This Winter's Must-See Exhibits at New York State Museums

This Winter’s Must-See Exhibits at New York State Museums

Jan 13, 2025

Whether you’re an art lover, history buff, or pop culture enthusiast, New York State’s world-class museums are guaranteed to leave a lasting impression. What better way to warm up during the winter months than by spending the day exploring an exciting exhibit? From the first ever exhibition dedicated to Long Island native Billy Joel to an exhibit with larger-than-life-sized animal sculptures made entirely from LEGO® bricks, there really is something for everyone. Be sure to add these must-see Empire State exhibits to your winter itinerary before they’re gone! Credit: @Daytrippingroc on Instagram

A Dressmakers Work: Fashioning the 19th Century at the Holland Land Office Museum

Learn about Genesee County dressmakers and explore the Holland Land Office’s extensive 19th Century costume collection at their newest exhibit A Dressmakers Work: Fashioning the 19th Century. Opening on February 11, you’ll get a look into the lives of Genesee dressmakers and how their work created an avenue for women to create autonomy from the home and break the domestic sphere. Batavia; open February 11 – June 2025. The Holland Land Office Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday 10 am-4 pm.

Through Artists’ Eyes at The Castellani Art Museum at Niagara University

Exterior of the Castellani Art Museum at Niagara University

Admire a diverse range of art showcasing the insights of shared human experience at the Castellani Art Musuem’s exhibit, Through Artists’ Eyes: Exploring the Natural and Urban World. Drawn primarily from the museum’s permanent collection, each section of the exhibit offers differing perspectives on the idyllic beauty of natural landscapes, the relationship between humans and animals, the grandeur of Niagara Falls, the complexity of Urban Environments, and the individuality of people. Niagara University; now through July 1, 2026. Open Wednesday and Friday-Sunday 11 am–5 pm and Thursday 1pm–7 pm.

That Which Binds Us at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Admire the work of 15 artists as they reflect on the experiences we share using fabric, weaving, embroidery, and other related materials at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum. That Which Binds Us uses the rich tradition of tapestry to showcase contemporary life and works to address how we all carry our experiences with us through material culture. Buffalo; on display until May 12, 2025. Museum is open Saturday-Monday 10am-5pm and Thursday-Friday 10am-8pm.

Billy Joel – My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame

Credit: @stonybrookvillage on Instagram

Explore the incredible five decade career of a legendary Long Island musician at Billy Joel – My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. This impressive exhibit is the only one of its kind and will take you through the story of Billy Joel’s career alongside his albums, tours, inspirations, and personal experiences. Admire some of the Piano Man’s most prized possessions, rare memorabilia, behind-the-scenes videos, vintage instruments, and historic photos, many of which are donated by Billy Joel himself and have never been seen before in public. Stony Brook; on display through March 2025. Open Wednesday-Sunday 11am-6pm.

Scooby-Doo! Mansion Mayhem at the Strong Museum of Play

Credit: @cgoverts on Instagram

“Ruh-Roh!” Join Scooby-Doo and the gang to solve a gem of a mystery at the Strong Museum’s newest exhibit Scooby-Doo Mansion Mayhem! This immersive exhibit, in partnership with Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment, allows families to put their problem-solving skills to the test as they work with different characters of Mystery Inc. to unmask the jewel thief and secrets of the mansion. Rochester; on view through May 4, 2025. The Strong Museum is open Sunday-Thursday 10am-5pm and Friday-Saturday 10am-8pm.

Glass in the Gray Zone of Censorship at the Corning Museum of Glass

Credit: @krmusician on Instagram

Explore how glass can tell the stories of abstraction, resistance, and self-censorship at the Corning Museum’s exhibition Glass in the Gray Zone of Censorship. Curated by the museum’s Junior Curators (a program for students in grades 8-12), the exhibit highlights Czechoslovakian glass from the 1950s and ‘60s and how glassworkers challenged the expectations of the post-WWII Communist regime. Corning; on display through May 2025. Open Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Sunday 9am-5pm.

Animal Super Powers at the Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC)

Credit: @drlutzpt on Instagram

Immerse yourself in the world of Sean Kenney’s amazing animal sculptures at the Rochester Museum and Science Center’s exhibit Animal Super Powers. Walk through larger-than-life-sized creatures like dragonflies, frogs, and pandas, built entirely from LEGO® bricks while learning about their unique super powers. Rochester; on view now – April 27, 2025. Open Tuesday-Saturday 9am-5pm and Sunday 9am-3pm.

Composing Color at the Memorial Art Gallery

Opening February 8 at the Memorial Art Gallery, Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas invites you to see the world through the eyes of this singular figure in the story of 20th-century American Art. The first Howard University graduate in fine arts, Thomas takes an intuitive approach of gestural abstraction weaving in inspiration from nature, the cosmos, and music for her vibrant, rhythmic art. Rochester; on display now through May 25, 2025. Museum is open Wednesday-Sunday, 11am-5pm and Thursday 11am-9pm.

The Ceramic Nationals at the Everson Museum of Art

Credit: @daytrippingroc on Instagram

Experience the birth of the Studio Ceramics Movement at the Everson Museum of Art. The Ceramic Nationals, born from a modest juried exhibition of studio ceramics by New York State artists, now has more than 200 purchase prizes in the Everson collection dating back to the Great Depression through the early 1970s. View the collection in person, showcasing the history and glory of the Ceramic Nationals. Syracuse; ongoing. The museum is open Wednesday and Friday-Sunday 11am-5pm, and Thursday 11am-8pm.

Everybody’s Going to be There at the Genesee Country Village and Museum

Dive into the history of rural cemeteries and how the tourism ephemera of the 19th century came to be at Everybody’s Going to be There: The American Rural Cemetery Movement at the Genesee Country Village & Museum. Through a wide variety of memorial art, maps, mourning jewelry, and wildlife art, learn how 19th-century Americans changed the view towards cemeteries to scenic respites and social centers within a living ecosystem. Mumford; on display through December 2025. The museum is open for winter on Saturdays and Sundays 11am-3pm, through March 16.

And All That Jazz at the Hudson River Museum

Take a look at never-before-seen paintings, prints, and illustrations from Alvin Carl Hollingsworth at the Hudson River Museum‘s And All That Jazz exhibit. As a versatile and energetic artist, Hollingsworth vividly represented the Black experience in America through different art styles and held a lifelong interest in social concerns. Explore his influential career throughout this transformative exhibit, the first in over 50 years, which includes 16 paintings, prints, comics, and related work. Yonkers; on view now through April 27. The museum is open Wednesday-Friday, 12pm-5pm and Saturday-Sunday, 11am-5pm.

Maria Lai. A Journey to America at Magazzino Italian Art

Dive into the groundbreaking career of one of the most important Italian artists of the 20th century at the Magazzino Italian Art exhibit, Maria Lai. A Journey to America. The United States’ first retrospective dedicated to Lai, this exhibition explores her six-decade career through nearly 100 works,showcasing her evolution and determination to carve out an artistic voice in a predominantly male field. Cold Spring; on display until July 28, 2025. Museum is open Friday-Monday 11am-5pm and Thursday by appointment only.

The Hudson River School at the Albany Institute of History & Art

Credit: @discoveralbany and @albanyinstitute on Instagram

Did you know that the Albany Institute houses one of the largest collections of 19th-century American landscape paintings, known as the Hudson River School paintings. Explore artists like Thomas Cole, Frederic Church, Jasper Cropsey, Asher Durand, and Sarah Cole who all beautifully capture America’s scenic grandeur from rugged coastal vistas to powerful mountains and rivers. Stroll through the Albany Institute’s impressive 83 painting collection at the ongoing Hudson River School: Landscape Paintings exhibit which can be found in the Christine and George R. Hearst III Gallery on the museum’s third floor. Albany; ongoing. The Albany Institute is open Wednesday-Saturday 10am-5pm and Sunday 12pm-5pm.

Margery Ryerson: Art is Contagious at the New York State Museum

Through more than 80 artworks and objects, learn about the impressive seven-decade career of painter and printmaker Margery Ryerson at the New York State Museum’s Art is Contagious exhibit. Best known for compiling the influential notes of artist Robert Henri for the publication, “The Art Spirit,” Ryerson was important in her own right, gaining critical acclaim for her candid depictions of children, particularly those in settlement houses where she taught. Albany; open now through September 7, 2025. Open Tuesday through Sunday, 9:30 am – 5:00 pm

Pirouette: Turning Points in Design at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

Design is an agent of change. Learn about the deep impact that design, whether it be symbols, furniture, or electronics, has on the world at the upcoming MoMA exhibit, Pirouette: Turning Points in Design, opening January 26. Not only will you get to admire a wide range of objects spanning from the 1930s today, you’ll also get a chance to see the original I LOVE NY concept sketch by Milton Glaser! Manhattan; on view from January 26 – October 18. The MoMA is open Saturday-Thursday 10:30am-5:30pm and Friday 10:30am-8:30pm.

Apex Stegosaurus Fossil at the American Museum of Natural History

CREDIT: @JULIALEEMUZI ON INSTAGRAM

Marvel at the largest and one of the most complete Stegosaurus fossils ever uncovered at the American Museum of Natural History! This 150-million-year old fossil, discovered just outside of Dinosaur, Colorado in 2022, measuring 11.5 feet tall and 27 feet long, and featuring more than 254 of its approximately 320 bone elements. See this prehistoric wonder at the museum’s Kenneth C. Griffin Exploration Atrium in the Gilder Center. Manhattan; ongoing. The museum is open daily 10:00am-5:30pm.

All the Medicines at the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum

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The Seneca-Iroquois National Museum is home to an impressive presentation of Seneca Nation history. At the All the Medicines exhibit, discover how medicine can come in many forms such as Dewa’ë:ö, now known as Lacrosse which was once used as a medicine game to help lift the spirits and minds of Seneca elders. Be sure to take a walk through the authentic Seneca log cabin that was preserved and assembled in the museum as well as other exciting installations. Salamanca; permanent exhibit. Open Monday-Saturday 10:00am-4:30pm.

Walking in Antarctica at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute

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An immersive and interdisciplinary experience awaits at The Roger Tory Peterson Institute’s Walking in Antarctica: The Art of Helen Glazer exhibition. Inspired by artist Helen Glazer’s journey to Antarctica, the exhibition takes the viewer through extraordinary Antarctic landscapes, many of which are not accessible to the public, through photography, sculpture, and audio narrative. Jamestown; on view now until March 16, 2025. Open Wednesday-Saturday, 10am-4pm and Monday-Tuesday by appointment only.

The Souls of the Game: Voices of Black Baseball at the National Baseball Hall of Fame

At the National Baseball Hall of Fame, The Souls of the Game: Voices of Black Baseball exhibit honors the history of Black baseball and celebrates its impact on the game and on our country. Explore the decades-long history of Black baseball through quotes and artifacts from players like Mookie Betts, Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson, and more, revealing the deep connections between baseball and Black America. Cooperstown; ongoing. The National Baseball Hall of Fame is open every day 9am-5pm.

Women: A Gallery Anthology at The Roberson Museum

Visual art and the written word come together in spectacular fashion for Women: A Gallery Anthology at The Roberson Museum in Binghamton. Through more than 15 pieces of literature written by women across multiple centuries, including Emily Dickenson and Audre Lord, this exhibit uses women’s voices to examine issues that affect the lives of all people. Binghamton; on view until April 2025. The Roberson is open Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday from 12pm-5pm and Fridays 12pm-9pm.

Back to the 80s at The Northeast Classic Car Museum

Photo courtesy of Northeast Classic Car Museum

Travel “Back to the 80s” at the Northeast Classic Car Museum now through April 2025! Admire 24 classic cars from 1980-1989, including a 1981 DeLorean DMC-12, which became an instant symbol of the decade with its futuristic design and appearances in popular movies and TV shows like Back to the Future and Knight Rider. The exhibit also dives into how the innovation, advances, and pop culture of the 1980s shaped the automobile industry we know today. Norwich; open through April 2025. The museum is open daily 9am-4:30pm.

Climate Solutions at the Wild Center

At Climate Solutions, journey through an interactive, in-depth exhibit that explores the people, technology, and social movements tackling climate change in the Adirondacks and beyond. The exhibit features four different galleries where you can listen to the encouraging stories of people from across different backgrounds, generations, and sectors who are building a web of climate solutions in their lives and communities. Tupper Lake; permanent exhibit. Winter hours: Friday-Sunday 10am-5pm.

Presidential Signatures at the Jefferson County Historical Society

Housed in Watertown’s 1870s Paddock Mansion, the Jefferson County Historical Society has been preserving and interpreting the history of Jefferson County since 1886! Pay visit to this museum’s latest exhibit Presidential Signatures, showcasing the historical society’s collection of original documents featuring signatures from George Washington to George Bush. Watertown; ongoing. Jefferson County Historical Society is open Wednesday-Saturday 10am-4pm.

The Thomas Cole Historic Site Permanent Collection

Credit: @thedailyantiquarian on Instagram

Step back in time and explore the historic home of renowned Hudson River School painter Thomas Cole. On select weekends in January, February, and March, you can take an exclusive winter tour where you’ll get an intimate look at Cole’s creative process and the inspiration he drew from the surrounding Catskill Mountains landscape. The permanent collection also includes paintings such as Landscape with Clouds, 1846-1847, and Study of Fallen Columns, 1844-1848. Catskill; permanent exhibit. Grounds are open daily dawn-dusk. The historic home is open Wednesday-Friday by appointment only through April 2025.

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