NYC & COMPANY NAMES THREE STATEN ISLAND INSTITUTIONS CULTURE SPOT FOR JULY 2012
NYC & COMPANY NAMES THREE STATEN ISLAND INSTITUTIONS CULTURE SPOT FOR JULY 2012
—Staten Island Museum, Historic Richmond Town and Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden Offer Monthlong 2-for-1 Admission—
New York City (June 28, 2012)—NYC & Company, New York City's marketing, tourism and partnership organization, today named the Staten Island Museum, Historic Richmond Town and Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden its Culture Spot picks for July. Culture Spot is a monthly program that spotlights cultural organizations across the five boroughs, elevates the City’s arts community and encourage local and visitor exploration. For the first time this year, NYC & Company has designated three venues for one month, offering visitors a comprehensive neighborhood experience and inviting in-depth tours of a borough beyond Manhattan with 2-for-1 admission between July 1 and 31.
“We’re proud to present three opportunities this month for residents and visitors to take advantage of as part of Culture Spot,” said NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta. “Staten Island is the City’s most bucolic borough with its own vibe and unique activities. These bundled cultural offers offer a complete and affordable experience for those looking for a local adventure this July.”
Staten Island Museum
The Staten Island Museum is the borough’s oldest cultural institution and only remaining general-interest museum in the City of New York. Its impressive collection of art, natural science and history relics include 19th- and 20th-century portraits and landscapes, 5,000 specimens spanning 150 years and artifacts dating back to the 17th century.
July highlights include:
- The museum’s permanent Natural Science Collection features more than 500,000 samples of plants, rocks, shells, insects, fish, amphibians, mammals and fossils.
- In its Juried Art Exhibition, 38 artists selected from the tristate area display their works, which range from sculpture and photographs to collage and paintings.
- On Thursday, July 26, 7–9pm, the museum will stay open late to host a summer cocktail and toga party hosted by Robert Bunkin, curator of art, and featuring an Italian bellini bar by Da Noi. Free for members, $5 after 5pm for nonmembers.
Historic Richmond Town
This living-history village and museum complex comprises more than 25 homes and public buildings spanning over 300 years, including Voorlezer’s House—a National Historic Landmark built in the 1690s—and the Third County Courthouse, built in 1837.
July highlights include:
- An Independence Day celebration (July 4, 11am–5pm) will feature cooking competitions judged by their “colonial” cooks, a pie-baking contest, pinwheel parade, ice cream churning and more.
- Themed tours are offered Wednesday to Sunday, each different and tailored to specific interests. Wednesdays are “Voice of the People,” Thursdays offer “Behind the Scenes in the Museum,” Fridays explore “Light, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness,” Saturdays feature food in “Eating America,” and Sundays look at “Building the American Dream.”
- The exhibition Bringing up Baby: Children’s Furniture and Family Life features children’s furniture from the Staten Island Historical Society collection, illuminating aspects of 19th-century childhood that are still relevant to parents today. In conjunction, the exhibition TOYS! showcases more than 200 of the most popular and remembered toys from the 1840s to today.
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden
Once a 19th-century home for retired seamen, today this 83-acre property serves as a regional arts center for a number of museum and arts programs. It is one of New York City’s unique architectural complexes and historic landscapes, housing the Greek Revival Music Hall (the second-oldest music hall in NYC after and a distinguished Smithsonian affiliate), the New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden (the first authentic classical Chinese garden built in the United States), Noble Maritime Collection and celebrated Staten Island Children’s Museum.
July highlights include:
- Coinciding with the 120th anniversary of their landmarked Music Hall, their interactive multimedia exhibition Island Sounds: A 500 Year Music Mash-Up celebrates Staten Island’s music history. Galleries feature memorabilia, instruments, artifacts, photos and videos from musicians and artists who lived, worked or performed on Staten Island. The exhibit also features a timeline of Staten Island’s music history that begins before the year 1500, with songs from the Lenape Indians, Dutch tavern music from the 1600s, 1850s classical opera, 1900s vaudeville, jazz of the 1920s, the big-band era of the 1940s, disco and folk music of the 1970s and today’s rock and rap. In October 2011 Lady Gaga filmed her music video Marry the Night in the Music Hall and several other Snug Harbor locations, which are shown in the exhibition.
- As part of the Staten Island Borough President’s Starlight Concert series, Snug Harbor Cultural Center will host a free event on Thursday, July 26, 7:30–10pm, featuring soulful songs from Theresa Dowtin and lively beats from the Al Lambert Orchestra. Visitors are encouraged to bring chairs, blankets and snacks.
- On view through July 15 is a fashion exhibit featuring 11 recycled pieces from designer Gustavo Galvan, who showed his collection Shopping Bag Intricacies on live models during a fashion show in the Richmond County Savings Foundation Tuscan Garden last month. The wearable structures are made from a variety of found items, including deconstructed plastic bottles and shopping bags. The event takes place Tuesdays through Sundays, 10am–5pm, at the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art. Free for members and children, $4 for seniors, $5 for students and adults.
To take advantage of these Staten Island offers between July 1 and 31, visitors can pick up a discount coupon at the Official NYC Information Centers located in Midtown Manhattan, Times Square and Harlem, or the Official NYC Information Kiosks at City Hall and in Chinatown (nycgo.com/articles/official-nyc-information-centers). Starting tomorrow, the coupon can also be downloaded online at nycgo.com/culturespot.
To learn more about this month’s Culture Spot picks, Annie Bergen will host a special podcast with representatives from the Staten Island Museum, Historic Richmond Town and Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden. Trivia questions about the interviews will be asked over Twitter (@nycgo) each week in July for a chance to win a tie or scarf from the Staten Island Museum, free passes to exhibits at Snug Harbor and a family package to Historic Richmond Town. To listen to the podcast and learn more about the Culture Spot program, visit nycgo.com/culturespot.
For the latest announcements on NYC & Company programs, follow @nycgo_press. Visit nycgo.com to find out everything there is to see and do in New York City.
About Staten Island Museum:
Founded in 1881 and celebrating its 130th year, the Staten Island Museum, New York City’s only general-interest museum, engages visitors with interdisciplinary exhibitions and educational programs that explore the dynamic connections between natural science, art and history based on its diverse collections. The museum welcomes about 80,000 adults and school children to a comprehensive array of programs every year. Located two blocks from the Ferry Terminal, visitors can embark on a voyage through time in the Staten Island Ferry exhibit; see rocks glow in the dark in the Hall of Natural Sciences; and experience the lives of Staten Island's first inhabitants. In Building H on the Snug Harbor Campus, visitors can explore the latest exhibitions in the History Center Gallery, or make a research appointment for the History Archives & Library. Staten Island Museum is owned by the City of New York and benefits from public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. For current exhibitions, visit statenislandmuseum.org.
About Historic Richmond Town:
The mission of the Staten Island Historical Society is to create opportunities for the public to explore the diversity of the American experience, especially that of Staten Island and its neighboring communities from the colonial period to the present. Historic Richmond Town is a joint project of the independent Staten Island Historical Society and the City of New York through the Department of Cultural Affairs, and is a member of the Historic House Trust. For more information please visit historicrichmondtown.org.
About Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden:
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden is the largest, ongoing adaptive reuse project in America. It consists of 28 historical buildings, including several New York City landmarks on a unique 83-acre campus in Staten Island. Formerly Sailors’ Snug Harbor, a home for retired sailors built in the 1800s, Snug Harbor is now a distinguished regional arts center where history, architecture, visual art, theater, dance, music, environmental science, and botanical gardens provide dynamic experiences for all ages. Snug Harbor is also home to the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, the Snug Harbor Artist Residency Program (SHARP), the Noble Maritime Collection, Staten Island Children’s Museum, Snug Harbor Heritage Farm and the Staten Island Museum. Snug Harbor is a proud affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.
About NYC & Company:
NYC & Company is the official marketing, tourism and partnership organization for the City of New York, dedicated to maximizing travel and tourism opportunities throughout the five boroughs, building economic prosperity and spreading the positive image of New York City worldwide. For more information, visit nycgo.com.
About the NYC & Company Foundation:
The NYC & Company Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable and educational organization whose mission is to support tourism to New York City by promoting the arts and cultural organizations that make visiting New York City a special and exciting experience. Since its inception in 1999, the Foundation has focused on educating domestic and international audiences about the vibrant and diverse cultural community throughout New York City.
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Contact: Francisca Ovalle/NYC & Company 212 484 5475