Public Programs "AHOY! Where Lies Henry Hudson?"
Events for August
August 8, 8 pm Twin Histories of New York
Byrdcliffe Barn, Byrdcliffe Arts and Crafts Colony, Woodstock, NY.
"Henry Hudson Discovers the Algonquins / The Algonquins Discover Henry Hudson"
On Saturday, August 8, at 8 pm at the Byrdcliffe Barn on the grounds of the Byrdcliffe Arts Colony, Woodstock, NY, prominent Hudson Valley performers/historians/musicians/writers, Ed Sanders and Evan Pritchard will reveal contrasting historical accounts of Henry Hudson’s 1609 voyage through narration, story–telling, enactment, and song. The event is part of a series of free programs and events included in the Byrdcliffe Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition, AHOY! Where Lies Henry Hudson?
Edward Sanders will explore the decision of the Dutch West India Company to send settlers to Beverwyck in Albany; Esopus in Kingston; and New Amsterdam in New York City in a performance derived from Volume 8 of his nine–book series, America, a History in Verse.
Sanders is a poet, historian, community organizer and musician. Among his books are The Family, a history of the Manson group; The Poetry and Life of Allen Ginsberg; Tales of Beatnik Glory, Poems for New Orleans; and his current collection, Let’s Not Keep Fighting the Trojan War — New and Selected Poems 1986–2008. America, a History in Verse, the 20th Century, over 2,000 pages in length has been published, fully indexed, in CD format. Sanders was the founder of the satiric rock group, the Fugs, which has issued numerous albums and CDs during its 45 year history. He lives in Woodstock with his wife, the painter and essayist Miriam Sanders
Evan Pritchard will recount Henry Hudson’s arrival in the New World as a sign confirming the “Eighth Fire Prophesies” of the Algonquin people of New York. The performance is based on his book, Great Floating bird: Beautiful Air – the voyages of Henry Hudson to the New World and up the Great River.
Pritchard is a critically acclaimed author of Mi'kmaq and Celtic descent. He is the director of the Center for Algonquin Culture and has been a professor of Native American Studies at Vassar College, Pace University, and Marist College, and is a frequent keynote speaker at the American Museum of Natural History, and other nationally known organizations. Recognized for his classics Native New Yorkers and No Word For Time, his self–published book Great Floating Bird: How the Algonquins of New York Discovered Henry Hudson, will also be released (under another title) by Council Oak Books in September of 2009, in honor of New York's Quadricentennial.
AHOY! Where Lies Henry Hudson is an outdoor sculpture exhibition comprised of 16 noteworthy architects from the Catskills and Hudson Valley who have imagined that Henry Hudson's remains just washed up on the shores of Ulster County. They have designed and constructed twelve memorials that interpret the significance of Hudson's historic journey within the context of 400 years of European occupation that followed Hudson's discovery. These interpretations range from whimsical to satiric to celebratory. The memorials are installed outdoors on the grounds of the historic Byrdcliffe Art Colony, Woodstock, NY and will remain through October 12, 2009. The exhibition is curated by Linda Weintraub; Coordinating Architect, Alan Baer; and organized by the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild. This event is made possible, in part, with grants from The New York Council for the Humanities and the Chamber of Commerce of Ulster County.
