Local Museums to Celebrate International Museum Day

GLENS FALLS — The Hyde Collection, Chapman Museum, and World Awareness Children’s Museum celebrate International Museum Day on Thursday, May 18. This day is meant to celebrate the importance of museums as they preserve the worlds natural and cultural heritage.

Each museum will offer free admission and extended hours. At each location, visitors can pick up their passport to International Museum Day. Collect a stamp in your passport by visiting each location. Once all stamps have been collected, you can enter to win a free Family Membership to one of these three organizations.

At the Chapman Museum, visitors can explore the exhibits and build their own family trees. The Chapman will be open for extended hours until 7 p.m. 

At The Hyde, visitors can play Gallery Games. There will be a number of prompts that lead visitors throughout the museum and engage with art and each other. 

At the World Awareness Children’s Museum, visitors can curate their own gallery with art from the Museum. Admission to the Museum will be free from 3-8 p.m. Note, free admission does not include registration to events and classes. CAMBRIDGE CAMBRIDGE — Hubbard Hall Center for the Arts and Education has won $279,000 in NY State Council on the Arts funding in support of artist housing and updated sound equipment. 

The funds come from NYSCA and Governor Kathy Hochul’s $42 Million investment in Small and Mid-Sized Capital Projects for Arts and Cultural Organizations.

“Strengthening our creative sector increases tourism, boosts our economy, and enhances the rich heritage and cultural life of New York State,” Gov. Hochul said, in a statement. “These record grants will support a wide range of diverse and innovative projects at our arts and cultural organizations across the state, helping ensure all who visit will continue to have wonderful experiences for years to come.”

“In the last two years, with NYSCA’s extraordinary support, we have completed several facilities projects that have greatly improved patrons’ experiences, including new HVAC systems in three of our buildings and new restrooms in Hubbard Hall,” said Executive & Artistic Director David Snider, in a statement. “The addition of artist housing and new sound equipment are critical steps in our growth in serving our community and the field at large. We are so grateful for the Governor’s leadership and NYSCA’s amazing support on these projects. We could not do any of this without them or without the support of our local community. These additions will continue to make Cambridge a destination for artists and audiences.” 

The Lovejoy building on the Hubbard Hall campus will be restored and renovated to provide artist housing, while new sound equipment on the main stage will better support artists and audiences for years to come. The $279,000 will be matched by Hubbard Hall existing funds as well as an additional $100K yet to be raised over a three-year period. The hope is to complete the artist housing portion of the project by July 2024, with new sound equipment to be implemented later this year. New artist housing will strengthen Hubbard Hall’s ability to support artist residencies, develop new work, and bring world-class artists to Cambridge, for a variety of presentations and productions. 

Hubbard Hall plans to begin work on the artist housing in July. The architect on the project is Geoff Metcalfe of Keefe and Wesner, with engineering provided by Engineering Services of Vermont, LLC.