From the Director's Desk

What do anniversaries tell us and why should we care?

Over the last few weeks, I have attended meetings focusing on upcoming anniversaries. Our nation’s 250th in 2026, the 400th of the building of Fort Orange (Albany), 100th of the NYS Parks system, 200th of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the 200th of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour, and the 75th anniversary in 2027 of Hudson Valley Community College.  We are also planning our 100th anniversary of the Rensselaer County Historical Society and the 200th of the Hart-Cluett House in 2027 for those of you looking to add those dates to your google calendars!

Invariably, after the discussions surrounding what kind of celebration should be thrown, the larger discussion surrounding how we have survived this long and where we see ourselves in the future follows. A phrase that comes up continuously in these conversations is “think outside the box but respect the past work that was done.”

We do this here at HCM.  In January, I started my 38th year and the changes I have seen, not only in the physical spaces of the museum but also in our exhibits and public programs have been extraordinary.   Talking to Samantha and Anna about our new exhibition on voting and democracy, I realize how far we have come in presenting history and engaging new audiences. Audiences that, just 50 years ago, would have never walked through the door, not because they wouldn’t have been welcomed, but because they didn’t think their history was important, when clearly it is.  Our mission of “recognizing every face and every story” is behind all our decisions that we make as a staff. and we take that responsibility seriously - striving for inclusivity in everything we do.

So, as we look back at our nation, state, county, and organization’s history, we are excited to take that history, dig further to see what we missed, bring those stories and our more recent history to the forefront and plan for the future.  It is going to be a wild ride and I am glad you are all joining us for the journey.

Kathryn T. Sheehan
Executive Director