Award-winning installation artist George Trakas to discuss Hudson River environmental project, Wednesday, April 18, 2007

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — Internationally lauded installation artist George Trakas will discuss his latest environmental art project in a lecture entitled "Beacon Landing: A Peninsula's Emergence" on Wednesday, April 18, at 5:30 p.m., in Sanders Auditorium (Sanders Classroom building, Room 212). This event is free and open to the public.

Trakas's latest work at Beacon Landing, part of the Minetta Brook Foundation's "Hudson River Project," will be unveiled this spring. In his installation, Trakas renovated an eroded abandoned railroad landing in Beacon on the Hudson River, allowing for previously unavailable public access to the waterfront.

The Minetta Brook Foundation promises that the Beacon Point Project, made of steel and wood decks, pathways, and stairways to the river, "will interact with the tides, river currents and waves, creating the sounds of cascading water, and provide views of the Hudson Highlands and points south." Minetta Brook is a non-profit arts organization that presents public art projects, exhibitions, and publications designed to strengthen the relationship between contemporary artists and communities internationally.

Trakas is internationally known for his environmental sculptures, often taking the form of bridges, pathways, and docks. His interest in water resource issues, tides, currents, and shoreline construction have been produced in a wide range of projects – from Berth Haven at the headquarters of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Seattle to Sword Bridge in Thiers, France. His work has been exhibited at the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; and Documenta 6 and 8, Kassel, Germany. His work is also included in the permanent collections of the Louisiana Museum in Denmark, and the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.

Among his many awards, Trakas has received the American Academy of Arts and Letters Merit Medal for Sculpture (1996), a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship (1989), and a Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship (1982).

This event is co-sponsored by the Environmental Studies Program, the Faculty Development Seminar on Creativity and Contemplation, and the Art Department. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations at Vassar should contact the Office of Campus Activities, (845) 437-5370.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential, liberal arts college founded in 1861.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations or information on accessibility should contact Campus Activities Office at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space and/or assistance may not be available.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

This article was posted on Wednesday, April 4th, 2007.