Museum at Bethel Woods
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Museum at Bethel Woods | |
| Established | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Location | Bethel, New York, USA |
| Website | The Museum at Bethel Woods |
The Museum at Bethel Woods, sometimes known as the Woodstock Museum, is part of the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, New York. It commemorates Woodstock and the 1960s and is designed to let visitors know more about the home of the famous music festival, where the museum is located. The museum is scheduled to open on June 2, 2008, despite more than $1 million in its anticipated funding being withdrawn in October 2007, and local officials hope it will help revive the area.
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[edit] Scope
In addition to information about the music festival, which is about two-thirds of the museum's scope,[1] the museum will offer exhibits, personal stories and a multi-media experience about various aspects of the 1960s, including music, fashion and political protest.[2] In addition, it will focus on issues such as the baby boom, Cold War, Civil Rights Movement, and the assassinations and riots that occurred during the decade, all of which contribute to the context of Woodstock.[3] The 7,000 square-foot museum will include a 2,000 square-foot high-definition theater and a 4,300 square-foot gallery, as well as classrooms, a kitchen and a patio.
[edit] Impact
Expected to stay open for ten months of the year, closed during Sullivan County's off season from January to March,[1] it is hoped that the opening the museum will help revive tourism, which has suffered in the region following the closure of many resorts following the decline of the so-called Borscht Belt.[3] While Sullivan County has struggled, at times, with the legacy of Woodstock, officials hope the museum will help manage that.[3] Bethel is already benefiting from the opening of the performing arts center in 2006, and has led to increased development in the town and along nearby Kauneonga Lake,[4] and the museum is seen as one of the county's larger economic development programs, despite the controversy surrounding its funding.[5]
[edit] Funding
$1 million in funding that the museum received from the U.S. Senate in June 2007 was criticized after it was revealed the museum founder, Alan Gerry, then donated almost $30,000 to New York Senators Hilary Clinton and Charles Schumer, who had helped to secure the funding.[6] The funding was rescinded in October 2007 following criticism from Republicans led by John McCain,[5] although it did not affect the museum's scheduled opening[7] nor the more than $15 million in state funding.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Dan Hust (2008-02-19). Museum Will 'Relive' the Woodstock Era. Sullivan County Democrat. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
- ^ Bethel Woods Museum. The Buffalo News (2008-05-04). Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
- ^ a b c Joel Achenbach (2007-10-27). A Museum on Woodstock, With a Haircut. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
- ^ Victor Whitman (2008-02-21). Museum will Let Visitors Know 'Woodstock' was Really Bethel. Times Herald-Record. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
- ^ a b Sarah Wheaton (2008-05-03). A New Moment for Aquarius. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
- ^ Steve Israel (2007-10-18). Museum at Bethel Woods: A Political Attraction?. Times Herald-Record. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
- ^ Fritz Mayer (2007-10-25). Senate Blocks $1 Million for Bethel Woods Museum. The River Reporter. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
- ^ Woodstock Museum Will Stay Open. BBC News (2007-10-29). Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
