The Long Island Museum Of American Art History & Carriages

TO PRESERVE COLLECTIONS OF 19TH CENTURY LONG ISLAND AND AMERICAN ART, HISTORY AND HORSE-DRAWN TRANSPORTATION HISTORY AND OFFER INTERPRETATION OF THESE COLLECTIONS AND RELATED HISTORICAL TOPICS THROUGH PUBLIC EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS.

CHANGING EXHIBITIONS JULY 1, 2020 JUNE 30, 2021OFF THE RACK: BUILDING AND PRESERVING LIM'S ART TREASURES FEBRUARY 22, 2020 THROUGH MARCH 13, 2020 (INTERRUPTED DURING COVID CLOSURE), SEPTEMBER 25, 2020 THROUGH NOVEMBER 29, 2020OFF THE RACK: BUILDING AND PRESERVING LIM'S ART TREASURES WAS ON VIEW IN THE MAIN GALLERY OF THE ART MUSEUM STARTING FEBRUARY 22, 2020. THE MUSEUM'S ART COLLECTION, CONSISTING OF MORE THAN 500 PAINTINGS AND 2,000 WORKS ON PAPER, IS WHAT MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR IT TO OFFER A DYNAMIC SCHEDULE OF EXHIBITIONS EACH YEAR. BUT MUCH OF THIS COLLECTION USUALLY STAYS OUT OF VISITOR'S SIGHT, IN CAREFULLY PROTECTED STORAGE SPACES. THIS EXHIBITION ALLOWED US TO PUSH OPEN THE DOORS AND EMPTY OUR STORAGE AREAS, TO GIVE VISITORS A RARE CHANCE TO SEE SOME OF THE RARE AND OUTSTANDING HIGHLIGHTS OF LIM'S COLLECTION. THE MUSEUM WAS RECENTLY AWARDED A NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS FACILITIES CAPITAL EQUIPMENT GRANT TO STRENGTHEN AND ENLARGE ITS CAPACITY TO HOUSE ITS EXISTING COLLECTION AND TO ADD NEW ART. OFF THE RACK BOTH HIGHLIGHTED SOME OF THE OUTSTANDING NEW PAINTINGS THAT LIM HAS COLLECTED OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS - WORKS FROM JANE WILSON, JANE FREILICHER, DAVID BURLIUK, ROBERT DASH, AND MANY MORE - AND EXAMINED THE MUSEUM'S CONTINUING EFFORTS TO CARE FOR ITS COLLECTION. THE MUSEUM TAKES THE PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITY ASPECT OF CARING FOR AND ADDING TO ITS COLLECTIONS SERIOUSLY, AND THIS PROJECT WAS A CORNERSTONE OF SUSTAINING THAT CONCERN AND EFFORT.A CENTURY AFTER: THE WORK OF WILLIAM M. DAVIS FEBRUARY 22, 2020 THROUGH MARCH 13, 2020 (INTERRUPTED DURING COVID CLOSURE), SEPTEMBER 25, 2020 THROUGH NOVEMBER 29, 2020THIS SMALL, FOCUSED EXHIBITION OF NEARLY 25 WORKS MARKED A CENTURY SINCE THE PASSING OF ARTIST WILLIAM M. DAVIS. WITH HIS DEATH LONG ISLAND LOST A CHRONICLER OF THE NORTH SHORE'S LANDSCAPE AND PEOPLE. BORN IN SETAUKET IN 1829, DAVIS TRADED SCHOOLING FOR SAILING AT AGE SIXTEEN BY SIGNING ABOARD A SLOOP ON LONG ISLAND SOUND AS A CABIN BOY. TWO YEARS LATER HE BECAME AN APPRENTICE TO PORT JEFFERSON SHIPBUILDER WILLIAM HENRY DARLING. MARRYING CAROLINE PETERSON IN 1848, THE COUPLE EVENTUALLY HAD FIVE CHILDREN OVER THE NEXT EIGHTEEN YEARS. THE 1860S MARKED HIS PUBLIC DEBUT AS AN ARTIST IN NEW YORK, WHERE HE EXHIBITED POLITICALLY-THEMED GENRE PAINTINGS TO WIDE ACCLAIM AT THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF DESIGN AND BROOKLYN ART ASSOCIATION. THE DECADE ALSO MARKED THE START OF A FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN THE YOUNG ARTIST AND WILLIAM SIDNEY MOUNT. IN THE YEARS BEFORE MOUNT'S DEATH IN 1868 THE MEN CORRESPONDED, VISITED EACH OTHER'S STUDIOS, AND MOUNT PAINTED A PORTRAIT OF DAVIS'S DAUGHTER LUCY. AFTER A DECADE IN THE CITY, ILL HEALTH SPURRED DAVIS'S SEMI-RETIREMENT TO LONG ISLAND, WHERE HE RESIDED IN MT. SINAI AND MAINTAINED AN ART SUPPLY STORE AND STUDIO IN PORT JEFFERSON. DAVIS QUIETLY SKETCHED AND PAINTED INTO THE 1910S, FOCUSING ON THE WATERFRONT AND NEARBY SHIPS AND BUILDINGS. ON THIS CENTENNIAL OF DAVIS'S DEATH, THIS EXHIBITION OFFERS ONE OF THE LARGEST SURVEYS OF HIS ART IN HALF A CENTURY. IN HIS SIX DECADES OF PAINTING, DAVIS WITNESSED THE EVOLUTION OF AMERICANS' ARTISTIC TASTES AS WELL AS THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NORTH SHORE WHERE HE SPENT MOST OF HIS LIFE. TWIN PEEKS: SCENES SEEN TWICE, PAINTINGS & PHOTOGRAPHS MARCH 19 THROUGH AUGUST 1, 2021CHOSEN ENTIRELY FROM LIM'S ART COLLECTION, TWIN PEEKS PRESENTED SIDE-BY-SIDE VIEWS OF NEARLY 60 PAINTINGS, FROM THE 1830S TO THE PRESENT, PLACED BESIDE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE SAME OR SIMILAR LOCATIONS AND BUILDINGS. PRIMARILY DRAWN FROM LONG ISLAND OR NEW YORK CITY ARTISTS AND LOCATIONS, THIS PROJECT HAD BEEN AN ADVENTURE IN DISCOVERY AND DOCUMENTATION FOR LIM'S ART COLLECTION. ARTISTS DID NOT LEAVE BEHIND GPS COORDINATES, TITLES CAN LEAVE VAGUE AND UNEVEN CLUES, AND THE MUSEUM HAS ONLY RECENTLY ATTEMPTED TO MORE CAREFULLY TRACK THE LOCATIONS OF PLACES REPRESENTED IN THEIR COLLECTION.PART OF THE POWER OF LANDSCAPE PAINTING IS ITS ABILITY TO CAPTURE AND EVOKE A CERTAIN PLACE THAT RESONATES WITH THE VIEWER'S IMAGINATION AND EXPERIENCE. WHETHER WORKING OUT OF A TRADITION OF THE HUDSON RIVER SCHOOL, IMPRESSIONISM, PHOTO REALISM, OR ABSTRACTION, ARTISTS OVER THE PAST 200 YEARS HAVE BEEN THE RECORDERS OF A SPECIFIC MOMENT AND AN INTERPRETATION OF THE LOCALE THEY CHOSE PUT TO CANVAS OR PAPER. OCCASIONALLY, THEIR RENDERINGS MAY BE THE ONLY TANGIBLE DOCUMENTATION THAT REMAINS OF A LOCATION THAT HAS VANISHED DUE TO THE FORCES OF MODERNIZATION: ROAD CONSTRUCTION, REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT, AND OTHER HUMAN- AND NATURAL-BORN PHENOMENA MAKE THE LANDSCAPE MUTABLE AND DIFFICULT TO CAPTURE THE SAME WAY, EVEN JUST TWENTY OR THIRTY YEARS LATER.ARTISTS ABROAD MARCH 19 AUGUST 1, 2021TRAVEL DELIGHTS, CHALLENGES, AND EDUCATES US AS WE EXPERIENCE NEW PLACES AND MEET NEW PEOPLE. BUT THE CURRENT PANDEMIC HAS CURBED OUR TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES NATIONALLY AND GLOBALLY. WHILE STUCK AT HOME WE CAN FIND PLEASURE IN SEEING DEPICTIONS OF PAST EXPERIENCES AS WE FANTASIZE ABOUT FUTURE ONES. THE COLLECTION OF THE LONG ISLAND MUSEUM HAS A SMALL BUT COMPELLING COLLECTION OF WORKS BY ARTISTS WHO TRAVELED ABROAD BETWEEN THE 1860S AND 1960S. AMERICAN ARTISTS SINCE THIS COUNTRY'S FOUNDING HAVE BEEN DRAWN TO EUROPEAN ART AND LANDSCAPES, ESPECIALLY ITALY. THEY VISITED MUSEUMS AND COPIED FAMOUS WORKS OF ART, AND ROAMED CITIES AND THE COUNTRYSIDE TO PAINT AND SKETCH SCENES OF DAILY LIFE AND PICTURESQUE LANDSCAPES. SKETCHES IN INK AND WATERCOLOR QUICKLY DOCUMENTED FORM AND COLOR, WITH SOME BECOMING INSPIRATION FOR FUTURE WORKS IN OIL.

EDUCATION PROGRAMS ARE DEVELOPED AND TAUGHT BY A STAFF OF MUSEUM EDUCATORS, WORKING IN CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH TEACHERS AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS TO ENSURE THAT THE PROGRAMS SUPPORT NEW YORK STATE AND NATIONAL LEARNING STANDARDS IN SOCIAL STUDIES, ART AND LANGUAGE ARTS. DURING 2020/2021, STUDENTS FROM 24 SCHOOLS REPRESENTING 12 PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND 2 PRIVATE SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT SUFFOLK AND NASSAU COUNTIES WERE SERVED, AS WELL AS TWO SCHOOLS FROM NEW YORK CITY, ONE PUBLIC AND ONE PRIVATE. THE MUSEUM'S APPROACH IS TO TEACH LEARNING THROUGH OBJECTS; TRAINING STUDENTS IN THE PROCESSES OF INQUIRY AND THINKING RATHER THAN IN THE ACCUMULATION OF PARTICULAR SKILLS. STUDENTS EXAMINE DOCUMENTS, ARTWORK, VEHICLES, COSTUMES AND RELATED OBJECTS TO LEARN ABOUT THE TIME IN WHICH THEY WERE CREATED AND THE PEOPLE WHO MADE AND USED THEM.THE FOLLOWING ARE EXAMPLES OF CLASSES FROM THE SCHOOL PROGRAM. ALL CLASSES ARE BASED ON REAL OBJECTS FROM THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTIONS.- SCHOOL DAYS LETS STUDENTS EXPERIENCE A 19TH CENTURY SCHOOL DAY IN THE MUSEUM'S NASSAKEAG ONE ROOM SCHOOLHOUSE. THIS 'TIME TRAVEL' PROGRAM IS A STUDENT FAVORITE DUE TO THE OPPORTUNITY TO REENACT A TYPICAL 1800S SCHOOL DAY.- WAGONS WEST ENABLES STUDENTS IN GRADES 4-6 TO FOLLOW A FICTIONAL FAMILY AS THEY PREPARE TO PACK THEIR WAGON, AND LEAVE FOR A JOURNEY WEST ON THE OREGON TRAIL. THEY WILL VISIT AUTHENTIC VEHICLES, LEARN ABOUT OVERLAND TRAVEL, AND MEET A BLACKSMITH TO LEARN ABOUT WAGONS, WHEELS, AND EVERYTHING NEEDED FOR THE SIX MONTH JOURNEY TRAVELING WEST.- VEHICLES FOR CHANGE: ELIZABETH JENNINGS AND THE FIGHT FOR EQUALITY ON NYC'S STREETCARS IS OUR NEWEST AND MOST POPULAR PROGRAM, WHERE STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT 19TH CENTURY STREETCARS, CARRIAGES, AND WAGONS. THE PROGRAM FOCUSES ON THE TRANSPORTATION SEGREGATION OF THE TIME, AND ELIZABETH JENNINGS' EFFORTS AND SUCCESS IN ENDING THIS INJUSTICE.- MEET THE MUSEUM PROVIDES OUR YOUNGEST VISITORS IN GRADES PRE-K-2 AN INTRODUCTION TO THE MUSEUM THROUGH ROLE-PLAY, ART PROJECTS AND STORIES AS THEY EXPLORE OUR CARRIAGES AND PAINTINGS.- STREETS OF NEW YORK ALLOWS PARTICIPANTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO DISCOVER THE TOOLS AND ORIGINAL VEHICLES THAT HELPED SHAPE THE LIVES OF 19TH-CENTURY NEW YORKERS. THROUGH THE USE OF PROPS, HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES AND GUIDED DISCUSSION IN THE CARRIAGE MUSEUM GALLERIES, STUDENTS WILL NOTE DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES TO OUR 21ST-CENTURY WORLD.

THE MUSEUM'S EDUCATION AND PUBLIC PROGRAM SERVES A REGIONAL/LOCAL AUDIENCE, WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON SUFFOLK AND NASSAU COUNTIES. THE MUSEUM'S EDUCATION PROGRAM IS A CORE SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY. DURING 2020/2021, 3,224 SCHOOLCHILDREN FROM SUFFOLK AND NASSAU COUNTIES PARTICIPATED IN A VARIETY OF PROGRAMS. THE SCHOOL PROGRAM PROVIDES HANDS-ON, FACE-TO-FACE ENCOUNTERS WITH ART AND HISTORIC ARTIFACTS, ENGAGING YOUNG PEOPLE IN A WAY NOT AVAILABLE IN THE CLASSROOM SETTING. PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, ALL SCHOOL ANDFAMILY PROGRAMS FOR THE 2020/2021 SCHOOL YEAR WERE DONE VIRTUALLY. ADDITIONALLY, THE DEPARTMENT HOSTED TWO FAMILY BOOK CLUB PROGRAMS, WHERE 30 PARTICIPANTS JOINED THESE DISCUSSIONS IN JULY OF 2020 AND MARCH OF 2021. 268 FAMILIES WERE ABLE TO VIRTUALLY ENJOY OUR HALLOWEEN FAMILY FUN ACTIVITIES IN OCTOBER 2020.

MUSEUM GIFT AND BOOK SHOP WHICH SELLS BOOKS, AND EXHIBIT AND COLLECTION RELATED ITEMS ABOUT AMERICAN ART, HISTORY AND CARRIAGES.