Preservation Long Island Curatorial Fellow Earns Rising Star Award

COLD SPRING HARBOR, NY — Peter Fedoryk, a curatorial fellow at Preservation Long Island, a museum in Cold Spring Harbor, is a recipient of the 2023 Rising Star Award, the museum announced Wednesday.

The award is one of 14 made by the Museum Association of New York (MANY) that celebrate unique leadership, dedicated community service, transformational visitor experiences, community engagement, and innovative programs that use collections to tell stories of everyone who calls New York home. The award goes to professionals with five years of experience or less and who are creative, innovative, and show leadership.

Fedoryk is scheduled to be honored at the Museum Association of New York 2023 annual conference "Finding Center: Access, Inclusion, Participation, and Engagement" in Syracuse from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. April 17 at the Syracuse Marriott Downtown.

"During the time Peter has been with Preservation Long Island, he has positively impacted the organization in many ways, contributing his diligence and thoughtful creativity to everything from collections management to grant writing and community engagement," said Alexandra Wolfe, executive director of Preservation Long Island, in a statement. "We are delighted that Peter is among our New York State museum colleagues being recognized as an outstanding example to the museum field."

Fedoryk and the other award winners were called "outstanding examples for the museum field" by Natalie Stetson, co-chair of the MANY Program Committee and executive director of the Erie Canal Museum.

Since July 2021, Fedoryk has led Preservation Long Island's Art of Edward Lange Project, a collaborative effort to reexamine the life and Long Island landscapes of the late 19th century German immigrant artist.

Fedoryk launched an interactive website featuring nearly 150 artworks accompanied by in-depth catalogue information and interpretive content, curated an in-focus gallery exhibition, published and presented on new scholarship, and spearheaded numerous public programs. He is currently co-authoring and co-editing a new publication on Lange that is slated to be published next year.

Lauren Brincat, a Preservation Long Island curator, said she is "continually impressed" by Fedoryk's initiative, creativity, and leadership.

"As Curatorial Fellow, he has pushed us in exciting directions and exceeded all expectations," Brincat said. "Peter’s future in the field is bright, and it’s been a real pleasure watching him grow as a museum professional."