Albany Institute of History & Art

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Albany Institute of History & Art
Established 1791
Location 125 Washington Avenue

Albany, New York 12210
Director Christine M. Miles
Website http://www.albanyinstitute.org/

The Albany Institute of History & Art (AIHA) is a museum in Albany, New York "dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting and promoting interest in the history, art, and culture of Albany and the Upper Hudson Valley region".[1] The museum is located at 125 Washington Avenue in downtown Albany. Founded in 1791, it is among the oldest museums in the United States.[2]

AIHA has over 20,000 objects in its permanent collections, including 1600 paintings, 1100 drawings, 4000 prints, 600 sculptures, 500 pieces of furniture, 1200 ceramics, 4000 pieces of clothing and accessories, and 5450 other historical artifacts. Its library collections house 140,000 printed volumes and 85,000 photographs.[3] To supplement its permanent exhibits, the institute hosts a number of traveling exhibitions yearly.

The Albany Institute of History & Art comprises three connected buildings: the original structure (housing museum exhibits), the Rice Building (housing the gift shop and meeting rooms), and a glass connecting structure (where visitors enter and pay admission). In 2001, the institute completed an extensive renovation in which the entrance building was constructed and new climate-controlled storage space for the collections was built.

Contents

[edit] Permanent exhibits

The permanent exhibits are located on two floors of the museum's original building.

  • The Landscape That Defined America: The Hudson River School: An exhibit in the Hudson River School Gallery featuring paintings by Frederic Church, Thomas Cole, and other artists of the Hudson River School.
  • Sense of Place: 18th and 19th Century Paintings and Sculpture: An exhibit in the Lansing Gallery.
  • 19th Century American Sculpture: An exhibit in the Sculpture Gallery of 20 works by Erastus Dow Palmer, Launt Thompson, and Charles Calverley.
  • Ancient Egypt: An exhibit in the Ancient Egypt Gallery featuring the institute's two mummies and other artifacts.
  • Traders and Culture: Colonial Albany and the Formation of American Identity: An exhibit in the Colonial Albany Gallery on the city in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
  • Entry Point Gallery: Visitors entering the museum first come upon this gallery, which houses a sampling of the institute's recent acquisitions.

Source: [1]

[edit] Hours and fees

The Albany Institute of History & Art is open from Wednesday to Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 12:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission costs $8.00 for adults, $6.00 for senior citizens and students, and $4.00 for children aged six to twelve (those under five are free). The library is open on Tuesdays from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. and by appointment.[4] The museum has a parking lot in the rear.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Albany Institute of History and Art
  2. ^ The History of the Albany Institute of History from the 1700's to the Present
  3. ^ Collections Index
  4. ^ http://www.albanyinstitute.org/exhibits/continue.htm

[edit] External links