The Great Shipwrecks of NY’s ‘Great’ Lakes Traveling Exhibit developed by New York Sea Grant will be installed at The State University of New York at Albany Gallery, 353 Broadway, Albany, NY, from May 4 to May 27, 2016. Admission to the exhibit from 10 am to 4 pm Monday through Friday is free.
The Great Shipwrecks exhibit features shipwrecks spanning more than 200 years across New York State. Ten interpretive panels highlight fascinating details about the historic underwater wrecks and landscapes in Lake Erie, Ontario, Lake Champlain, the Finger Lakes, Lake George and the St. Lawrence River. A miniature replica of the ‘turtle ship’ Radeau, North America’s oldest warship purposely sunk by the British in Lake Champlain in 1758, was made specifically for this exhibit.
“The State University of New York is proud to host this intricate traveling exhibit featuring the historic shipwrecks of New York and the beautiful lakes and rivers forever affected by their presence,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “We look forward to sharing this exhibit with our friends and neighbors in the downtown Albany community.”
The exhibit also includes an aquatic ROV, remotely operated vehicle, provided by the Great Lakes Research Consortium, and one of the New York Sea Grant Discover Clean and Safe Boating campaign educational vessels for 2016.
New York Sea Grant first developed the Great Shipwrecks exhibit to be the 2014 Great New York State Fair Signature Exhibit in the New York State mini-park at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, NY. Among the hosts for exhibit to date are Tyler Art Gallery, a teaching gallery regularly used by art classes and museum studies students at SUNY Oswego, and the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Basin Harbor, Vermont.
“Lessons from history are essential educational vehicles. Understanding New York’s maritime history and the risks individuals took to pioneer that history are important as we think about future economic opportunities related to our waterways, commerce and coastal hazards. New York Sea Grant is pleased to present this exhibit to spark learning and discussion,” said New York Sea Grant Associate Director and Cornell Cooperative Extension Assistant Director Katherine Bunting-Howarth.
Pennsylvania Sea Grant is hosting the exhibit at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center at Presque Isle, PA, through April 24, 2016. Pennsylvania Sea Grant Maritime Education Manager David Boughton estimates that 18,000 viewers will have seen the exhibit there.
“We cannot thank New York Sea Grant enough for sharing the 11 panels that prompted this exhibit that has broken all previous attendance records for a winter season display,” Boughton said, “and the timing perfectly parallels our application for a National Marine Sanctuary in Lake Erie.”
New York Sea Grant Coastal Recreation and Tourism Specialist David G. White estimates the Great Shipwrecks of NY’s ‘Great’ Lakes Traveling Exhibit was seen by more than 40,000 people in its inaugural travel year of 2015. Learn more atwww.nyseagrant.org/shipwreck.