Hudson River Museum Presents Bill Viola: Moving Stillness & This Gallery is a Poem: Unearthing Stories from the Collection
YONKERS, NY, March 17, 2025—This spring, the Hudson River Museum unveils two new exhibitions that celebrate the natural world and our place within it, and reflect on the power of poetry in celebration of National Poetry Month. Bill Viola: Moving Stillness, which will open on Friday, March 21, 2025, features a monumental installation by Bill Viola, a pioneer of video and installation art, who was renowned for creating immersive environments that delve into profound themes of death, rebirth, fragility, and strength. This Gallery Is a Poem: Unearthing Stories from the Collection, opening Friday, March 28, 2005, is a collaboration with Westchester Poet Laureate Phylisha Villanueva to “unearth” works from the collection that speak to themes of nature, gardening, and growth. She invited fourteen poets from across Westchester County to respond to the selected works—including prints, photographs, paintings, and a quilt—with original poems.
“This dynamic duo of exhibitions speaks to nature’s ability to inspire and delight, from the awe-inspiring Mount Rainier depicted by Bill Viola to smaller wonders like the shape of a fern leaf captured by Janelle Lynch,” states Director and CEO Masha Turchinsky. “We are grateful to Art Bridges for loaning us Bill Viola’s groundbreaking video installation and to Phylisha Villanueva for collaborating with the HRM to create an exhibition that champions the great poets throughout our community and celebrates visual and literary expression.”
Bill Viola: Moving Stillness
March 21, 2025–April 12, 2026
View press images here.
Bill Viola (1951–2024) had a long and celebrated career and was instrumental in establishing video as a vital form of contemporary art. This immersive installation, entitled Moving Stillness: Mount Rainier 1979, on loan from Art Bridges, offers a mesmerizing exploration of nature’s cycles of renewal, enveloping viewers in a contemplative and transformative experience. Set against the backdrop of Mount Rainier, an active volcano in Washington State, Viola’s work captures the dual nature of this majestic landscape—its serene beauty juxtaposed with the latent power for sudden, violent change. Shown in a darkened room, the installation features a calm pool of water reflecting a projected video of the mountain, accompanied by an immersive soundscape.
Viola often used time and disruption as tools to alter viewers’ perception of reality. In this piece, it may take a moment to realize that the landscape is a video, not a still photograph. Furthermore, the tranquil surface of the water is periodically disturbed, causing the image to fragment into its component red, green, and blue colors before gradually reassembling as the water settles. Viola described such installations as “visual poems” and “allegories in the language of subjective perception.” In fleeting moments, his work captures both raw beauty and spiritual depth, presenting a poignant reflection on nature’s ultimate supremacy over humanity.
Exhibitions are made possible by assistance provided by the County of Westchester.
Generous support for Bill Viola: Moving Stillness is provided by Art Bridges.
This Gallery Is a Poem: Unearthing Stories from the Collection
March 28–August 31, 2025
View press images here.
Just as a painting can tell a story, a poem conjures a picture in the mind’s eye. This Gallery Is a Poem: Unearthing Stories from the Collection brings these two art forms into conversation, revealing how poetry and visual art enrich one another. In celebration of National Poetry Month, the Hudson River Museum collaborated with Westchester Poet Laureate Phylisha Villanueva to “unearth” works from the collection that speak to themes of nature, agriculture, and growth. She then invited fourteen poets from across Westchester County to respond to the selected works with original poems. The poets are: Rashaun J. Allen, E. J. Antonio, David Neilsen, B.K. Fischer, Pamela Hart, Mellisa Joplin Higley, Harmony Hopwood, Marcus John, Iain Haley Pollock, Tom Ray, Nina Belen Robins, Golda Solomon, Kaitlyn Smith, Ann Van Buren, and Phylisha Villanueva.
“This exhibition is a celebration of connection—between nature and imagination, artist and observer,” stated Phylisha Villanueva. “Poetry breathes new life into visual art, transforming each piece into a conversation where images become words and silence gives way to story. I hope that visitors feel inspired to see the art differently and hear their creative voices emerge.”
The exhibition, which takes place in the HRM’s Community & Partnership Gallery, invites visitors to experience ekphrastic poetry—writing that draws inspiration from art, a practice that dates back to ancient Greece. Through poetic interpretation, these works take on new dimensions, engaging the senses and sparking fresh perspectives. Villanueva envisions the gallery as a poem in itself, a space where images and words intertwine, where pairings transform imagery into verse and composition into cadence. In this spirit, visitors are encouraged to add their voices, contributing their own poetic and artistic reflections in response to the poetry and art on view.
Featured artists: Rudolf Eickemeyer Jr. • iliana emilia garcía • Seymour Joseph Guy • Lolla Hill • Frederic Waistell Jopling • Helen Levin • Janelle Lynch • Catherine McCarthy • Renata Rainer • Alison Saar • John E. Sheridan • George J. Stengel • Reuben Tam.
This Gallery Is a Poem is curated by Phylisha Villanueva, Westchester Poet Laureate, and Laura Vookles, HRM’s Chair, Curatorial Department. Special thanks to Karintha Lowe, HRM’s former Mellon Public Humanities Fellow.
Exhibitions are made possible by assistance provided by the County of Westchester.
This exhibition is made possible by Sarah Lawrence College through a generous grant from the Mellon Foundation.
Additional support is made possible in part by funding from The Rockefeller Brothers Fund and ArtsWestchester.
Teaching Artist-in-Residence
Rachael Guma is the HRM’s Teaching Artist-in-Residence from spring 2025 through spring 2026. Guma is a light and sound artist whose work often explores motion studies, deconstruction, the interplay of sound and image, improvisation within constraints, and serendipitous moments. Using stop motion animation, Guma conveys unconventional narratives infused with humor and lightness. Taking inspiration from Bill Viola: Moving Stillness and works on view at the Museum, she has designed intergenerational workshops exploring sound, image, and movement with a focus on the history of cinema and pre-cinematic devices.
Related Programs
Free First Fridays: Art, Poetry, and Earth Day
Friday, April 4, 5–8pm
Celebrate National Poetry Month and the poetry-inspired exhibition Smoke in Our Hair: Native Memory and Unsettled Time with the poets of Ars Poetica. Get your own unique personalized poems from typewriter poets who engage with visitors through interactive prompts, reflecting on exhibition themes such as memory and time. This activity is on a first-come, first-served basis. Plus, enjoy DJ sets with DJ Lulu Lewis, planetarium shows, a bilingual sketching workshop with Carolina Amarillo, and more. Cash bar available.
Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.
Poetry Workshop: Odes to the Landscapes that Make Us
Saturday, April 5, 1:30–3:30pm
Write an ode—a ten-line lyric poem that conveys deep emotions—reflecting on the bodily places you call home and the landscapes and memories that shape you. This five-part workshop, led by Diné writer Danielle Sháńdíín Emerson, explores Indigenous creativity and worldviews, connecting visual and verbal storytelling through themes of memory, emotion, and identity. Inspired by George Morrison’s Collage × Landscape, on view in Smoke in Our Hair: Native Memory and Unsettled Time. Recommended for teens and adults.
Poetry Reading: Unearthing Stories from the Collection
Sunday, April 27, 2pm
Celebrate National Poetry Month with a special poetry reading by Westchester Poet Laureate Phylisha Villaneuva and the 14 poets whose works are featured in This Gallery is a Poem: Unearthing Stories from the Collection, on view in the HRM Community & Partnership Gallery. Followed by a Q&A.
Expanded Talk on Expanded Cinema
Sunday, May 18, 2pm
Inspired by Bill Viola’s Moving Stillness: Mount Rainier 1979, Teaching Artist-in-Residence Rachael Guma will give an interactive talk and brief history of “expanded cinema,” a term used to describe a film, video, multimedia performance or an immersive environment that pushes the boundaries of cinema. The program includes hands-on experience with various analogue technologies for creating cinematic art, culminating in a collaborative performance. Recommended for ages 10+.
Press contact:
Jeana Wunderlich
jwunderlich@hrm.org
(914) 963-4550 x240
Samantha Hoover
shoover@hrm.org
(914) 963-4550 x216
Image: Bill Viola (American, 1951–2024). Moving Stillness: Mount Rainier, 1979, 1979. Color videotape playback with rear projection reflected off a pool of water onto a suspended screen, in a large, dark room, water disturbed by hand at intervals, and amplified stereo sound: 8 in. × 10 ft. × 20 ft. On loan from Art Bridges. Photo: Kira Perov.
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The Hudson River Museum is a preeminent cultural institution in Westchester County and the New York metropolitan area. The Museum is situated on the banks of the Hudson River in Yonkers, New York, with a mission to engage, inspire, and connect diverse communities through the power of the arts, sciences, and history.
The HRM offers engaging experiences for every age and interest, with an ever-evolving collection of American art and dynamic exhibitions that range from notable nineteenth-century paintings to contemporary art installations. The campus, which recently expanded to include a West Wing with exhibition galleries and sweeping views of the Hudson River, features Glenview, an 1877 house on the National Register of Historic Places; a state-of-the-art planetarium; an environmental teaching gallery; and an outdoor amphitheater. The Museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving, exhibiting, and interpreting these multidisciplinary offerings, which are complemented by an array of public programs that encourage creative expression, collaboration, and artistic and scientific discovery. The Museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums (AAM), an honor awarded to only 3% of museums nationwide.
Hours and Admission: The Hudson River Museum is open to the public Wednesday–Friday, from 12–5pm, and Saturday–Sunday, from 11am–5pm. On Free First Fridays, the Museum is open and free of charge on the first Friday of the month, from 5–8pm. Learn more and purchase tickets at hrm.org/visit.
General Admission: Adults $13; Youth (3–18) $8; Seniors (65+) $9; Students (with valid ID) $9; Veterans $9; Children (under 3) FREE; Members FREE; Museums for All* $2, *SNAP/EBT card with photo ID (up to 4 people). Planetarium tickets: Adults $7; Youth (3–18) $5; Seniors (65+) $6; Students (with valid ID) $6; Veterans $6; Children (under 3) Free. Glenview tours: Adults $7; Youth (3–18) $5; Seniors (65+) $6; Students (with valid ID) $6; Veterans $6; Children (under 3) Free. The Museum is accessible by Metro-North (Hudson Line—Yonkers and Glenview stations), by Bee-Line Bus Route #1, by car, and by bike. If you plan on taking Metro-North Railroad to Glenwood Station and want to leave your car behind, you can save on discounted round-trip rail fare and discounted admission by getting an MTA Away package. Learn more here.
