The Adirondack History Museum in Elizabethtown celebrates the place of art in Adirondack life with its 2016 Season, “Art: Then & Now.”

Staff and volunteers spent the off season preparing to open the Rosenberg Gallery on the second floor of the museum, named in honor of James N. Rosenberg.

The project was the brain child of museum board member Steve Shepstone who together with his wife Melissa, and fellow board member Sharp Swan, designed the gallery and performed much of the labor. The museum plans to have at least two shows a year, highlighting a wide variety of art.

The room design was inspired by the book Early American Rooms, with details from the Phyfe Room constructed in 1806 in the Moses Rogers House in New York City. The Shepstones spent several weeks creating hand-crafted trim for the 12-foot ceiling.

The first show will highlight the work of fiber artist Cynthia Schira of Westport and Upper Jay potter Robert Segall. A gallery grand opening reception will be held Saturday, June 4, from 6 to 8 pm. The event is open to the public, but RSVPs are requested. A second show, “Hidden Treasures: Essex County’s Artists” will open on Aug. 5.

The Adirondack History Museum’s grand opening celebration will take place a week later, on Saturday, June 11 from 11 am until 3 pm and include the annual antique and classic car show. Collectors and enthusiasts will be on hand with their muscle cars, vintage roadsters, hot rods and more. DaCy Meadows will sell farm fresh barbecue, and entrance to the Museum will be free.

Visitors can explore the new art gallery, as well as expanded content of the seasonal exhibit “Essex County’s Immigrants: Faces and Places.” The museum also marks the centennial of the 1916 building with a special exhibit “The School on Schoolhouse Hill.”

The 2016 Lecture series has moved to Thursday evenings at 7 pm. Guests are invited to stop by at 6 pm for a reception featuring a light refreshments, wine and coffee. The lecture schedule includes:

*July 7: ‘Why Look at Art,’ presented by William C. Lipke, retired professor of art history, University of Vermont;

*July 14: ‘A Well-Worn Trail: The History of Iroquoian and Algonquian Peoples in the Adirondacks,’ presented by Melissa Otis, Carleton University, Institute for Comparative Studies in Literature, Art and Culture, Ottawa;

*July 21: ‘Adirondack Towns: Cultural Constructions, Political Agendas and Social Realities.’ presented by Philip C. Terrie, environmental historian of the Adirondacks and professor emeritus at Bowling Green University, Ohio;

*July 28: ‘The 1916 Elizabethtown School Fire,’ presented by Margaret Bartley, author and local historian;

*Aug. 11: ‘A History of Quilt Making in the Adirondacks,’ presented by Hallie Bond, author and local historian; and

*Aug. 18: ‘Essex County’s Architecture: From Pioneer Homes to the Cold War,’ presented by Stephen Engelhart, Executive Director of Adirondack Architectural Heritage.

The Adirondack History Museum is opened daily from May 28th through October 10th, from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, and $2 for students.

For more information,  contact the museum at (518) 873-6466, echs@adkhistorymuseum.org, or visit the Museum’s website.

Photos, from above, provided: Steve Shepstone hangs a painting of Wayman Adams by James N. Rosenberg as a lighting test in the new Rosenberg Gallery; Shepstone discusses work on the Rosenberg art gallery with museum staffers Whitney Jackson, Andrea Anesi and Owen Gibbs; Westport fiber artist Cynthia Schira at work (courtesy of Cynthia Schira).