The Albany Institute of History and Art Gala

June 2nd, 2023 6:00pm–9:00pm

The Institute's annual Gala is the Museum's biggest fundraiser of the year.

This year guests are invited to the Fort Orange Club for a night of cocktails and live music, followed by dinner. Help us celebrate the 100th anniversary of a beloved Albany institution, the Fort Orange Garden Club.

Gala evening kicks off a full weekend of fun events that celebrate the increasingly important cultural practices of preservation and conservation. Check our events calendar later in the spring for more information on family-friendly events taking place at the museum that weekend!

In a typical year, the Albany Institute welcomes over 30,000 visitors. Through rotating exhibitions, lectures, and community events, we bring the outside world to Albany’s doorstep. Our educational programs reach thousands of students across the Capital Region. Donations at Gala help make all of this possible, helping foster cultural connections and enhancing the quality of life for those who lives in or visit the upper Hudson Valley.

Our honoree, the Fort Orange Garden Club, is celebrating its centennial season. Since 1923, they have been dedicated to the beautification, conservation, and preservation of the American landscape through their educational and legislative activities. The Club has lobbied state and federal agencies for the preservation of the Pine Bush, for the development of scenic highways, and for the creation of the Adirondack Park Agency. They have concerned themselves with the erosion of the banks of the Normanskill and championed the protection of wildflowers, native plants, and birds. The club teaches people about organic gardening, pest management, and soil testing, among other topics. In 1957, the Club received an Award of Excellence from President Eisenhower for outstanding achievement in environmental protection services for their Tivoli Lakes Nature Study Sanctuary at Philip Livingston Junior High School, where students learned gardening, biology, and art.

Throughout the years, the Club has assisted with plantings at the Albany Institute of History & Art, researched and created flower and herb gardens at Schuyler Mansion, Ten Broeck Mansion, and the Pruyn House, and planted raised beds at nursing homes as part of their horticultural therapy program. The Club has also planted dozens of trees in public use areas like Academy Park, and planted the Metasequoia (or dawn redwoods) at Historic Cherry Hill and Ten Broeck Mansion. The Albany Institute has hosted many of their events and flower shows over the years. Projects undertaken by the Fort Orange Garden Club have benefited individuals and institutions throughout the Capital Region and New York State. Join us as we celebrate them!

General tickets will be going on sale in May.

For more information, email fahym@albanyinstitute.org.