Check out our photos from Neversink, Catskill Center, and Blue Hole!

Throughout the New York City watersheds, artist Jenny Lee Fowler is hosting portrait-cutting sessions while her collaborator, Keiko Sono, harvests stories about their relationships with their land. And they would love you to join them.

In a project organized by Catskill Waters, a public outreach initiative sponsored by Rondout Neversink Stream Program, Jenny will be available in 5 locations in the Catskills to cut out profile portraits of you while she and staff will listen to and record your stories.

Jenny uses two sheets of paper, yielding two identical portraits; one goes to the sitter and she keeps the other, which she will use as a template for a larger, more complex body of work as part of our final exhibition. The stories will be archived in our online library and the library of Time and the Valley Museum, with a selection shared on our podcast.

Catskill Waters is a celebration of the spirit of the Catskills, a community of people with a deep connection to the land and an independent yet cooperative mind. As caretakers of the drinking water for 8 million people, our stories need to be told on the national stage. We hope you’ll share your stories and join the movement of building strong local communities as a backbone for our society.

Dates and Locations

To ensure your spot, please contact us in advance to reserve a time for your session.

  • Catskill Interpretive Center, June 23, 11am–4pm (read our blog post)
  • Blue Hole, Peekamoose, July 7, 11am–4pm (read our blog post)
  • Neversink Farmers’ Market, August 11, 11am–3pm
  • Claryville Church Hall, August 25, 11am–4pm
  • Sundown Church  Hall, September 15, 11am–4pm

Portraits and Stories is made possible in part with funds from Rondout Neversink Stream Program, a project of Sullivan County Soil & Water Conservation District funded by New York City Department of Environmental Protection.