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 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.
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
The Mission of the Pilesgrove-Woodstown Historical Society:
To preserve and advance interest in and awareness of the history and heritage of the Borough of Woodstown and Pilesgrove Township by properly procuring, preserving and maintaining the art, artifacts and documents that relate to the cultural, archaeological, civil, literary, genealogical and ecclesiastical history of the local community. We welcome researchers and provide them with any available material.
On the site is the 1840’s one room schoolhouse that was moved from Eldridge’s Hill in the 1970’s and is open for touring during museum hours. The organization hosts quarterly presentations and participates with the Candlelight Tour on the first Friday of December.
Touring the house is a wonderful experience and I got an excellent tour from a member of the Board of Directors who took me on a full tour of the house and grounds. She explained that the volunteers take a lot of pride in the home, the displays and the artifacts and antiques that make up the décor of the house. The tour starts in the Library which is to the right of the entrance. This is where people can research their families and the towns’ histories. The house was originally owned by the Dickerson family and had changed hands many times over the years.
The Library:
This display has the portrait of John Fenwick and the family tree
The Library:
The Library:
The collection of books and manuscripts is held in the library of the home. Patrons can do their research on their family trees and on the local towns here.
The Living Room:
The Living Room:
The Living Room:
The Living Room:
The Living Room:
The Kitchen:
The kitchen had been modernized over the years but still retains its historic look to it.
The Kitchen:
The Kitchen:
The Kitchen:
The kitchen:
The Military Room:
Memorabilia from the Veterans of Foreign Wars
The Upstairs Bedrooms:
The Upstairs bedroom:
The Upstairs bedroom:
The Upstairs bedroom:
The upstairs bedroom has lots of children’s toys, clothes and musical instruments.
The Upstairs bedroom:
The Upstairs bedroom:
The hats and toy collections in the home.
The Bathroom:
The Commercial section of the home:
The outside grounds have a wonderful lawn area where the foliage was in full hilt when I was visiting and in the back of the home is the schoolhouse from the 1840’s. This was locked for the day, but I could see the classroom set up of an old-fashioned school room that has not changed all that much since that period.
The Schoolhouse on the society’s property
The Schoolhouse
The property behind the house was beautiful and well-kept with colorful foliage.
The house is well maintained, beautifully displayed with artifacts and there is a lot to see and do here. I just wish this wonderful site was open more often so that people could enjoy these wonderful artifacts and displays.
The Society when decorated for Christmas 2023
Some of the special programs that the society has run:
“David Crockett, Scout and Adventurer” on March 26th, 2023:
The Pilesgrove-Woodstown Historical Society is presenting a free program for the community titled ” David Crockett, Scout and Adventurer.” There are many stories about “Davy” Crockett. Our speaker, Mr. Douglas Jones, in period clothing, will be sharing many and will have time for questions. The date is Sunday, March 26th, 2023 at 2:00 pm in the Woodstown Friends Meeting House, 105 North Main Street, Woodstown, N.J. 08098 (this is down the road from the Historical Society). The meeting house is handicap accessible with a sound system and onsite parking. All are welcome. For more information or questions, call 609-313-7534.
Special Event on May 21st, 2023
The Pilesgrove-Woodstown Historical Society Quarterly Program, on Sunday, 2:00 pm, May 21st, 2023 is titled “Liberty, Loyalty, Libations, Love and Remembrance.” The hosts, Jan and John Haigis, from “PastTimePresent” will be setting stories to music and song from Memorial Day Celebrations of our United States History.
This free program will be held in the Woodstown Friends Meeting House, 104, North Main Street, Woodstown, N.J. 08098 is suitable for all ages, all are invited. The Meeting House is handicap accessible with on site parking available. For any questions or information call 609-313-7534.
‘The Woodstown by Candlelight’ Christmas Holiday House Tour:
I returned to Woodstown this December for the Annual Pilesgrove-Woodstown Christmas Holiday House Tour and it was a really amazing event. I had a wonderful time. I did not realized it until the tour was over that this was the first time they had extended the tour through Pilesgrove and used the buses to go out to four of the additional homes.
That lead to some challenges like people being left at homes and not being picked up. It also led to other folks missing parts of tours of the homes because they stopped the transportation too early to get people around. So there are some hiccups that will have to be worked out for next year.
We had gotten left on our last house on the tour by forty-five minutes and did not leave until someone called the woman running the event and we got the bus back to pick us up. That made us an hour late for the regular tour in Woodstown but I was still able to see most of the homes on the listing. It all worked out in the end and I had a ball.
The Creekside Inn at 197 East Avenue in Woodstown, NJ
I started my tour at the Creekside Inn in Downtown Woodstown, where the tour would start and I would be taking the bus with the group of people I would be touring with that afternoon. I checked in and there was over an hour before my tour began, so I stopped for lunch at the restaurant in the Creekside Inn and what a nice choice it was for lunch.
The restaurant was so nicely decorated for the holidays
They had a nice holiday buffet set up for dinner
The restaurant was so beautifully decorated for the Christmas holidays with garland and lights and two Christmas trees. It really put me in the holiday spirit and I started to relax. I had the most wonderful lunch.
The Grilled Cheese with Tomato and Bacon with a side salad
I ordered on the recommendation of the waitress the Grilled Cheese Sandwich on sourdough bread with bacon and beefsteak tomato with a side salad. It was the best lunch for a long day of touring. The sandwich was homey and crisp and I loved the combination of flavors. It would get me through the rest of the afternoon of touring.
I highly recommend the Grilled Cheese with Bacon and Tomato here
The lobby of the Creekside Inn
I was just finishing my lunch when the woman from the Historical Society came in and announced that the tour was going to start and we had better finish. I would stop in later after the tour.
I got on the bus with everyone on my tour to get to the first stop which was The Seven Star Tavern in Pilesgrove, NJ. The main portion of the home was built as a tavern in 1762. In 1805, with the changes in transportation and the community for farming, it became a farmhouse. It has served as a private home since 1941 (Tour handbook).
The Seven Star Tavern at 1349 Kings Highway in Pilesgrove, NJ
The decorations in the old tavern which is now the Living Room
Our group at the Seven Stars Tavern with the owner who was in Revolutionary War costume
The Living Room at the Seven Stars
The second room with a fire going
The Christmas in the Living Room
The Kitchen at the Seven Stars Tavern
The back of the home’s decorations
The Seven Stars Tavern house before we left
The Seven Stars Tavern was interesting in that you can see that it is a home but you can see that when you are inside how it was a tavern at one time.
Our next stop was the Catalpa Hill Farm, which had been in the same family for almost two hundred years. The property was beautifully decorated for the holidays. The farm was owned by the Lippincott family for almost 200 years until it was sold in 1999 to the current owners, the Valentes (Tour handbook).
The entrance sign to the farm
Our group starting the tour of the farm
The property was beautifully landscaped
The entrance to the home
The Dining Room of the home
The Christmas tree in the Living room
Sleigh bells on the door
A family portrait above the working fireplace
More family portraits
The Christmas tree in the kitchen
The formal Dining Room table in the Dining Room set for Christmas
The middle part of the Dining Room
The second Christmas tree in the Dining Room
The barn in the back yard
The front of the house at sunset when we left for the next house
Our next stop on the tour was The Zigo Farm which was built in the 1860’s. This ‘gentleman’s farm’ is based around the Colonial Home which was fully renovated and expanded in the 1950’s by the Costello family. The current family bought it in 2013 and added the stables in the back for their rescue horses.
The entrance to the Zigo Farm
The front of the Zigo Farm
The Christmas tree in the entrance was of the home
The kitchen dining area
While we in the kitchen, our host’s mother was helping prepare homemade cookies for all of us and I thought this was a very nice touch. While the tour went on, I stayed in the kitchen and talked with the ladies as I enjoyed some of the cookies. These freshly baked treats were really popular on the tour.
The homemade cookies in the kitchen
We then toured the rest of the house which was very tastefully decorated for the holidays. We toured both the Living Room and the Dining Room. I stopped and talked to our hosts parents while everyone took a hay ride through the grounds.
The Dining Room of the Zigo Farm
The Living Room of the house
I then caught up with the rest of the group at the stables, which were also nicely decorated for the holidays. The grounds were also decorated for the upcoming holidays. The lighting and the sunset made the property glow.
The Walled Gardens
The Stables on the property
The Christmas decorations at the stables
The beautiful Christmas tree at the stables
The tour of the farm and its stables were really impressive and the farm was decorated from top to bottom with impressive decorations.
The last stop on the bus tour before we went back to town was at the ‘Morgan’s Folly House’ at 2 Layton Avenue, which was built in 1804 by Samuel Morgan in the Federal Colonial style. It was considered a very large home at its time and somewhat pretentious which earned it its nickname “Morgan’s Folly” for being so out of place. The home today has been fully renovated by the current family.
The beautiful sunset on the fields
The front of the Morgan’s Folly House decorated for the holidays
The Dining Room at the Morgan’s Folly House.
The Living Room at Morgan’s Folly
The Christmas in their Living Room
The historical beauty of the renovated upstairs
One of the upstairs bedrooms decorated for the holidays
It was funny because we were at Morgan’s Folly house for about forty-five minutes when we all started wondering where our bus was and finally someone in our group called the woman in charge to send a bus for us. The owners kidded with us that we could spend the night if we wanted.
It ended up that one of the bus drivers had been released for the evening and they forgot we were still touring. The poor bus driver was beside himself. I thought they really needed to work on this for next year. One group missed the second half of the tour and the second group was left at the last house. Not a good thing.
When we finally got back to Woodstown, we arrived back at the Creekside Inn for dinner. I was still stuffed from lunch and walked around the Crafts Fair that they set up. There in the middle of the Fair was Santa sitting there looking bored. I walked up to him and asked him honestly why people were getting so rude.
He did not miss a beat and told me honestly that it was the way they were raised and how it starts at home. This guy was so earnest and honest about what he said that I listened to rest of the conversation with such interest. We talked for a bit more and when I left I said to him, “ I just wanted to let you know that I still believe in you.” That seemed to make him very happy.
Me with Santa-I swear he made me believe again
I then moved on to touring Downtown Woodstown’s decorated homes. The whole downtown was so beautifully decorated for the holiday.
Downtown Woodstown, NJ decorated for Christmas
Downtown windows decorated for the holidays
Downtown Woodstown, NJ decorated for the holidays
The downtown homes decorated for the holidays
Decorated houses downtown
Decorated house in Woodstown
Decorated house in Downtown Woodstown
On the side of this house, they had the most interesting light show with a blue Christmas tree:
The first house on the tour was the Bobbitt House, which seemed to be a very popular house on the tour. I could see why, with its turn of the century style rooms and gorgeous decorations.
The Bobbitt House at 216 North Main Street in Woodstown, NJ, the home of Bruce and Lori Bobbitt. The home has some of its original cherry, chestnut and oak woodwork and the original stained-glass windows. The home was beautifully decorated for the holidays.
The Christmas tree in the Bobbitt House Parlor
The Parlor of the Bobbitt House
The Dining Room at the Bobbitt House
The doll collection at the Bobbitt House
The Christmas tree in the Living Room
After the tour of the Bobbitt House, I walked to the next home across the street. We toured through the home quickly as it was so crowded, and it was tough to get around. I stopped at the Ellwood Davis House, which is a Colonial Revival home built in 1906.
The decorations and the giant gingerbread man welcomed us to the home
What I thought was really nice was that that the young girl who lived here performed Christmas songs for the people that stopped by and even in the cold, it was so entertaining and really put me in to the holiday spirit.
Video of the girl playing Christmas songs on here piano:
I stopped by the Pilesgrove-Woodstown Historical Society for a quick tour of the museum. The docents wanted to fill our minds with all sorts of facts and all I wanted to do is look at the decorations around the old home. The first floor was nicely decorated for the Christmas holidays.
The Pilesgrove-Woodstown Historical Society at Christmas time
The old fashioned kitchen in the Historical Society
The upstairs bedroom at the Historical Society
The upstairs decorated for the holidays
After I left the historical society, I had time for one more house before the evening ended and I made my way down to the Melissa Dolan House. The home was originally owned by the Presbyterian Church and had been the minister’s home with his wife. The house was built around 1890 and had some the original floors, fireplaces and pocket doors.
The front of the Dolan House at 25 Bowen Avenue
The beautiful Living Room during Christmas
The Christmas tree in the Living Room
The banister decorated for the holidays
The Christmas tree in the back room of the home
After the house tours were finishing up for the evening, I made my way back downtown and walked through the last of the vendors who were still open. At the Craft Market they had set up, there were vendors selling all sorts of gourmet foods like chocolate, ice cream and jellies plus all sorts of crafts. They stayed open to the last of the crowds still milling around until about 9:30pm.
I made my way back by one of the last busses back to the Creekside Inn and drove back to Salem for the evening. It was freezing by this point and I just wanted to relax.
The Craft Market in Downtown Woodstown, NJ
The Salem River Inn was really quiet when I returned around 10:00pm. I got a wonderful night’s rest and prepared for breakfast the next morning and the second house tour that would take place in Salem, NJ the next day.
The sunrise view from the Meadow Room at the Salem River Inn
The decorations being prepared for a wedding the next day
Breakfast overlooking the Delaware Bay
Breakfast overlooking the patio
It was a nice way to end the event with a wonderful breakfast and a lot of good memories from the night before. Don’t miss visiting Woodstown and Pilesgrove at the Christmas holidays. It is a very special place to relax and enjoy the coming of Christmas.
Visiting a Museum: The Unique, Unusual, Obscure and Historical 