New York State Museum

06/18/2026

: 👀
Fri 6/19: NYSM closed for Juneteenth Holiday
Sat 6/20: Fashion & Faith Gallery Tour
Sat 6.20: Screening: The Brothers
Sun 6/21: Make-and-Take Art Day

For times, locations, and additional details, visit https://nysm.nysed.gov/programs

Discover Albany I LOVE NEW YORK Around Albany The 518

06/18/2026

🌈 In celebration of Pride Month, Senior Historian and Curator of Social History Ashley Hopkins-Benton led a gallery tour of New York Pride: The Fight for Marriage Equality.

Through powerful artifacts, photographs, and personal stories, the exhibit explores New York’s role in advancing change, from early LGBTQ+ activism and grassroots organizing to landmark legal victories and the passage of the Marriage Equality Act in 2011.

Interested in joining a future gallery tour featuring our experts? Visit the Museum’s website to learn more and plan your visit! https://nysm.nysed.gov/

06/17/2026

: The New York State Museum will be closed on Friday, June 19, 2026, in observance of the Juneteenth federal holiday. The following day, visitors are invited to explore New York’s rich African American history through two engaging programs:

Saturday, June 20 at 1 pm:
Fashion and Faith: Hats of the Great Migration Gallery Talk with Dr. Jennifer Lemak and Rapp Road Historical Association

Saturday, June 20 at 2 pm:
Special Screening: The Brothers: Forgotten Struggle for Civil Rights in Albany

Discover more about the history of and access additional resources from the NYSM: https://nysm.nysed.gov/research-collections/history/news/juneteenth

Rapp Road Historical Association New York State Archives

06/17/2026

: Crowns, Community, and Queens

These fabulous (and heavy!) crowns were worn by drag queens Dana Matthews, Hazel, Empress of Albany, and Crystal Davis during performances at bars and events around Albany, NY. Albany had a robust drag circuit that grew in the 1980s and 1990s. The drag community, in partnership with the leather community, hosted events that raised money for HIV+ and AIDS patients during the height of the AIDS epidemic. Their work ensured that patients had access to care, comfort, and dignity.

Crown 1: Worn by Dana Matthews
NYSM H-2025.94.3

Crown 2: Worn by Hazel, Empress of Albany
NYSM H-2025.94.2

Crown 3: Worn by Crystal Davis
NYSM H-2025.94.1

Discover more resources from the NYSM:
https://nysm.nysed.gov/pride

Pride Center of the Capital Region

06/16/2026

: What does it take to uncover the past? 🦴🪨 Join Dr. Lisa Amati for a look at the cool tools paleontologists use—from delicate brushes to buzzing rocksaws—to reveal the stories hidden deep within fossils! ⚒️🔬

06/15/2026

: Hawks on Hawk Street!

Talk about a hawkward place to grow up! Nesting up high on the Hawk Street side of the New York State Education Building, a resident pair of Red-tailed Hawks recently welcomed three nestlings this year—tripling last year's brood of one! NYSED Staff had plenty to chirp about when one of these young raptors fledged the nest and stopped by their window for a closer look at the world below! 🦅🐣

At the New York State Museum, our Ornithology collections help scientists study the raptors and other birds of New York's past and present while our Birds of New York exhibit, https://nysm.nysed.gov/exhibitions/online/birds-of-new-york, teaches visitors about the birds they can see throughout the state. A stately Red-tailed Hawk is featured in the Fields and Shrublands habitat group.

Come visit the NYSM to see our birds up close, or visit the Red-tailed Hawk nest-cam hosted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to see how the babies in Ithaca are growing up: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/red-tailed-hawks/

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

06/15/2026

THIS WEEK AT THE NYSM!
Tues 6/16: Gallery Tour New York Pride
Wed 6/17: Storytime Adventures
Thur 6/18: Archive Adventures
Fri 6/19: Juneteenth Holiday Observed
Sat 6/20: Fashion and Faith Gallery Tour
Sat 6/20: Screening: The Brothers
Sun 6/21: Make-and-Take Art Day

For times, locations, and additional details, visit https://nysm.nysed.gov/programs

Discover Albany I LOVE NEW YORK Around Albany Rapp Road Historical Association New York State Archives

06/14/2026

06/14/2026

NEXT SUNDAY, JUNE 21 at 11 AM!
Drop in and get creative with local artists-in-residence Casey Beal and Ottavia Huang from Arlene’s Artist Materials as you explore watercolor painting and block printing inspired by stories and objects from the Museum’s collections. This relaxed, all-ages program welcomes artists of every skill level to experiment with color, texture, and pattern—and leave with a one-of-a-kind creation of your own.

🌞Family-friendly
💲 Free
📍NYSM South Lobby
🔎 https://nysm.nysed.gov/programs/make-and-take-art-day


Discover Albany Around Albany The 518 I LOVE NEW YORK Arlene's Artist Materials, Inc.

06/13/2026

NEXT SATURDAY, JUNE 20 at 2PM!
Join State Archivist Brian Keough for an introduction and screening of The Brothers: Forgotten Struggle for Civil Rights in Albany, a powerful documentary highlighting a pivotal but often overlooked chapter in Albany’s civil rights history. Learn how The Brothers, a grassroots organization of working-class African American men, challenged discrimination, political corruption, and inequality while helping to shape the local Black Power movement of the 1960s.

This program was made possible by WMHT.

🌞Family-friendly
💲 Free
📍NYSM Huxley Theater
🔎 https://nysm.nysed.gov/programs/screening-the-brothers


Discover Albany Around Albany The 518 I LOVE NEW YORK