“Terrakwa: Where Memory, Place, and Water Meet” Exhibit Opening

Date: 8/6/25

Time: 6:00PM-8:00PM

This exhibition explores the Erie Canal, not just as something from history, but as a place that’s alive and changing. The collaborative artists Paul Bartow and Richard Metzgar used interviews, maps, and research to show how people and nature interact with the canal today. Their work depicts the canal as a vibrant, diverse, and active place.

Terrakwa shares stories from people who live, work, and spend their time along the Erie Canal. These personal stories help us understand the many roles the canal plays as a workplace, a spot for recreation, and as a natural habitat. The artists also included unique drawings made by trees along the canal. These drawings were created naturally over time by weather and wind, showing how nature and humans both shape the environment.

This exhibition celebrates the Erie Canal’s Bicentennial (2017–2025), highlighting the canal’s importance both in the past and today. Visitors are invited to think about how the canal continues to affect people and the environment, and how it might change in the future.

This exhibit opening is a free event and open to the public.