"SUBSTANCIAL" 2005-2007

Permanent, site specific
Hudson River Community Health Center, The Peekskill Project

Hudson River HealthCare is a network of fourteen community health centers located in Peekskill, Beacon, Poughkeepsie, Amenia, Dover Plains, Pine Plains, New Paltz, Goshen, Haverstraw, Greenport, Walden and Monticello.

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ARTIST STATEMENT (English / Espanol)

This project is a site-specific permanent installation displayed in the large façade window of the Hudson River HealthCare Center (HRHCare), focusing on its relationship with the diverse community of Peekskill, New York.

In my research I learned of the group of four women who founded HRHCare in the early 1970's and after over 30 years, these women are still active in the community. Their time and dedication inspired me to create a project about them. I admire their determination and accomplishments and feel it as motivation for my own work. My strong impulse in approaching this project was to honor the legacy of these women and to help draw attention to the important organization that has emerged from their efforts.

Drawing upon interviews conducted with some of the founding mothers, I have chosen certain ideas and phrases, which HRHCare embodies. Some of the words were translated into Spanish to acknowledge the multicultural community that HRHCare serves. I have displayed these words across the glowing surfaces of paper lanterns, which flow through a visual river, made of water-like plastic sheeting. The colors and shapes of this work are, like the words, drawn from the existing character of HRHCare. The installation echoes the orb lights already visible through the window and the brilliant hues of the organization's public literature.

Through the use of lighting, words, texture and color, I sought to illuminate the Center's mission to capture the spirit of HRHCare and its important role in the community.