ENGAGE WITH The Arts
Our exhibitions strive to bring together documenting events of historical note taken from the Museum’s archives in juxtaposition with the work of artists whose medium and subject matter seeks to examine historical, social, and economic structures thoughtfully and critically within our society today.
Brickyard Diorama at the Haverstraw Brick Museum
JAMES TYLER
This virtual exhibition by world renowned sculptor James Tyler, brings together his large scale works and his smaller constructions using found bricks. Tyler’s constructions are directly influenced by the Haverstraw Brick manufacturing industry and the Town of Haverstraw where he currently lives.
This is particularly evident in the smaller works which have in their constructions the bricks with the names of the different brickyards. Tyler collects these bricks from the detritus left over from the brickyards which can still be found on the shores of the Hudson River today.
An Extraordinary Process
Brickmaking traditions are another notable feature in James Tyler’s work. Each of his large colossal figures is hand- sculpted from a specially formulated clay and then is turned into bricks that are fired separately and then reassembled.
Stage 1: Creating the brick heads
Stage 2: Reassembly
Stage 3: Completed Project
A WALK AROUND THE STUDIO
We visited James’s studios at the Garner Arts Center just a ten minute ride from Haverstraw.
Garner Arts Center, West Haverstraw
A Tradition rooted in history
From the 6th Century BC Babylonian artisans of the Ishtar Gate, to the 21st century, fired clay bricks have presented a medium for artistic and architectural expression that is timeless and monumental.
Ishtar Gate, 6th Century BC
A TRADITION ROOTED IN CULTURE
Tyler presents the process of brick manufacturing in dialogue with local cultural identity and traditions. His large brick head series exemplifies the historic interconnectedness of processes that are centuries old with the local brick manufacturing tradition of the Haverstraw brickyards and brick manufacturing industry.
Many cultures created large ceramic and stone heads such as the Totecs, Olmecs and other cultures in central Mexico, which often symbolized their indigenous cultures and values. James Tyler’s colossal head sculptures speaks to ancient traditions and cultures while choosing to prize individual humanity as symbols and models for society as a whole.
