December 14 | 3–5pm | Pier 17, North Side | Free
Join the neighborhood menorah lighting at the Seaport and celebrate Hanukkah with the Seaport Museum by hot-foil stamping your own wooden dreidel with special letterforms developed by the professional printers at Bowne & Co.
Foil stamping is similar to letterpress printing, in that a raised surface is used to transfer the image, but rather than ink, a heat-activated metallic gold foil is used. The talented printers at Bowne & Co. drew these letterforms based on scans of a German 15th century Ashkenazi Haggadah from The British Library. Those designs were then made into the magnesium dies used for this foil stamping activity.
Registration is encouraged for this free drop-in activity but walkups will be accommodated as possible. You are welcome to visit anytime between 3pm and 5pm, and you don’t have to stay for the full event.
Not able to make it to the activity? No worries! Check out this and more holiday house-printed designs on bowne.co!
Please Note This is a Past Program, Event, or Activity
You are viewing an archived page for a program, event, or activity that has already taken place. In most cases these pages are no longer actively maintained and because of that may contain inaccurate or out-of-date information. These pages are left publicly viewable to preserve institutional memory and to allow the public to learn more about the types of programs, activities, and content created and made available by the South Street Seaport Museum throughout its history.
About Bowne & Co.
Established by Robert Bowne in 1775, Bowne & Co. holds the distinction of being New York’s oldest operating business under the same name. After growing as a financial printer throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Bowne & Co. Inc. partnered with the Seaport Museum in 1975 to open a 19th century-style print shop at 211 Water Street in the South Street Seaport Historic District. Today, it is comprised of the Bowne & Co. Printing Office—a workspace that continues the age-old tradition of job (or small batch) printing using historic presses from South Street Seaport Museum’s working collection—and Bowne & Co. Stationers, a 19th century-style emporium selling gifts and fine goods.
Learn More About the Menorah Lighting & Celebration
The Seaport’s annual Chanukah Menorah Lighting is hosted by the Chabad Jewish Center of FiDi. All are welcome at this family-friendly holiday celebration, which will include face painting, popcorn, chocolate, and other traditional treats, and a musical performance by the FiDi Hebrew School. The pinnacle of the afternoon will be the traditional Menorah lighting ceremony, featuring this year’s grand Menorah made from LEGO. We hope you’ll join us for these sweet holiday celebrations with our downtown community.
Enjoy More That the Museum Offers
Access to the historic ships and exhibitions on view is not included with your ticket to this event. If you would like to explore more that the Museum has to offer, book in advance or ask Museum staff about General Admission tickets when you check in.
General Admission is available Friday through Sunday, from 11am to 5pm and brings you aboard the 1885 tall ship Wavertree and 1908 lightship Ambrose at Pier 16, and into all current exhibitions on view in the first-floor Schermerhorn Row galleries at 12 Fulton Street. Your ticket also sets you on course to explore Maritime City, the Seaport Museum’s immersive, three-floor exhibition at A.A. Thomson & Co., located at 213 Water Street.
Bowne & Co.
Bowne & Co. is New York’s oldest operating business under the same name. Using seven historic presses from the Museum’s working collection, our resident printers continue the age-old tradition of job (or small batch) printing, creating individual designs using custom plates or historic fonts.