Blue Mountain Lake, NY – David M. Kahn, Executive Director of the Adirondack Museum, announced today that the museum will launch an exciting new audio tour when the museum reopens for the season on Friday, May 25, 2012.

Visitors will be invited to take a fresh look at the Adirondack Museum using the terrific new tour. The voices of real people who live in the Adirondacks today will guide visitors to a deeper understanding of the museum’s exhibitions, it dramatic setting, and what makes the Adirondacks unique.

“The audio tour will add another dimension to an already fantastic museum experience,” said Kahn. “People’s authentic stories will enable our visitors to think about the Adirondacks past, present, and future from intriguing perspectives.”

Adirondackers’ personal stories will be related by many including: Kevin Bacon, actor; John Collins, Blue Mountain Lake Resident; Martha Foley, News Director, NCPR; Allison Warner, boat builder; Dan Moore, logger; Steven Tucker, farmer; John Fadden, Six Nations Indian Museum; Marty Podskoch, author; Phillip Terrie, author and Environmental Historian, and many more. Preview the tour online at www.adirondackmuseum.org.

The audio tour will be offered free of charge to visitors with museum admission. The tour has been generously sponsored by National Grid as well as additional individuals and foundations. It was produced by Richard Lewis Media Group of Watertown, MA, and will be available via Acoustiguide Audio portable devices and as a downloadable app for smartphones.

The Adirondack Museum reopens for its 55th season on Friday, May 25, and is open 7 days a week, from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., through October 14. The museum will close at 3 p.m. on August 10 and September 7 for special event preparations.

The Adirondack Museum, accredited by the American Association of Museums, offers 65,000 square feet of exciting exhibitions housed in twenty-two modern and historic buildings. Visitors can explore how people have lived, worked, traveled, and played in the Adirondacks from the 19th century up to today. The museum is supported in part by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency. For additional information, visit www.adirondackmuseum.org or call (518) 352-7311.

Blue Mountain Lake, NY – David M. Kahn, Executive Director of the Adirondack Museum has announced today that the museum has received grants from the following foundations: New York State Council on the Arts, New York Council for the Humanities, Wal-Mart Foundation, International Paper Foundation, Stewart’s Holiday Match program, and Museumwise Go! Grant program. In total, the grants add up to nearly $50,000 in supporting funds for the not-for-profit institution.

The Adirondack Museum has been awarded a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts in the amount of $42,000 for general operating support for the 2012 year. The New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, is dedicated to preserving and expanding the rich and diverse cultural resources that are and will become the heritage of New York’s citizens. For more information, visit www.nysca.org.

The New York Council for the Humanities has awarded the museum $3,000 which supported the museum’s annual Cabin Fever Sunday winter lecture series, held throughout the Adirondack region. The New York Council for the Humanities strives to help all New Yorkers become thoughtful participants in our communities by promoting critical inquiry, cultural understanding and civic engagement. Founded in 1975, the New York Council for the Humanities is the sole statewide proponent of public access to the humanities. The Council is a private 501(c)3 that receives Federal, State, and private funding. Online at www.nycouncil.org.

The Wal-Mart Foundation’s gift of $1,000 will be used to purchase educational supplies for children’s activities for public programs and special events. The Wal-Mart Foundation strives to provide opportunities that improve the lives of individuals in our communities including their customers and associates. Through financial contributions, in-kind donations and volunteerism, the Wal-Mart Foundation supports initiatives focused on enhancing opportunities in four main focus areas: education, workforce development / economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, health and wellness. Online at http://walmartstores.com/communitygiving/203.aspx

The International Paper Foundation’s grant of $2,000 will be used to cover the costs of materials and supplies for the museum’s Exhibit Master Plan process. In 2012, working with a team of nationally prominent consultants, the Adirondack Museum will develop its first museum-wide Exhibition Master Plan. This plan will result in making the visitor experience at the museum even more compelling and exciting. Updating some existing long-term exhibits with new information and perspectives, introducing additional long-term exhibits on issues of current concern, and identifying topics for dynamic changing exhibits will position the museum to better serve both current and future visitors. For additional information about the IP Foundation, please visit www.ipgiving.com.

The Stewart’s Holiday Match program has awarded the museum with $500 for the Adirondack Museum’s educational programs. The museum serves students and teachers throughout the Adirondack region and beyond. Offerings include exhibit-based classes, field trip opportunities, outreach programs in the classroom, and online research opportunities. The museum sees more than 8,000 students per year. For additional information about the Stewart’s Holiday Match program, please visit: www.stewartsshops.com/HolidayMatch.

The Museumwise GO! Grant program has provided a grant in the amount of $750 to cover the costs for two Adirondack Museum staff members to attend the 2012 Museums in Conversation Conference in Albany, N.Y. Christine Campeau, Museum Educator/School Programs Manager and Kate Moore, Marketing Manager will attend the conference in April 2012. For more information about Museumwise, please visit www.museumwise.org.

“The Adirondack Museum is thankful for the generosity of New York State Council on the Arts, New York State Council for the Humanities, Wal-Mart Foundation, International Paper Foundation, Museumwise and Stewart’s Holiday Match Program for their support of the Adirondack Museum” said David M. Kahn, Executive Director, Adirondack Museum.

The Adirondack Museum, accredited by the American Association of Museums, shares the history and culture of the Adirondack region in 22 exhibits on a 32-acre campus in the Central Adirondacks. The museum is supported in part by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency. For additional information, visit www.adirondackmuseum.org or call (518) 352-7311.