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‘There is always something new’ — August 5

Hyde Collection invites public to explore on Community Day

GLENS FALLS, New York—The Hyde Collection offers a free day of art-making, tours, live music, and family fun at its annual Community Day from noon to 5 pm Sunday, August 11.

“At least once a week, we hear someone say, ‘I went to The Hyde on a field trip in the eighth grade …,’ ” said Hyde CEO Norman E. Dascher Jr. “We want everyone to know that there is always something new here. We offer twelve exhibitions and more than 235 programs a year, so you if you aren’t visiting The Hyde every few months, you are missing out on incredible opportunities.”

Community Day is open to the public and includes tours of historic Hyde House and current exhibitions; a display of artwork created by seventeen professional artists in the Museum’s Plein Air Festival, which starts August 7; local artists working on site; live music by The Switch from noon to 2 pm; hands-on art activities for all ages, including a family Art Battle; and food for purchase.

“This is our way to welcome back folks who haven’t visited in a while, or ever,” Dascher said. “We want them to see that there is a world-class art experience waiting for them, right here in Glens Falls.”

Tours throughout Community Day include the Hyde family’s historic home, built in 1912 for Museum founders Charlotte and Louis Hyde. Hyde House is decorated as it was when the Hydes lived in it, with a distinctive collection of decorative arts dating back to the Renaissance and a collection of European and American art by such artists as Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, Thomas Eakins, Edgar Degas, Winslow Homer, El Greco, Botticelli, and more.

Docents will also lead tours of From the Rooftops: John Sloan and the Art of a New Urban Space, an exhibition organized by the Palmer Museum of Art that examines works by the Ashcan School artist and his contemporaries.

Also on view at The Hyde are A Selection of Masterworks from the Feibes & Schmitt Collection; Masterpieces Under the Microscope: James Brade Sword and Andrea della Robbia; and Modern Art: From Bauhaus to Black Mountain College.

Outside the Museum, artwork created during The Hyde’s Plein Air Festival will be exhibited. The five-day festival, which has artists selected by juror George Van Hook painting throughout Glens Falls, South Glens Falls, Hudson Falls, Lake George, and Queensbury, culminates at 3 pm on Community Day with presentation of awards in categories including Nocturne, Waterways, Structure, and Best in Show. Each participating artist will display up to four works completed during the festival (many of which will be listed for sale by the artist).

“Seeing our beautiful region depicted by plein air artists is a really unique way to experience it,” said Jenny Hutchinson, curator of Museum education and programming. “They capture places we walk or drive by every day and don’t think twice about, and suddenly we wonder how we never noticed before how the river bends just so, or the gorgeous roof line of that old building.”

Community members who see participating artists working throughout the region are encouraged to talk to them about their artwork and snap photos, tag them with #hydecollection and #hydepleinair, and share them on social media.

Everyone — of all skill and experience levels — is invited to paint on the Museum campus as part of Community Day. Plein Air Adirondack will offer a tent to exhibit artwork created during the day. Community member works will be included in an Art Battle, with prizes awarded in categories including student, family, and adult.

Hands-on art activities will be available for all levels of artists, too. “No one should feel intimidated. You don’t have to have taken art classes to enjoy art-making,” Hutchinson said.

“Community Day is for everyone,” Dascher said. “Mrs. Hyde founded the Museum so the people of this region could enjoy her collection for generations.”

Food will be available for purchase from Samantha’s Cafe and Catering, and Plaid Pancake. Ice cream will be sold by Stewart’s Shops, with proceeds benefiting The Hyde.

Community Day is sponsored by LARAC, Events Under Tents, Rocksport, and Plein Air Adirondack.

Plein Air Festival awards are provided by Blick Art Materials, Holbein Artist Materials, Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff, Soave Faire Inc., Adirondack Film Festival, and Glens Falls Symphony.