Fenimore Art Museum Offers Art Classes for Kids Ages 3-5

Cooperstown, N.Y., APRIL 15, 2008—The Fenimore Art Museum is pleased to offer Art Explorers: Spring Art Programs for Families every Tuesday from 9:00 am – 10:00 am through May 13, 2008.

Art Explorers is a special series of art classes designed for children ages 3 to 5 and their families. Parents and children will participate in classes together, where they will experience the museum’s collections, including American folk art, Hudson River School landscape paintings, and the Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection of American Indian Art. Through tours, storytelling, and a special art project, children and parents will explore various media and cultures during each class.

The cost per class for the Art Explorers program is $5 per child for members of the New York State Historical Association and $7 for non-members. Reservations are recommended; for more information or to register for a class, please call (607) 547-1481.

About the Fenimore Art Museum
One of the nation’s premier art institutions, the Fenimore Art Museum is home to an exceptionally rich collection of American folk art and American Indian art as well as important holdings in American decorative arts, photography, and twentieth-century art. Founded in 1945 in Cooperstown, New York, the museum is part of the New York State Historical Association (NYSHA), founded in 1899. The museum’s renowned Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection, housed in the American Indian Wing, is a masterpiece collection of more than 800 art objects, representing a broad scope of North American cultures. The collections of folk and American art include seminal works by Grandma Moses, Gilbert Stuart, Thomas Cole, William Sidney Mount, Benjamin West, and John H. I. Browere. The museum offers a range of interactive educational programming for children, families, and adults, including lectures and workshops for museum visitors and distance learning instruction for classrooms nationwide.

The Fenimore Art Museum is located on 5798 State Hwy. 80, Lake Road, in Cooperstown. The museum’s Fenimore Café, overlooking beautiful Otsego Lake, features wonderful views and a tranquil setting amid the terraced gardens. The Museum Shop offers fine jewelry, art reproductions, and a wide selection of publications on folk art, history, and Native American art. Museum admission is $11 for adults, $9.50 for visitors age 65 and over, and $5 for children age 7 to 12; children 6 and under and NYSHA members are admitted free. Reduced price combination admission tickets that include The Farmers’ Museum and The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum are also available. The museum is open from April 1 through December 31; closed January through March, except for special events and school groups. For museum hours or general information, please call 1-888-547-1450 or visit www.fenimoreartmuseum.org.

For more information or images, please contact:
Christine Liggio/Public Relations office
New York State Historical Association
Fenimore Art Museum/The Farmers’ Museum
Phone: (607) 547-1472/E-mail: c.liggio@nysha.org