Introduction by Karintha Lowe
Mellon Public Humanities Fellow

This past spring semester, I had the wonderful opportunity to teach “Public Humanities in Practice: The Hudson River Museum” at Sarah Lawrence College. Limited to four students, the course operated more like an internship than a traditional seminar. About once a week, the students worked at the HRM with me on a series of projects related to our Community & Partnership Gallery. Topics included researching contemporary and historical artists, drafting curatorial labels, and learning how to put together public programs within a museum setting. The students also took on exciting projects of their own, including this blog post by Tatiana Mezitis about Rivers Flow / Artists Connect—an exhibition that is currently on view in our West Wing galleries.

Guest Essay by Tatiana Mezitis
Sarah Lawrence College

“I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins. My soul has grown deep like the rivers.” —Langston Hughes

The Hudson River Museum, nestled on the picturesque banks of its namesake, is a cultural hub in Yonkers, New York. In addition to the diverse shows simultaneously on display, visitors can discover Glenview, a Gilded Age home à la House of Mirth that stands as part of the Museum.

Rivers Flow / Artists Connect, which debuted in February and will remain on view through September 1, is a spectacular homage to the beauty and resilience of water. Inspired by the spiritual, mythological, and historical importance of rivers, the curated showcase provides a valuable commentary on environmental action and sustainability. The works are complemented by the expansive West Wing galleries, which look out over the Hudson River and the Palisades.

Work by fifty artists from the past three centuries are on display, creating a harmonious interplay of traditional and contemporary techniques. The multimedia exhibition features paintings, mixed-media works, video art, and more. This assortment, which was co-curated by Laura Vookles and Jennifer McGregor, is a testament to the enduring nature of rivers and the integral role they have always played in our lives.

The Seine River in Paris is a romantic, idling waterway which meanders from the city to the French countryside, making its way northwest to the English Channel. Its capacity to inspire is palpable in the works of artists like Mary Fairchild Low and Daniel Ridgway Knight, whose colorful and placid tableaus set the landscape for Rivers Flow / Artists Connect.

The island of Manhattan is situated between the Hudson River and the East River, inspiring a plethora of artistic creations over the years. Rejin Leys, a Haitian-American artist based in New York, developed this community-created piece in Queens. Participants made paper pulp from poems about the two rivers, which Leys then transformed into cast paper discs. Up close, the minute details reveal enigmatic bits of phrases. From afar, the installation evokes rainfall, or a fluidly dynamic body of water.

Fittingly situated at the exhibition’s entrance (and exit), Bahar Behbahani’s video installation is the perfect thread to tie this ethereal collection together. Viewers discover eight politically charged bodies of water, including the Mahakam River, the Indus River, and the Yellow River. A synthesis of performative art, instrumental Afro-Polka, vocals, and poetry, this work embodies the idea of displacement and futurism.

Rivers Flow / Artists Connect offers the opportunity to discover the tangible ways in which rivers touch our lives. By exploring this exhibit, visitors simultaneously explore their own role as humans connected to the natural world.

Learn more about the exhibition here.

Read more by Tatiana Mezitis in Neighboring Visions: Westchester Artists Then and Now, on view June 7–September 29, 2024.