Second Saturday SlaterDay to focus on slate in historic preservation

SlaterDay will return to the Slate Valley Museum this year with an event focusing on slate in historic preservation on Saturday, June 10. The day will include several activities related to slate and slate work, as well as the unveiling of new additions to the museum's "One Painting, Many Stories"special exhibition.

The SlaterDay series was launched in 2022 to offer more onsite demonstrations and opportunities for visitors to interact with slate workers at the museum. The events were well-received, prompting the museum to schedule even more events this year with each focusing on a different slate topic.

SlaterDays are scheduled for the second Saturday of each month from June through October.

"Given that slate from the Slate Valley has been used on roofs for the industry's entire 175+ history, it's natural that we’d explore the stone's use in historic preservation efforts," noted the museum's executive director Sarah Kijowski. "There's a real desire in many places and among homeowners and organizations to maintain the aesthetic of their 19th-century buildings. Many of these structures included slate elements – roofs and other applications – and that means slate is integral to restoration efforts."

Camara Slate Products in Fair Haven, Vermont, has provided slate and worked on notable historic preservation projects. Company owner Shawn Camara and his family will participate in the June SlaterDay to share their skills and experience with visitors.

The museum's content researcher Bob Isherwood is working with Camara to develop a program and activities for the day that help people better understand how slate workers and companies here support historic preservation efforts. They’ll focus their presentation on Rough Point Mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. Camara's company supplied the slate roofing for the mansion's restoration. They will have examples of the special tiles – which are much larger than typical roofing slates – on display.

The SlaterDay theme of historic preservation connects to the museum's ongoing special exhibition "One Painting, Many Stories: Exploring the Legacy & Context of a Slate Valley WPA Mural."The exhibits offers new research about the 1939 Martha Levy work "Men Working in Slate Quarry," which hangs at the museum.

Isherwood curated the exhibition and emphasizes the public art movements roots in architecture. "As I followed my research further and further, I came to really understand how architecture helped set the stage for public art. The Gilded Age, when places like Rough Point and other mansions in Newport and elsewhere were first built, was a critical moment in the historic arc of this story. This special SlaterDay event will help us explore this aspect of the exhibition more closely and help reinforce its connection to the industry right here in the Slate Valley."

As part of the SlaterDay events, Isherwood will unveil objects that have been added to the exhibition this year. Isherwood notes that one of the items is especially exciting and places Granville and the Slate Valley within a national context. SlaterDay visitors will be the first to see the artifact, which has been newly acquired by the museum and has never been displayed there.

"We think it’ll be quite an exciting surprise to many people, and we can't wait to see their reactions," said Kijowski.

Slater-Day runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will include both day-long and timed activities. Scheduled activities include:

All-day activities will include slate-based art demos and hands-on activities for visitors of all ages. Dr. Mike Dashnaw, a local painter on slate, will be onsite during the day to demonstrate his methods for painting slate tiles. The museum will also offer a new session of its Create with Slate! program, which welcomes visitors to make a slate craft that they can take home. Other day-long activities include chalk art in the museum yard, scavenger hunts around the museum (with prizes) and an opportunity to explore the entire museum, including its latest exhibition, "Quarrymen,"which features Welsh photographer Carwyn Rhys Jones's depictions of quarry workers in Wales.

As for the cost for entry, only regular museum admission applies, which is $5 for those ages 12-64, $3 for seniors 65+, and free for kids under 12, slate workers and active military and their families.

The museum will welcome more slaters, in addition to members of supporting trades, at events scheduled throughout the rest of the summer and fall seasons. Anyone interested in participating as demonstrators is encouraged to contact the museum at 518-642-1417 or [email protected] for more information.

For more information, visit SlateValleyMuseum.org and the museum's pages on Facebook and Twitter @SlateMuseum.

The Slate Valley Museum is located at 17 Water St., Granville, New York.