KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Hudson River Maritime Museum is pleased to host artist Len Tantillo for “Picturing Rondout and Other Hudson River Stories” on Wednesday, May 5, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. as part of the Follow the River Lecture Series, sponsored by Rondout Savings Bank.

The program will focus on the extensive research and the story behind Len Tantillo’s detailed painting of the Mary Powell and the Port of Rondout, depicting a vital and dynamic river port at the height of its golden age. Using maps and period photographs, Len will take us through the step-by-step process of creating a complex and historically accurate painting. He will also provide insights into his techniques for recreating the past. 

A giclee of Tantillo's 2019 painting of the Mary Powell and the Port of Rondout is currently on display in "Mary Powell: Queen of the Hudson," a new exhibit at the Hudson River Maritime Museum. 

Len Tantillo has been painting New York State historical subjects for over 40 years. His work has appeared nationally and internationally in publications and various media programs. His original paintings have been featured in exhibitions and collections in museums around the world and he has had works commissioned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fenimore Art Museum, New York State Office of Parks and Recreation, and more.

Tickets are $5 for the general public and free for Hudson River Maritime Museum members. Those interested in attending can view upcoming lectures and register at www.hrmm.org/lecture-series. 

KINGSTON, N.Y. – Hudson River Maritime Museum will open for the season on Saturday, May 1, 2021. Current exhibits, which document maritime transportation, industry, recreation, and natural science can be visited Thursday through Sunday, 11:00am-5:00pm. Admission is $9 for adults, $6 for seniors and children. Museum members, veterans, and active-duty military get in free. 

Staff are excited to offer not only new exhibits, but also expanded access to projects that were launched during the museum’s COVID-limited season in 2020. The exhibit Mary Powell: Queen of the Hudson tells the story of the steamboat Mary Powell which represented the best of Hudson River travel from the Civil War period until the first World War. A new companion online exhibit will be launched on May 1, 2021. Also on display is Rescuing the River: 50 Years of Environmental Activism which traces the role of the Hudson River in the development of the modern environmental movement. Other new exhibits cover topics such as climate change in the Hudson Valley, the 50th anniversary of the last season of the steamboat Alexander Hamilton, and more. 

The museum continues to take precautions to ensure the safety of visitors, staff, and volunteers. All visitors must wear face masks while experiencing the museum’s exhibits and store, and use hand sanitizer upon entry. Visit www.hrmm.org to learn about other measures in place to ensure visitor safety within the museum and throughout the rest of campus.   

Virtual lectures, woodworking and boatbuilding classes at the Wooden Boat School, and on-land and on-water sailing classes with the Sailing School are also available. Starting Memorial Day weekend, tours aboard the 100% solar-powered tour boat Solaris will return, with new and exciting tour options. Tickets available now at www.hrmm.org/all-boat-tours. 

Museum’s virtual lecture hosts science and geology authors

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Hudson River Maritime Museum is pleased to host authors Robert and Johanna Titus for a live virtual lecture, “The Hudson Valley in the Ice Age,” on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. as part of the Follow the River Lecture Series, sponsored by Rondout Savings Bank.
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Starting about 25,000 years ago, an immense sheet of ice advanced out of Labrador and swept southward across much of North America. A good deal of that ice entered the Hudson Valley and continued all the way to today’s Long Island. During this advance, the ice scoured the valley and created much of its landscape, especially the Wall of Manitou - the Catskill Front. Later the climate warmed and the ice melted back to the north. Vast quantities of meltwater poured out of the retreating ice and sculpted by erosion a great deal more of our valley’s landscape. Several cycles of glacial advance and retreat occurred, and their combined erosive processes shaped our picturesque scenery. Much of our region’s rich culture was generated from this ice age history. The Hudson River School artists painted these ice age terrains. Pioneering landscape architects worked with what the glaciers left.

“The Hudson Valley in the Ice Age,” charts the influence of glaciers and ice on the Hudson Valley’s unique geological features. Based on their popular book The Hudson Valley in the Ice Age: A Geological History and Tour, Robert and Johanna will discuss both the science and the art behind the Hudson Valley’s most stunning landscapes.
Robert and Johanna Titus, retired professors of geology and biology, are popular science writers, focusing on Catskills and Hudson Valley geological history. They write regular geology columns for three regional magazines and three area newspapers. They are authors of three books, including The Hudson Valley in the Ice Age.

Tickets are $5 for the general public and free for Hudson River Maritime Museum members. Those interested in attending can view upcoming lectures and register at www.hrmm.org/lecture-series. 

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Wooden Boat School at the Hudson River Maritime Museum has expanded courses offered as part of the school’s introductory woodworking series. In addition to popular classes on the construction of Adirondack chairs and live edge tables, new classes include fishing rod building basics and Shaker tape stools. Participants in these weekend and evening classes will work on-site at the Wooden Boat School to create a variety of take-home projects. 

A number of new courses are available. Beginning in May, students can register for Rod Building Basics, a 2-day evening course during which students learn the skills needed to build a custom fishing rod. A Shaker Tape Stool class in July will have participants learning to build traditional wooden furniture and weaving a seat with cotton Shaker tape. These introductory classes are ideal for beginners and offer expert instruction for people who are new to woodworking techniques and tools.     

A list of classes is available on the school’s website and new courses are added regularly. 

April 
Pen Turning – April 17
Half Hull Carving – April 24

May
Adirondack Chair – May 15 and 16
Rod Building Basics – May 19 and 20
Wooden Tissue Box – May 22
Live Edge Table – May 23

June
Hand Built Wooden Plane – June 5
Joiner’s Mallet – June 12
Wooden Spoon Carving – June 19
Pen Turning – June 26

July
Shaker Tape Stool – July 2 and 9
Adirondack Chair – July 10 and 11
Live Edge Table – July 31

August
Shaker Oval Boxes – August 14 and 21
Adirondack Chair – August 28 and 29
Remote Control Pond Yacht – August 30 and September 1

September
Dado Build Tool Box – September 12
Greenland Kayak Paddle Carving – September 18 and 19
Pen Turning – September 25
Wooden Bookcase – September 26

October
Half Hull Carving – October 2 and 3
Build Your Own Dovetail Tool Tote – October 16 and 17
Intro to Square Rule Timber Framing – October 22 and 23
Wooden Guitar – Eight Sundays beginning October 31

Registration is also open for the school’s Foundations of Woodworking classes. This series of five classes is an extensive introduction into working with wood as a material, the tools used, their maintenance, and shop safety. Students will also learn about joinery. The series is designed to be taken as a whole, however classes can be enrolled in individually based on experience, and at the instructor’s discretion. The series is taught by Wayne Ford, a master woodworker and shipwright, and Bill Sterling, a luthier, woodworker and retired art teacher. The Wooden Boat School also offers boatbuilding classes as well as vessel repair and restoration services. 

Staff and instructors are committed to keeping students safe from COVID-19. Precautions include limited class sizes, social distancing, face coverings, and practicing hand washing and sanitizing.

For details about classes and to register, visit the Wooden Boat School online at www.hrmm.org/woodworking or call 845-338-0071. People who have questions can contact John Phelan, Wooden Boat School Manager, at jphelan@hrmm.org.