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Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 12pm - 5pm

Albany Institute of History & Art

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Albany Institute of History & Art

New York's oldest museum is located in downtown Albany and showcases exhibitions that range from colonial history to contemporary art.
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Come make art, hear a lecture, take a tour, research history, shop for gifts, and more. Founded in 1791, the Albany Institute is one of the oldest museums in the United States. We are dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting and promoting interest in the history, art and culture of Albany and the Upper Hudson Valley.

06/03/2026

🌄 This week, we celebrate the opening of one of the summer's most anticipated exhibitions, Your Friend, Frederic E. Church. Join us for the reception on Friday evening or opening day on Saturday and be among the first to experience the exhibition. Plus, much more—your week ahead at AIHA:

🥂 June 5 from 5–7PM: Opening reception of Your Friend, Frederic E. Church ($25 AIHA members; $35 non-members)
🆓 June 6–7: Museums on Us weekend, free admission for Bank of America cardholders
👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 June 6 from 11–11:45AM: Guided Family Tour of the galleries, free with admission
🎨 June 6 from 12–4PM: Art for All hands-on artmaking, free with admission
🗣️ June 7 from 2–3PM: Docent Tour of the galleries, free with admission
🖼️ Galleries open Wednesday–Sunday. Opening weekend of Your Friend, Frederic E. Church, plus special exhibitions Blanche Lazzell: Becoming an American Modernist and A Life in Bloom: The Floral Paintings of Julia McEntee Dillon.

⚡ Plus: AIHA OFFSITE at Art on Lark this Saturday, June 6, from 12–6PM! Find the AIHA table where we'll be giving away free passes, swag, and info about upcoming events.

Photos: Fullness of Joy Photography

06/02/2026

Thank you to artist Julia Whitney Barnes and everyone who joined our special cyanotype printmaking workshop at the Albany Institute! ☀️💙

Inspired by Blanche Lazzell: Becoming an American Modernist, participants experimented with the historic photographic process of cyanotype, creating beautiful prints while exploring themes of form, abstraction, and nature.

Interested in future artist-led workshops and hands-on programs? Subscribe to our e-newsletter and be the first to hear about upcoming opportunities at the museum: https://ow.ly/Qnox50Z6jOC

Photos © Fullness of Joy Photography

06/01/2026

✨ Gala ticket sales extended—secure your spot by this Friday, June 5!

There is still time to join us on Saturday, June 13 at Forts Ferry Farm for the Albany Institute of History & Art's signature fundraising event, featuring cocktails, a seated dinner, musical performances, a live auction, and dancing under the stars.

Tickets are now on sale through Friday, June 5 at 12PM (noon) at albanyinstitute.org/gala 🥂

Photos © Joe Putrock

05/30/2026

Please plan ahead! 🚧 Road closures for the Delightful Run for Women 5K will affect access to the museum today, Saturday, May 30.

Washington Avenue in front of the museum will be closed until 2PM.
Eastbound traffic on Washington Avenue will be closed until 6PM.
The museum parking lot will only be accessible via Elk Street.

The museum remains open during regular hours. For complete road closure and traffic information, visit parkalbany.com.

Good luck to all race participants! 🏃‍♀️✨ Show your race bib at the Admission Desk for free gallery admission this weekend only.

Video still: Beyer Creative

05/29/2026

🌄One week away! Join us Friday, June 5 from 5–7PM and be among the first to experience the Albany Institute's new exhibition, Your Friend, Frederic E. Church.

As part of the international Church 200 celebration, the exhibition explores the friendship between Church and Albany-based sculptor Erastus Dow Palmer through paintings, sculpture, personal correspondence, archival materials, and significant loans.

Reception tickets are $25 for AIHA Members; $35 for non-members. Sponsor-level members and above ($250+) receive two complimentary passes.

Reserve your tickets today at https://ow.ly/8Lou50Z4X7E

Lead support for Your Friend, Frederic E. Church programs and events is provided by Donald and Ann Eberle. Additional program support is provided by Todd Slingerland and Jennifer Krieger and Hawthorne Fine Art. Support for the exhibition is provided by Douglas L. Cohn, DVM. Conservation support for works in this exhibition is provided by Dr. Lawrence and Mrs. Louise Marwill and Evelyn Trebilcock.

[Morning, Looking East Over the Hudson Valley from the Catskill Mountains, Frederic E. Church, 1848, oil on canvas. AIHA, gift of Catherine Gansevoort Lansing, x1940.606.7]

05/28/2026

🌼 This Sunday! Join scholar and art dealer Jennifer C. Krieger on May 31 at 2PM for her talk exploring Julia McEntee Dillon’s contribution to the Women’s Pavilion of the World’s Columbian Exposition. The lecture will provide a biographical sketch of the artist and her career leading up to her involvement in the Chicago World’s Fair. Her submission, Morning Glories, which won a prize at the Fair will be discussed within the context of other notable works by her.

The programs is free with admission, and organized in conjunction with the exhibition A Life in Bloom: The Floral Paintings of Julia McEntee Dillon, on view through July 26, 2026.

Jennifer C. Krieger has gained recognition as a successful dealer and scholar in the field of American art. In 2005, she founded Hawthorne Fine Art, LLC, a Manhattan based American Art gallery focused on 19th and early 20th century artists. In addition to assisting in the formation of numerous American painting collections, she has also written scholarly articles in various art periodicals. She is a member of the Thursday Club women’s charity organization, a member of the Women’s History Institute of Historic Hudson Valley, and a trustee of The Olana Partnership.

[Julia McEntee Dillon (1834–1919), Morning Glories, oil on canvas, c. 1900. The Old Dutch Church of Kingston, New York.]

05/27/2026

✨ Your week ahead at the Albany Institute!

👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 May 30 from 11–11:45AM: Guided Family Tour of the galleries, free with admission
🌸 May 31 from 2–3PM: Talk by Jennifer Krieger on Julia McEntee Dillon, free with admission
🖼️ Galleries open Wednesday–Sunday. Explore A Life in Bloom: The Floral Paintings of Julia McEntee Dillon and Blanche Lazzell: Becoming an American Modernist.

🧠 Plus: AIHA OFFSITE today, Wednesday, May 27 at 5PM, for the panel "Your Brain on Art" at the Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy.

Photo: Fullness of Joy Photography

05/26/2026

The Delightful Run for Women 5K is this Saturday! 🏃‍♀️

Participants: bring your race bib to the Albany Institute on Saturday or Sunday, May 30–31, to receive free gallery admission. The race course runs right by the museum—stop in and spend some time exploring the galleries this weekend!

⛔ Please note that road closures and parking restrictions will be in effect downtown due to the event. Plan ahead and allow extra time for travel and parking.

Photo © Paul Warchol

05/24/2026

Secure your gala tickets by this Friday! ✨

The Albany Institute 2026 Museum Gala is Saturday, June 13 at Forts Ferry Farm. Guests will enjoy a strolling cocktail hour with sumptuous appetizer stations, a seated dinner amid the farm’s beautiful gardens and open fields, musical interludes, a spirited live auction courtesy of Sotheby’s, and dancing under the stars.

🎟️ Ticket sales close Friday, May 29. Purchase tickets at albanyinstitute.org/gala.

Photos © Joe Putrock

05/22/2026

🖼️ 💬 Join AIHA offsite for "Your Brain on Art," a community-focused panel discussion exploring the intersection of art, memory, wellness, and dementia care.

Held on Wednesday, May 27 from 5–7PM at the Arts Center of the Capital Region, Megan Brown, Director of Education, and Natalie Oliver, Education Associate, will present on Meet Me at the Institute, AIHA's free program for people living with dementia and their caregivers.

The program will also feature presentations from Songs by Heart with Opera Saratoga, AllWays Dance, School of the Arts at S**C, and Eddy Alzheimer’s Services.

"Your Brain on Art" is free and open to the public. Presented by the Alzheimer’s Association of Northeastern New York and supported in part by the New York State Department of Health.

For more information about Meet Me at the Institute, visit albanyinstitute.org

Photo: Fullness of Joy Photography

Address

125 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY
12210

Opening Hours

Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm
Sunday	12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+15184634478

Website

http://www.albanyinstitute.org/

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