THE ERPF GALLERY was established in 1974 to promote the art, folklife and history of the Catskill region. Since 1980, the Erpf Gallery and The Catskill Center have been housed together in the Erpf House in Arkville, New York. In 1993, thanks to the generosity of Sue Erpf Van de Bovenkamp and the Armand G. Erpf Fund, the two organizations combined efforts, and the Erpf Gallery became a program of the Catskill Center.


THE CATSKILL CENTER'S ERPF GALLERY

The Catskill Center Erpf Gallery forms the centerpiece of a historic building in the hamlet of Arkville in Central New York. Geographically it is located within the Catskill Park, often referred to as America’s First Wilderness, but it is also less than three hours away from New York City. Occupying a unique position at the boundary between the most sophisticated arts community in the country and the historical heart of many of its cultural traditions, the gallery exhibits both contemporary and traditional forms of artistic expression.

For centuries the Catskills has been a place where art colonies have flourished. The first American school of landscape painting, the Hudson River School, was initiated here in 1835 by Thomas Cole, Asher Durand, Thomas Doughty, Frederic Edwin Church, and Albert Bierstadt. In 1887, the painter J. Francis Murphy founded the Pakatakan Artists Colony in Arkville, and in 1902, Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead, a student of John Ruskin at Oxford University, founded the Byrdcliffe Arts Colony on 1500 acres above Woodstock as an experiment in the art of living through creative manual work. To this day, the entire region continues to be the home of an exceptionally large number of gifted artists and craftspeople.

The gallery presents five exhibits a year. These exhibitions reflect local and regional work, especially drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, and fine crafts, as well as visual and written pieces created by participants in the Platte Clove Artist-in-Residence program. Our gallery specializes in intimate presentations that enrich the aesthetic experience of the pieces by incorporating a visual education. Projects have included "Trout Encounters: Fly Fishing in the Catskills," an exhibit combining paintings with examples of fly-tying given by 10 prominent fly-fishermen; "Ken Hiratsuka: Stone Carver," whose carvings depict one continuous line which transcends the differences between nations and languages; "Up and Down": The History of the Ulster & Delaware Railroad, with a 30-foot diorama and more than 20 posters of the railroad development; "Whisper of Nature" featuring interpretations by 5 visual artists on the writings of Forestry Professor Michael Kudish; and "Wild Harvest: Grasses and Medicinals," an exhibition of photographs showing grasses and medicinal plants with details of their properties; "Virtual Visits", installation of two house segments belonging to elders from the area and accompanied by oral testimonials of their lives. Lectures and educational workshops accompany these events.

These presentations encourage our diverse audience to become more aware of the rich scope of human responses to the natural world by virtue of their shared experience. The creative work presented in the gallery preserves and honors traditional ways of life, yet at the same time it demonstrates the inspirational role the region continues to perform in American art. In presenting a wide range of artists’ ideas about the interrelation between human activities, sensibilities, needs, and all aspects of the natural world, the gallery creates a forum that expresses visually the mission of the different components of the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development.

THE PLATTE CLOVE ARTISTS IN RESIDENCY

This is the only one in the country situated in the historic area where the first American school of landscape was initiated in 1825 (The Hudson River School of Painting) by Thomas Cole, Asher Durand, Thomas Doughty, Frederic Edwin Church and others who searched the Hudson Valley and surroundings looking for the untainted wilderness.

The Platte Clove cabin sits where mountain and valley meet, providing a tranquil and rustic workplace and retreat for artists working in a variety of disciplines in the living landscape where American art began. At our Platte Clove Nature Preserve artists can refine their artistry amidst the solitude and grandeur of nature on 208 acres of pristine wilderness with multi-tiered waterfalls (including 60' tall Plattekill Falls) and old growth forest. To take a "virtual tour" of The Catskill Center's Platte Clove Preserve (home of the Artists-In-Residency program), click here (will open new browser window).

An exhibition of work created during the residency is presented at the Catskill Center Erpf Gallery annually (see images). Information on the Artists-In-Residency program may be obtained by sending a request to The Center at cccd@catskill.net, or download the Guidelines and Application. The file is 196Kb, and in PDF format (requiring Adobe Reader).

If you have a version of Adobe Reader on your computer, simply "right click" on the link above and select "Save (Link) Target As" to save it on your computer. If you do not currently have Adobe Reader, please download this free program from the Adobe website. Simply select the "download" button and follow instructions. Once installed, "right click" on the file above and choose "Save (Link) Target As" and save it to your computer.

FOLKLIFE AND HISTORY ARCHIVES

The Catskill Regional Folklife and History Archives maintained on the premises at The Center, consists of written and recorded interviews, slides and photos documenting the Catskill region's folklife and history. The archives were collected by folklorists from 1979-1989, and are available to the public by appointment for use on premises.

If you would like more information about any of these programs call or write to Inverna Lockpez, Director of the Catskill Center's Erpf Gallery at 845-586-2611 or invernalockpez@yahoo.com, or feel free to stop by during business hours.

© Copyright - The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, Inc.  ·  A private, not-for-profit, membership-supported organization founded in
1969 to help build healthy ecosystems and vibrant communities within the 6,000 square-mile Catskill Mountain region of New York State.

PO Box 504 · Route 28
Arkville, NY 12406
(845) 586-2611

All images are property of The Center, or friends of The Center. Please request permission for use.

Comments or suggestions regarding this site? Email us at cccd@catskillcenter.org

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