Have You Ever Navigated the Erie Canal?
THE SEARCH FOR APPROPRIATE LOCATIONS to house CLUI operations on the East Coast continues, led by CLUI program coordinator Igor Vamos. "We're looking for a site with enough space for offices, exhibits, a planned interpretive denatured trail, and to store very large objects," said Mr. Vamos, "preferably on the navigable waterways of the Hudson River or the canals so we have docking space for barges. We have plans in the works for barges."
Mr. Vamos has toured virtually every available mill complex with river frontage north of Kingston. Several excursions by boat, including up the Mohawk River/Erie Canal system, have revealed potential sites that are not easily detectable from surface streets. Research is ongoing to contact owners of desirable properties, both on and off the market.
The region of upstate New York has been selected for a variety of reasons, including the mix of spectacular sites in the area, and proximity to Manhattan. "It has been part of the Center's plan from the beginning to have a node at both of the major urban centers of the country," says CLUI director Matthew Coolidge, "As operations out of Los Angeles progress, developing programs and exhibit sites with a western emphasis, the need to bring an eastern venue on line is rising.
"Ideally, these urban exhibit venues should be looked upon as portals or vitrines, looking out from big, crowded boats onto the horizon of America, which we bring into view through exhibits and other programming. Like holes in the urban fabric through which places flow in and ideas flow out."