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Past Events

Gallery Talk: Rockland Voices-Being of Light

The Historical Society of Rockland County Invites You to Join Us for

Serendipity & Controversy
Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of
the Installation of Mariel Farlow’s
Being of Light: Image of the Human Soul 
Presented by Clare Sheridan 

When: Thursday, April 22, 2021, 7:00 pm
Where: The ZOOM link for this program has been emailed to all registered attendees. If you have not received the link, check your spam or junk mail folder. If it's not there, please send an email to [email protected].
Admission: $FREE (reservations are required and donations are appreciated)

The year 2020 marked the 40th anniversary of the installation of one of the most controversial public sculptures in Rockland. In this virtual program, we will look back to the hot summer of 1980, when Mariel Farlow installed a monumental sculpture on the grounds of the Rockland County Courthouse in New City. The effort leading up to this extraordinary task was the culmination of months of preparation, proposals, designs, fabrication, creativity, hard work, and a bit of serendipity.

Over the past four decades, however, Farlow's 20 foot, 3,000 pound sculpture, Being of Light: Image of the Human Soul, has generated more controversy than any other piece of public art in Rockland’s history—to the detriment of its creator’s original intent. 

This presentation explores the serendipity, controversy, and philosophy behind Being of Light (originally titled Man of Light), which still stands in front of the Courthouse, exactly where it was placed 40 years ago. We will renew the call for Farlow's artist’s statement and poem to be mounted on the base of the sculpture, as she had planned in 1980, so viewers can reflect on its true meaning and, once and for all, we can let the controversy end.

TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE FOR THIS ONLINE PRESENTATION, CLICK ON THE EVENTBRITE LOGO:

 

Or email us at info@rockland history. 

The presentation is also a companion to “Mariel Farlow—Being of Light,” a special mini-exhibit within the Historical Society of Rockland County's semipermanent exhibition, Rockland Voices, open to the public Wednesdays-Fridays between 1 and 4 pm by prearranged reservation. To purchase tickets, click here.

Historical Society of Rockland County
20 Zukor Road
New City, NY  10956

Phone: (845) 634-9629

Please note: Space is limited for this online program. Reservations are required. A waiting list will be compiled, and available spaces will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. 

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The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York. www.RocklandHistory.org.

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