From the Adirondack Artist Guild

Eleanor V. Sweeney      

December 24, 1937 — October 27, 2025

With great sadness, the Artists Guild mourns the passing of one of our founding and longest-standing members, Eleanor Sweeney, who passed away Monday morning. Eleanor had been facing health challenges over the past few months.

To many of us, Eleanor was the matriarch of the Guild — a steady, guiding presence whose influence shaped the way we work and create together. Her artwork was exceptional; she was widely regarded as one of the most creative photographers in the Adirondack North Country. Over the years, she transitioned seamlessly from film and darkroom printing to digital photography, always producing work that was boldly original and “outside the box.”

Eleanor’s grace, thoughtfulness, and sense of humor will be deeply missed.

A special exhibition of her photography will be held at the Artists Guild this coming January — details to follow. The photograph here was taken while Eleanor was working on the Juried Art Show at the Guild in the spring of 2023.

You can read the full obituary HERE.

Seagle Festival General Director Tony Kostecki Named a City & State NY ‘Trailblazer in Arts & Culture’ Honoree

Seagle Festival is thrilled to announce that General Director Tony Kostecki has been recognized as a Trailblazer in Arts & Culture honoree by City & State NYmagazine. The prestigious award honors visionary leaders who drive critical work and improve the lives of New Yorkers through the state’s vibrant arts and culture sector. Mr. Kostecki and his fellow honorees will be celebrated at an awards ceremony in Manhattan, highlighting his decades-long dedication to the arts and education. 

Tony Kostecki has been a central figure in New York’s North Country arts community for decades, most notably through his leadership of Seagle Festival, the oldest opera training program in the United States, founded in 1915. Since being appointed General Director in January 2008, his tenure has been marked by a period of dramatic expansion for the Adirondack institution. Under his direction, the Festival has grown from a summer-only performance and training festival to a stalwart year-round presence in the local and regional arts scene. This expansion has cemented its reputation as a premier institution, recognized as the “Best Summer Vocal Training Program in the United States.”

Learn more about Seagle Festival HERE.

Whitcomb’s Gallery presents

Ellen Few Anderson: Fields of Vision

Thursday, November 6 – Sunday, December 21, 2025

Opening Reception Friday, November 7, 5 – 7 pm, Artist Talk at 6 pm

Ellen Few Anderson is an abstract artist, living and painting in the Adirondack mountains of northern N.Y. since 2006. All her life, she has spent summers in Westport, NY, in the house designed and built by her great great grandfather, Colonel Francis Lee, in 1848.

After teaching Painting, Drawing and Art History for 30 years, mostly at an interesting small college, (and receiving a Masters of Visual Design at the School of Design at NCSU) and bringing up two wonderful children, she is now a full time painter.

More information HERE.

Whitcomb’s Arts, 1598 NYS Rt 22, Essex

Fort Ticonderoga Virtual Author Series presents

The Revolutionary War Lives & Letters of Lucy and Henry Knox, by Phillip Hamilton

Sunday, November 2, 2025, 2 – 3 pm, virtual

You must register for this program by 5 pm Friday, October 31. 

Register HERE.

In 1774, Boston bookseller Henry Knox married Lucky Waldo Flucker, the daughter of a prominent Tory family. Although Lucy’s father was the third-ranking colonial official in Massachusetts, the couple joined the American cause after the Battles of Lexington and Concord and fled British-occupied Boston. Knox became a soldier in the Continental Army, where he served until the wars end as Washington’s artillery commander.

While Knox is well known to historians, his private life and marriage to Lucy remain largely unexplored. Phillip Hamilton tells the fascinating story of the Knoxes’ relationships amid the upheavals of war. Like John and Abigail Adams, the Knoxes were often separated by the revolution and spent much of their time writing to one another. They penned nearly 200 letters during the conflict, more than half of which are reproduced and annotated for this volume.

Phillip Hamilton is Professor of History at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia. He is the author/editor of four books, including The Revolutionary War Lives and Letters of Lucy and Henry Knox, The Making and Unmaking of Revolutionary Family: the Tuckers of Virginia, 1752-1830, and Justifying Revolution: Law, Virtue and Violence in the American War of Independence, which he co-edited with Glenn A. Moots.

Historic Saranac Lake presents

The First Adirondackers: 12,000 Years of Human Presence in the Adirondack Uplands, presented by Curt Stager and David Kanietakeron Fadden

Wednesday, November 5, 6 – 7:15 pm

Join us for a special presentation by David Fadden and Curt Stager, who will be presenting on their new book The First Adirondackers.

The First Adirondackers challenges the widespread, long-standing belief that the Adirondack uplands of northern New York were uninhabited before the arrival of European colonizers. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Through local Indigenous traditions and supporting findings by natural science, authors David Fadden and Curt Stager expose, document, and honor the long human presence in the Adirondacks, helping not only to redefine what it means to be an Adirondacker, but also contributing to a more complete understanding of America itself.

Curt Stager is a professor of natural sciences at Paul Smith’s College in New York. New York State’s Carnegie-Case Science Professor of the Year in 2013, he cohosts Natural Selections on North Country Public Radio and has published in periodicals such as Science, National Geographic, and The New York Times.

David Kanietakeron Fadden grew up in the tiny Adirondack Mountain hamlet of Onchiota with strong ties to the Mohawk community of Akwesasne. He is a recognized painter, traditional storyteller, illustrator, writer, and sculptor. His subjects range from traditional Haudenosaunee teachings to intimate and inspired portrayals of community members and his work has been featured in exhibitions throughout the Northeast as well as in books. Much of his work can be seen at the Six Nations Iroquois Cultural Center in Onchiota, a family-run facility founded in 1954 by his grandparents. Fadden continues to maintain this unique museum that welcomes visitors from around the world, breaking down stereotypes and promoting accurate, inspiring understandings of Mohawk and Haudenosaunee culture.

Historic Saranac Lake, John Black Room, 89 Church St., Saranac Lake

Adirondack Sky Center & Observatory Cygnus Virtual Lecture Series presents

Cosmic Waves

Presented by Simon Thill, Adirondack Sky Center Associate Director of Astronomy Outreach

November 4, 2025, 7 pm, virtual

Gravitational waves are the next frontier in astronomy. They are radiation emitted from some of the most extreme events in the universe: the merging of massive stars. After the first direct detection only a decade ago, hundreds have since been detected and we now know they fill the space all around us.

Gravitational wave astronomy is a rapidly growing field and many exciting discoveries are being made. In this talk, Simon Thill will discuss how gravitational waves can be used to study the early universe, the large-scale distribution of matter, and fundamental physics. Discover how these signals open a brand-new window into some of humanity’s biggest cosmic questions.

Register for Zoom link HERE.

The Chapman Museum presents

Storytime at the Museum: Vote for our Future

Tuesday, Nov. 4, 1 pm

Join us for a special Election Day Storytime!

Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner will be stopping by the Chapman to read Vote for our Future by Margaret McNamara.

Parental participation is encouraged, and supervision is required.

This program is free, and registration isn’t required, but we’d love a call to let us know you’re coming:  518) 793-2826.

And,

Family Craft Program: Coffee Filter Turkeys

Wednesday, Nov. 5, 3:30 – 4:30 pm

November means Thanksgiving, and we’re celebrating with a festive craft you’ll love—coffee filter turkeys!

Using coffee filters, markers, a splash of water, and a dash of creativity, you’ll make a colorful turkey that’s as fun to create as it is to display.

Parental participation is encouraged, and supervision is required.

This program is free but requires registration. To register, please call (518)793-2826.

Chapman Museum, 348 Glen Street, Glens Falls