Celebrating the
Quadricentennial
of the Discovery
of the
Hudson River
1609-2009
These days there are big doings up and down the beautiful Hudson River. Every town is celebrating the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Henry Hudson and his shipmates on the Half Moon to the mouth of the river bearing his name. Memories of my elementary school days in New York City and fourth grade study of local history merge with the stories of Henry Hudson sailing into the now famous harbor formed by the estuary of the tidal river. In turn his story melded into that of New Amsterdam and peg-legged Peter Stuyvesant. That early settlement was preceded by knots of fur traders way up river eager for beaver pelts which seemed to endlessly flow from the forests and streams of the indigenous people.
The banners shown here are one contribution to the festivities contributed by artists of the Kingston area, including my son, Matthew Pleva. His work is the black and white effort at the top. My contribution was to sew the canvas banners using our factory grade sewing machines.
Other artists include:
Jane Bloodgood-Abrams
Hendrik Dijk
Dennis Connors
Robert Sweeney
Cynthia Winiker
Lynn Woods
Steve Ladin
Erik Richards
Cristina Brusca
Susan Ross
Iya Battle
The banners were photographed at their first exhibition in the atrium of the Holiday Inn in uptown Kingston. After an appearance at the Senate House Museum for the Discovery Dinner on June 13th the plan is to apply a weatherproof coating so they can be hung on lamp posts on lower Broadway, in the Rondout section of Kingston which borders on Rondout Creek an inlet of the Hudson River.
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