Celebrating Hudson's 150th

Our little town of Hudson, Quebec (pop. 5100) celebrates its 150th anniversary this summer. The annual Street Festival, in conjunction with the Hudson Music Festival on August 1 and 2, is a much-anticipated event.

On the same weekend, the art project La Mémoire de Hudson will open to the public, with a vernissage on Sunday, August 2 at 3 pm. Fifteen local artists have each been assigned an aspect of Hudson's history, and have produced 15 canvases, each measuring 40 x 30 in a vertical format, to be displayed at the Hudson Community Centre, 392 Main Road, until August 30.

Subjects include gardens, farms, an old glass factory, our dairy industry, equestrianism, pleasure boating, our participation in the World Wars, and historic figures like Sarah Hudson and Norman McLaren, a pioneer in Canadian animation. My contribution is a fibre piece celebrating Greenwood, a vintage house, now a historic museum and home of Storyfest.

Another art project, already underway, is Land-Art Hudson. Each week for five weeks, an artist assembles an installation piece or executes a performance piece in the wooded, lakeside setting of Jack Layton Park. More information about this event can be found on the town's website.

Running all summer at the local landmark restaurant Auberge Willow is an exhibition of art by three local artists, Barbara Farren, Daniel Gautier and Shernya Vininsky-Krause.

It's wonderful to see local businesses supporting the arts. Many people now understand that culture can be an economic driver for a small town, and if there was ever a culturally-rich community, it's Hudson, Quebec. We have over a dozen cultural groups and a charming little theatre, but what we do need are facilities for exhibition, workshops and storage. Let's hope that this momentum will build and bring good things to our town.