Waterways
Exploring the Watershed with Marie Lorenz

Spring 2019 (1 credit)

Students worked with Lorenz to explore the landscape from Bennington, Vermont, to Stillwater, New York, following the course of the Walloomsac and Hoosic Rivers. Their participation contributed to the artist’s Usdan Gallery exhibit of boats and videos and her ongoing investigations of waterways as public spaces. Students researched ecological issues and the history of land use in the watershed. Over three weekends with Lorenz, they explored the landscape by hiking, driving, and canoeing on “ground truthing” expeditions designed to compare archive-gathered data against what one can sense from direct experience. Along the way, students collected detritus for display in the gallery on a map table of the water trail, collaborating in the production of a sculptural artwork. Their research supported Lorenz’s Hudson River boat trip in June 2019, from Stillwater to Brooklyn, sponsored by the gallery as an extension of her show.