In celebration of the Henry Hudson Quadricentennial in 2009, the New Netherland Institute has embarked on a four-part project, coordinated by James F. Sefcik, staff member of the Institute:

• Light on New Netherland, a traveling exhibition of first-class quality, to be shown throughout the former New Netherland area and beyond. Exhibits in general present history far more effectively than any other medium. This exhibit will introduce adults and children to important, but not well-known aspects of American history and culture. It will
• travel beyond Albany and New York City, ultimately becoming a part of the permanent exhibit of NYC's New Amsterdam History Center;
• reach an audience greater than that of a lecture series, catalog, or book;
• go far beyond what is currently offered on the subject in schools;
• attract those who  normally do not read history books;
• present material not readily available to the average person.

No other institution to our knowledge is developing an exhibition on the scope of the seventeenth-century Dutch in the New World, from Connecticut to Delaware, including Beverwijck and New Amsterdam.

• Discovery and Invention: The Worlds of Henry Hudson, an exhibit to be developed by the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) in co-sponsorship with the New Netherland Institute. This co-sponsorship will include the assistance of Dr. Charles Gehring, Director of the New Netherland Project, and support with funding and content.
  
• Illuminating New York’s Dutch Past,a documentary DVD focusing on the New Netherland Project and its connection with modern times. This video will
  • provide some historical background about New Netherland;
  • explain the importance of using documentary evidence;
    make clear why the New Netherland documents are unique and important;
  • relate the journey the documents took from 1674 to the present;
  • describe the necessary skills for translation;
  • explain the translation process;
  • give examples of the fascinating information found in these early records; and
  • dispel some of the Dutch folk myths and misrepresentations of the Dutch in sources such as literature, history books, and social history.

• A history/exhibit book, a production that will focus on the Dutch-American heritage. The publication will be a Liber Amicorum: a book in praise of New Netherland.  Resembling a Festschrift,it will praise the legacy of the Dutch rather than one person. Its introduction will be written by Russell Shorto, author of The Island at the Center of the World: the Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan & the Forgotten Colony that Shaped America. The volume's emphasis will be on previously undeveloped topics and will consist of essays by prominent authors and historians working in the field.