The New York State Museum in ringing in the Year of the Snake with new displays, a refreshed Tuck High Co. exhibition, and family-friendly activities. The Museum will host two special Lunar New Year celebrations, giving visitors of all ages a unique opportunity to learn about the oldest continuously operating business in Manhattan’s Chinatown before its closing in 1980, the historic Tuck High Co.
A special free story time celebrating spring festival traditions and a festive craft making project to welcome good luck in the year ahead will take place on January 26 at 1 pm and January 29 at 11 am in the Museum’s New York Metropolis Hall.
The events include a behind-the-scenes tour of the Tuck High Co. store installation with Senior Historian and Curator Ashley Hopkins-Benton. Participants can learn about how three generations of the Lee family served the Chinatown community, and discover the exhibits artifacts, fixtures, and stories.
Established in 1879, Tuck High Co. was the oldest continuously operating store in Manhattan’s Chinatown until it closed in 1980. Thanks to a partnership with the Lee family, the store’s original fixtures and contents have been preserved and on view at the New York State Museum since 1981.
This Lunar New Year, visitors will see the results of the first phase of a multi-year preservation and reinterpretation project. After more than a year of conservation work— cleaning and assessing the artifacts — Museum staff have added new interpretive panels to illustrate Tuck High’s role in Chinatown’s history and its connection to today’s ongoing family-owned businesses.
For those who can’t make it to Albany to experience Tuck High in person, the Museum has unveiled a 3D scan flythrough for an up-close look at the exhibit. Additional presentations offer explorations of the space, bringing its history and artifacts to life from anywhere in the world.
Among the additions is the sculpture “Ginger Jar,” from the series Passages (those that carried us) by Vivian Chiu. This new acquisition is crafted from pieces of wooden crates once used to ship porcelain from China to Wing on Wo & Co. — a neighboring shop founded in the 1890s.
Visitors can also see a newly acquired Togetherness Tray, Second Edition, by Tiffany Saw for Wing on Wo & Co., symbolizing the abundance and unity that Lunar New Year brings.
Lunar New Year traditionally begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar. Customs often include cleaning the home to welcome fresh beginnings, decorating with flowers and red accents for prosperity, giving monetary gifts in red envelopes, and enjoying festive fireworks.
Starting January 26 and continuing through February, the windows of Tuck High Co. will be adorned with spring festival decorations, offering a glimpse into these time-honored traditions.
Established in 1836, the New York State Museum is the oldest and largest public museum in the United States. Home to leading scientists, historians, archeologists, and anthropologists, its collections represent the State’s rich cultural and natural heritage from the past and present, including a staggering 20+ million artifacts spanning 480 million years ago to today.
Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Admission is free. For additional information, visit the New York State Museum website.
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