Category: Dedicated to Warren Watrel

Art & Design Gallery at FIT 227 West 27th Street New York City, NY 10001

Art & Design Gallery at FIT

227 West 27th Street

New York City, NY 10001

(212) 217-4683/4570

https://www.fitnyc.edu/life-at-fit/campus/gallery/index.php

https://www.fitnyc.edu/academics/academic-divisions/art-and-design/index.php

Open: Sunday-Saturday 9:00am-5:00pm

Admission: Free Donations Accepted

My review on TripAdvisor:

The entrance to the Art & Design Gallery at FIT at 227 West 27th Street

The exhibition space showcases the work of students, faculty, and distinguished alumni, as well as invited guest artists. This new gallery space is located at the entrance of the Pomerantz main building and the back room exhibition space. This features smallers theme shows and showcases the talents of the FIT professors, professionals and Alumni. The shows are constantly rotating offering a fresh approach to contemporary art.

The Current Exhibition:

Creative Industry:
The Alumni Journey
Lobby and Gallery

Diverse in medium, this exhibition spotlights the career trajectories of several illustrious FIT alumni, highlighting their innovations and interesting journeys through the creative industries. Co-curated by Troy Richards, dean for the School of Art and Design, and Alumni Relations’ Kseniya Baranova, the work on display features photography, fashion, video, weaving, wallpaper, graphic design, and painting.

“Unconventional Minds at Work: 15 Years of HUE, The FIT Alumni Magazine

The showcased art designs

Artwork “Matter 2008” by artist Susanne Tick

The sign of artist Susanne Tick’s work

Artwork from “Unconventional Minds at Work”

Artwork from “Unconventional Minds at Work”

Artwork from “Unconventional Minds at Work”

Resurgence:
The Ingenuity of Artisan Work and
Hand-crafted Objects
Lobby and Gallery

‘Resurgence’ showcases the ingenuity of artisan work and hand-crafted objects from textiles, jewelry, and decorative accessories. Contributors to this show include FIT alumni, faculty, and students, as well as finalists from the 2022 Global Eco Artisan Awards, a recognition given by the AGAATI Foundation.

Artwork of “Resurgence”

The Gallery at FIT during one of the current exhibitions

The latest exhibition is on the A. Beller & Company clothing line. The designs on display are from 1900-1930 and many of the designs are from the ‘flapper’ era.

The A. Beller & Company exhibition

The A. Beller & Company designs.

The Bio on the manufacturer

The A. Beller & Company designs from 1910-1930.

The A. Beller & Company designs from 1910-1930.

The A. Beller & Company designs from 1910-1930.

The A. Beller & Company designs from 1910-1930.

The museum also did a piece on how Generation Z is reworking vintage clothing designs and reworking them into modern clothing.

The Generation Z gallery of designs.

The write up on reworking of vintage clothing.

Some of the clothing designs.

The new exhibition in September 2023 was “The Unwearable Art” exhibition:

With the tag line “A fashion line no one would dare wear.”

The fashions were very unusual to say the least but unique in every way.

The entrance to the gallery.

“Today-I’m Wearing Uncertainty”

the “Today-I’m Wearing Uncertainty” design sign.

“Today-I’m Wearing Flare Intensity”

The “Today-I’m Wearing Flare Intensity” sign.

“Today-I’m Wearing Something Life Threatening.”

The sign “Today-I’m Wearing Something Life Threatening”

“Today-I’m Wearing Physical Pain”

The sign for “Today-I’m Wearing Physical Pain”

The “Wearing Uncertainty” exhibition offers a different look at fashion, and it’s influences on costumes.

The new “Squishables” exhibition at the Gallery at FIT focuses on therapeutic stuffed animals with themes that the students created as teams. Each one has several colorful soft animals and figures with it. It is a colorful and whimsical display. The exhibition shows how plush toys become an essential tool in coping with anxiety, stress, grief and isolation a person might feel at a time of their lives. This exhibition opened in May of 2024.

The sign on the new exhibition “Squishable”.

The “Unicorn Cafe” display.

The “Under the Sea” display.

The “Graveyard” Halloween display.

The “Alchemy Lab” display.

The “Farm” display.

The “Squishables” Gallery exhibition.

The new exhibition “Squishables” is based on a therapeutic stuffed animal that is created by the students.

The “Denim Devine” exhibition is the Senior Project of the graduates.

The “Denim Devine” exhibition in 2024. This exhibition was created by graduating students to design a wardrobe that was made of entirely of denim. These are their original designs and creations.

The “Denim Devine” entrance.

The winners of the “Denim Devine” exhibition.

The “Denim Devine” display.

The back gallery of “Denim Devine”.

I loved this Disney inspired dress in the exhibition.

One of my favorite dresses from the exhibition.

Another very original design in the exhibition.

Another original design that I liked in the exhibition.

The picture boards for the exhibition and other exhibitions.

The Gallery is free and open to the public.

The Museum of Fine Arts & Popular Culture 507 Washington Street Unit 104 Cape May, NJ 08204

The Museum of Fine Arts & Popular Culture

507 Washington Street Unit 104

Cape May, NJ 08204

(609) 334-8592

https://museum-of-fine-arts-popular-culture.business.site/

https://www.capemay.com/play/category/museums-and-galleries/

Open: Sunday-Tuesday 10:00am-4:00pm/Wednesday Closed/Thursday-Saturday 10:00am-4:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46341-d23745752-Reviews-Museum_Of_Fine_Arts_Popular_Culture-Cape_May_Cape_May_County_New_Jersey.html

The Museum of the Fine Arts & Pop Culture at 507 Washington Street Unit 104

The Museum of Fine Arts & Pop Culture

The Museum features unusual takes on traditional art and shows it from a Surrealist viewpoint. The owner of the museum says that he wants the museum to engage the visitor. The works makes you think about what the artist is trying to say and how to interpret their work. The art is very unusual.

The entrance to the museum and posters in the windows.

The entrance of the museum and the posters that line the windows.

The sign that welcomes you to the museum.

What makes the museum interesting is that all the art is made by the collective that the museum is part of and the works are all original interpretations of what the artist feels and what they are trying to portray.

Some pieces are interpretations on famous artworks and others are original ideas and thought of what the artist is trying to interpret. I thought some the works strange until I got some idea of what it was all about. Some of the work just stands on its own. You really have to look each work a second time.

The Gallery of the Museum of Fine Art & Popular Culture.

The museum is in one gallery and looks more like an Art Gallery than a museum. The works are not sale but should be. You can see the whole museum in about an hour. When visiting the Washington Mall in Cape May it is worth the visit to be challenged by the art at the museum.

Hyde Park Historical Society 4389 Albany Post Road Hyde Park, NY 12538

Hyde Park Historical Society

4389 Albany Post Road

Hyde Park, NY 12538

(845) 229-2559

https://hydeparkhistoricalsociety1821.org/

https://www.hydeparkny.us/669/Hyde-Park-Historical-Society

Open: Sunday 11:00am-3:00pm/Monday-Friday Closed/Saturday 10:00am-3:00pm

Fee: Free

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60801-d3426818-Reviews-Hyde_Park_Historical_Society_Museum-Hyde_Park_New_York.html

The Hyde Park Historical Society at 4389 Albany Post Road

The Hyde Park Historical Society is going through a type of rebirth as it has reopened with a fresh approach towards not just the history of Hyde Park, NY but the area in general and life here over the last two hundred years. The society is taking a new direction and revamping their efforts on the displays and on the history and activities of the museum. The museum is housed in what was once the Hyde Park, NY Fire Department building.

The museum is broken down into sections by displays. When you enter the museum there is an display of bicycles and recreation items that would have been used over the years. This activity changed the social life of both men and women of that era.

Bicycle display:

Some of the newest donations are from members of the organization who have recently passed away. They donationed their Boy Scout and Girl Scout uniforms to the museum which were from the past century. This shows how the unforms have progressed over the years.

Uniforms from the early Twentieth Century

Another donation that was added to the collection from the State Museum is a collection of Native American arrowheads that were found locally. These show that the area was once the hunting and gathering grounds for the Lenape Indians before colonialization.

The donation of Native American Arrowheads.

Next to it was the history of the Hyde Park Fire Department with pictures of companies of fire fighters and all sorts of memorabilia. There are pictures of former fire companies including the ones that were once housed in the museum building.

The Hyde Park Fire Department:

Across from that, there is a display called “Daily Life” which was the history of the town with homes and businesses in the area at that time. There were all sorts of pictures of prominent families and their day to day activities.

Daily life in Hyde Park, NY for the Middle class members of the community

Luxury items of the Gilded Age

There was all sorts of objects from the bills of sale of homes, household items and there is an wonderful display of accessories from the Victorian era.

The front room of the museum is dedicated to life of the middle to upper-middle class of Hyde Park around the turn of the last century. There is all sorts of clothing, pictures and artifacts from schools, the boy scouts, area schools and there are even sleds and skates from winter recreation sports played on the Hudson River. There are all sorts of athletic equipment, clothing based on sporting or activity event and accessories that were used and worn when participating in all seasonal activities.

Life in Hyde Park, NY

Every day life in Hyde Park, NY

There is a small display from the semi-professional baseball team that used to be located in Hyde Park with pictures, equipment and uniforms. It seemed that semi-professional baseball was a big entertainment and community event in years past in Hyde Park, NY.

The Hyde Park baseball team

There are also items in a small war display that is circa WWI. Many artifacts were donated by families whose members fought in the war.

The second small room in the back is dedicated to communication equipment from WWII and pictures of Franklin Delano Roosevelt who was the President at the time as well as a prominent member of the community. The Roosevelts had lived in the Hudson River Valley for generations.

There are several important pieces of war time equipment located here.

There is also a display of farm equipment showing off the areas agricultural past and present. This is still a major farming area as you head north of Rhinebeck, NY.

The back room is dedicated to clothing and wardrobe items like dresses, hats and spinning items.

There are a few portraits of local residents as well.

This shows the change of clothing from when Dutch women would spin their wool for clothing to buying ready to wear items in the local department and specialty stores that dotted towns like Rhinebeck and Poughkeepsie.

The display also shows the manner of dress went from the Victorian era to the Jazz Age and the changes in just ten years.

Hats from various ages

Here and there are other items that relate to daily living and a prosperous life in Hyde Park, NY. The museum is well lit and very well organized and signed so it makes viewing the displays a pleasure. It is a treasure trove of artifacts and information and insights to the life of Rhinebeck NY at that time. This display was on the Hype Park School System.

Everyday life in the schools in Hyde Park and Rhinebeck, NY

The History of the Hyde Park Historical Society:

(From the museum’s pamphlet):

The Hyde Park Firehouse:

As indicated by the engraved stone lintels over the engine bays, the firehouse that the museum is housed in was built in 1905 for the Eagle Engine Company founded in 1845 and the Rescue Hook & Ladder Company (1866), separate companies whose volunteer members included Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The old Hyde Park Firehouse serves as the museum

Designed by Poughkeepsie architect William Beardsley, the Renaissance Revival style brick building features a cast iron cornice and a bas relief decoration above the third story windows.

Downtown Hyde Park in the summer of 2023.

You can find all sorts of items at the museum. It contains lots of local pictures and artifacts. In the Textile Room, you can find a hat box labeled Mrs. James Roosevelt, a spinning wheel and period apparel.

The Hyde Park Historical Society at Christmas 2022

In the Research Room, you can search your family and friends’ history, look at local tools of trade and maps of Dutchess County in the 1700’s.

The beautiful Hyde Park Christmas tree December 2022

Downtown Hyde Park at Christmas time

Lower Alloways Creek Historical Society 736 Smick Road Salem, NJ 08079

Lower Alloways Creek Historical Society

736 Smick Road

Hancocks Bridge, NJ. 08079

(856) 935-3666

https://www.facebook.com/LacHistoricalMuseum/

https://www.lowerallowayscreek-nj.gov/about/pages/historic-log-cabin

Open: Sunday 1:00pm-4:00pm (Third Sunday of the Month)/Monday-Saturday Closed-Open Six times a year for special events

Admission: Free but donations are accepted

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/12228970?m=19905

The Historical Society:

Situated in a beautiful rural setting, the Log Cabin is restored in the same manner as the local Quakers lived in the 1700’s. The site houses a barn full of antique farm implements as well as many items used in the local industries of Lower Alloways Creek.

Salem’s County’s maritime history is documented in a unique floating cabin which is complimented with a collection of fishing and trapping memorabilia. The site also features an outhouse, carriage shed and the last canning house that was left in the Township.

The buildings on the grounds and the outhouse

History of the house:

The main house is very unique. The addition to the house was built in the mid 1800’s and is furnished from that time period. This was added to the log cabin that has been reconstructed on the site. The early parts of the log cabin date back to before the Revolutionary War.

The first-floor parlor

The Kitchen in the main house

Washing clothes in the house

How to wash clothes until WWII

The second-floor bedroom

The Bonnet collection

The second floor bedroom

The Attic Room

The toys and playthings of the Attic Room

The house has an extensive collection of antique toys and dolls and furniture.

The dolls

The dolls

The Hat collection at the home.

(Information from the museum website):

Part of the house is an old log cabin with an addition added on later. Although the date of the original construction is unknown, the cabin has been restored and reconstructed in much the same manner as local Quakers would have lived in the 1700’s. Because the air had deteriorated so many of the logs, it was impossible to save the entire original structure.

The log cabin section of the house.

The log cabin and the later addition.

All the wood used in the reconstruction of this cabin came from the woods in Lower Alloways Creek that are owned by the Township. The hand-hewn logs are white oak. The wide floorboards are pine The fireplace and foundation were built from Jersey sandstone that had been donated by John Hassler.

The inside of the log cabin and hearth.

The Hearth during the event

The Historical site also features a log cabin, carriage shed and barn, many antique farm implements, a two-seater “outhouse” and an old fashion hand water pump.

The Outhouse

The hearth of the log cabin

The loft section of the log cabin on the second floor of the home.

There is also an original Can House, with a working line shaft, a floating cabin, both of which were originally built in Lower Alloways Creek.

The historic Can House.

The historic Can House

Some of the interesting programs that the society hosts:

Line Shaft: the historic line shaft in action as it powers a variety of machines.

Outdoor sportsmen: view displays of fishing and trapping, hunting gear, decoys, floating cabins and turkey call demonstrations.

Model Trains: all aboard an exciting display of model trains.

Old time engines: South Jersey Gas Engine Club proudly presents their collection of “Hit or Miss” engines.

The Farm equipment and working engines at the “Old Time Engine Day” in September 2023 was an interesting mix of old farm equipment, household equipment and everyday items run by an engine in the early 1900’s. It was a very interesting display on how we have come in manufacturing and the museum did a nice job on the displays.

The working farm equipment at the Lower Alloways Creek Historical Society

The Farm Engine equipment

The Farm Engine equipment

The Farm Engine equipment

The Farm Engine equipment

Video on the display:

The Farm Engine equipment

Farm Day: Come and see antique tractors and a variety of farm equipment. See the progression of farm equipment throughout the centuries.

Retired farm equipment in the barn

The barn

Farm Equipment in the barn.

Some of the equipment and refreshments in the barn.

The barn equipment during my visit in 2025

Indian Arrowheads on display in the barn

Cabin Cooked Pie Day:

There is nothing better than a freshly baked pie in a fireplace. In November 2025, I returned to the museum for ‘Pie Day’. There were various pies, chestnuts and soup being cooked in the log cabin fire place that afternoon. It was interesting to see cooking procedures from a hundred years ago.

I visited the museum and got to watch the volunteers cook all sorts of goodies in the fire. It is interesting how foods were cooked and tested for doness over a wooden fire. The coordination of cooking times and temperatures.

The Log Cabin goodies that afternoon

Visitors choose from Apple or Pumpkin pies, Roasted Chestnuts, Buttery Popcorn, Chocolate Chip cookies or Stuffed Cabbage Soup, all cooked fresh in the pots on the open fire hearth which also warmed the house on a cool afternoon. The museum was even selling a cookbook, Down Jersey Cookbook on some of the recipes being used in this part of New Jersey.

Cooking pies, soup, chestnuts and popcorn in the fireplace

The pies, Chestnuts and soups being cooked in the Open Hearth

It was interesting how the pies were cooked in the cast iron equipment and then laid out to cool. They came out of the oven steaming hot and sat to cool before being sliced.

The freshly baked Pumpkin pie

Freshly baked Apple pie

Freshly baked Apple pie. Yum!

Stuffed Cabbage Soup in a cast iron pot

The thick Stuffed Pepper Soup

Freshly Roasted Chestnuts from the fireplace

The pots and pans in the fire

It was fun watching the foods being cooked right on the spot they way they would have over a hundred years ago. It was even more fun to eat them. I learned a thing or two about the culinary arts this afternoon and it was so nice to sit in a warm kitchen by the fire on a cool November afternoon.

The delicious Fall goodies cooked in the hearth

Farm supplies kept cool in the barn

It was really a homey event at the museum, with good food and wonderful conversation with residents of the community. All in a room warmed by a fire in a working fireplace. I love it when museums do such great events and using the historical cooking instruments was very unique.

The Museum is in a rural location so the farmland that surrounds the house is really beautiful. The views in the fall were just gorgeous when the leaves were turning colors.

The beautiful farmland that surrounds the historical society.

The view on a late Fall day

The view of the local farm

The fields

The plaque of the “Quinton K. Baker Canhouse, the last one left.

The historic cars and fire trucks on display at the museum that day:

The Model T

The Hancock Bridge’s 1928 Hose truck

The cars on display that day

The front of the museum on my visit in November 2025

The back of museum during my visit in November 2025

The museum is open six times a year for special events. Please check out their website and their Facebook page for details. The Pie event was the last event for the season until the Spring.

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