Living Museum of Contemporary Rural American Life
Receives Awards for Economic Revival, Innovative Programming
BEHOLD! New Lebanon, the nation’s first living museum of contemporary rural American life, today announced the details of its 2016 season, which kicks off on Saturday, June 4. BEHOLD! New Lebanon [BNL] is a museum-without-walls, unlike any other, offering a variety of guided tours by Rural Guides, locals who introduce visitors to today’s rural America.
[private]With more than 100 different programs over the course of the summer, Rural Guides welcome visitors into their farms, studios and workspaces, where they practice cooking, farming, cattle raising, automobile racing and mechanics, wood-working, foraging and much more. These presenters are not costumed actors or docents recalling old-world skills; they are the real townspeople of today, whose lives and work challenge the quaint myths about country life
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said, “I am grateful for BEHOLD! New Lebanon, for its efforts to highlight the importance of our rural communities.” Through the living museum, her statement said, “visitors are given a unique opportunity to experience contemporary rural life in upstate New York.” Gillibrand called on BEHOLD! New Lebanon to “continue the important work of preserving and educating our communities on current rural culture and practices in America.”
Located in this rural Columbia County community in upstate New York, the museum was founded by Ruth J. Abram, a noted social activist and historian. A resident of New Lebanon, who was also the founding president of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in Manhattan, Abram brought the idea of a contemporary museum without walls to regional residents and town planners. The community responded enthusiastically with an outpouring of support.
“As we enter our second season, we find that we are no longer considered just a handful of people with an interesting, if quirky, idea,” said Abram at the season preview, held at Meissner’s Auction House, one of the BNL venues. “We are becoming a model and a movement for the revitalization of rural American towns. The creativity and energy embodied in small-town living is a well-kept secret, and we are taking the wraps off.”
On opening day, June 4, the programs will feature: a walk along Wyomanoc Creek and the Corkscrew Rail Trail; gemstone identification and repairs; hops farming (they’re not just for beer); how water powered the Shakers’ world (and tools); and border collie training and demonstration.
The second week’s programs, June 11, comprise: a nature walk at Hand Hollow; Auctioneering 101; historic –but still working—letterpress printing; foraging for lunch; rescuing and restoring an old home; and stuffing sausage. The full schedule is posted at www.BeholdNewLebanon.org.
BNL received its provisional charter in 2014 from the New York Board of Regents, which is responsible for the general supervision of all educational activities within the State. It has been recognized by several grants and awards, the latest being the Herbert H. Lehman Prize for Distinguished Service to New York History. Abram received the Lehman award earlier this month from the New York Academy of History.
BNL has also learned that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will be awarding it $89,529 to address a major concern of the Department. “After issuing a study detailing the demise of small, rural American towns, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack called ‘for a national commitment to create new opportunities in rural America that keep folks in our small towns and reignite economic growth across the nation’,” noted Abram. “The grant will help us respond to Secretary Vilsack’s mandate, and we are proud to have received this acknowledgement of our program. Our Rural Guides’ lives, stories, and their willingness to share what they know, are, indeed, helping to reignite a sense of pride, as well as creating opportunity here in Columbia County.”
In 2015, BNL received the J.M. Kaplan [JMK] Innovation Prize, one of only 10 winners out of 1,100 applicants. Peter Davidson, chairman of the J.M. Kaplan Fund Board of Trustees, said, “Through the JMK Innovation Prize, we are shining a light on the burgeoning ideas and future leaders who will create a more ideal society.” The JMK Innovation Prize includes support of $175,000 over a 3-year period.
Tour shuttles depart from the new Behold! Station and Store, which serves as a visitors center, gateway and launch spot for museum activities. Made available through the generosity of Meissner’s Auction Service, the Behold! Station is in a picturesque Victorian house located at 438 State Rte. 20, New Lebanon, and serves multiple purposes:
• rendezvous point for all BEHOLD! programs
• on-site ticket sales
• depot for information on Columbia County attractions
• BEHOLD! Store, a shop featuring local merchandise and Columbia County goods; and
• a new BEHOLD! Gallery of local arts and crafts
Tours are subject to change depending on weather and other variables; current schedules are posted at www.BeholdNewLebanon.org.
More information and the online box office can be found at www.beholdnewlebanon.org.[/private]