A Message from the Director

The frost on the ground outside my window naturally makes me think of our current exhibition, which is on display through March 28, 2010. An Enduring Legacy: American Impressionist Landscapes from the Thomas Clark Collection is a most captivating exhibition. Tom Clark’s collection presents many of the most important artists’ colonies in the United States through the eyes of many of the most important American landscape painters of the early twentieth century. Among these wonderful paintings are some truly magnificent snow scenes. I invite you to come and see the exhibition; it is really stunning. Tom has promised these works (as well as the remainder of his collection) to The Hyde as a bequest, so we offer you a first glimpse of paintings that will one day become part of the Museum’s permanent holdings.

We are excited about other things too, for we are gearing up for capital repairs on our campus… a new roof and restored balustrade for Hyde House, repair of the decaying and peeling woodwork on Cunningham and Hoopes Houses, and replacement of outdated audio visual equipment in our auditorium. These are among our initiatives for 2010. Already, the Charles R. Wood Foundation has given a leadership gift of $250,000 to help cover the costs of the Hyde House roof project and we are enormously grateful to them for their stewardship.

In addition, we are most excited about this summer’s exhibition – Andrew Wyeth: An American Legend, which promises to be extremely popular because the artist truly hit a nerve in the American consciousness. I personally find his landscapes and portrayals of rural and vernacular architecture to be among the most telling and haunting products of twentieth-century American art. The exhibition, which runs from June 13 (members opening, June 12) through September 5, is principally from the collection of the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine. In addition, we will borrow major works from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art, Mead Art Museum, and the Hood Museum of Art.

For the new year, I am very excited to introduce you to three new board members and to announce our 2010 board officers. Joining the Museum board are Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, president of R.P.I. in Troy; Joseph F. Raccuia, president and CEO of Finch Paper, LLC; and Leo A. Rigby, CPA and Partner in Ross Rigby & Patten LLP. Dr. Jackson, who has led R.P.I. since 1999 holds a Ph.D. in theoretical elementary particle physics from M.I.T. and a S.B. in physics from M.I.T. and serves on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. She formerly served as chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (1995-1999). Raccuia, who joined Finch Paper after serving as president and CEO of SCA Tissue North America, began his career locally with the former Encore Paper Company. He holds a BA in business administration and earned his MBA from Wagner College. Rigby is vice president and treasurer of Ross Rigby & Patten LLP, and the partner in charge of accounting and auditing services. A graduate of Clarkson University and a certified information systems auditor, Rigby is vice president of the Glens Falls Rotary Club and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Leading the 2010 board as chairman is Alan E. Redeker, a trustee since 2003 and our 2009 vice chairman. He succeeds Beth Saunders, who concluded her term as 2009 chairman. We thank Beth for her outstanding service and look forward to her wisdom as she continues on the board as immediate past chairman and trustee. Officers for 2009 include Candace Wait as vice chairman, Dr. Michael Gardner as treasurer, and Michael S. Rapaport, Esq. as secretary.

Thank you… and enjoy 2010 at The Hyde!

David F. Setford

Photo courtesy of The Chronicle, Glens Falls,NY

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Our Mission
As stated by Mrs. Hyde in her 1952 Trust Agreement establishing The Hyde Collection, our mission remains "to maintain a Museum for the exhibition of the permanent collection and to promote and cultivate the improvement of the fine arts, for the education and benefit of the residents of Glens Falls and vicinity and the general public."

The Hyde Collection is a member of the Museum Association of New York and accredited by the American Association of Museums