HRM Staff and Docents Share Their Favorite Landscapes at the Museum!
While the Museum was closed this past spring, HRM Staff worked hard to keep audiences engaged and took some time to reflect on works from the collection and featured in exhibitions that mattered to them. As part of our ongoing Museum from Home initiative, staff members recorded videos, audio clips, and written descriptions of the works that they admired.
Here, we’re featuring the staff members who picked landscapes as their favorites. We hope these personal stories help you see a new layer of meaning as you return to the HRM and experience these works for yourself!
Megan Haugh, Manager of Membership and Special Events (March 23)
Rivertown residents have a special love for the Hudson River. First up in our series of staff favorites, HRM’s Manager of Membership and Special Events, Megan Haugh, explains why she thinks about Jasper Francis Cropsey’s View at Hastings-on-Hudson every day. Watch here.
Laura Vookles, Chair of the Curatorial Department (April 4)
There’s a bit of a mystery contained in this painting by John Douglas. Curatorial Chair Laura Vookles explains why the painting intrigues her. Watch here.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Sarah Eddy, Visitor Services Associate (April 19)
Visitor Services Associate Sarah Eddy explains why Sylvia Sleigh’s panoramic picnic scene is one of her favorite works at the HRM. “What I really love about the painting is the warm summertime landscape on the Hudson, and the title of it, Invitation to a Voyage.” Listen here.
Lea Banks, Executive Assistant for Administration (April 23)
“I have always enjoyed bold strokes and bright colors in depictions of everyday life; they can help welcome the viewer into a scene that otherwise might go unseen. Take one of my favorite paintings in the HRM collection, Hudson River View (Sugar Factory at Yonkers) by Daniel Putnam Brinley, which he painted in 1915.
My eyes catch the swirl of the smoke as it rises from the train that passes through the hustle and bustle of the Sugar Factory. The more time you spend looking, you can see the details Brinley added with his heavy brushstrokes: people coming out of the factory, a boat traveling south down the Hudson, and the breathtaking views of the Palisades in the background. I can almost imagine the sounds from the factory and the rush of the train as it speeds along the tracks. I hope everyone enjoys this painting as much as I do and if you give it time, perhaps more details will be revealed.”
Jane Lloyd, Docent (May 21)
Docent Jane Lloyd says Hudson River Primer #16 particularly resonated so much with her. The work was featured in the 2017 exhibition, Walks With Artists, which you can also explore on Google Arts & Culture. Listen here.
Annette Candido, Docent (June 13)
Annette Candido, a Docent-in-Training at the Hudson River Museum, grew up looking out at the George Washington Bridge. Here she reflects on why she loves this painting.
Saralinda Lichtblau, Assistant Director of Education (June 28)
This pastoral painting by the Hudson River School painter Asher Durand always looked familiar to HRM’s Assistant Director of Education, Saralinda Lichtblau. Find out why here!
