Both T.S. Eliot and William Shakespeare have each called April “the cruelest month.” Clearly neither spent a winter in Upstate New York. But in some ways, they weren’t wrong - at least when it comes to entertainment.
Because the weather is still unpredictable, it means indoors activities are a priority for the immediate future. One perfect alternative is a museum experience. Though we are fortunate to have world class museums like The Clark and Mass MoCA in the nearby Berkshires, we have a multitude of local museums that cover many fields of interest.
The Clark in Williamstown, MA. is one of the finest museums in the country. The NY Times has called it the best museum between New York City and Montreal.
Personally, I think it is better than many museums I’ve visited in NYC. Added icing is they have just added three new paintings to their already broad collection. The three are by female painters and completed about 1804. They have been in private hands for over 200 years.
MassMoCA is a world-class contemporary museum of art located in North Adams, MA. It is housed in an huge complex of industrial factories built in the late-19th century. Even if you don’t think you like modern or contemporary art, seeing so much thought provoking work in this setting of about 200,000 sq. ft. is a great experience that is worth a drive.
Locally there are two major seasons – tourist and non-tourist. So, rather than wait for the crowded peak season of summer, what better time of year to visit the Saratoga Racing Museum on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs?
The same can be said for the Saratoga Automobile Museum in the Saratoga State Park. Indeed now is the ideal time to view the exhibit of James Bond cars that appeared in several of 007’s film chases. It consists of several of Bond’s signature vehicles - the Aston Martin.
There are also a 1977 Lotus Esprit and a 1999 BMW Z8. In all 10 Bond films are represented in the exhibit. “Bond in Motion” is at the museum through November, but why wait? For more information on all the exhibits go to saratogaautomuseum.org. And, while there, don’t neglect their fascinating permanent exhibits.
On the subject of timing, it’s always a good time to visit the Frances Young Tang Museum, located on the campus of Skidmore College. Because it is a teaching museum, it has a knack of making unusual exhibits both fun and thoughtful. It is also a family-oriented museum that is also recognizing the desirability of family experiences in April, a month that contains the Easter holiday, Passover and a week-long school break.
The Tang is instituting a program where after viewing an exhibit, children 5 and over (accompanied by an adult) will be able to discuss the experience and encouraged in hands-on art making of their own. The program is free on a first-come basis. The program will be held on Saturdays on April 15, 29 and May 13. For info, go to tang/Skidmore.edu or call 518-580-8080.
Another example of art museums offering more than visual beauty is the Albany Institute of History and Art on Washington Avenue in Albany.
Throughout the month of March they devoted several lectures tied into Women’s history. One of those exhibits, “It’s a Wrap: Two Hundred Years of Outerwear,” continues through August 6.
And of course there is their world-famous collection of Hudson River School of paintings. And just for fun there is “50 Objects.” It’s a display of 50 objects that have been selected to uniquely represent the area in which we live.
This weekend, the Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy, officially opened the exhibit of contemporary photographs. “An Atlas.”
The solo exhibit of work by Tara Fracalossi continues through April 22. It’s an ongoing work with the title “Postcards to Myself” which started during the COVID pandemic when the artist used a iPhone to document her daily life experiences. She was forced to use the services of online consumer printing services and the US Postal Services.
The exhibit uses her original postcards and enlargements. The stated goal of the exhibit is “To investigate the photographic process, language, and the construction of personal histories.”
This is only a taste of the visual arts experience available to us 12 months a year. There is also the Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, where most of the art is displayed in a once private home. The is the Opalka Gallery on the Albany Campus of Russell Sage, the gallery on the SUNY campus and of course the State Museum at the Empire Plaza. And my apologies to those wonderful boutique galleries that I overlooked.
My point is it is possible to make the cruelest month one of joy and discovery.
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.
