Exhibitions
March 1, 2025 through December 30, 2025
…the Erie Canal exerted no mean effect upon the Nation. Its influence spread beyond and strove to efface our local boundaries and to make of the loose confederation of States and territories one united people.
The Erie Canal Centennial Celebration, 1928
Completed in 1825, the Erie Canal was a triumph of early engineering that carried an unprecedented volume of traffic 363 miles from Albany to Buffalo, influencing settlement, agricultural and industrial choices and patterns in New York State and beyond.
Throngs of people traveled the Canal out of curiosity and pleasure, reaching previously inaccessible places, and documenting their experiences and impressions in letters, journals, and travelogues. Artists and writers found ready subjects at every bend, from quiet landscapes to bustling canal towns.
This exhibition recognizes the bicentennial anniversary of the completion of the Canal, shares recollections of early travelers, and celebrates the continued importance of the Erie Canal and Mohawk River.
This exhibition is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
S. Georges (active mid-1800s)
Erie Canal, 1856
Oil on canvas
Gift of Bartlett Arkell, 1940
Learn about the early history of the Beech-Nut Packing Company and their use of fine art in advertising. Learn more about the Arkell Family: their philanthropy, business interests, and more. Don't miss the full color garden party video filmed at the Arkell home! Step outside and enjoy the beauty of the Memorial Garden, designed by Bartlett Arkell and built in memory of his wife Louisanna Grigsby Arkell.
This gallery features late 19th and early 20th-century American paintings purchased by Bartlett Arkell, our founder and first president of the Beech-Nut Packing Company, specifically to share with his community. Works on display include all seven of our oil paintings by Winslow Homer (reunited after independent loans to Germany, Maine, and Massachusetts), and significant paintings by many distinguished American artists including William M. Chase, Childe Hassam, George Inness, and Albert Bierstadt. The inspiration of Bartlett Arkell, this original art gallery opened to the public in 1929, and was once accessed from the original stand-alone Library building through two doors. Today, these doors are windows providing Library patrons a glimpse into the gallery and Museum visitors a glimpse into the original Library (now our Reading Room). Also not to be missed in this gallery is the full scale copy of The Night Watch by Rembrandt, commissioned by Arkell specifically for this space, and on display today.
