Follow: The River & The Drinkin’ Gourd

Artist Statement

“Follow: The River and the Drinkin’ Gourd” connects Peekskill and the Hudson River to history as an important part of the passage followed by those who wished to escape from slavery in the 19^th Century.  Like the Big Dipper (known in song as “The Drinkin’ Gourd”) and the North Star, the Hudson River silently led untold numbers of people in their journey north to freedom.  Peekskill was a part of this secret journey, a stopping place on the Underground Railroad.  As an artist living and working in Peekskill, I want to commemorate our connections to the river and to a history of opposition to injustice and oppression.