What to Do on Saturday

There are two events happening tomorrow, Saturday, March 23, that are worthy of note. 

From 2 to 4 p.m., Didi Barrett is hosting a celebration of women's history in the Hudson Valley honoring Cyndy Hall, Columbia County educator and activist, who died last July. For thirty-seven years, Cyndy taught music in the Hudson City School District. She was also a fierce Democratic leader and progressive activist. Tomorrow, Cyndy's family and friends will be present to share stories of her life and her contributions to the community. The event takes place in the Community Room of the Hudson Area Library, 51 North Fifth Street.

Cyndy Hall leading the contingent of Columbia County Democrats
in the 2014 Flag Day Parade

Later on Saturday, from 5 to 7 p.m., the exhibition Hudson Athens Light opens at Hall Hudson at the historic Hudson Opera  House, 327 Warren Street. The group exhibition, curated by Richard Roth and featuring the work of thirty artists, includes paintings, photography, and sculpture, "illuminating and corroborating the ecological, historical, commercial, and aesthetic splendors of our bend in the Hudson River since the days it was called Mahicantuck."

The city of Hudson overlooks just a small piece of the river, but its enchanting views have captured the imagination of artists for generations. The light on the water and the curves of the mountain range have inspired everything from classical paintings to conceptual sculptures.

Dappled Catskills, Tony Thompson, oil on canvas 2008

Speaking of the exhibition and its title, Roth explained:

The lighthouse appears in several paintings and photographs in Hudson Athens Light, but the title was actually inspired by the late Bill Sullivan's luminous painting View of Athens (2003), a version of which is included in the exhibition and which captures a certain kind of afternoon light.

The artists here have captured moments on the river, whether of ecstasy or crisis, in styles and media ranging from sculpture to painting in the tradition of the Hudson River School to the latest in digital photography. Some express themselves with scientific precision, and others approach the subject poetically or abstractly. Whatever the case, the intention is to increase awareness and appreciation for one of Hudson's largely overlooked assets.

The exhibition will be on view until June 9, 2019. For more information visit hudsonhall.org.
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