September 15, 2021—On Wednesday, September 29, at 7:00 pm Marist College’s Hudson River Valley Institute (HRVI) will present the 10th annual Handel-Krom Lecture in Hudson River Valley History, “Discovering the Hudson Anew: Exploring History and the Environment from an Artist’s Perspective.” This exclusively online event is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required.

The presentation will feature topohistorical pictoriographer and author of Sketchbook Traveler: Hudson Valley, James Lancel McElhinney. Presented in conjunction with Marist’s Office of Alumni Relations, McElhinney’s talk will unpack the historic backstory of his own practice while exploring how the arts can be used to interpret key elements of Hudson River Valley history to a diverse citizenry, to advance public education, and to promote community engagement.

“This year's Handel-Krom Lecture will draw the always-timely connection between the arts and history to engage our community and environment. As travel has been limited recently, the imperative to see the depth in familiar environments is greater than ever,” Dr. James M. Johnson, HRVI Executive Director and Dr. Frank T. Bumpus Chair, said. “McElhinney's lecture will help us to see more deeply so that we can engage more deeply, and he will help the audience to use drawings of places in the Hudson River Valley as a practice for seeing.”

The 10th annual lecture will highlight McElhinney’s philosophy that drawing is another way of seeing and experiencing a place. The act of “drawing” can and should be a democratic exercise to enrich experience and perception and should not be reserved to arts alone. Through this presentation, McElhinney plans to show how drawing and sketching can be a useful way to look back at history and explore the past of the Hudson River Valley.

About the Handel-Krom Lecture Series in Hudson River Valley History:

This annual lecture series was established through the generosity of community leaders Shirley and Bernard Handel and Lieutenant Colonel Gilbert A. Krom, U.S. Army, Retired, to promote knowledge and appreciation for the rich history of this unique and important region of America.

About the Hudson River Valley Institute:

The Hudson River Valley Institute (HRVI) is a Center of Excellence at Marist College that studies and promotes the history of the Hudson River Valley. The Institute provides information about the region’s culture, economy, environment, and educational resources through www.hudsonrivervalley.org, public programming, and The Hudson River Valley Review. This biannual peer-reviewed journal covers all aspects of regional history. Visit HRVI on Facebook at facebook.com/hudsonrivervalleyinstitute.