The New York State Military Museum (New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs) owns the mural; museum leadership arranged for it to be unrolled and conserved, working with conservators (Foreground Conservation & Decorative Arts) and the museum’s support group (Friends of the New York State Military Museum) which secured funding from an anonymous donor.
It was rolled up and kept in storage after being donated to the New York State Military Museum in 2013; the museum did not display it pending conservation and fundraising, so it had not been unrolled since that donation.
Restoration is being carried out by Foreground Conservation & Decorative Arts (partner John Lippert); funding is provided by the Friends of the New York State Military Museum from an anonymous donor (project cost estimated up to ~$30,000). The plan: remove darkened varnish, clean the canvas, perform in‑paint/touchups to restore original colors, repair and reinsert a cut-out inset showing Valcour Island, and mount the canvas to a wooden stretcher/frame for hanging; conservators estimate about six months of work.
The museum aims to have the conserved painting on display by 2027 (for the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Saratoga); it will be installed at the New York State Military Museum in Saratoga Springs, New York.
At Saratoga (Oct. 1777) Arnold led a key assault on the British/Hessian position (Breymann’s Redoubt) at Bemis Heights—personally leading troops in the attack that helped turn the line, forcing the British to withdraw and contributing directly to the British surrender on Oct. 17, 1777.
Yes. Displaying a work that praises Arnold touches a longstanding tension: Arnold is both celebrated for his Saratoga actions and reviled as the later traitor at West Point. Local museum coverage in 2013 and 2026 notes the painting’s conflicted presentation (Gray’s original panels and captions emphasize both heroism and stigma), and museum staff plan contextual interpretation—indicating awareness of controversy—though no large public dispute is reported in the cited sources.
