ABOUT THE PROJECT

This digital exhibition was created by the students of “Adirondack Arts and Archives,” a First-Year Seminar taught by English professor Mark Sturges. As part of a visual artifact project, classes examined materials related to the Adirondacks and St. Lawrence River Valley that are owned by St. Lawrence University and housed in the Richard F. Brush Art Gallery and Owen D. Young Library’s Special Collections.

Each student selected a painting, print, map, or material object; conducted research on the artist, medium, content, and context; and wrote an interpretive text panel to accompany a digital image of the visual artifact. The end result is a digital exhibition that showcases a variety of visual representations of the Adirondacks and St. Lawrence River Valley available to students and the public at St. Lawrence University. We hope it inspires viewers to visit the university and experience the aura and artistry of these visual artifacts in person, to sit or stand in their physical presence and recall that the world has more depth and meaning than the surface of a digital screen. The students would like to thank gallery and library staff Catherine Tedford, Carole Mathey, and Paul Doty for collaborating on this project.

SPRING 2023:

Adirondack Park Agency, Adirondack Park Portion of the N.Y.S. Wild, Scenic, and Recreational Rivers System

VISUALIZING THE ADIRONDACKS AND ST. LAWRENCE RIVER VALLEY Adirondack Park Agency, Adirondack Park Portion of the N.Y.S. Wild, Scenic, and Recreational Rivers System Henry Hart, Spring 2023 ABOUT THE MAP The Adirondack Park Agency was established in 1971 to develop long-range land-use plans for both the public and private lands within the Adirondack Blue Line….

Artist unknown, View of Blue Mountain Lake from “The Hedges” Road and “The Hedges,” Blue Mountain Lake, NY, Adirondack Mountains

VISUALIZING THE ADIRONDACKS AND ST. LAWRENCE RIVER VALLEY Artist unknown, View of Blue Mountain Lake from “The Hedges” Road and “The Hedges,” Blue Mountain Lake, NY, Adirondack Mountains LAUREN BARRETT, Spring 2023 ABOUT THE POSTCARDS Antiquarian Ted Comstock started collecting vintage Adirondack postcards in the 1980s because he loved the Adirondacks and thought these artifacts…

Sheila Kanieson Ransom, Waves Basket

VISUALIZING THE ADIRONDACKS AND ST. LAWRENCE RIVER VALLEY Sheila Kanieson Ransom, Waves Basket Sabella cromie, Spring 2023 ABOUT THE BASKET Artist Sheila Kanieson Ransom is a well-known basket maker and a member of the Mohawk community of Akwesasne , which straddles a segment of the international border between northern New York and eastern Ontario. She…

Seneca Ray Stoddard, Map of the Adirondack Wilderness

VISUALIZING THE ADIRONDACKS AND ST. LAWRENCE RIVER VALLEY Seneca Ray Stoddard, Map of the Adirondack Wilderness noah korman, Spring 2023 ABOUT THE MAP Seneca Ray Stoddard was a significant nineteenth-century artist, photographer, and writer known for his work focused on the Adirondack mountains, lakes, and landscapes, and his contribution to the creation of the Adirondack…

Sandra Hildreth, Adirondack Mandala

VISUALIZING THE ADIRONDACKS AND ST. LAWRENCE RIVER VALLEY Sandra Hildreth, Adirondack Mandala Shelby Oken, Spring 2023 ABOUT THE PAINTING Contemporary painter Sandra Hildreth is best known for her oil and watercolor paintings of “what is wild” in the Adirondacks. She writes that her paintings do not have to qualify as representing “true wilderness”; they just…

Iakonikonriiosta, Tsi Kiontahsawen / In the Beginning

VISUALIZING THE ADIRONDACKS AND ST. LAWRENCE RIVER VALLEY Iakonikonriiosta, Tsi Kiontahsawen / In the Beginning meara McClusky, Spring 2023 ABOUT THE QUILT Iakonikonriiosta moved to Akwesasne as a young woman to support the Mohawk nation’s struggle to maintain an Indigenous presence in northern New York. She continues to protect and publicize Mohawk culture through her…

John Henry Rushton, Punkie

VISUALIZING THE ADIRONDACKS AND ST. LAWRENCE RIVER VALLEY John Henry Rushton, Punkie Fiona Malcarney, Spring 2023 ABOUT THE CANOE Punkie is a beautiful “Canadian” model, all-cedar smoothskin canoe, meant for occasional use with a sail. Displayed in the Owen D. Young Library, Punkie had many owners until eventually finding her home at St. Lawrence University…

Robert Walp, Peak to Peak: Verplanck Colvin and the First Years of the Adirondack Survey

VISUALIZING THE ADIRONDACKS AND ST. LAWRENCE RIVER VALLEY Robert Walp, Peak to Peak: Verplanck Colvin and the First Years of the Adirondack Survey abby curtin, Spring 2023 ABOUT THE ARTWORK Peak to Peak is a multifaceted art book created by Robert Walp to showcase Verplanck Colvin’s contributions to the region. Colvin (1847-1920) was a self-taught…

Verplanck Colvin, The Crest of The Gothics – View Southward

VISUALIZING THE ADIRONDACKS AND ST. LAWRENCE RIVER VALLEY Verplanck Colvin, The Crest of The Gothics – View Southward Hayden beyer, Spring 2023 ABOUT THE ARTWORK A prominent figure in the history of the Adirondacks, Verplanck Colvin (1847-1920) spent the majority of his working life surveying the mountains. During these surveys, Colvin would produce multiple drawings…

SPRING 2024:

Stephany Hildebrand, Traces Ⅰ, 2022

Untitled Adirondack postcards, late 19th – early 20th centuries

The Spalding St. Lawrence Boat Company Catalogue, 1876

Katsitsionni Fox, Three Sisters Seed Pot, 2019

Arthur Einhorn, Gov. Denny Belt, c. 1970s

Mercedes Herold, Adirondack wood engravings, 1930s

Winslow Homer, two prints from Harper’s Weekly, 1871

Seneca Ray Stoddard, three stereographs, ca. 1880-1900

E.A. Merritt and Henry Thompson, Field Notes of Piercefield, 1865

Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait, Camping in the Woods: A Good Time Coming, 1862

Railroad Advertising Posters, 1853-63

Wilma (Kawennaronnion) Cook Zumpano, untitled purple beaded bag, 2023