Fenimore Art Museum To Unveil New Lakeside Amphitheater In May

(COOPERSTOWN, NY – February 24, 2015)—The Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York is pleased to announce a new addition to the museum’s lakeside Native American interpretive area – the Lucy B. Hamilton Amphitheater, honoring stalwart supporter and former museum trustee Lucy “Bunny” Hamilton.  A ribbon-cutting ceremony for all donors will take place lakeside in May.

Over the past year, local community members and businesses have generously provided the majority of the funding to construct the Amphitheater. “Our community has rallied behind this spectacular new venue and all its potential,” said Fenimore Art Museum President and CEO Paul D’Ambrosio. “Our donors and friends are giving this tremendous gift to our community, and I cannot thank them enough.”  The museum is still looking for additional donations to complete the Amphitheater and hopes to wrap up the fundraising campaign by the end of March.

The Amphitheater, constructed with a concrete sub-structure and natural fieldstone veneer, will seat 100 people and is built into the natural slope of the shore on Otsego Lake, featuring the lake and hills as a natural backdrop. It will become part of the Fenimore’s nationally recognized outdoor exhibit, Otsego: A Meeting Place, along side the Seneca Log House and the Mohawk Bark House.

The Amphitheater will be a spectacular addition to Cooperstown’s already rich cultural life. The museum plans to unveil the new venue during the museum’s Iroquois Cultural Festival in May. Over the summer, the Fenimore will feature an array of theatrical performances. In addition, the 7,000 schoolchildren who visit the museum each year will use the Amphitheater as an outdoor classroom.

Using this remarkable space, the Fenimore will bring the cultural heritage of America to life through high-quality performances and productions. “We believe that theatre is an art form that has a unique power to develop appreciation and empathy for the human experience, and to unify audiences through ideas and meaning,” says Danielle Henrici, Director of Education at the Fenimore Art Museum. “In this regard, the presence of the Lucy B. Hamilton Amphitheater in our Native American site, Otsego: A Meeting Place, will help promote cultural understanding to audiences of all ages. In addition, the Amphitheater will be a fitting complement to the museum’s incomparable Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection of American Indian Art.”

To make a donation to support the Lucy B. Hamilton Amphitheater, please visit fenimoreartmuseum.org/amp.