SARATOGA SPRINGS — The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will feature several new and returning special exhibitions this summer for the upcoming Saratoga racing season. All summer exhibitions debuted on Thursday, July 1.
New Exhibitions
• Muybridge and Motion: Selections from the Tang Teaching Museum Collection
This exhibition features a series of groundbreaking animal locomotion photographic studies by English photographer Eadweard Muybridge (1830 – 1904) from the Tang Teaching Museum collection and paintings by American artist Henry Stull (1851 – 1913) from the National Museum of Racing collection.
Exhibited together, these works from two separate museum collections illustrate how the technological advancements in photography made by Muybridge forever changed the way motion is depicted and understood, particularly in the field of equine art. Muybridge and Motion is part of All Together Now, a regional collection-sharing project organized by The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation. For the duration of this exhibition, the Museum will offer complimentary admission to any visitor with a Skidmore College ID.
• ’Chasing Summer:The Art of Steeplechase.
This year’s fine art exhibition celebrates the Steeplechase Hall of Fame induction year with 31 works of steeplechasing art by British and American sporting artists from the 19th and 20th centuries. ’Chasing Summer also celebrates the return of 13 works from the collection that were previously on loan and have not been exhibited at the Museum in decades. Artists represented in this exhibition include Henry Alken, Samuel Henry Alken, Ann Collins, W. Smithson Broadhead, Paul Brown, June Harrah, Sir Alfred J. Munnings, Frederic Remington, Henry Stull, Franklin Brooke Voss, Eleanor Iselin Wade, and Charles Morris Young, among others.
New Exhibit Updates and Ongoing Exhibitions
The Triple Crown Gallery features text panels and artifacts related to Triple Crown history and an interactive exhibit that allows visitors to learn about the 13 Triple Crown winners through historic race footage and photographs. Renovated in recent years to include America’s 12th Triple Crown winner and 2021 Hall of Fame inductee, American Pharoah, additional gallery updates were added in 2019 to honor the most recent Triple Crown winner, Justify. This year marks the 75th anniversary of Assault’s Triple Crown sweep of 1946. In honor of this milestone anniversary year, artifacts on loan from King Ranch Archives — including race-worn silks and photographs — will be featured in this gallery through 2022.
The Edward P. Evans Gallery allows the Museum to showcase more of the treasures from its diverse permanent collection and honor the legacy of Mr. Evans and his passion for the sport of thoroughbred racing. Current featured exhibits include: Selections from the Edward P. Evans Trophy Collection, The Triple Crown, Selections from the James E. “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons Collection, The Legacy of Man o’ War, The Grand National, Tiffany & Co. in the National Museum of Racing Collection, and A Salute to Hollywood Park. New for 2021, Fifty Years Ago, an exhibit highlighting the racing achievements of 1971 and showcasing trophies won by Hall of Fame horses Shuvee and Riva Ridge and Eclipse Awards won by Hall of Fame trainer Charlie Whittingham and Hall of Fame Pillar of the Turf Paul Mellon.
Women in Racing: Women have been involved in the sport of thoroughbred racing in America for more than 100 years. The pioneers and trailblazers of the past paved the way for future generations of horse lovers and racing enthusiasts, allowing them to continue to break boundaries in a male-dominated sport and industry. Featuring art, photographs, and multimedia from the Museum Collection and on loan, this special exhibition honors the women involved in every aspect of thoroughbred racing.
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about the Museum, including special events and program offerings, call 518-584-0400 or visit: www.racingmuseum.org.
