gallery of American History, a 3,400 square foot space featuring New York Rising, a permanent installation centered on the themes of America’s and New York’s founding.

Performances

 

Friday, April 27, 2012, 6:30 PM JAY LEONHART, HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS
Jazz great Jay Leonhart (bassist) is joined by his family and special friends who are prominent members of the New York jazz scene. Together, they will perform an electrifying program of music from some of New York’s finest jazz composers.

Friday, May 4, 2012, 6:30 PM THE LONDON SOULS
The London Souls (Tash Neal and Chris St. Hilaire) have been nothing short of a best-kept secret among New York City concertgoers since the band’s formation in 2008. Their debut album was produced by Ethan Johns at London’s renowned Abbey Road Studios and captures the spirit of the band, offering an exhilarating fusion of blues and rock and roll. The London Souls’ unique reinterpretation of classic hard-hitting rock and roll recalls elements of the past with a boundless energy that will hypnotize and amaze.

Friday, May 11, 2012, 6:30 PM JUST FRIENDS
Since its inception in 1989, the vocal group Just Friends (Shelton Becton, Gail Blanche-Gill, A. Makea McDonald, Nedra Olds-Neal, Michael Neal and Jamet Pittman) has cultivated an enthusiastic following in the New York area. They have appeared on HBO and at the Riverside Church and have performed with the Dance Theater of Harlem, Alice Parker and Melodious Accord and Canadian Brass.

Friday, May 18, 2012, 6:30 PM BEIJING GUITAR DUO
The Beijing Guitar Duo, composed of Meng Su and Yameng Wang, is widely acclaimed for its outstanding technique and artistic musicality. Their first duo album, Maracaípe, received a Latin GRAMMY nomination for the featured work “Maracaípe,” written and dedicated to them by composer Sergio Assad. In addition to their performances in the United States, the coming concert season takes them to guitar centers in countries such as Holland, Ireland, Croatia and China.

Friday, May 25, 2012, 6:30 PM AHN TRIO
Hailed as “exacting and exciting musicians” by the Los Angeles Times, the three sisters of the Ahn Trio (Lucia on the piano, Angella on the violin and Maria on the cello) have earned a distinguished reputation for embracing twenty-first century classical music with their unique style and innovative collaborations. The Trio has recorded six albums and has performed for President Obama at the White House, in all fifty states and in over thirty countries.

Friday, June 1, 2012, 6:30 PM TED ROSENTHAL QUINTET
The Ted Rosenthal Quintet, with jazz stars Brian Lynch (trumpet), Dick Oatts (saxophone), Martin Wind (bass), Quincy Davis (drums) and Ted Rosenthal (piano), perform music from Images of Monk, Rosenthal’s award-winning album. The suite of Thelonious Monk’s pieces creatively “deranged” by Rosenthal takes a fresh look at Monk with daring arrangements and creative soloing without losing sight of Monk’s swing and wit.

Founded in 1804, The New-York Historical Society is one of America’s pre-eminent cultural institutions. Dedicated to fostering research and presenting history and art exhibitions and public programs that reveal the dynamism of history and its influence on the world of today, it is recognized for engaging the public with deeply researched and far-ranging exhibitions, such as Alexander Hamilton: The Man Who Made Modern America; Slavery in New York; Drawn by New York: Six Centuries of Watercolors and Drawings at the New-York Historical Society; Grant and Lee in War and Peace; Lincoln and New York; and The Grateful Dead: Now Playing at the New-York Historical Society. Supporting these exhibitions and related education programs is one of the world’s greatest collections of historical artifacts, works of American art, and other materials documenting the history of the United States and New York.

New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, N.Y.; for information, 212-873-3400, www.nyhistory.org.

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www.travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate

www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

New York Cool Free Music Series at New-York Historical Society Features Known, Emerging Artists

Founded in 1804, the New-York Historical Society is one of America's pre-eminent cultural institutions, dedicated to fostering research and presenting history and art exhibitions and public programs that reveal the dynamism of history and its influence on the world of today © 2012 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com.

This spring, the New-York Historical Society is presenting New York Cool, a free concert series highlighting musical history makers, past and present.

This seven concert series features hip, well-known and emerging names from across the spectrum of classical, jazz and popular music genres, performing in our Robert H. Smith Auditorium for free on Friday evenings. A unique combination of live music, art, history and culture, New York Cool will attract a young, cool and dynamic new audience to the New-York Historical Society.

This season’s performers include Missy Modell, a rising star who is bridging the gap between pop, rock and soul; Jay Leonhart, his family and friends, all prominent members of the New York jazz scene; rockers The London Souls; vocal group Just Friends; the Beijing Guitar Duo; Ahn Trio, who blend classical music with a twenty-first century sensibility; and the Ted Rosenthal Quintet, who will perform music from Images of Monk.

With the completion of the  new Robert H. Smith Auditorium, the musicians will have the opportunity to perform to an audience of up to 420 in a state-of-the-art facility featuring a 75-foot-long high definition screen. All performances will be first come, first served, and refreshments will be available for purchase. Concertgoers will also have a pre-performance chance to view our Robert H. and Clarice Smith New York Gallery of American History, a 3,400 square foot space featuring New York Rising, a permanent installation centered on the themes of America’s and New York’s founding.

Bank of America is a sponsor.

 Performances

Friday, April 20, 2012, 6:30 PM MISSY MODELL
Missy Modell is a rising star who is bridging the gap between pop, rock and soul. Modell was featured on E!’s hit show “The Dance Scene,” working with renowned choreographer Laurieann Gibson. Modell recently released a music video for her song “Leave Well Enough Alone” and is working on her next single.

Friday, April 27, 2012, 6:30 PM JAY LEONHART, HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS
Jazz great Jay Leonhart (bassist) is joined by his family and special friends who are prominent members of the New York jazz scene. Together, they will perform an electrifying program of music from some of New York’s finest jazz composers.

Friday, May 4, 2012, 6:30 PM THE LONDON SOULS
The London Souls (Tash Neal and Chris St. Hilaire) have been nothing short of a best-kept secret among New York City concertgoers since the band’s formation in 2008. Their debut album was produced by Ethan Johns at London’s renowned Abbey Road Studios and captures the spirit of the band, offering an exhilarating fusion of blues and rock and roll. The London Souls’ unique reinterpretation of classic hard-hitting rock and roll recalls elements of the past with a boundless energy that will hypnotize and amaze.

Friday, May 11, 2012, 6:30 PM JUST FRIENDS
Since its inception in 1989, the vocal group Just Friends (Shelton Becton, Gail Blanche-Gill, A. Makea McDonald, Nedra Olds-Neal, Michael Neal and Jamet Pittman) has cultivated an enthusiastic following in the New York area. They have appeared on HBO and at the Riverside Church and have performed with the Dance Theater of Harlem, Alice Parker and Melodious Accord and Canadian Brass.

Friday, May 18, 2012, 6:30 PM BEIJING GUITAR DUO
The Beijing Guitar Duo, composed of Meng Su and Yameng Wang, is widely acclaimed for its outstanding technique and artistic musicality. Their first duo album, Maracaípe, received a Latin GRAMMY nomination for the featured work “Maracaípe,” written and dedicated to them by composer Sergio Assad. In addition to their performances in the United States, the coming concert season takes them to guitar centers in countries such as Holland, Ireland, Croatia and China.

Friday, May 25, 2012, 6:30 PM AHN TRIO
Hailed as “exacting and exciting musicians” by the Los Angeles Times, the three sisters of the Ahn Trio (Lucia on the piano, Angella on the violin and Maria on the cello) have earned a distinguished reputation for embracing twenty-first century classical music with their unique style and innovative collaborations. The Trio has recorded six albums and has performed for President Obama at the White House, in all fifty states and in over thirty countries.

Friday, June 1, 2012, 6:30 PM TED ROSENTHAL QUINTET
The Ted Rosenthal Quintet, with jazz stars Brian Lynch (trumpet), Dick Oatts (saxophone), Martin Wind (bass), Quincy Davis (drums) and Ted Rosenthal (piano), perform music from Images of Monk, Rosenthal’s award-winning album. The suite of Thelonious Monk’s pieces creatively “deranged” by Rosenthal takes a fresh look at Monk with daring arrangements and creative soloing without losing sight of Monk’s swing and wit.

New-York Historical Society

The New-York Historical Society, one of America’s pre-eminent cultural institutions, is dedicated to fostering research and presenting history and art exhibitions and public programs that reveal the dynamism of history and its influence on the world of today. Founded in 1804, New-York Historical has a mission to explore the richly layered history of New York City and State and the country, and to serve as a national forum for the discussion of issues surrounding the making and meaning of history.

New-York Historical is recognized for engaging the public with deeply researched and far-ranging exhibitions, such as Alexander Hamilton: The Man Who Made Modern America; Slavery in New York; Drawn by New York: Six Centuries of Watercolors and Drawings at the New-York Historical Society; Grant and Lee in War and Peace; Lincoln and New York; and The Grateful Dead: Now Playing at the New-York Historical Society. Supporting these exhibitions and related education programs is one of the world’s greatest collections of historical artifacts, works of American art, and other materials documenting the history of the United States and New York.

New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, N.Y.; for information, 212-873-3400, www.nyhistory.org.

For more travel features, visit:

www.travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate

www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

NY Historical Society Hosts Free Lecture by Virginia Mecklenburg on American Art, Dec 1

A portrait of John James Audubon at the New-York Historical Society. The Society has one of the largest collections of original Audubons in the world © 2011 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

A huge range of print media—newspapers, magazines, short stories, even song lyrics—flooded the popular market in the early years of the 20th century. These publications relied on illustrations by William Glackens, John Sloan, George Luks and their contemporaries to inform, entertain and shape public attitudes. The New-York Historical Society will host Dr. Mecklenburg’s free lecture, sponsored by the Sansom Foundation, about how these visual narratives helped Americans deal with the fast-changing circumstances of contemporary life.

The lecture will be held on December 1, 2011, beginning at 6:30 pm. Seating is limited, and reservations are required; please call (212) 485-9266 or e-mail sansomrsvp@nyhistory.org to reserve seats.

Distinguished art historian and curator Virginia Mecklenburg, Senior Curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., will deliver the 2011 C. Richard Hilker lecture titled “Guttersnipes and Suffragettes: Ashcan Art and the Popular Press.” Dr. Mecklenburg earned both her BA and MA at the University of Texas at Austin, and her doctorate in art history at the University of Maryland at College Park. Her recent publications include Telling Stories: Norman Rockwell from the Collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and Modern Masters: American Abstraction at Midcentury. She is currently working on African American Art in the 20th Century, the catalogue for an exhibition that will open at the Smithsonian in April 2012.

The Sansom Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports numerous causes. The Foundation is named for the Philadelphia street where the American painter William J. Glackens was born, and was established in the 1950s by the artist’s son Ira Glackens and his wife Nancy. In 1990, after the founders’ deaths, C. Richard Hilker assumed leadership of the Foundation until his death in 2001, when the Sansom Foundation inaugurated a series of scholarly lectures to celebrate and commemorate his leadership.

The New-York Historical Society, one of America’s pre-eminent cultural institutions, is dedicated to fostering research, presenting history and art exhibitions, and public programs that reveal the dynamism of history and its influence on the world of today. Founded in 1804, New-York Historical has a mission to explore the richly layered political, cultural, and social history of New York City and State and the nation and to serve as a national forum for the discussion of issues surrounding the making and meaning of history.

New-York Historical is recognized for engaging the public with deeply researched and far-ranging exhibitions, such as Alexander Hamilton: The Man Who Made Modern America; Slavery in New York; Nature and the American Vision: The Hudson River School at the New-York Historical Society; Grant and Lee in War and Peace; and the 2009 exhibition Lincoln and New York. Supporting these exhibitions and related education programs is one of the world’s greatest collections of historical artifacts, works of American art, and other materials documenting the history of the United States and New York.

The New-York Historical Society is at 170 Central Park West (across from the American Museum of Natural History), New York, NY 10024, 212-485-9263, www.nyhistoryorg.

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www.travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate

www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

New-York Historical Society to Commemorate 10th Anniversary of September 11 Attacks with Free Exhibit

The scene at the World Trade Center on Sept. 23, 2001. The New-York Historical Society is hosting a special free exhibit commemorating September 11 © 2011 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

One month after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the New-York Historical Society committed its resources to a new initiative called, History Responds, with exhibitions, public events and educational initiatives. Since then, the Society has presented 17 special exhibitions relating to the attacks, 20 public programs, five community meetings, numerous school and teacher programs and, when the Society’s newly-renovated headquarters reopens on November 11, 2011, a permanent installation of photographs and other materials donated by survivors, witnesses, and rescuers.

To commemorate the tenth anniversary of September 11, the New-York Historical Society will present a special exhibition, Remembering 9/11, which will be free to the public. The exhibition opens on September 8, 2011 and will remain on view through April 1, 2012. The exhibition presents a selection of several hundred photographs taken by professional and amateur photographers in the immediate aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center (originally collected in the independent exhibition “here is new york: a democracy of photographs”), as well as letters written to policemen and firemen; objects that were placed in makeshift shrines around New York; images and texts from the New York Times “Portraits of Grief” series; photographs of the Tribute in Light; and drawings of the National September 11 Memorial, designed by architect Michael Arad with the assistance of landscape architect Peter Walker.

As a special presentation for families, the Historical Society will also host a free reading by Vin Panaro, Bugler for the Fire Department of New York, and Katie Fuller, Museum Educator, of Maira Kalman’s book Fireboat, to be held in the Rotunda from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 11, 2011.

“In the months immediately following September 11, 2001, the New-York Historical Society began a vigorous collecting initiative and exhibition program regarding the terrorist attacks,” Kenneth T. Jackson stated. “This was our responsibility, as the institution founded to gather, preserve and interpret materials related to the history of New York City and State and the nation. “On the tenth anniversary of the attacks, it is important that the Historical Society is continuing this effort with Remembering 9/11.”

Louise Mirrer, President and CEO of the New-York Historical Society, stated, “It takes a great historian to recognize the importance of his or her own historical moment, and to collect and preserve its effects. My predecessor, Kenneth T. Jackson is that great historian. On September 11th Ken recognized the tragedy of the day keenly, but saw also the need to collect and preserve so that future generations would understand what September 11th meant, for our city, our nation, our history. It is because of Ken’s work that our tenth anniversary exhibition Remembering 9/11 is able to document New York’s, and the nation’s, resilience along with the selfless acts of heroism, not only at the World Trade Center but also at the Pentagon and Shanksville.”

Remembering 9/11 is organized for the New-York Historical Society by Marilyn Satin Kushner, Curator and Head, Department of Prints, Photographs and Architectural Collections. “I wanted to create a space where people could come to quietly remember those days in 2001 and honor the memories of the people who were lost in the attacks. The solemnity of this occasion calls for a mood of respect and introspection,” stated Dr. Kushner.

When the renovated and transformed New-York Historical Society opens fully to the public on November 11, 2011, Remembering 9/11 will be joined by a permanent installation of photographs from “here is new york” in the Robert H. and Clarice Smith New York Gallery of American History. Approximately 1,500 photographs by 790 contributors will be on display, along with a large fragment of a fire truck destroyed during the 9/11 attack.

Since the inception of the Historical Society’s History Responds, more than 150,000 visitors have taken part in its interpretive programs. Today, the History Responds collection includes numerous artifacts associated with September 11, ranging from architectural relics of the Twin Towers to artworks inspired by the catastrophe.

Remembering 9/11 is generously supported by Bernard and Irene Schwartz.

Founded in 1804, the Historical Society has a mission to explore the richly layered political, cultural, and social history of New York City and State and the nation and to serve as a national forum for the discussion of issues surrounding the making and meaning of history.

 The New-York Historical Society is located at 2 West 77th Street (across the street from the American Museum of Natural History), 212-873-3400, www.nyhistory.org.

See more travel features at:

www.travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate

www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin