The New York State Museum wants to surprise you again

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Hey 518 readers, we’re glad you’re here! Today, we’re taking you to the beloved NYS Museum, where we meet up with director Jennifer Saunders for a personal tour as she talks about the big improvements coming for everyone’s favorite museum.

✍️ Big changes are also coming for The 518! Starting next week, we will be going down to just one issue per week because nobody needs more emails in their life. We think we can get you everything you need into one crisp newsletter, and lighten up your inbox a bit. Expect it now on Tuesdays, which also sets you up nicely for the weekend. 🙌 

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

The New York State Museum wants to surprise you again

For years, the New York State Museum has had a very specific reputation in Albany: beloved, nostalgic, and a bit dusty, if we’re being honest. But, that’s changing.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has committed $150 million to modernize the museum—a big number that initially drew some skepticism. But visitors are already beginning to see the signs of that investment. The gift shop is back on the ground floor, the café has reopened on the second floor with Stacks Espresso at the helm, and there’s a new dedicated Kids’ Zone on the fourth floor, currently anchored by the fantastic Expedition: Dinosaur exhibit.

The museum is finally getting into a rhythm of putting on better exhibitions, more often. The lobby is gradually getting upgraded. Even the dust-covered vinyl signs outside the front entrance have been replaced.

The whole vibe just feels fresher.

Jennifer Saunders, the museum’s new director and the first woman to lead the institution in its nearly 200-year history, says that’s exactly the point.

“What families want, hands down, is new experiences and changing experiences,” she tells us during a recent interview and tour, describing feedback from visitor surveys. “They perceive the reality, which is that there are elements of the museum that have been here since 1976.”

That tension—between old favorites and long-overdue updates—is at the heart of the museum’s next chapter.

“We can’t just build something new and then step back for another 50 years and say—enjoy!” she says.

To create that element of surprise and delight, the museum wants to mount 5 to 8 major exhibitions each year. These include exhibits done by the museum’s in-house curatorial and design staff, and traveling national shows.

The dream, Jennifer says, is that local families “wake up on the weekend and their first thought is, ‘I wonder what’s going on down at the museum.’”

The new Kids Zone launched with Expedition Dinosaur: Rise of the Mammals, a very cool hands-on traveling exhibit with animatronics, fossils, and interactive features that have been a huge hit with families. 

Before that, Barbie: A Cultural Icon brought in a different kind of crowd. Revolutionary New York, a large semi-permanent exhibit tied to America’s 250th, is another example of the museum’s expanded ambitions. The nearly 7,000 square-foot exhibition not only features 200 artifacts, including the completely restored gunboat discovered at Ground Zero, but it also looks at other times when ideals of justice, liberty, and democracy sparked revolutions. Fully two years in the making, the exhibit is a must-see.

This isn’t just about better exhibits. Jennifer sees the museum as part of downtown Albany’s revival, and a regional and even national destination that can help support nearby restaurants, businesses, and tourism.

“This is an economic development strategy, in addition to being a cultural one,” she says.

For Albany families, this means something significant: a museum worth rediscovering.

🦕 Have thoughts on the new NYS Museum? Jennifer and her team want to hear from you! You have until July 20 to share your ideas, stories, and feedback. Start here.

A word from our sponsor

The 518 is proud to be the media sponsor for the new season of Mopco’s Theatresports, premiering this Saturday. If you’ve never experienced Theatresports, here’s what to expect:

Two teams of top-notch improvisers go head-to-head in a fast-paced showdown, battling for points, bragging rights, and your laughs. Every scene is created on the spot from audience-inspired challenges, while a panel of judges scores them on storytelling, skill, and entertainment. But beware—boring scenes can earn penalties.

It's got the excitement of a sporting event with all the chaos, comedy, and unpredictability of live improv. Your laughter helps decide the winner. Fast, fearless, and completely unscripted. No two shows are ever the same!

🕯️ The TU’s Chris Churchill redirects the stomach-churning controversy that has erupted in the aftermath of Harbe Nagi’s death. [Times Union]

🍸️ RiiLaxx Tavern in Albany has closed after just 3 months in business, blaming “repeated and ongoing building-related issues, operational disruptions and circumstances beyond our control.” [News10]

🍜 Albany’s Madison Theatre is getting two new restaurants: a fresh Pho Yum and a new Colombian-American fusion restaurant. [Albany Business Review]

🐔 All this week, get free Chick-fil-A by playing its “Spot the Cows” game.

This remarkable homestead in Guilderland dates back to 1742, before the USA was even a twinkle in the eye of the founding fathers. Take a gander at the centuries-old craftsmanship, from the fantastic wide-plank floors to the hand-hewn beams to the beautiful brickwork. Centered on 2.2 private acres of mature field and forest on the banks of Norman's Kill, and located in the top-notch Guilderland school district, this is a one-of-a-kind historic gem.

The original brick residence is graceful and sturdy, with all of the woodwork stripped and ready for a loving touch. Dream deep and roll up your sleeves because the whole place is ready for a thoughtful renovation. Considering the low selling price, the blood, sweat and tears will be well worth it. Just please be sure to preserve some part of the fabulous wallpaper! This is just the place for that special homeowner who values history and craftsmanship, someone who would relish an opportunity to steward a historic homestead on the river for the next generation.

The deets: 4 bd, 3 ba, 2318 sf., 2+ acres. Asking: $350,000. Days on market: 5. See the full listing here.

Note: The 518 Weekender now publishes on Thursdays. Watch your inboxes! 

SUMMER FUN

🍫 “Charlie & The Chocolate Factory” continues at Cohoes Music Hall through July 18. It’s been getting rave reviews!

The New York City Ballet brings the perennial fan-favorite, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and Innovators & Icons, featuring signature works and an exciting premiere, to SPAC.

🖼️ All summer, Ten Broeck offers Living History, free family programs with hands-on art, garden, and history activities set among its four acres of historic gardens.

WEDNESDAY

🍯 Visit the Empire State Plaza Art Collection, peruse the farmer’s market, and enjoy live music with Lunchtime at the Plaza.

👵 Learn about the lives and stories of the Women of the Ten Broeck Mansion.

🎸 Reggae star Ding Dong headlines the Capital Concert Series at the Empire State Plaza. And the Refrigerators play Scotia’s Freedom Park Summer Concert Series.

THURSDAY

🎸 Get to the Tang Museum for the kickoff of its 2026 Upbeat on the Roof concert series, featuring an evening with funk-music ensemble Oobleck.

🤡 Break out your clown costumes as Weirdo Night Returns: Clown Edition at No Fun.

🎸 It’s Classic Rock Night at Alive at Five, headlined by FJ: A Tribute to Foreigner & Journey. Meanwhile, in Cohoes, Rock the Block features Magical Mystery Doors (Beatles/Zeppelin/Doors tribute). And in Schenectady, catch the country/blues rock of Chris Sanders at Electric City SummerFest.

FRIDAY

💧Relax with the Water Music NY: More Voices Festival, a free outdoor concert performed by the Albany Symphony at the Waterford Lock.

🖼️ Get to Albany Center Gallery for the opening reception of “Then & Now: Allen Grindle, Moments in Time.” Btw, the gallery has a rare opening for a new development director!

SATURDAY

🎸 Rock the Dock Festival brings the 7-piece Dark Star Orchestra to continue the Grateful Dead live concert experience.

☠️ The Twilight Market returns to Albany’s Quackenbush Square.

🌷Hoosick Blooms Garden Tour offers a driving tour of private gardens and farms in historic Hoosick Falls and surrounding rolling hills of upstate NY. Sat & Sun.

🪶 Catch Chris Thomas and Smoke Dancers, a multigenerational and celebrated dance troupe practicing traditional Haudenosaunee music and dance, at the Iroquois Museum.

🦸 MVP Kids Day features Bebefinn, the popular animated children's character, who will perform three live mini-shows throughout the day.

🎸 A perennial favorite, Alex Torres & His Latin Orchestra plays Freedom Park Summer Concert Series in Scotia.

SUNDAY

☀️ Ditch your phone and learn how to produce images without a camera at the Alternative Image-Making workshop at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.

🥯 Enjoy the live music of Ed Conway, and dig into complimentary bagels and Bloody Marys at Second Act Spirits in Amsterdam.

🏳️‍🌈 A Big Gay Market returns to Washington Park for another gathering featuring 100+ queer, gender expansive, and allied vendors.

🔥 Join Ash King for an exclusive 4-week workshop focused on the magic of salt firing, at Context Collective.

🤹 The Gratto Family Jugglers delight the crowd at Scotia’s Freedom Park.

MONDAY

🎻 Go way high with Lindsey Stirling, pop violin virtuoso, at SPAC.

ON VIEW

Our music listings are now published separately on The 518 website. Click here.

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