Some who don’t visit museums “aren’t interested in old things” or “don’t understand art,” perhaps recalling youthful encounters with dusty display cases, esoteric objects identified by faded labels, or a gallery of paintings they couldn’t comprehend – and with which they had no help.
Museums today deserve another chance.
We are about people, stories, and ideas. Personal experience. FUN! And (not too loud now) learning, but not “ask-me-all-your-questions-and-I’ll-give-you-all-the-answers” learning, but “we’ll-get-you-so-excited-that-you’ll-keep-asking-and-looking-for-answers-yourself” learning.
Ask those who saw Grandma Moses' paintings in a whole new light at Fenimore Art Museum in 2006 (she was a strong woman in the context of her times). Ask students who did their own historical research and made sense of it for others for a New York History Day project. Ask the child who, wide-eyed, reached for one of Buttercup’s teats, or the visitor in a wheelchair who was delighted to learn that the Carousel and all its glorious carvings are accessible at The Farmers' Museum! Ask the visitor seeing Native American objects in an entirely different light – as art, masterworks, no less – or marveling at the wonder and meaning of masks.
“Aha” moments abound here at the museums, in the Research Library, and through our many educational programs.
Yes, we collect and preserve, but for a purpose. We are welcoming educational institutions that take our missions very seriously. Our collections, including The Farmers’ Museum’s buildings, and our exhibits, connect us today with those who created, or are depicted in, or are related to our objects. They are portals to the lives of other humans -- Native Americans, immigrants, New Yorkers, Americans – who not only worked and reared families but also sought to understand their humanity, to make a difference, to express themselves, and to leave the world a better place for their children and their children’s children. We share the human experience, and all the hopes and fears and struggles and joy of being human, with these forbears whose legacies now tell their stories here, and in museums and libraries around the world.
We are a vital part of making sense of and reveling in life and its richness.
And for every initiative we undertake to do better or to reach more people with our work, we have our members, donors, sponsors, and grantors to thank.
Come be a part of the wonderful stories we tell this year, and please, bring a friend!
D. Stephen Elliott, President
