Members and Friends: We are all making history right now, as we live through the COVID-19 pandemic. It's an emergency of historic proportions, and has been compared to the Black Plague, or the 1918 Spanish Flu. Like those past crises, COVID-19 will be a major topic of study for future historians. Years from now, Schenectadians will look back and wonder, “how did the COVID-19 pandemic affect Schenectady County? How did our ancestors respond to the crisis?” "What was life like for people quarantined, for months?" You can help future researchers understand for themselves what life right now is like. You can help future historians understand the pandemic's immense impact on our community, and on ourselves, and on our way of life. You can help future historians understand how this international emergency changed your life, and changed our world, forever. Consider recording your unique perspective for inclusion in the SCHS archives. Diaries, scrapbooks, photo albums, letters, songs, poems, short stories, and other works of art are all important sources for future historians. Be creative: there are infinite ways you can express yourself, and document the impact of COVID-19 on you, your loved ones, and your neighbors. Help us, by: Contributing to a global collection: https://covid19.omeka.net/ Share your story using our form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeHgEsVMdH6NBHjFKx_QxVwa5_H4rZSKIQ71e_XkjhfWMeiXg/viewform Creating a personal diary, scrapbook, or photo album (analog/physically or digitally) Collecting the letters, emails, and notes that you’ve created or received to stay in touch or communicate with others during this difficult time of isolation The COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact is an on-going, changing situation. It will take time to document how we are all affected. If you have questions about ways you can contribute to the SCHS archive collection, or about documenting your experiences, contact the SCHS librarian, Marietta Carr, at librarian@schenectadyhistorical.org Wishing you and your loved ones the very best. Be in touch and be safe.

While SCHS is closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, we invite you to view our online exhibitions: Handcrafted: The Folk and Their Art at https://indd.adobe.com/view/b06c2b57-3098-47ec-a417-e4b34378bcff Changing Downtown: The Rise, the Raze, and the Revitalization of Schenectady at https://indd.adobe.com/view/f6b96ae2-9988-469e-8b62-b6f32817a695 The Wizard of Schenectady: Charles Proteus Steinmetz at https://indd.adobe.com/view/e1090a87-2b04-43cf-8e0a-5639f662b737 and a map of the historic Mabee Farm at https://indd.adobe.com/view/b8a497d1-8ca2-4d13-b61c-cdd88d9ed8a1

THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN POSTPONED FOR LATER IN 2021 For artist Tony Murray, it all begins with a title. That vision is sculpted to life using precision machined scrap metals and found objects. Whether daydreaming or contemplating the nature of things, Murray’s subjects range from the playful and the serious to the cynical and the philosophical, leaving the viewer to ponder the deeper, religious, political, or social meanings behind the work.   In addition to both regional and national exhibitions, Murray’s work can be found in permanent installations at the Virginia Air and Space Center, LaGrange Art Museum, and Fontbonne University. While his media of choice is pressed metal sculpture and recycled/found objects, Murray also works in scratchboard, photography, “sculptography,” and poetry. Born and raised in Queens, NY, Murray now resides in Glenville, N.Y.   The exhibition will run March-May 2020 at the Mabee Farm Historic Site. A special reception will be held on April 11th at 2pm featuring a presentation by the artist followed by a Q&A. Light refreshments served. $5 or FREE for members.