Hudson Heritage: Joseph Squillante Photographs

 

Hudson Heritage: Joseph Squillante Photographs

Marion’s Gallery at Greig Farm, 227 Pitcher Lane, Red Hook, NY

Works on display June 11- July 21, 2018

 

Opening Reception for the Artist: Saturday, June 16, 4-6 PM

The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.

Red Hook, NY – Marion’s Gallery pays tribute to the bounty of the Hudson River with its upcoming solo exhibit Hudson Heritage featuring the photographs of Joseph Squillante.  This exhibit includes work from Mr. Squillante’s acclaimed 40-year career capturing the beauty and spirit of the river. The focus is on the farms, fishermen, orchards, and vineyards of the Hudson Valley, with a special homage to the life and legacy of Claude Potts, 94-year-old Tivoli farmer.

Among the images will be Claude on his 1950s tractor, fisherman Everett Nack pulling shad from the river, and at his smokehouse, cattle in the field, apple trees in blossom, a vineyard and villa, and a boy fishing off the remnants of the old Tivoli dock.

“As I reach out and share my work, I meet many people who also love the river,” says Squillante. “My aim is to nurture and expand this community. I believe that a greater appreciation of this natural resource will lead to a better understanding of its importance.” His commitment to helping transform the Hudson into a cleaner natural resource has earned him the respect of the Hudson River community and recognition by Scenic Hudson as a “Hudson Valley Hero.” This important environmental group has recently worked to preserve the way of life on the Potts/Stickle farm.

Squillante’s love of the river began in 1975, when his boyhood friend Tom moved from the Bronx to paradise—otherwise known as Tivoli, a village 100 miles north of Manhattan, population 362. Tom’s backyard was the Hudson River, flowing just beyond the railroad tracks with views of the Catskill Mountains.

Squillante’s images reflect the soul of the river. A New York Times reviewer noted the “zest and sincerity” of the work; indeed the photographs inspire viewers of all ages. His work is in the permanent collections of the New-York Historical Society, the Museum of the City of New York, the Albany Institute of History and Art and many private collections. He has traveled the entire 316-mile length of the Hudson.

Joseph comes “home again” to share in the place where it all began with this exhibit of fine art photography.

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Claude Potts, Hudson Valley Farmer

(Born 1925 -)

Claude Potts, 94 years of age this year, can tell stories like it was yesterday, about how the Hudson Valley was a main food source supplying half the fruit and vegetables for New York City back in the 1930s and ‘40s. Claude tells of when in the 1930s he and his dad, who grew strawberries, would drive down to Tivoli dock to load them on to a big boat. Later on four or five truckers would come to the farm to pick up 25 bushels of apples and 40 boxes of tomatoes to drive down to the market in the South Bronx and receive a commission from Claude. Sometimes the bushels would bring in only $3.00 per, and depending on the supply and demand as much a $5 or $6.00. The Potts family farm dates back to the 1820s.

His mother Jenny was a childhood friend of Eleanor Roosevelt, which came in handy.

As Claude puts it, “One time when I was in the grade part of the Tivoli High School, which at that time was a relatively new school. It started to get built during WW I and didn’t really get finished, until after WW II. It was one of the nicer new schools in the area. And I talked to Mrs. Roosevelt about it [the school] at the time I guess,” and she said, “some time I’ll come in and see it. ”

Claude continues, “So anyway this day she came in to see me and that, and we were sitting in the downstairs room in the front of the school and she saw all these people around the well there, and she said, “Why do they gather, what’s the big interest there? Claude answered, “That’s the old well from school, and it has good drinking water; and that at most of the houses, there is a shortage of water here; our wells just don’t pan out.”

“She didn’t say too much to me about it and it was, I don’t know, a year or so later I heard by the grapevine that the government was looking into putting a WPA water project in Tivoli. I guess it got to the village mayor and everything and that’s the beginning of the village and our sewer water. I would say it was probably in the early part of the thirties.”

When I asked about him being responsible for bringing municipal water to Tivoli, Claude responded, “I would say I had something to do about it. I threw the ball out.”

It also came in handy when Claude was about to go into the Navy during World War II. Claude tells it like this: “One day a few cars pulled up to Mrs. Hall’s place at Oak Terrace, and some men helped the person out of the middle car and it was President Franklin Roosevelt. They got to talking and Mr. Roosevelt said, “I heard you’re going into the service.” Claude responded, “I signed up for it.” Mister Roosevelt asked, “Would you be interested in coming down to Washington instead? Claude responded that, “it sounds very interesting” “I can get you a job in the agriculture department.” Claude, over the next couple of weeks, gave it some thought and said, “I think I’m going to decline the offer.” The war was starting to end up and it wasn’t as crucial as it was so he took the farm exemption with lots of work to be done on his family farm in Tivoli.

Claude tells of the great importance of the Hudson River and agriculture to the war effort, “so there was a lot of protection on the river corridor and along Route 9 back then.”

The Potts ran a general type of farm on about 80 acres off Route 9G growing fruit trees, mainly apples, macintosh and red delicious, along with peach and pear. Tomatoes were another main crop along with other vegetables, and when the weather got cooler the string beans went in.

Claude also drove a school bus for 20 years with the Red Hook Central Schools and for Bard for 30 years. Come Saturdays he would load up the Bard students (it was a Episcopalian school for children then) into the bus by 9am to head over to the Catskill Mountains for some hiking.

For the family’s summer vacation Claude with his wife Margaret and their three daughters would drive up to Blue Mountain Lake and Indian Lake and stay at Potter’s Cottages at lakeside.

Today Claude’s daughter Claudia and her husband Don Stickle, married for 39 years, with a wonderful family have taken on the challenge of running the farm. Don’s expertise is in organic beef farming, breathing in new life while maintaining the family tradition of providing a livelihood in food production. Don, as any farmer knows, has to keep up with the demand and understand how to bring his product to market.

May the many generations of the Potts family continue well in to the future.

Thank you Claude Potts for your hard work to preserve our great land and our traditions.

Author: Harlem Valley News