Exhibitions

Letchworth Village: The 'Village Years'

LV gate - Arnold Genthe
LV gate - Arnold Genthe
June 01, 2012 —October 31, 2012

Letchworth Village: The “Village Years” Exhibition.
Letchworth Centennial Commemoration Highlights Work of Famed Photographers Margaret Bourke-White and Arnold Genthe
 
To commemorate the centennial of Letchworth Village, the “Village Years” exhibition will be on display at the Historical Society of Rockland County. The exhibit focuses mainly on the first 50 years of Letchworth Village history with archival photographs dating back to 1907. The highlight of the exhibit is the famed photographer Margaret Bourke-White’s Letchworth photographs. Bourke-White’s 1933, and Genthe’s 1941 images are a poignant and fascinating look into the history of Letchworth. The exhibit runs through October 31st 2012.
 
Letchworth Village was established in 1911 as an institution to care for individuals with developmental disabilities. It survived as a largely self-sustaining farm village for more than 50 years. The exhibit is comprised of reprints of Bourke-White and Arnold Genthe’s original photos. The “Village Years” Exhibit represents the first public display of these bodies of work.
In addition to the Bourke-White and Genthe photographs, panels including photos and text of the early years of Letchworth Village and artifacts will be displayed. The institution that was Letchworth Village closed in 1996. Letchworth now serves as the Hudson Valley regional office for the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), supporting individuals with developmental disabilities through community-based services and operations in Orange, Rockland, Sullivan, and Westchester counties.
 
Courtney Burke, commissioner of OPWDD said, “This is an exciting opportunity for the individuals we serve, some of whom used to call Letchworth Village home, as well as the larger community, to enjoy an historical perspective of what the developmental disabilities field was like in the 1930s. I applaud Michael Kirchmer, our local director, and his team for helping to make this exhibition a reality.”
 
This exhibit is curated by Kerwin McCarthy.

Please note that Kerwin McCarthy will give a gallery talk of his exhibition on Thursday, October 18, 2012 at 7:00 pm -- reservations are required by calling 845.634.9629.


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