Rivers Flow / Artists Connect
In Rivers Flow / Artists Connect, American artists from the 1820s to the present day explore and illuminate our profound, symbiotic relationship with significant rivers across the globe, from the Hudson and the Susquehanna to the Indus and the Seine.
Francis Augustus Silva (American, 1835–1886). October on the Hudson, ca. 1873. Oil on canvas. Collection of Shelley and Felice Bergman. Photo: Camille Knop.
The cultural, social, and spiritual significance of rivers is universal, as proven by their enduring presence in art and in our collective imagination. In Rivers Flow / Artists Connect, American artists from the 1820s to the present day explore and illuminate our profound, symbiotic relationship with significant rivers across the globe, from the Hudson and the Susquehanna to the Indus and the Seine.
The Hudson River Museum’s new West Wing galleries, basking in a dramatic view of the Hudson River and the Palisades, are an opportune setting for this exhibition. It features works by more than forty exceptional artists exploring various aspects of river subject matter from diverse perspectives and heritages, through realistic depiction and symbolic representation. Together, the artists demonstrate—in painting, prints, photographs, sculpture, and video—their role in recalling and reinforcing our instinctive connection with rivers.
The exhibition considers these bodies of water through aesthetic, functional, spiritual, and ecological lenses. The Allure of the River section addresses the interrelation of scenic beauty and our attraction to rivers. In Sustainer of Life, artists investigate the essential need for access to rivers for water, food, and transportation—our daily infrastructure—as well as profound sacred connections. Finally, Endangered Rivers: A Call to Action reflects on urbanization, industry, and the critical need for continued conservation and activism.
In many ways, the artists and the rivers they depict are kindred spirits. Just as rivers shape the land and surmount obstacles on their inexorable journey to the sea, artists also boldly confront barriers and challenges, from land access to environmental change. Their creative expressions help us see rivers with new eyes, and perhaps even a renewed sense of wonder, connection, and purpose, as we consider our own community’s rivers and our own responsibility for stewardship.
The exhibition is co-curated by Laura Vookles, Chair of HRM’s Curatorial Department, and guest curator Jennifer McGregor.
Exhibitions are made possible by assistance provided by the County of Westchester.
Rivers Flow / Artists Connect is supported by the City of Yonkers, Mayor Mike Spano.
Programs for the exhibition have been generously sponsored, in part, by Shelley and Felice Bergman.
Additional support is provided by the Ann and Arthur Grey Foundation, Sound Associates, and the Yonkers Paddle and Rowing Club.
Featured Artists
Norman Akers • Joe Baker • James Bard • Bahar Behbahani • Karl Bodmer • Daniel Putnam Brinley • Lorenzo Clayton & Jacob Burckhardt • James & Ralph Clews • Samuel Colman • Jasper Francis Cropsey • Betsy Damon • John Douglas • Joellyn Duesberry • Robert S. Duncanson • Elaine Galen • Simon Gaon • Scherezade García • John Hill & William Guy Wall • Daniel Ridgway Knight • Ellen Kozak • Courtney M. Leonard • Rejin Leys • Maya Lin • Nikki Lindt • Mary Fairchild Low • John Maggiotto • James McElhinney • Frances McGuire • Alison Moritsugu • Tammy Nguyen • Don Nice • Jon Louis Nielsen • James Prosek • Winfred Rembert • Alexis Rockman • Shuli Sadé • Kamala Sankaram • Charlotte Schulz • Madge Scott • Paul Scott • Francis Augustus Silva • Joseph Squillante • Jerome Strauss • William Villalongo • Jason Walker • Mansheng Wang • Susan Wides • Tom Yost
Selected objects
![<p>Susan Wides (American, b. 1955). <em>GE Superfraud [October 2009]</em>, 2009/2023. Photograph on Dibond. Courtesy of the artist.</p>](https://hudsonriver.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/exhibitions/rivers-flow-artists-connect/on-view-exhibition-2024-rfac-wides-2048x1365.jpg)
Francis Augustus Silva (American, 1835–1886). October on the Hudson, ca. 1873. Oil on canvas. Collection of Shelley and Felice Bergman. Photo: Camille Knop.
Scherezade García (American, b. Dominican Republic, 1966). The Garden of Many Gods I, 2023. Acrylic, pigment, charcoal, and ink on linen. Courtesy of the artist and Praxis.
Maya Lin (American, b. 1959). Silver Hudson, 2011. Recycled silver. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Kerry Ryan McFate, courtesy of Pace Gallery.
Daniel Putnam Brinley (American, 1879–1963). Hudson River View (Sugar Factory at Yonkers), ca. 1915. Oil on canvas. Museum Purchase, 1995 (95.3.1).
Joseph Squillante (American, b. 1949). Audrey Wyman, Smokey Schools, Everett Nack shad fishing off Germantown, 1994. Archival pigment print. Collection of the Hudson River Museum. Gift of Joseph Squillante, 2019 (2019.5.3).
William Villalongo (American, b. 1975). Winter, 2015. Acrylic, paper, and velvet flocking on wood panel. Courtesy of the artist.
Jasper Francis Cropsey (American, 1823–1900). Autumn on the Susquehanna, 1861. Oil on canvas. Collection of Shelley and Felice Bergman. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Mansheng Wang (Chinese, b. 1962). A Thousand Flying Cascades #18, 2010. Ink on paper. Courtesy of the artist.
Madge Scott (American, b. Jamaica, 1958). United Spirits at the River, from the Migration series, 2021. Mixed media. Courtesy of the artist.
James Bard (American, 1815–1897). The Hudson River Steamboat “Francis Skiddy,” 1859. Oil on canvas. Collection of the Hudson River Museum. Anonymous Gift, 1958 (58.32.3). Photo: Camille Knop.
John Douglas (American, b. Scotland, 1853–1910). View of the Hudson Highlands with Woman Painting, ca. 1875–1900. Oil on canvas. Collection of the Hudson River Museum. Gift of Florence E. Kelley, 1988 (88.2.1). Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
James & Ralph Clews (British, active ca. 1818–36). Vegetable Dish: Near Fort Miller, 1829–36. From the Picturesque Views series. Earthenware with transfer print. Collection of the Hudson River Museum. Museum Purchase, 2008 (2016.0.043).
Alison Moritsugu (American, b. 1962). Tall Sassafras Slice I, 2001. Oil on sassafras log. Courtesy of the artist and Littlejohn Contemporary Art, Inc. Photo: courtesy of the artist and www.littlejohncontemporary.com. © Alison Moritsugu.
Joellyn Duesberry (American, 1944–2016). Cement Factory, Hudson River, 1983–84. Oil on linen. Collection of the Hudson River Museum. Gift of Joellyn Duesberry, 2007 (2007.01.01). Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Betsy Damon (American, b. 1940). All waters are connected, 2018. Sumi ink on rice paper. Courtesy of the artist.
Robert S. Duncanson (American, 1821–1872). Summer, ca. 1849. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery.
Paul Scott (British, b. 1953). Picturesque Views, Newburg Hudson River, from the Cumbrian Blue(s), New American Scenery series, 2022. Transfer print collage on James and Ralph Clews transferware platter, 1819–1836. Courtesy of Ferrin Contemporary, Cummington, MA.
Elaine Galen (American, b. 1928). Cold Spring, 2018. Oil on canvas. Collection of the Hudson River Museum. Gift of the artist, 2022 (2022.8).
John Hill (American, b. England, 1770–1850), after William Guy Wall (American, b. Ireland, 1792–1864). Baker’s Falls, No. 8, from The Hudson River Portfolio, 1823–24. Aquatint and engraving, hand-colored with watercolor. Collection of the Hudson River Museum. Gift of Mrs. George J. Stengel, by exchange, 2015 (2015.03). Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Ellen Kozak (American, b. 1955). Barges, Tugs and Tankers No. 28, 2021. Oil on panel. Courtesy of the artist.
Courtney M. Leonard (Shinnecock Indian Nation, b. 1980). BREACH: Logbook 21 | CONVOKE, 2021–24. Multi-ply birchwood and acrylic, coiled and woven earthenware, coiled micaceous clay, and oyster shells. Courtesy of Ferrin Contemporary.
James McElhinney (American, b. 1952). West Point from Garrison’s Landing, from Hudson Valley Sketchbook #3, 2016. Watercolor and colored archival pen on paper. Collection of the Hudson River Museum. Gift of the artist, 2019 (2020.9.1s).
Tammy Nguyen (American, b. 1984). Three Million Tons of Explosives Were Dropped, 2021. Watercolor, vinyl paint, and metal leaf on paper stretched over wood panel. Collection of Rahul M. Sabhnani.
James Prosek (American, b. 1975). Eel Impressions, 2014. Watercolor on paper. Courtesy of the artist and Waqas Wajahat, New York. Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Waqas Wajahat, New York.
Charlotte Schulz (American, b. 1960). Suspended in Multiplicity, 2020. Oil on linen. Courtesy of the artist.
Jerome Strauss (American, b. France, 1976). River Sunset over the Yonkers Ukrainian Heritage Festival, 2018. Digital print on luster photographic paper. Courtesy of the artist.
Jason Walker (American, b. 1973). Osprey, 2018. Porcelain, underglaze, luster, and concrete. Courtesy of Ferrin Contemporary.
Susan Wides (American, b. 1955). GE Superfraud [October 2009], 2009/2023. Photograph on Dibond. Courtesy of the artist.
Press
Installation views
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
