Hudson River of Bricks

From the artist: “Hudson River of Brick” is a scale model of the Hudson River, created from bricks made by more than 200 historic Hudson River brickyards each of which marked its bricks with a unique stamp. Though the work encompasses thousands of bricks in total, I glazed one example from each brickyard a range of greenish blue hues to represent the river's colors as it reflects a variety of skies. Each brickyard name and location is labeled in underglaze, then fired in a modern kiln, before being glazed and given a final firing. Each glazed brick is put in the geographic location along the river where its brickyard existed. The unglazed bricks show the patina of time and various clay body colors. 


New York City is one of the most iconic cities in the world and 90% of the city's plentiful brick structures (and infrastructure) were essentially created out of Hudson River mud. The installation brings attention to the rich history of bricks made in the Hudson River area, and also shows the beauty of these utilitarian objects that ceased to be produced here. Viewers can appreciate the work from a historical, artistic and/or local resident background. 


The idea for the installation evolved over several years. Living in Brooklyn, I noticed almost daily that brick edifices were demolished, disassembled into piles and carted off to points unknown. My background is in public art and more intimate work including oil paintings, drawings, etchings, ceramic sculptures and combined media installations. As I was working on a series of paintings and drawings entitled "Bricks and Stones May Break," I began collecting bricks from destroyed buildings and defunct brickyards as reference images. Once I noticed the variety in 'stamps,' I started discovering bricks made from Hudson River clay. Intrigued that their source was so close to the city, I started seeking and exploring their defunct brickyards along the river. I found more than I expected - after two decades of New York City life, I followed these bricks back to their source up the Hudson and relocated to an Arts & Crafts home in Poughkeepsie.



The more I collected, the more interested – one might say obsessed – I became.

Dozens of people contributed bricks and information to this project. Meeting with them and hearing stories about their bricks and their lives has been an important aspect of the project. I am always seeking new donations in order to expand the work. As we are living in such a politically divided time, it feels especially significant to interact with people of diverse backgrounds and political views to speak about a neutral topic. I often think about the project as the "United Hudson River of Bricks" in that it brings both people and bricks together.