Tang Teaching Museum celebrates 25 years of creativity and collaboration
Skidmore College's Frances Young Tang ’61 Teaching Museum and Art Gallery — a national model for campus museums — is celebrating 25 years as a hub of interdisciplinary learning, creativity, and curiosity.
Since opening in 2000, the Tang has transformed how art engages students, faculty, and the broader community. Thanks to the visionary support of the Tang family, the museum has become a place where ideas converge across disciplines and where art serves as a catalyst for dialogue, experimentation, and discovery.
The Tang is continuing its anniversary festivities with its Tang 25! Fall Opening and 25th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, Oct. 18, followed by a special performance of “Who Turns Out the Light” by Grammy Award–winning artists Caroline Shaw and Sō Percussion at Arthur Zankel Music Center.
Members of the Skidmore community visit the "See It Now: Contemporary Art from the Ann and Mel Schaffer Collection" during the Tang's Campus Open House in September.
The yearlong celebration reflects the museum’s ongoing mission to spark creative thought and collaboration through art, teaching, and community engagement.
A series of anniversary exhibitions explores the museum’s legacy and future:
- "Building Blocks" (through Dec. 7) — revisiting the Tang’s architectural origins and early vision.
- "All These Growing Things" (through July 19, 2026) — highlighting works that explore becoming and belonging.
- "See It Now" (through Jan. 4, 2026) — featuring contemporary art collected by Ann Schapps Schaffer ’62 and Mel Schaffer.
- "Kathy Butterly: Assume Yes" (Feb. 14–July 26, 2026) — a major retrospective of experimental ceramic sculpture.
The anniversary year began this summer with Frances Day, the museum’s annual open house, which brought together community members of all ages for art-making, tours, music and celebration. Festivities continued in September with the Tang 25! Campus Open House, a day welcoming Skidmore students, faculty and staff to explore new exhibitions, enjoy live music and food, and create Tang-inspired keepsakes.
The Campus Open House featured the Earthling Parade, a vibrant procession led by artist Yvette Molina (right), marking the close of her two-year evolving exhibition “A Promise to the Leaves.”
At the Earthling Parade, participants donned wings, capes, and colorful costumes in a joyful celebration of life and interconnectedness that captured the Tang’s spirit of creativity and community.
As it celebrates this milestone, the Tang looks ahead to the next 25 years — continuing to inspire collaboration, curiosity, and creative thought across Skidmore’s campus and beyond.
Visit tang.skidmore.edu to learn more about the Tang’s 25th anniversary and upcoming programs.
