Hudson River Museum Presents Lens on the Hudson: Photographs by Joseph Squillante
YONKERS, NY, April 10, 2025—The Hudson River Museum is proud to present Lens on the Hudson: Photographs by Joseph Squillante, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of photographer Joseph Squillante capturing the Hudson River’s magnificence, producing thousands of evocative photographs that offer a lens into the past and present of this historic waterway. The exhibition will be on view from May 9 through October 19, 2025.
While his portfolio includes portraiture, still life, and abstraction, Joseph Squillante is best known for his romantic landscapes along the Hudson’s 315 miles. Squillante describes his mission as “raising awareness of the beauty of the Hudson River through photography,” documenting the river’s ever-changing light, seasons, and weather, from its source at Lake Tear of the Clouds in the Adirondacks to its mouth at New York City.
This exhibition highlights Squillante’s intersection with the environmental movements that gained momentum along the river in the 1970s and continue today. As protests escalated against industrial development that scarred the shoreline and polluted the waters of the Hudson River, he grounded his work in visual storytelling—illustrating both the river’s splendor and the efforts to protect it. He has sailed aboard the Clearwater sloop, photographed singer-activist Pete Seeger, documented the PCB dredging operations, and chronicled eagle banding and monitoring programs that contributed to the species’ resurgence in the mid-Hudson Valley.
“Lens on the Hudson has led me deep into the archive of my environmental work, much of it unseen until now,” states Joseph Squillante. “Revisiting these photographs has opened a new chapter in my understanding of the importance of documenting the challenges that continue to rear up and threaten our natural world. This exhibition marking my fiftieth year of photographing the Hudson is more than a milestone—it is a reaffirmation of my life-long love and care for both photography and the river. It serves as an opportunity to be more vigilant and vocal in advocating for environmental awareness and conservation of the river. The Hudson River belongs to us all. We must nurture and protect it as if it were our very own child.”
“I have admired Joe Squillante for two decades,” says Laura Vookles, Chair of HRM’s Curatorial Department. “Through his work, he came to know many people important in the fight to protect the Hudson River, and these connections provided him unique access. No other photojournalist or artistic photographer has assembled such a significant body of Hudson River images.”
A Life Member of the American Society of Media Photographers, Joe Squillante is also on the teaching artist roster of ArtsWestchester. His work is held in the collections of The New York Historical, the Museum of the City of New York, the Albany Institute of History & Art, the New York State Museum, and the Hudson River Museum. Far from slowing down, he continues to explore the Hudson’s grandeur, hiking through the Highlands to shoot panoramic vistas and joining Riverkeeper boat captains on the water. His images immerse us in the river’s natural sublimity while revealing the intricate connections between people, animals, and this vital waterway.
Related Program
Artist Talk: Through the Lens of Joseph Squillante
Saturday, June 21, 2pm
Join photographer Joseph Squillante for an intimate walk through Lens on the Hudson: Photographs by Joseph Squillante. With passion, humor, and insight, Joseph shares the stories behind the photographs—moments of discovery, beauty, and awakening captured over decades along the river’s banks, reflecting on the river’s enduring power as both muse and mirror. You are invited to see with new eyes, to feel the heartbeat of the Hudson, and to recognize our shared responsibility to protect it.
Press contact:
Jeana Wunderlich
jwunderlich@hrm.org
(914) 963-4550 x240
Samantha Hoover
shoover@hrm.org
(914) 963-4550 x216
Image: Joseph Squillante. Boy Fishing, 1976 (printed 2005). Chromogenic print. Courtesy of the artist.
###
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.
