News

November 4, 2015

Albany Institute to Offer Free Admission on Veterans Day

The Albany Institute of History & Art will offer free admission to the museum on Wednesday, November 11 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.  This free admission day is sponsored by M&T Bank.

Attendees are encouraged to get creative and make their own flags in the Art Studio from 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. In addition, the Albany Institute is pleased to welcome Jack Downing, CEO of Solider On for a special presentation at 1 p.m. Soldier On is a private, nonprofit organization operating in seven states that provides housing and supportive services to veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Downing will discuss their current project in partnership with the Shaker Heritage Society, the Town of Colonie, and the County of Albany to obtain the former Ann Lee Nursing Home (which is located on the grounds of the historic site of the first Shaker community) to develop 197 units of permanent housing for veterans. Modeled after the Gordon H. Mansfield Veterans Community in Pittsfield, MA, the project will consist of 97 units in the existing building and 100 new construction units and provide support services to the residents. This presentation is in partnership with Partners for Albany Stories (PASt).

Guests of all ages are also invited to spend the day viewing the museum’s current exhibitions, including The Capital Region in 50 Objects, which incorporates several objects that help tell the some of the military stories related to the Capital Region, including (in chronological order):

  • Trophy Cannon (British Light 3 pounder cannon)

This is one of forty-seven artillery pieces surrendered to the American Army at Saratoga on October 17, 1777, following the Battle of Saratoga.

  • Uncle Sam’s Chamber Pot Troy resident Samuel Wilson was transformed into the iconic figure known as Uncle Sam due to abbreviations related to his meat packing business during the War of 1812. Frequently identified as the embodiment of the United States, this chamber pot provides a human base to this dynamic character.
  • Patent Model for an Improved Machine for Making Horseshoes from the Burden Iron Works of Troy, the company that manufactured nearly all the horseshoes used by the Union Army during the Civil War.
  • Officer’s Frock Coat worn by Colonel Elmer Ellsworth (1837-1861), 11th New York Volunteers. Ellsworth was the first Union officer killed in the Civil War. This coat is on public view for the first time in over twenty years.
  • A plaster bust of Henry Johnson. Johnson was an African-American citizen of Albany who served as an infantry soldier during World War I. In 2015, he was recognized for his heroism with the Medal of Honor. This bust was made in preparation of a statue in his honor.
  • A JATO rocket from 1954, used to help LC-130s obtain flying speed when operating on ice. These rockets have been used by the Scotia, New York based New York Air National Guard 109th Airlift Wing to help operate the world’s only ski-equipped LC-130H Hercules aircraft, which provides airlift support to the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic research program and scientific researchers in Greenland.

An additional object on view that might be of interest is the marble relief, Peace in Bondage by Erastus Dow Palmer, which was the artist’s response to the American Civil War. The work was exhibited in Albany as part of the Albany Relief Bazaar in 1864 to raise funds to support Union soldiers. This may be found in the museum’s exhibition Nineteenth-Century American Sculpture: Erastus Dow Palmer and His Protégés Launt Thompson, Charles Calverley, and Richard Park.

Other exhibitions include Traders and Culture: Colonial Albany and the Formation of American Identity; Abraham Lincoln: The Albany Connections; and A Gather of Glass: Selections from the Museum’s Collection.

The Albany Institute of History & Art is located at 125 Washington Avenue in Albany, New York. There is limited parking available in the museums lot, located at the corner of Dove and Elk Streets in Albany (just behind the museum). There is also on street parking available. The Albany Institute is open Wednesday-Saturday 10AM-5PM, Thursday until 8PM*, and Sunday Noon-5PM. On Tuesdays, the museum is open to registered groups only. The museum is closed on Mondays and some holidays. Admission is FREE for Albany Institute members; $10/adults; $8/seniors and students with ID; $6/children 6-12; FREE/children under 6. *The museum is now offering free admission on Thursdays from 5PM-8PM.  For more information, visit www.albanyinstitute.org or call (518) 463-4478.