EVENTS
KAATERSKILL CLOVE: WHERE NATURE MET ART
A ZADOCK PRATT MUSEUM EXHIBIT
Release Date: Immediate
Contact: Carolyn Bennett
On Saturday, June 1, at 1pm, Dr. Kevin Avery of the Metropolitan Museum of Art will give a lecture at the Zadock Pratt Museum in Prattsville to kick off an exhibit of cultural significance to the region entitled Kaaterskill Clove: Where Nature Met Art. Dr. Avery’s talk will focus on original Hudson River School artists, such as Thomas Cole, Asher B. Durand, Sanford Gifford, and Jervis McEntee. He will relate those artists’ renderings of Kaaterskill Clove to the literature of Washington Irving, James Fennimore Cooper, and William Cullen Bryant. He will also take the opportunity of being in Prattsville to highlight Sanford Gifford’s great interest in the Zadock Pratt Tannery.
Kaaterskill Clove: Where Nature Met Art will run through the summer until Columbus Day weekend and feature Clove artwork by contemporary painters Athena Billias, Patti Ferrara, and Carol Slutzky-Tenerowicz, alongside one of the late Thomas Locker's renderings of Kaaterskill Falls. The exhibit is intended to raise awareness about the importance of the Clove and the need for its preservation in the face of the environmental strain it has been under for the past several years as tourists flock to its swimming holes in the summer months, with many leaving garbage behind, polluting the creek, and even spray-painting graffiti across the cavernous rock walls.
Zadock Pratt Museum representatives have reached out to other cultural organizations in what they hope will become a unified effort to increase awareness about the artistic, cultural, environmental, and historic value of the Clove, with the ultimate goal being to submit an application to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to petition the federal government to designate Kaaterskill Clove a national landmark.
Dr. Avery’s talk will be followed in the exhibit by Greene County Historian David Dorpfeld, who will speak on Saturday, June 8, at 1pm, about the fascinating history of the Clove. Then, on Thursday, June 13, at 1pm, geologist Dr. Robert Titus will give a talk on the ice-age phenomena that gave rise to the amazing geological characteristics of the Clove.
The artists Billias, Ferrara, and Slutzky-Tenerowicz will speak about their experiences painting the Clove and about environmental impact issues of the 21st century. Billias and Slutzky-Tenerowicz will speak on Saturday, September 21, at 1pm, and Ferrara will speak on Saturday, October 12, at 1pm.
The Zadock Pratt Museum will be open to the public throughout the exhibit from Thursday through Monday, 10am to 5pm, with guided tours on the hour. The last tour of each day will commence at 4pm. Admission is $10. The summer of 2013 is a great time for all to venture out to Prattsville and pay a visit to this important artistic exhibit, while also patronizing the local businesses to support the rebuilding effort in the aftermath of the devastation they experienced from Hurricane Irene. They are back on their feet now and Prattsville is open for business.
It is essential that those who care about preserving Kaaterskill Clove educate themselves about why it is so important to American culture so we can all do our part to instill a reverence amongst tourists and locals alike for this treasured landmark of the Catskill Mountains and Hudson River Valley. The presence of an esteemed scholar from the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a great way to begin this movement. Let’s show Dr. Kevin Avery that there is still a great love for the landscape that gave birth to American art. And let’s support all the speakers and the artists at the heart of this exhibit for their efforts to preserve the Clove. June 1, at 1pm in Prattsville, is a great time to start.
