Wes Modes
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Insider Louisville: Exhibit on America’s river heritage finds berth at Portland Museum
Ahead of a shantyboat trip down the Ohio River this summer, California artist Wes Modes will open a window onto the history and culture of the nation’s rivers on Saturday, Feb. 16, at the Portland Museum.
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Interview with shipmate Benzy
SL Benz has been a shipmate on the Secret History expeditions on the Tennessee, Sacramento, and Hudson Rivers since 2016, and soon, the Ohio River. She is a California-based new media artist. I interviewed Benzy about her duties as shipmate and production assistant while we were on the Sacramento River.
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The “Mad” Ohio: the Great Ohio River Flood of 1937
The greatest natural disaster in Tri-State history happened in January-February 1937 when the river rose to 79.9 feet and floodwaters
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Flatboatmen of the Frontier 1941 Ohio River Valley Documentary
Enjoy this charming (and educational) 1941 documentary covers the process of producing wooden flatboats for use on the Ohio River
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Ohio River: Young Man River 1965 US Army Corps of Engineers
An amazing mid-century educational film by the US Army Corps of Engineers
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River Tramps: The Strange Floating Population Found on the Ohio
Where shantyboat history has been hard to come by on the four other rivers we’ve visited, on the Ohio River, one need only Google for shantyboat and the name of any town along the five states that front the river.
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Searching for Living Native History in the Ohio River Valley
I’ve been going crazy all evening looking for native people in the Ohio River Valley.
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Remembering Tom Holman creator of Bomfire Pizza in Sabula, Iowa
There simply is not enough that can be said about Tom Holman who helped preserve river culture and build community along the banks of a small town on the Mississippi River.
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Honoring Tim Mason and the Floating Shantyboat Library
I just found out that the world has become poorer and less interesting. We lost Tim Mason who ran the world’s only floating shantyboat library aboard his shantyboat Driftless with his wife Sara. You may remember that I interviewed Tim in the summer of 2015 in Marquette, Iowa. At the time I wrote: Tim Mason is…
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Small Boats: River People – Shantyboat on the Sacramento River
Wes Modes spent two years building a shantyboat using salvaged materials and in 2014 he began voyaging America’s rivers. He takes us along on his voyage down California’s Sacramento river.
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We’re Headed to the Ohio River
We are happy to announce that in summer 2019 the Secret History project will be doing fieldwork on the Ohio River.
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A push to remove the homeless from the American River
To follow up on our visit to the American River on our 2017 summer fieldwork, you may remember that we interviewed Bar who lived along the river. While we were in Sacramento, we explored the American River north of town. One evening, we camped near a fellow in a neat temp compound a short walk…
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River Voices (Unofficial Cut) – 2018 Trailer
Our 2018 trailer video featuring river people from 1250 miles of the Mississippi and Tennessee Rivers.
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Old photo of the shantyboat on the Tennessee River
Old photo of the shantyboat on the Tennessee River
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Jeremiah and the ordered chaos of the shantyboat mid-journey
Jeremiah and the ordered chaos of the shantyboat mid-journey. Photo by Paul Abitabile
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I made it home safe and sound to the hills above Santa Cruz
I made it home safe and sound to the hills above Santa Cruz after the longest drive of my life: 3200 miles solo over 5 days towing the shantyboat. Nice to see Benzy again. Time for whiskey #shantyboat #roadtrip #longdrive #audiobooks #homeagain
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Hagan, who is 5, was very taken with the shantyboat
Hagan, who is 5, was very taken with the shantyboat and made this in art class #shantyboat #shantyart #artclass #5yoartist #collage #almost6
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There is something so beautiful and surreal about truck stops
There is something so beautiful and surreal about truck stops, a post-apocalyptic Terminator trainyard aesthetic. I used to really hate this kind of urban desolation, until one early morning while train hopping sitting on a curb stop in a dismal mini-mall parking lot waiting for a coffee shop to open I experienced a profound “flip,”…
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The friendly people in the diner insisted I sign the wall
The friendly people in the diner insisted I sign the wall #Diners #Missouri #Ozarks #Shantyboat
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Uh oh. I haven’t had to worry about these tires ever since the good folks Predator Trailer in Omaha replace the trailer suspension, axles, wheels, and tires
Uh oh. I haven’t had to worry about these tires ever since the good folks Predator Trailer in Omaha replace the trailer suspension, axles, wheels, and tires. #shantyboat #tires #trailers
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All the way across the country I am passing up Waffle House
All the way across the country I am passing up Waffle House because of a string of racist incidents where staff are calling the cops on Black people because they don’t like their attitude. @wafflehouseofficial #shantyboat #witeppl #bbqbecky #PermitPatty #BreakfastWhileBlack #blm #BlackLivesMatter #Racism #fuckwafflehouse @wafflehouse
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The Back Rhodes Diner (aka Faye’s Diner), where all the old dudes hang out for their morning coffee and breakfast
The Back Rhodes Diner (aka Faye’s Diner), where all the old dudes hang out for their morning coffee and breakfast, where the delicious signature breakfast is a biscuit, egg, and sausage sandwich smothered in gravy, is located at the edge of the Ozark mountains in southern Missouri #Shantyboat #Ozarks #Missouri #OpenSpaces #Hillbillies #Okies
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People often ask us where we stay while we’re on the road. Answer: wherever we damn well please. Truck stops, parking lots, flat areas alongside the road, wherever
People often ask us where we stay while we’re on the road. Answer: wherever we damn well please. Truck stops, parking lots, flat areas alongside the road, wherever. We are like the turtle who carries his house on his back. As long as we don’t mind living in the chaos that bumping down the road…
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Going through the Appalachian Mountains in Delaware it is rainy AF
Going through the Appalachian Mountains in Delaware it is rainy AF. That’s fun and all, until I go to sleep and find that our sleeping loft in the Shantyboat is completely saturated #Appalachian #RainPacalypse #Driving #Delaware [Edit: Appalachians in Delaware?? Maybe Maryland coming out of New Jersey.]
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The shantyboat trailer started its life with me as part of the Costco Soulmate Trading Outlet fleet
The shantyboat trailer started its life with me as part of the Costco Soulmate Trading Outlet fleet. Even here in 2001, it provided opportunities to stop and see new places that I might have driven through #roadsideservice #ruralnewjersey #trailers #csto
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This is a familiar scene going all the way back to 1999 my first year owning this trailer
This is a familiar scene going all the way back to 1999 my first year owning this trailer #trailerrepair #shantyboat #roadservice #newjersey
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Old friend Seanix and his brood put me up in a soft bed in their Colonial farm house for the night after a day of crazy
Old friend Seanix and his brood put me up in a soft bed in their Colonial farm house for the night after a day of crazy #oldfriends #humansofnewjersey #GradeSchoolersWithShovels
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Should I worry? By truckers now have app audio for this was “in 3.1 miles, enter tunnel and enter tunnel. Then enter tunnel and enter tunnel”
Should I worry? By truckers now have app audio for this was “in 3.1 miles, enter tunnel and enter tunnel. Then enter tunnel and enter tunnel” repeated every half mile. #DrivingInNYCWithA45FootLongRig
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Sweet fucking Jesus H Christ. Driving along the expressway into the Bronx across The Whitestone Bridge when suddenly truck and trailer go squirrley
Sweet fucking Jesus H Christ. Driving along the expressway into the Bronx across The Whitestone Bridge when suddenly truck and trailer go squirrley and the shantyboat overtakes the truck and bashes against the tailgate before pitching violently forward. Do an immediate oh shit stop. What the fucking hell just happened? Cars swerving around me I…
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Rafting up with the Captain D to say hey
Rafting up with the Captain D to say hey #Tugboat #Shantyboat #NYC #FlushingBay
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College Point barge ruins
College Point barge ruins #nyc #beautifuldecay #collegepoint #nycboatride #flushingbay #Shantyboat
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Prison barge across from Rikers Island
Prison barge across from Rikers Island #Shantyboat #firetotheprisons #carceralstate
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Looking back through Hell Gate. Not so hellish at slack tide with a favorable wind. Onward to Flushing Bay
Looking back through Hell Gate. Not so hellish at slack tide with a favorable wind. Onward to Flushing Bay #Shantyboat #bronx #queens #nyc #hellgate
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Our time on the Hudson River and in New York City draws to a close
Our time on the Hudson River and in New York City draws to a close. Today we are piloting the Shantyboat up the East River, through Hell Gate, to Flushing Bay where we will trailer the boat at the Worlds Fair Marina. Then begins the next phase of the adventure, a 3000 mile drive towing…
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Interview with David Sharps director of the Waterfront Museum on the Lehigh Valley No. 79, one of the last wooden railroad barges
Interview with David Sharps director of the Waterfront Museum on the Lehigh Valley No. 79, one of the last wooden railroad barges. We talked about his career as a juggler, clown, and performer and later as a barge owner #Shantyboatweekend! #Interview #SecretHistory #WoodenBarge #LehighValley #Brooklyn #RedHook #WaterfrontMuseum #NewYorkHarbor #NYC
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The beautiful chaos of Katz’s Delicatessen
The beautiful chaos of Katz’s Delicatessen #nyc #eastvillage #lowereastside #manhattan
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Manhattan exhibit packed up with the help of fellow Mariner Ron
Manhattan exhibit packed up with the help of fellow Mariner Ron #ArtShow #Manhattan #NYC #Shantyboat
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Officer Martinez stopped me after I cross Williamsburg Bridge to remind me with the summons that in New York one cannot hold their cell phone
Officer Martinez stopped me after I cross Williamsburg Bridge to remind me with the summons that in New York one cannot hold their cell phone #NYC #Enforcement #NotGuilty
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When your houseboat is at low tide far below the top of the bulkhead and you need to bring up the heavy media kit
When your houseboat is at low tide far below the top of the bulkhead and you need to bring up the heavy media kit #mcgyver #shantyboat #PulaskiBridge #NewtownCreek #Brooklyn #Greenpoint #NYC
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Chicken Shit Bingo at the Bushwick City Farm
Chicken Shit Bingo at the Bushwick City Farm #bushwick #brooklyn #nyc #Shantyboat
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In case you were wondering if they were any traces of old Brooklyn still existing…
In case you were wondering if they were any traces of old Brooklyn still existing… The elevated moves over Bushwick #Brooklyn #NYC #ILoveNY #ElTrain #Bushwick #Shantyboat
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For years friends have been telling me “You’d fit in great in New York.”
For years friends have been telling me “You’d fit in great in New York.” No doubt thinking of my curtness and impatience. I was looking forward to that. While the city didn’t disappoint for authentic and mind-blowing streetscapes, New York City totally let me down in terms of the legendary rudness of New Yorkers.When a…
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I hope I don’t ever become accustomed to New York City streets
I hope I don’t ever become accustomed to New York City streets. The mix of beauty and ugly, old and new, historic and churn is always invigorating. Little Zelda in Crown Heights #Shantyboat #NYC #Brooklyn #CrownHeights #FranklinAve #iloveny
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Swale: a floating food forest, a project by @marymattingly that I wanted to see but accidentally ran into at Pier 4 at the Brooklyn Army Terminal
Swale: a floating food forest, a project by @marymattingly that I wanted to see but accidentally ran into at Pier 4 at the Brooklyn Army Terminal #shantyboat #foodforest #barges #brooklyn #nyc #nywaterways
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Considering that a combined sewage outflow can be triggered on Newtown Creek by 1/10 of an inch of rain, perhaps this isn’t the day for a swim in the creek
Considering that a combined sewage outflow can be triggered on Newtown Creek by 1/10 of an inch of rain, perhaps this isn’t the day for a swim in the creek #cso #rawsewage #waterquality #shantyboat #newtowncreek #brooklyn #queens #nyc
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Marie Lorenz talks about her experience padding the entire 520 miles of the Erie Canal in 2016
Marie Lorenz talks about her experience padding the entire 520 miles of the Erie Canal in 2016 joined by musician Chris Bell at Red Hook’s Waterfront Museum #eriecanal #brooklyn #redhook @lorenzmarie
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Hard to get tired of this view
Hard to get tired of this view. #shantyboat #nyc #brooklyn #queens #newtowncreek
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Highlands Current: Shanty on the River
Highlands Current By Ross Corsair Wes Modes and Lauren Benz, accompanied by Hazel the dog, are sailing down the Hudson River to New York City aboard a shanty boat. We caught up with them on July 15 in Kingston, a few days before they passed the Highlands to dock in Haverstraw, opposite Croton. Modes and…
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Aboard the Mary A Walen, Carolina and Robert show me around the incredible galley, the engine room and on deck
Aboard the Mary A Walen, Carolina and Robert show me around the incredible galley, the engine room and on deck. #Shantyboat #MaryWhalen #NewYorkHarbor #Brooklyn #Redhook #NYC
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So excited to finally visit the Mary A Whalen but alas all the hands may have been swept out to sea
So excited to finally visit the Mary A Whalen but alas all the hands may have been swept out to sea #MaryWhalen #portsideny #shantyboat
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T. Willis Elkins of the Newtown Creek Alliance takes water samples and measurements of temperature, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity in more than a half dozen places on Newtown Creek
T. Willis Elkins of the Newtown Creek Alliance takes water samples and measurements of temperature, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity in more than a half dozen places on Newtown Creek #newtowncreek #Shantyboat #Brooklyn #Greenpoint #NYC
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Dutch Kills off of Newtown Creek on a sampling expedition with T. Willis Elkins
Dutch Kills off of Newtown Creek on a sampling expedition with T. Willis Elkins. #DutchKills #NewtownCreek #Queens #Brooklyn #NYC #Shantyboat
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The marina of broken dreams
The marina of broken dreams #docks #pilings #newtowncreek #brooklyn #nyc
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In the wilds of Brooklyn, in a land of artists’ studios and light industrial garages, the Schamonchi serves as a floating community center at the end of Newtown Creek
In the wilds of Brooklyn, in a land of artists’ studios and light industrial garages, the Schamonchi serves as a floating community center at the end of Newtown Creek #Shantyboat #CommunitySpaces #BlueAnarchy #Brooklyn #NYC
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Passing tow Mister Jim on Newtown Creek
Passing tow Mister Jim on Newtown Creek #Shantyboat #tugboat #Barges #NewtownCreek #Brooklyn #Greenpoint #NYC
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Like a lot of NYC waterways, Newtown Creek is cleaner than it has been in the last 150 years, but dirtier than it should be
Like a lot of NYC waterways, Newtown Creek is cleaner than it has been in the last 150 years, but dirtier than it should be. NYC like a lot of towns up and down the Hudson has a “combined system,” meaning that the sewer and the street runoff go into the same system to be…
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The Thing in Greenpoint Brooklyn where literally millions of unsorted records await you
The Thing in Greenpoint Brooklyn where literally millions of unsorted records await you #recordstore #treasurehunt #needleinahaystack #brooklyn #greenpoint #nyc
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Josephine, Bella and Eric in the West Village who used to live in California and have traveled everywhere
Josephine, Bella and Eric in the West Village who used to live in California and have traveled everywhere #WestVillage #Manhattan #NYC
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Crif Dogs in the East Village where if you give the right password on the telephone in the booth, you slide into a hidden speakeasy
Crif Dogs in the East Village where if you give the right password on the telephone in the booth, you slide into a hidden speakeasy #EastVillage Manhattan #NYC
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Melvins Juice Box / Rum Bar – detox / retox
Melvins Juice Box / Rum Bar – detox / retox #Manhattan #EastVillage##Manhattan #EastVillage #nyc
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Stefania is holding down the bar at The Library
Stefania is holding down the bar at The Library, a place we accidentally ran into that a random stranger in Queens told us to visit just yesterday. #2018bartour #LowerEastSide #EastVillage #NYC @stefaniahatesbrunch
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Entrance to the 1920s speakeasy the Back Room on the lower Eastside
Entrance to the 1920s speakeasy the Back Room on the lower Eastside #Speakeasy #Shantyboat #NYC #Manhattan
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Taking a second look at the WhiteBox exhibition
Taking a second look at the WhiteBox exhibition #shantyboat #artshow #exhibition #lowereastside #manhattan #socialpractice #nyc
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@gooddoghazel is gonna own this city
@gooddoghazel is gonna own this city #shantyboat #dogsofnewyork #cattledogsofnewyork
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Jackson’s Deli in Long Island City, Queens and the 7 Train
Jackson’s Deli in Long Island City, Queens and the 7 Train #LIC #Queens #NYC #deli
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Talking to Jeanette in LIC, Queens about everything…
Talking to Jeanette in LIC, Queens about everything including colloquial expressions, dive bars, traveling, gentrification, writing, finding ones balance, and coming around full circle. #shantyboat #streetmeetings #strangerstories #queens #LIC #NYC
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Want to check out the Secret History shantyboat? We will be showing it at the North Brooklyn Boat Club
Want to check out the Secret History shantyboat? We will be showing it at the North Brooklyn Boat Club open house (of which we are members!) Tue Jul 31st 4-7pm. 51 Ash St, Greenpoint Brooklyn. We’d love to see you.
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Join us tonight for a Secret History lecture and Q&A at the historic Sunview Luncheonette
Hey friends, come join us tonight July 29th for a Secret History lecture and Q&A at the historic Sunview Luncheonette (and collaborative art space) 6 to 9pm at 221 Nassau Ave Greenpoint. Potluck and BYOB to share. #shantyboat #greenpoint #brooklyn #arttalk #nyc
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Shantyboat under the Pulaski Bridge. Empire State off the bow
Shantyboat under the Pulaski Bridge. Empire State off the bow. #shantyboat #nyc #brooklyn #queens
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Sunny’s Bar in Red Hook, Brooklyn dive bar on the outside, dearly loved tavern inside
Sunny’s Bar in Red Hook, Brooklyn dive bar on the outside, dearly loved tavern inside #shantyboat #eastriver #divebar #redhook #brooklyn #nyc
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Benzy’s new 79 Leigh Valley tattoo
Benzy’s new 79 Leigh Valley tattoo #shantyboat #waterfrontmuseum #sailorcostume #anchorshirt
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Join us at the Waterfront Museum in Red Hook, Brooklyn today Sat July 28th 1-5pm. Next Thu Aug 2nd we will host an artist talk at 7pm.
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Secret History exhibition at Waterfront Museum in Red Hook Brooklyn
Secret History exhibition at Waterfront Museum in Red Hook Brooklyn. Opening reception Sat July 28th 1-5pm. Artist Talk Aug 2nd 7-9pm #shantyboat #exhibition #artshow #rivers #hudsonriver #redhook #brooklyn #nyc
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Geraniums on the stern of the Waterfront Museum barge
Geraniums on the stern of the Waterfront Museum barge #shantyboat #waterfront #eastriver #redhook #brooklyn #nyc
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Playing with mini George Rhodes kinetic sculpture at the Waterfront Museum in Red Hook, Brooklyn
Playing with mini George Rhodes kinetic sculpture at the Waterfront Museum in Red Hook, Brooklyn #shantyboat #woodenboats #redhook #brooklyn #nyc
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Secret History opening last night in Manhattan: five years of photographs on silk organza forming a multilayer and nonlinear narrative of the stories of river people
Secret History opening last night in Manhattan: five years of photographs on silk organza forming a multilayer and nonlinear narrative of the stories of river people, excerpts of oral history interviews, and a conversation between water-based artists Marie Lorenz, Duke Riley (remote from his sailboat), and Wes Modes. @lorenzmarie @dukerileystudio @dgoats #shantyboat #artshow #secrethistory #publicspace…
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Shantyboat upon waking under the Pulaski Bridge
Shantyboat upon waking under the Pulaski Bridge #shantyboat #nblknd #nyc #greenpoint
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Hanging the show at WhiteBox. Five years of Secret History photographs, video, interviews, and artifacts
Hanging the show at WhiteBox. Five years of Secret History photographs, video, interviews, and artifacts. #shantyboat #artshow #nyc
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Hazel asleep with her dolphin
Hazel asleep with her dolphin. #shantyboat @gooddoghazel #cattledogsofinstagram
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Yolonda traces the path of the Mississippi River for the Secret History exhibition at WhiteBox tomorrow
Yolonda traces the path of the Mississippi River for the Secret History exhibition at WhiteBox tomorrow. #shantyboat #exhibition #artshow
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One of the weirder tasks I’ve done this week, rolling a 16 ft boat through the streets of Manhattan
One of the weirder tasks I’ve done this week, rolling a 16 ft boat through the streets of Manhattan #shantyboat #boatinginnyc #
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Living in NYC is a hairy business. Shipmate shearing
Living in NYC is a hairy business. Shipmate shearing. #diyhaircut #shantyboat
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Talk about adaptive ingenuity among river people: North Brooklyn Boat Club
Talk about adaptive ingenuity among river people. At the North Brooklyn Boat Club, a long space between buildings no wider than a truck is used for hosting paddle trips, environmental education, resource reuse, and social gatherings. #NorthBrooklyn #Brooklyn #Shantyboat #NYC #BoatClub #paddling #Reuse @northbkboatclub
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Just sitting on our back deck drinking my morning coffee…
Just sitting on our back deck drinking my morning coffee looking up Newtown Creek to Manhattan and the Empire State #shantyboat #manhattan #nbrooklyn #newtowncreek
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My first major NYC show featuring five years of secret history photographs, video, audio, writing, and artifacts. Featuring A facilitated discussion with water-based artists Marie Lorenz, Duke Riley, Dylan Gauthier, and Wes Modes. Thu 26 July 6-8pm at WhiteBox Art Space on the Lower East Side. #Shantyboat #ArtExhibition #NYC #NewYork #LowerEastSide @whiteboxny #SocialPractice @lorenzmarie @dgoats…
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As we are enjoying a nightcap, a party boat comes up Newtown Creek with what appears to be a boatload of Hasidim dancing to a Klezmer band
As we are enjoying a nightcap, a party boat comes up Newtown Creek with what appears to be a boatload of Hasidim dancing to a Klezmer band which breaks into a tune “Say hello to the shantyboat. Shantyboat! shantyboat!” Until they were well out of hearing. WTF? Such a strange and wonderful welcome. #shantyboat #klezmer…
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Best welcome ever at the North Brooklyn Boat Club
Best welcome ever at the North Brooklyn Boat Club. Felt like meeting old friends. Benzy said it was are “We Made It Point” #shantyboat #wemadeit @northbkboatclub #pbr
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An unprecidented view out the shantyboat backdoor
An unprecidented view out the shantyboat backdoor. #shantyboat #nyc #manhattan #eastriver
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Queensboro Bridge across Roosevelt Island with the little shantyboat on the East River heading toward Brooklyn
Queensboro Bridge across Roosevelt Island with the little shantyboat on the East River heading toward Brooklyn #shantyboat #rooseveltisland #eastriver #brooklyn
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Will I ever get tired of New York cityscapes across the water? Not bloody likely
Will I ever get tired of New York cityscapes across the water? Not bloody likely. #shantyboat #cityscape #nyc #eastriver