The Farmers' Museum and Fenimore Art Museum have designated Memorial Day weekend as "American Originals Weekend" in celebration of the openings of The Empire State Carousel and Grandma Moses: Grandmother to the Nation.

Events will be held on Saturday, May 27, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, May 28, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The Farmers' Museum and across the street at the Fenimore Art Museum.

On Saturday, the Farmers' Museum will unveil the Empire State Carousel, a handcrafted merry-go-round celebrating the history, culture, and environment of New York State.

A dedication and ribbon cutting for the carousel will take place on the Creamery Green at 11 a.m. Inaugural rides will follow the ceremony.

Created over two decades by over 1,000 volunteer carvers, quilters, painters, and woodworkers from across New York State, the carousel features a variety of original carvings, paintings, and quilts, each of which has been specially designed for the carousel.

The carousel offers a comprehensive survey of New York State's cultural history and provides excellent examples of contemporary folk art. The Empire State Carousel is composed of 23 hand-carved animals indigenous to the state, 21 portrait panels of famous New Yorkers, folklore panels, historical murals, quilted banners, cloth pennants from the state's 62 counties, and a custom-built military band organ.

In addition to enjoying rides on the carousel, visitors will be able to tour the carousel's new home - a structure true to the historic period of the museum - as well as meet the makers of the carousel from 9 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.

The museum will also be offering a full slate of weekend activities, including Revolutionary War re-enactments; carving, spinning and weaving demonstrations; interactive activities and games at the Country Fair, heritage plant sale; horse-drawn wagon and tractor rides; the re-opening of the exhibitions Mysteries of the Lake: Otsego Lake Past and Present and the newly-revitalized Working the Land: Early Agricultural Tools and Machinery.

The Fenimore Art Museum will premiere its principal exhibition of 2006, Grandma Moses: Grandmother to the Nation, a retrospective on the life and work of the popular American folk artist Anna Mary Robertson "Grandma Moses" (1860-1961).

The exhibition examines her art by placing it in the context of the transition from the Great Depression and World War II, through the rising prosperity of the 1950s, when she became an international celebrity because of the immense popularity of her work.

Personal effects such as brushes, paint, an apron, and rocking chair, will be on display alongside her artwork to offer valuable perspectives often overlooked in traditional exhibitions of Grandma Moses.

The exhibition's themes include: Grandma and Regionalism, Women's Work, Grandma meets Norman Rockwell, Grandma Fights the Cold War, Grandma Products, Grandma as Celebrity, Why Are There No Great Woman Artists? and Yesteryears. The exhibition will be on view through December 31, before commencing a national tour.

Admission to the event (includes admission to both the Fenimore Art Museum and The Farmers' Museum) is $11 adults, $9.50 seniors (over 65), $5 children 7-12, children 6 and under and members of the New York State Historical Association are free.