HUDSON RIVER ARTS PATCH

Few areas of America are as full of legend, history, and artistic achievement as the Hudson River Valley. How fortunate we are to be surrounded by its glory.

The goal of this patch is to encourage awareness of the artisticcultural heritage of our area while encouraging participation in the visual, performing, and literary arts.

Requirements

• Brownies: Complete 6 requirements.
• Juniors: Complete 8 requirements.
• Cadettes andAmbassadors: Complete 10 requirements.

1. Find books that were written about the Hudson River Valley and read one.

    

2. Explain what is meant by the “Hudson River School” of painters. What time period did it cover?  Research and identify 3 artists who were of the Hudson River School.  How are they the same? How  do they differ?
   
   

   OR

   Study one artist of the Hudson River School and give a presentation to your troop or another group showing samples of his work.  Explain hoe the Hudson River influenced his work.  Visit one site that the artist painted,  Compare this artist’s work with a contemporary artist.

3. Visit an artist’s studio, museum, art show, craft fair or other place in the Hudson Valley where works of art are displayed.  Explain what you saw, what you liked, and why.

   OR

   Visit your school or community library and find books that were inspired by writers who lived in the Hudson River Valley.

   

4. Locate the Hudson River on a map.  Observe where it begins and ends.  Now, draw your own interpretation of the Hudson River and its surrounding areas.  You could include 19^th century mansions, vineyards and the railroad.


5. Washington Irving said that its mountains at sunset “glow and light up like a crown of glory”.  Henry Kames pronounced its river a “great romantic stream”.  Set down your thoughts in a creative way about an area you especially like in the Hudson River Valley. This could be a poem or short essay.


6. Choose a site in the Hudson River Valley that you particularly like, observe the site I different seasons, and express your thoughts through a drawing or collection of photographs.


7. See a ballet, concert or opera in the Hudson River Valley OR Find out about songs and ballads that were written about the area.


8. Our area includes a very broad range of architectural styles. Discover a mansion, main street, waterfront, church, theater or corporate headquarters in your area.  Identify its style and photograph it.  Find similar architectural structures and put together a collage of your discoveries.


9. Identify two colleges or schools in the Valley.  When were they built?  What different architectural designs did they use? Pretend you are an architect and design a school or park.  You can use paint, pen and ink, clay, sticks, cardboard etc.
   
   OR  Visit two structures in Westchester/Putnam. Identify their styles and briefly explain their unique architectural features. Pretend you are an architect and design a house or park.


10. Many properties in the Valley have been recycled through creative adaptive re-use, such as our council building (which was a school), and Westchester Community College ( formerly the estate of Huntington Hartford, the A&P magnate).  Visit three properties, such as old barns converted into garages or homes, castles that are now corporate headquarters or part of a college, or schools that are now homes. Describe three properties briefly.


11. Research and identify 3 people, living or dead, who have lived or worked in Westchester/Putnam and contributed greatly to our society in the fields of poetry, writing, painting, acting, or music.  Send this information to the council office where a list is kept.


12. Interview an architect, painter, musician, writer, poet, or sculptor.  Find out how she or he got started in their career and what type of training they needed.


13. After observing at least 3 statues or a sculpture garden create your own 3-dimensional work of art. Display at a troop meeting or elsewhere.



Application for Hudson River Valley Patch

1.# of patches required______________ ( Cost from Council office)

2.Total troop cost___________________

3.Leader’s Name_____________________________________________ Phone____________________

4.Address_____________________________________________________________________________

 

Troop #__________________   Level______________________

6.Did you work on this as a troop?  ___  If yes what requirements did you complete?_____________________

7.Briefly evaluate this program: