Albany’s Revolutionary History On Display At The Albany Institute Of History & Art Read More: Albany Institute of History & Art Unveils New Revolution Exhibit
"As one of the earliest surviving settlements in America, Albany has a lot of history to tell. It may not be a bustling metropolis like our neighbors Boston and New York City, but so much of America's early history ran through New York's Capital City. Now, so much of that forgotten history is going on display. On November 4th, the Albany Institute of Art & History will be opening their latest exhibit: Albany, c. 1776. The exhibit will commemorate 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and will discuss Albany's contributions to the revolutionary era." – 104.5 The Team ESPN Radio
Albany Institute included in Travel + Leisure guide to Amtrak's Ethan Allen Express
"The 310-mile-long daily route takes about seven and a half hours end to end, with stops in Hudson, New York; Albany, New York; Saratoga Springs, New York; Rutland, Vermont; and Middlebury, Vermont.
New York’s capital city has plenty of history, impressive architecture, and a growing food and drink scene. At Empire State Plaza, you can tour the New York State Capitol, a 19th-century building known for its elaborate stonework and ornate staircases. The plaza is also home to the New York State Museum and The Egg, a performing arts venue named for its unusual shape. Elsewhere in the city, the Albany Institute of History & Art is one of the country’s oldest museums." – Travel + Leisure
Museums and indoor anchors for a cold-weather break
"Here is how to spend three days between Albany's museums, the Hudson River path and the shops along Broadway... the Albany Institute of History and Art on Washington Avenue charges a modest admission and holds a strong collection of Hudson River School paintings." – Albany Eco
In 1791, Albany founded what became New York’s oldest museum; 235 years later, its 3,000-year-old mummy turned out to be hiding a surprise
"George Washington was in his first term as president when a group of curious minds in Albany started what would become New York’s oldest museum. That was 1791. Some 235 years later, the Albany Institute of History & Art is still going strong, and it’s hiding one of the best plot twists in Upstate NY." – Secret NYC
Albany art exhibit showcases everyday life in upstate NY in 1776
"Discover the history of upstate NY during the Revolutionary era through a new exhibition at the Albany Institute of History & Art." – The Daily Gazette
PREVIEW: The Albany Institute of History & Art Brings Revolutionary Albany to Life With New Exhibit Albany, c. 1776
"History comes to life at the Albany Institute of History and Art, and nowhere is it more vividly tangible than at the oldest museum in New York State. As America acknowledges the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the museum is presenting the prescient exhibit, Albany, c. 1776, an immersive look at Albany and Upstate New York during the Revolutionary era." – Metroland
Albany Institute included in Family Destinations Guide to Albany
"The Albany Institute of History and Art is a museum that has been collecting and preserving the cultural heritage of the Upper Hudson Valley for longer than most American institutions have existed. Its collection of Hudson River School paintings is particularly significant, representing one of the most important movements in American art history. The Hudson River School painters found their inspiration in the landscapes of the Hudson Valley and the Catskills, and seeing their work in Albany, surrounded by those same landscapes, gives the paintings a power and immediacy that’s hard to explain but easy to feel." – Family Destinations Guide
Albany Institute included in World Atlas' list of oldest towns to visit
"The Albany Institute of History and Art, founded in 1791, is one of the oldest museums in the nation and digs deep into the Hudson Valley's Dutch and Colonial past." – World Atlas
Albany Institute's 'Mexico Masks/Rituals' is stunning celebration of Mexican traditions, costumes
"At its core, photography shows us things - things that we don't have the opportunity to see for ourselves due to location or ignorance, access or time. Phyllis Galembo uses her photographs to bridge all of those things, in a way, when she shows us the truly extraordinary costumes, masks, and adornments of people for "Mexico Masks/Rituals" at the Albany Institute of History and Art." – William Jaeger, Times Union
WMHT's Feeding the American Revolution Trailer
Coming in December 2026, Feeding the American Revolution! A new WMHT documentary exploring history through food. Hosted by historian Nancy Siegel, the film examines how culinary traditions shaped America's fight for independence, using primary sources and cooking demonstrations at historic sites to reveal how the kitchen served as a battleground and a tool for unity, identity, and political protest.
Several scenes were filmed at the Albany Institute of History & Art, featuring eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century objects from the museum's collection.
Mexico Masks / Rituals: Photographs by Phyllis Galembo
Costumes are fascinating, with so much variety and similarity around the globe. In Mexico, photographer Phyllis Galembo photographed costumes, masks, and rituals throughout the country from 2008–2026. Galembo’s photographs are currently on display, in large form photographs plus a few collected costumes, at the Albany Institute where Associate Curator Steffi Ibis Duarte gave Hudson Mohawk Magazine producer Sina Basila Hickey a tour.
Listen to the full interview at mediasanctuary.org.
$1 Million in State Funding Presented to the Albany Institute of History & Art
"At the Albany Institute of History & Art (AIHA) on September 30, Assemblymember Gabriella A. Romero finalized a vital step in New York State’s objective to enhance public access to arts and history. Presenting $1 million in state funding to AIHA, Assemblymember Romero spoke to the state’s larger enrichment-focused goals and how this funding will critically support the future of New York’s oldest museum, which is the cultural anchor of the city." – Metroland
Albany Institute of History & Art Awarded $1 Million in New York State Funding
"The Albany Institute of History & Art (AIHA) has been awarded $1 million in New York State funding for capital projects through the 2026 State Budget, marking a significant investment in New York’s oldest museum and a cultural anchor in the heart of Albany." – Capital Region Chamber News
Una visita al Albany Institute of History & Art
"En este momento, el instituto alberga la exhibición México: Máscaras | Rituales, una serie fotográfica de la reconocida artista neoyorquina Phyllis Galembo. Con más de una década documentando el uso ceremonial de atuendos tradicionales en México, la fotógrafa presenta esta selección proponiendo un diálogo íntimo con las prácticas vivas de diversas comunidades y sus tradiciones." – Cesar Castro, La Voz
Preview the Hudson Valley’s Vibrant Autumn Arts Programming
"In between leaf peeping, apple picking, and warm cider donuts, take a hot sec to check out these vibrant autumn arts events... In celebration of the 200th anniversary of Church’s birth, [Your Friend, Frederic E. Church] focuses on the landscape painter’s half-century-long friendship with sculptor Erastus Dow Palmer, depicting an immersive blend of both artists’ work, alongside rare archival letters." – Marie Hughes and Megan Wilson, Hudson Valley Magazine
Academy Connections building bridges with students and alumni through career exploration
"ALBANY, NY (WRGB) — Each summer, Albany Academy pairs students with Academy alumni, parents, and the community for internships through the Academy Connections initiative. This program is designed to ignite student interests, strengthen professional skills, and build meaningful relationships within the Academy community. James Thoma, an Albany Academy senior, did his Connections internship at the Albany Institute of History and Art. He worked alongside Megan Brown, the museum’s Director of Education." – Emma Quinn, CBS6 Albany
$1.25 million gift establishes Albany Institute's first endowed staff position
"Albany Institute of History & Art, through a gift from trustee Douglas Lloyd Cohn, announced its first-ever endowed position, marking a milestone in the museum's 235-year history." – Katherine Kiessling, Times Union
Wings and Wilderness at The Hyde Collection includes Thomas Cole Painting on Loan from AIHA
"Thomas Cole makes an appearance with a characteristic 1833 'View of Catskill Creek' on loan from the Albany Institute. This smallish work is classic Cole, with its straight-on view of the creek, a tiny figure with white sleeves and a bright red vest, a boy perhaps, seen in a little boat fishing under the sunset glow, a deer drinking on the other side of the bank. It's hard to tell, but the boy seems to be looking at the sky, but at what? I looked at the sky, too, and was it possible that Cole included a single bird there, tiny to the point of being elusive, flying undisturbed far overhead, a tease and an appreciation?" – William Jaeger, Times Union
Wings of Wilderness: Birds and Landscapes of the Northeast, on view at The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls through October 11, 2026.
Your Friend, Frederic E. Church featured in the August – October 2026 issue of American Art Review
"On the 200th anniversary of the birth of Hudson River School painter Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900), Your Friend, Frederic E. Church celebrates an artist who built his home, Olana, less than forty miles south of Albany. The exhibition focuses on the friendship between Church and Albany-based artist Erastus Dow Palmer (1817–1904), a leading American sculptor of the second half of the nineteenth century."
Last Chance to See Blanche Lazzell’s Bold Modernism in Albany
"Writing to a friend about her work in 1944, Blanche Lazzell (1878–1956) promised: “It will be my own or nothing.” Fiercely independent, Lazzell’s candid statement aptly embodies the particular strain of her modernist spirit: ambitious, flourishing, and uncompromising. Featuring over 50 paintings, prints, and works on paper, 'Blanche Lazzell: Becoming an American Modernist' at the Albany Institute of History & Art presents the underappreciated achievements of an artist whose work played a key role in defining American art. " – Taliesin Thomas, Chronogram
Museum Exhibitions about Historic Women Artists: 2026
Inspired Landscapes: Women of the Hudson River School included in Art Herstory's roundup of museum exhibitions about historic women artists to see in 2026.
A conservative modernist
"Blanche Lazzell (1878–1956), whose works are the subject of an exhibition at the Albany Institute of History & Art, was a great American improbability. (The exhibition closes August 2, so hasten to see it.) A self-described “country maid” from the town of Maidsville, West Virginia, she was temperamentally as far from the stereotype of a bohemian artist as one could imagine. Nevertheless, Lazzell found her way to New York City, Europe, and finally Provincetown, Massachusetts, where she pursued modernist picture making with vigor and success. Lazzell’s oeuvre deserves to be known as one of the finer achievements of American art." – Franklin Einspruch, The New Criterion
"Declaration of Independence read to bitterly divided Albany in 1776"
"A crowd gathered in front of the steps of City Hall (then called by the Dutch term Stadt Huys) along Broadway at the foot of Hudson Avenue — in front of today’s H. Carl McCall SUNY Building. At 11 a.m., Matthew Visscher, a 24-year-old lawyer, delivered the words that declared freedom from English rule. 'When in the Course of human events, it became necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another,' Visscher began...
Against this historic backdrop, the Albany Institute of History and Art has organized a public reading of the Declaration of Independence on Sunday on the 250th anniversary of the first public reading in the city. The free program will begin at noon on the lawn in front of the institute at 125 Washington Ave. Historian Jack McEneny will offer introductory remarks and elected officials and others will read portions of the declaration. Readers will include 2026 Tulip Queen Syaira Liverpool and Kristi Dariano, regent of the Mohawk chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution. DAR members will distribute Betsy Ross flags and refreshments." – Paul Grondahl, Times Union
Your Friend, Frederic E. Church featured in Antiques and the Arts Weekly
"Albany Institute Marks Frederic E. Church Bicentennial with New Exhibition." Your Friend, Frederic E. Church featured in Antiques and the Arts Weekly, July 3, 2026.
Diane Shewchuk's favorite places around
"We’ve got a new Jiffy Jaunt in the collection: Diane Shewchuk, the director of curatorial affairs at the Albany Institute of History & Art (AIHA), recently opened their new show on Frederic Church and Erastus Dow Palmer’s close friendship, 'Your Friend, Frederic E. Church.' To celebrate the show’s opening, I’ve partnered with AIHA to bring you a new Jiffy Jaunt – my collection of interactive, highly opinionated, specially curated guides to the Hudson Valley, Capital Region, and southern Berkshires. This time, it’s Diane’s favorite places, and she’s got some good ones as you’ll read below. She’s our guide to an antique shop where she says set designers shop for props used in “The Gilded Age,” hand-dipped chocolates, vibrant, regal anemones, and so much more. Diane’s career includes time spent as curator at the Clermont State Historic Site, as historic site manager at John Jay Homestead State Historic Site, as director at the Columbia County Historical Society in Kinderhook, and now the director of curatorial affairs at AIHA. She knows this region through and through. So read on for her full list below, and bookmark her map here: jaunts.thejiffy.xyz." – The Jiffy
La curadora Steffi Ibis Duarte acompañó a Mariel Fiori en La Voz Radio
La curadora Steffi Ibis Duarte conversó con Mariel Fiori sobre las exposiciones de verano del Albany Institute. ¡Escucha la entrevista completa en La Voz Radio!
Curator Steffi Ibis Duarte spoke with Mariel Fiori on La Voz about the Albany Institute’s summer exhibitions. Listen to the full interview!
The Arch Stanton Quartet presents 'Exploring the Sheltering Sky: The Music and Words of Paul Bowles' at the Albany Institute of History & Art on 6/19
The Arch Stanton Quartet will conclude its yearlong music-and-spoken-word series “Exploring the Sheltering Sky: The Music and Words of Paul Bowles” with a free public performance on June 19 at the Albany Institute of History & Art. The performance begins at 12:30 p.m. “Exploring the Sheltering Sky” debuted in October 2025 and has been performed at a dozen libraries for hundreds of patrons who have been transported to the world of Paul Bowles’ writing and music. The series has been generously supported by a community-arts grant from the Albany County Arts and Culture program, coordinated by Advance Albany County Alliance. ASQ drummer James Ketterer and Kayla Carlsen - Executive Director of the Albany Institute of History & Art join us for a preview this morning. – WAMC
Albany Institute of History & Art leader brings new energy to one of the area's oldest institutions
"We can be a vibrant hub in downtown Albany, and be part of the resurgence that we hope is happening here. The creative economy is critically important." Executive Director Kayla Carlsen spoke with the Albany Business Review about expanding access to the arts, engaging new audiences through innovative programs and exhibitions, and the museum's role in downtown Albany.
Historic Women Artists at the Albany Institute of History and Art
"From mid-winter to late summer 2026, visitors to the Albany Institute of History and Art can immerse themselves in the art of two historic American women. The museum offers a monographic exhibition apiece on Julia McEntee Dillon (1834–1919) and Blanche Lazzell (1878–1956). These shows give visitors access to the stories and achievements of two extraordinary artists. These two artists were born 44 years apart, in different regions of the United States. Coincidentally, each woman was one of ten children; and neither had any children herself. More significantly, each chose an unconventional path for a woman of her time, pursuing artistic education and eventually a career as a professional artist. And each has yet to receive widespread recognition and appreciation for her contributions to American art." – Erika Gaffney, Art Herstory
Albany Institute of History & Art voted Best Art Gallery in Times Union's Best of the Capital Region
"For 235 years, Albany Institute of History & Art has been just that — an institution celebrating the rich culture and history of the region. Now in its second year under the leadership of Kayla Carlsen, the gallery has opened its doors wider to the community through exhibitions tapping into the institute’s vast collections, First Friday collaborations with local artists and organizations, concerts on the lawn and a roster of excellent shows, including Black Dimensions in Arts’ 50th anniversary celebration, a spotlight on The College of Saint Rose and 'Americans Who Tell the Truth' featuring portraits by Robert Shetterly." – Times Union