Reception To Celebrate Public Art At River Hook

Press release from Friends of River Hook:

June 15, 2022

Upper Nyack celebrates new public art at River Hook Preserve with an opening reception for a site-specific installation by Lisa Levart entitled “Still Here: Women of the Ramapough Lenape Nation” and the on-going display of River Hook's Sculpture Path.

The reception begins at 4 p.m. Saturday, June 18 when Village of Upper Nyack Mayor Karen Tarapata will present Grandmother Clara Soaring Hawk, Ambassador of Ramapough Lenape Nation, a land dedication plaque as part of the 150th Anniversary of the incorporation of Upper Nyack. The rain date for the event is June 25, 2022.

“Still Here: Women of the Ramapough Lenape Nation”, is an outdoor installation of photographic portraits of the women of the Ramapough Lenape Nation, descendants of the original people of the New York metropolitan area and the Hudson Valley. The exhibit is part of an on-going series by Lisa Levart, created with guidance from Grandmother Clara Soaring Hawk.

Still Here was made possible by funds from the Statewide Community Regrant, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Governor's office and the New York State Legislature and administered by ArtsWestchester.

"The goal of “Still Here” is to prompt visitors of River Hook to reflect upon and honor the Lenape people who have cared for and stewarded this land long before the Dutch and English settled on the Hudson shores, and remember that their ancestors still live amongst us," said artist Lisa Levart.

"We have been present in these northeastern woodlands since time immemorial," said Grandmother Clara Soaring Hawk. "Every woman shown in this installation has directly heard a call to honor our ancestral matriarchs. It is through the choice of every human who is willing to “walk a good path,” that will allow hearts to heal and new relationships to commence," she continued.

Lisa Levart is a visual artist/ photographer whose interests lay at the intersection between fine arts and social engagement. Her immersive, multi-media installations have been seen at The Luna Stage Theater in West Orange, N.J. and Riverspace Arts in Nyack. Traditional galleries have featured her work including Ramapo College, Bergen Gallery, Bergen Community College, The Hopper House, Burden Gallery (Aperture Foundation), Art in General, The Alternative Museum and Rockland Center for the Arts. An experimental dance video Levart co-directed and choreographed in 1984 is in the permanent collection of the 9/11 Memorial Museum in NYC, and “ORACLE: Goddess on Earth,” won a Silver Nautilus Book Award in 2022.

Visitors to River Hook also will enjoy a sculpture path composed of work by six local artists exhibiting pieces integrated into the natural beauty of the Preserve.

"River Hook is a beautiful addition to the several sculpture sites found throughout Rockland County. Myself, along with Peter & Cassie Strasser, are excited to help Friends of River Hook get this inaugural sculpture path underway," said sculptor Mark Attebery. The other sculptors with work on display are Janet Rutkowski, James Tyler and Sarah Haviland.

"Supporting the arts is a core part of the mission of Friends of River Hook, particularly artists that celebrate the splendor of this land and the history of the people who have lived here. Lisa Levart's “Still Here” and the artists of our inaugural sculpture path are perfect examples of the kind of work we will welcome here at River Hook,” said Friends of River Hook’s President, Paul Curley.

The event is sponsored by Friends of River Hook and Long Path Outfitters, located on South Broadway in Nyack. Refreshments will be served by Salonnière Coffee Bar.

This press release was produced by Friends of River Hook. The views expressed here are the author's own.