Special Programs

THE FIRST PERMANENT EXHIBIT DEVOTED TO ADKX’S NATIONALLY SIGNIFICANT ARTS COLLECTION

In 2023 the Adirondack Experience will open Artists & Inspiration in the Wild. The museum has long been known as the premier repository of Adirondack art. Masterpieces by Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait, Thomas Cole, William Trost Richards, Levi Wells Prentice, William Weston, Rockwell Kent, Edna Teall, Suzanne C. Porter, Kate W. Newhall, Seneca Ray Stoddard, Ernest Stowe, and others will be on permanent view to delight audiences. The 5,800-square-foot exhibit will be the most comprehensive presentation of the museum’s fine and decorative art collections in its history. The $4.2M exhibition will include more than 60 exemplary paintings, 40 works on paper, and among the finest examples of Adirondack decorative arts. Museum staff has visited art museums across the country to learn about new strategies for making art accessible. In-depth audience research is also underway to guarantee that Artists & Inspiration will appeal to all of our visitors. ADKX is teaming up with the nationally prominent exhibition design firms Gallagher & Associates and Richard Lewis Media Group to develop the exhibit. Installation will require complete refurbishing of main galleries, including the installation of a state-of-the-art HVAC system. Naming opportunities are available for this priority project.

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EXPANSION TO INCLUDE FREE PROGRAMMING TO STUDENTS

The Adirondack Experience is an important provider of curriculum enhancement programming for students attending schools in the Adirondack Park. We are located in the center of the Park— a region with portions of twelve counties within its boundaries. The student population in the region faces significant challenges; for instance, ongoing school budget cuts, which underscore the importance of the Adirondack Experience’s services. Our K-12 programs align with the national Common Core State Standards Initiative, which is designed to increase students’ skills such as critical thinking; reading for understanding and decision making, and writing and persuasive speaking. School-age children in the Adirondack Park deserve the opportunity to learn and explore the rich history and culture of the region. The Adirondack Experience is fulfilling a critical need to an underserved population— rural school children. Our K-12 programs enhance student performance, preparing them for the future. Support for the expansion to offer educational programs free of charge to regional schools is an investment in the next generation of citizens.

A NEW DIRECTION FOR COLLECTIONS

Working with Williamstown Art Conservation Center (WACC), the museum will thoroughly access its collections and develop the first long-range conservation plan in its history. The plan will identify issues regarding: storage space; climate control; conservation needs; and staffing. It will lay the groundwork for raising funds to address the collections’ conservation requirements in the years ahead. WACC will provide conservators to work on this important project.

EXPAND THE REACH OF COLLECTIONS

The Adirondack Experience is the repository for the most comprehensive collection of historical artifacts that tell the story of the people and culture of the Adirondack region. Our institution has existing electronic records for approximately 95,000 items in its collection. These records are currently available only for internal inventory and research purposes. We seek to ultimately make all of those records directly accessible online for anybody to access. As a pilot project, the Adirondack Experience will make available online 30,000 electronic records that include artifact images as well as descriptive data. In the future, as our remaining 65,000 records are augmented with digital images, they, too, will be made accessible online.