In 1836, Thomas Cole hiked the Mount Holyoke Range and later painted one of the most famous images of the Oxbow and our local landscape; View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm which can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The early American land conservation movement took hold in part because of the landscape artwork created by Cole’s generation, which sparked an appreciation of the intrinsic value of the land. One hundred and eighty years later, artists are still able to paint the same views that early American artists painted, thanks to the efforts of land conservationists past and present.
In the spirit of that movement, and Kestrel Land Trust‘s continuing mission of environmental conservation and awareness, the works in this exhibit celebrate the connection between artist and the land and what that means to us as individuals, as a society, as a culture, and as a people.
Kestrel deeply values the role that artists have played historically, and the impact artists continue to have in inspiring people to care about the future of our land. We’re grateful to all the artists in this exhibit for creating works that remind us how special these places are. We also thank the artists and R. Michelson Galleries for supporting our continued efforts to conserve the Mt. Holyoke Range with proceeds from this unique exhibit.
– Kristin DeBoer, Executive Director, Kestrel Land Trust
Learn more about Kestrel Land Trust below.
Kestrel Land Trust’s mission is to conserve and care for forests, farms, and riverways in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, while nurturing an enduring love of the land. Our focus areas include the scenic Mount Holyoke & Mount Tom Ranges, rich Valley farmland, riverlands along both sides of the Connecticut River, and forests connecting to the Quabbin Reservoir. For more than four decades, support from people in the Valley has given Kestrel the inspiration and ability to protect more than 25,000 acres. We believe in connecting people to the land through the arts, history, and culture to ensure future generations care for the special places that make this region a great place to live.
Learn more from this l video.