ART EXHIBIT AT THE CASTLE GALLERY
“Racing on a Broken Road”

December 17, 2006 – March 4, 2007
Opening Reception:  Sunday, December 17, 2006, 2-4 pm
The reception and exhibit are free and open to the public. 
Conceived and Organized by Betsy Braun Lane

Racing on a Broken Road is the first exhibition of artwork and researched material that uncovers the story of twelve generations of free and enslaved people that lived in the historic Cortlandt/Peekskill region of the Hudson Valley for 250 years. The exhibit celebrates their contributions as patriots and citizens and recognizes their challenges and victories. Using documents recently discovered, the work brings new focus to the area’s oral histories and new understanding of our nation’s first unilateral humanitarian effort, the Underground Railroad.

This exhibition organized by Betsy Braun Lane reveals a parallel view of our history, based upon personal sources of information.  It includes photographs and mixed media artworks that were inspired by the artist’s conversations with people descended from some of the earliest African-American settlers in this region and others interested in preserving the local history of the mid-Hudson area. The exhibition includes two bodies of work: “Following the Spirit of the Underground Railroad" and "Looking Past the Blindspot." 

Collectively, these artworks address the legacy of slavery in this area, the desire for freedom as told in Underground Railroad narratives, and the contradictory movements of our society toward guaranteeing political and personal liberties. Using her academic training in history, Ms. Braun Lane’s artworks were created by collecting, collaging, scanning and re-photographing historical documents and family photographs, which span one hundred years.  The result of this process is evident in the exhibition, which challenges the accuracy of our understanding of the historic narrative and identity of our populace. By juxtaposing images and materials from the personal and the public record, it raises important questions and provides fresh ways of examining our past.

The Castle Gallery is located at CNR’s Main Campus at 29 Castle Place in New
Rochelle, NY 10805.  Castle Gallery Hours: Tues & Wed, 10:00 am to
8:00 pm, Thurs & Fri, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday, 12 noon
to 4:00 pm.  Castle Gallery is closed Mondays and major national holidays.
Images available upon request.

For additional information and directions to CNR, please call (914) 654-
5423 or go to www.cnr.edu/CNR/cnr-directions.html#NEWROCHELLE.