The Beat

Exhibit Marks Just the Second Time Banning’s Impressive Research and Art Have Been Publicly Displayed at the State Museum

An Opening Reception Will Be Held on April 4, 2025 at 6:00 P.M.

Albany, N.Y. - Long before mushrooms and mycology captivated the public imagination, self-taught scientist Mary Banning dedicated her life to the study of fungi. However, due to her gender, her work remained unrecognized for almost 100 years. The New York State Museum's latest exhibit, "Outcasts: Mary Banning's World of Mushrooms," celebrates Banning's rich legacy as one of America's first mycologists, who uncovered, documented, and illustrated 23 fungal species new to science in the mid-1800s.

Rensselaer, N.Y. - On Saturday, March 22, 2025, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Crailo State Historic Site and the Friends of Fort Crailo invite the public to the third of five “Colonial Kitchen” series of events offered during the months of March and April.

Celebrating America's Iconic Sports Car

Saratoga Springs, NY (March 17, 2025) – The Saratoga Automobile Museum is thrilled to announce its highly anticipated new exhibition, Speed - Style - Legacy: The Corvette Story. This exciting new exhibit takes visitors on an unforgettable journey through the history of one of the world’s most legendary sports cars, the Chevrolet Corvette. From 1953, when the first Vette rolled off the assembly line, to its current status as a high-performance icon, this exhibition offers an immersive look at the Corvette’s incredible evolution and its unparalleled motorsport legacy.

SPAC and Pilobolus will co-create programming in collaboration with Skidmore College Dance Department to inform dance education practices nationwide

Multi-year partnership kicks off in Saratoga with a pilot workshop bringing together Skidmore College dance students and adults aged 50+ on March 19

Saratoga Springs, NY (March 17, 2025) — Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) announces that it has been selected as the first partner and incubation site to join modern dance company Pilobolus in the creation of a nationwide education program. Following an extensive feasibility study, SPAC is one of just three sites that the company will partner with for this multi-year initiative to expand their collective reach and impact. Aligning their missions to make art and dance inclusive and accessible to all, SPAC and Pilobolus will co-develop creative movement programming that fosters connection, creativity, and well-being. The Joyce Theater in New York City has also committed to the initiative with plans to join in the development of the program in future years.

Saratoga Springs, N.Y. - To celebrate Women’s History Month, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation will present an evening virtual program "Sarah Smiley: From Mohonk to Saratoga" on Thursday, March 27 at 7pm, with Louisa Finn and Nell Boucher. Learn more about Sarah Smiley, a trailblazing 19th-century Quaker preacher and abolitionist, who was the most famous member of the Smiley family and built a seasonal residence at 166 Excelsior Avenue, a designated Local Landmark.

Five-night series of screenings, guest-curated by Jon Davies, expands on exhibition with experimental works

Saratoga Springs, NY (March 12, 2025) — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College announces a screening series of experimental films and videos organized in conjunction with the exhibition a field of bloom and hum. Guest-curated by film scholar Jon Davies, the series begins March 20 and pulls out threads and expands on ideas in the exhibition, which celebrates on queer lives and networks.

Saratoga Springs, NY (March 13) – Universal Preservation Hall is set to ignite with the electrifying sounds of Moonlight Benjamin, the powerhouse Haitian singer-songwriter whose unique fusion of voodoo rhythms and blues-infused rock has taken the world by storm. The performance, presented as part of the Music Haven Passport Series, will take place 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 29, offering audiences an unforgettable evening of raw energy, soulful melodies, and deep cultural resonance.

SPAC Fundraiser to kick off the summer season and support SPAC’s mission to serve the Capital Region and beyond through artistic excellence, educational programming, and community outreach

Emceed by News 10 ABC Anchor Lydia Kulbida, featuring live music, a dance party on SPAC’s Stage, cocktails, culinary tastings, and fireworks 

Friday, May 30

Saratoga Springs, NY (March 13, 2025) – Saratoga Performing Arts Center announces that its Summer SPACtacular is back for its third annual event on Friday, May 30 from 5:00 – 11:30 p.m. to benefit SPAC’s mission to serve the Capital Region and beyond through artistic excellence, educational programming and community outreach. The season kick-off fundraiser will feature an expansive celebration across the SPAC grounds that includes live music, a multi-course gourmet dinner, culinary tastings, cocktails and mocktails, tarot card readings, fireworks, and a dance party on SPAC’s historic stage.

The free event will take place Sunday, March 30, showcasing Ukrainian opera, art song, and folk traditions 

Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (March 10, 2025) — Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, Skidmore College invites the community to experience “Voices of Ukraine,” a moving celebration of Ukrainian culture through its rich musical and dance traditions, at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 30, at the Arthur Zankel Music Center. Co-presented by Skidmore’s Department of Music and the Ukrainian Classical Voice Project, the concert will highlight rarely heard works from Ukrainian opera, art song, and folk traditions, offering a poignant tribute to Ukraine’s resilience and artistic legacy. The event is free and open to the public. …

Saratoga Springs, NY (March 5, 2025) — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College invites the public to attend a Curators’ Tour for the exhibition Everforward, Neverback on Thursday, March 20, at noon. The exhibition presents art from the Tang collection that reveals how the experiences of members of various ethnic and racial groups—including Black Americans, Indigenous Americans, and other people of color—can offer narratives of joy, beauty, and community as acts of resistance.