Special Programs

The Adirondack Museum periodically initiates projects that fall outside the scope of our General Operating budget. These programs are unique, compelling, and each was chosen because they directly further our mission. We need to raise funds to ensure the success of each. As you read the following descriptions, you may find a project which matches your vision and values, and/or corresponds with a personal interest. All of these programs represent exceptional giving opportunities. Your contribution will make a difference as the museum moves forward.

Please call Sarah Lewin, Director of Institutional Advancement at 518.352.7311 ext. 125, or email slewin@adkmuseum.org, if you are interested in supporting one of these museum initiatives. Special recognition will be given for donations to all of these projects.

Boatbuilder-in-Residence

Interactive Demonstration of an Adirondack Skill

The Boatbuilder-in-Residence program, launched in 2002, allows visitors to talk informally with a boatbuilder in her shop while she constructs an Adirondack guideboat from start to finish. The shop is within the museum's boating exhibit and a trained docent is also on hand to answer questions and explain the process, materials, and construction techniques. This interactive program is a highlight for museum visitors. By tying together boat construction and interpretation, the program links the artisan's craft directly to the boat collection.

How you can help

The museum has a goal of $500,000 to endow this position to ensure this very popular program is available to the public for the next fifty years. Support in the form of gifts or pledges are being accepted to ensure the Boatbuilder-in-Residence will be a permanent interactive museum experience for future generations.

Adirondack Rustic

Contemporary Rustic in the 21st Century

What better way is there to celebrate the museum's next 50 years than to continue a one-of-a-kind, premier project dedicated to Adirondack rustic? This major, multi-faceted, two-year set of exhibits is one of the most important the museum has ever undertaken. The museum will introduce two new components in 2008 — Rustic Tomorrow and Whimsy and Play. Rustic Tomorrow pairs six leading modernist and postmodern contemporary architects with prominent Adirondack rustic makers. Each pair will create innovative furniture that combines a 21st century design with traditional rustic construction techniques. The final pieces will be on exhibit on the museum campus from May through October 2008. The furniture will then participate in a traveling exhibit in the Northeast region, concluding at the gallery of D. Wigmore Fine Art, Inc. in New York City. A gala auction of the pieces will be held, with proceeds benefiting musuem exhibits and programs.

The following architects and rustic makers are participating in this project:

Architects/Designers

  • David Childs
  • Dennis Wedlick
  • Michael Graves
  • Thomas Cardone
  • Allan Shope
  • Nils Luderowski

Rustic Maker

  • Wayne Ignatuk
  • Barney Bellinger
  • Jason Henderson
  • Russ Gleaves/Bill Coffey
  • Judd Weisberg
  • Jay Dawson

Whimsy and Play will be a wonderful addition to our Rustic exhibit, especially for families. Along with the historical children's activities at the Reising Schoolhouse, children can take a step back in time as they play on familiar things such as a rustic teeter-totter and swing. A child-sized log cabin set in an apple orchard near the schoolhouse will provide children and their families with an opportunity to see a log cabin being constructed. Visitors will be able to talk with the builder as the cabin arises on the site. Once the cabin is completed, children will enter freely and imagine what life was like in one of these quintessentially American houses.

How you can help

The museum has a fundraising goal for these two Rustic projects totaling $62,500. Support in the form of gifts or pledges will ensure the Rustic tradition continues to take center stage on the campus in 2008.

Core Exhibit Revitalization

A Fresh Look & New Voice for Adirondack History

As we continue to to provide a world-class museum experience for our visitors every year, in 2008 we will begin charting a new direction. For the last 50 years, more than four million visitors have enjoyed our exhibits and programs. Some of their favorites are the heart and soul of the museum, telling the primary stories of the Adirondacks. Exhibits such as "Woods & Waters" and "The Age of Horses" are long-term exhibits depicting the central themes of the region. As time progresses, so do advances in technology, artifact preservation, and research. These exhibits will undergo revitalization to add interactive elements such as sound, touch and smell; install modern lighting to reduce energy consumption and protect the artifacts; and update designs and graphics to be contemporary and intellectually stimulating. One former core exhibit — "Mining the Adirondacks" — will be restored. This long time favorite core exhibit, which many visitors have requested we bring back, will celebrate the lives of those who settled in our region and shaped the Adirondack Park into what we see today.

How you can help

Revitalizing our core exhibits is a major undertaking and will be a multi-year project with a total cost of $5.75 million. Fundraising is underway to obtain $137,500 to begin preliminary research, content development and design, as well as building renovation during year one. Support in the form of gifts or pledges will ensure the revitalization of core exhibits continues to add new technology and scholarship to reenergize the important story of the Adirondacks and its people.