New Exhibit Explores Oneonta’s Identity
ONEONTA—The Yager Museum of Art and Culture at Hartwick College hosted a reception on Thursday, April 17 to celebrate the opening of a new exhibition that “explores Oneonta and the people who have lived there over the past two centuries,” featuring objects from the collections of the Yager, the Paul F. Cooper Jr. Hartwick College Archives, and the Greater Oneonta Historical Society.
According to a press release, “Discovering Our Place: Working, Learning and Playing within These Hills” was developed by Hartwick College museum studies students as part of a creative exhibits course.
“They decided to focus on the way Oneontans—both long-time residents and college students spending a few years here—have experienced this place through work, learning, and play,” Museum Coordinator Douglas Kendall explained.
A focal point of the exhibition is a portrait of young Otto Clark McCrum of Oneonta, painted by John Pardoe in the mid-19th century. The painting, part of the Greater Oneonta Historical Society collections, shows a young boy standing before a verdant landscape of hills and valleys, with a steam train in the background. McCrum’s portrait was created before the railroad reached Oneonta but foreshadows the importance of railroads to the prosperity of the community from the late-19th century through the mid-20th century. The “Working” section of the exhibition includes historical and artistic images, as well as artifacts of the railroads in Oneonta.
Interactive activities play an important part in “Discovering Our Place,” organizers said. The exhibition includes images of “The Wall” at the corner of Center and West streets, where community members have memorialized political opinions, sporting triumphs, college events, and even marriage proposals over the past half-century.
In addition, a miniature version of “The Wall” is included in the exhibition and the museum encourages visitors to add their own messages. The exhibition also boasts an online component, discoveringourplaceoneontany.org, which enables members of the public to add their own pictures, photos, and videos to the digital exhibition.
The Yager Museum of Art and Culture is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. when college is in session. The museum is closed on Sundays, Mondays, college holidays and when Hartwick College is not in session. Admission is free to visitors.
More information is available at https://www.hartwick.edu/campus-life/arts-culture/yager-museum/ and the museum’s Facebook page, by calling (607) 431- 4480 or by e-mailing kendalld@hartwick.edu.
