New York State Museum Opens Exhibition: Margery Ryerson: Art Is Contagious

Media Contact:
JP O'Hare
(518) 474-1201
[email protected]
www.nysed.gov

Exhibition Open November 23, 2024 - September 5, 2025

The New York State Education Department is delighted to announce the opening of a new exhibition, Margery Ryerson: Art is Contagious, now open for public viewing at the New York State Museum. This landmark exhibition features more than 80 extraordinary works spanning Margery Ryerson's illustrious career, including vibrant paintings, delicate watercolors, intricate prints, and evocative drawings. The collection celebrates Ryerson's deep connections to New York and her remarkable yet understated impact on the art world.

Dr. Jennifer Lemak, Chief Curator of History at the State Museum, said, "We are thrilled to present this first-ever monographic exhibition of Margery Ryerson's work, much of which is so closely connected with New York's history. While Ryerson is perhaps best known for co-authoring important and enduring instructional art books, she was also a tremendously gifted painter and printmaker in her own right."

Ryerson was born in 1886, graduated from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York in 1909, and moved to New York City in 1911, where she lived until her death in 1989 at the age of 102. Ryerson studied under famed art instructors, Robert Henri and Charles W. Hawthorne, and worked with each to compile their classroom lessons into published instructional guides. The book she co-authored with Henri, The Art Spirit, is still in print today, more than 100 years after its publication, and remains one of the most influential books ever written about the nature of art and creativity, the artist's place in society, and the importance of building on what came before.

While Ryerson is widely known within the artworld for her influential writing, she also created beautiful and lasting works of art. Most notably, her depictions of the poor and immigrant children going about their daily activities in New York City's settlement houses from the 1920's through the 1940's beautifully capture this important chapter in our State's history. The exhibition includes artifacts and information about New York's settlement houses to help place Ryerson's work within its historical context.

Works of art by Ryerson are included in the collections of some of the world's leading museums, including the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.; the Cleveland Museum of Art; the Brooklyn Museum; the Uffizi Gallery, in Florence, Italy; and the Bibliotheque Nationale, in Paris, France.

The exhibition, located in the New York State Museum's West Gallery, will be on view from November 23, 2024 to September 5, 2025. Don't miss this opportunity to experience the brilliance and legacy of Margery Ryerson.

About the Cultural Education Center

Established in 1836, the New York State Museum is the oldest and largest public museum in the United States. Home to leading scientists, historians, archeologists, and anthropologists, its collections represent the State's rich cultural and natural heritage from the past and present, including a staggering 20+ million artifacts spanning 480 million years ago to today. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is free. For additional information, visit the New York State Museum website.

The New York State Library is part of the Office of Cultural Education within the New York State Education Department. Visit the New York State Library website for a complete list of upcoming programs. To receive news, resources, and other updates, please subscribe to the quarterly newsletter.

The New York State Archives holds many of the oldest and most important archival treasures in the nation. The Archives preserves and makes accessible over 250 million records of New York's State and colonial governments dating from 1630 to the present. The State Archives provides free access to photographs, artifacts, documents, manuscripts, and other materials that tell the story of New York's history via its Digital Collections on the Archives website.

The Archives Partnership Trust was founded in 1992 to build an endowment and provide project support to enhance humanities programs, increase access to these outstanding treasures, and continue the preservation of New York's historical records. Since its founding, the Partnership Trust, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has supported exceptional projects and programs. These include the Research Residency Program, the Student Research Awards Program, history conferences, special exhibitions, public education programs, book signings and lectures, publications, teacher training institutes, preservation projects, and more.

The State Museum, State Library, and State Archives are programs of the New York State Education Department's Office of Cultural Education. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or by visiting the Office of Cultural Education website.

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