2024 Highlights From the League Team
As the year comes to a close, three members of the League team took a look back and identified a favorite experience from our work in 2024. From the Adirondacks to the Hamptons, our work takes our small but mighty team into every corner of the state (and beyond!). We can’t wait to see where it takes us in 2025.
Caitlin Meives, Director of Preservation: Visiting Great Camp Santanoni
l-r: Wilkes Jordan, Lacey Wilson, Caitlin Meives, Erin Tobin, and Janna Rudler
I've been hearing about Great Camp Santanoni since I was in grad school at the University of Vermont 16 years ago. Despite frequent trips to and through the Adirondacks over the years, somehow I never made it for a visit. Thanks to our colleagues at Adirondack Architectural Heritage (who manage the site in partnership with NYS DEC and the Town of Newcomb), I finally got to see this incredible site this past fall. Aside from the magnificent rustic architecture, the picturesque views of Newcomb Lake, the almost-five mile bike ride each way, and the picture perfect fall day, the colleagues I spent the day with and the conversations we had about preservation and public history made this site visit a highlight of 2024. Thanks to Erin Tobin, Executive Director at AARCH (and former League staff member), and Wilkes Jordan, former Santanoni Historic Site Manager, for hosting us and thanks to Lacey Wilson (Project Manager of Teen Museum Studies Program at Underground Railroad Education Center) and our own Janna Rudler for providing the conversation that distracted me while pedaling/suffering up all those hills!
Katy Peace, Director of Communications: Build Reuse in Savannah and Monument Lab’s Summit in Philly
One of the things I love most about working in preservation is the chance to find points of intersection with what other folks are doing in their fields — everything from art and design to climate action, social and environmental justice and public history. In that vein, this year I was excited to attend two national conferences that really hit home how expansive preservation can be. In February I attended the Build Reuse conference in Savannah, GA. The theme of Salvaging the Past, Building a Low Carbon Future was right in line with our own goals of making preservation a key aspect of climate action. Their was a good group of preservationists in attendance, but the room was also filled with contractors, architectural salvage folks, and waste management managers. A circular economy needs all of these people at the table to truly make a difference, prioritizing reuse when possible and deconstruction over demolition when it’s not. In Philly, Monument Lab’s Summit explored the idea of “Past is Presence.” The organization’s mission is to advance justice by reimagining monuments as places for belonging, learning, and healing, and they have done really thought-provoking projects to push that idea forward. During the Summit, artist Sonya Clark’s “The Descendants of Monticello” was on view. For the work, she filmed descendants of the enslaved people of Monticello (including direct descendants of Thomas Jefferson) and inserted their eyes at a monumental scale into the windows of the historic Declaration House — the place where Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence. This public artwork centers the people enslaved by Jefferson, notably his valet Robert Hemmings who was alongside him during his time at the Declaration House. This installation brought the past to life in a visceral way, and in doing so made this historic site more accessible for anyone who happened to be passing by. So much of what the summit focused on encouraged attendees to think differently about how we recognize the past in the present, and the key role artists can play in that work.
Kaitlyn Robitaille, Director of Development: House Tour with African American Art Collector E.T. Williams
Meeting African American art collector E.T. Williams during the Excelsior Society's Long Island tour was an unforgettable experience that brought history to life. As a Peace Corps. volunteer, Williams made an indelible mark on history when he stood behind Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during his iconic "I have a Dream" speech at the 1963 March on Washington. It's one thing to read about such moments in history books, but encountering someone who lived through them firsthand is an entirely different, deeply impactful experience. In addition to his historical significance, Williams' extensive art collection provided an intimate glimpse into his life and passions. The private tour not only showcased his carefully curated pieces but also offered a window into his character, with a stack of books on an end-table revealing his interests and family photos displayed across his shelves reflecting his close-knit connections and values. The art, coupled with these personal touches, painted a fuller picture of a man whose life has been shaped by both history and culture, making the experience even more meaningful.