Cazenovia Public Library Celebrates Chittenango Falls
Exhibitions showcase Chittenango Falls’ natural, historic, and inspirational splendors.

Cazenovia, New York -- The Cazenovia Public Library celebrates Chittenango Falls and Chittenango Falls State Park in concurrent exhibitions through May 30, 2008.

The library’s art gallery features paintings from the library’s permanent collection by Cazenovia artist Dwight Williams (1856-1932) as well as sketches and photographs from the collection of Lorenzo State Historic Site; a 1950’s watercolor by R.S. Vecherek from the collection of Clark Reservation (Jamesville), NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; and contemporary photographs by Karen Kozicki and Aaron Diefendorf.

The predominant works of the exhibition are nine pastel paintings of the falls created by Williams in the 1920’s. Known in the art world as the teacher of Arthur B. Davies, Williams chronicled life in Cazenovia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. According to Russ Grills, historian and Cazenovia Public Library museum committee chair, Williams was an avid fly-fisherman and naturalist; Chittenango Creek and Chittenango Falls were two of his favorite subjects.

Whereas most of Williams’ paintings feature bold color-filled, almost abstract portrayals of the falls’ natural beauty, two late 1850’s sketches by Ledyard Lincklaen (1820-1864) and Katharine Fairchild (1836 – 1903) from the collection of Lorenzo State Historic Site, offer a different perspective. According to Sharon Cooney, Interpretive Programs Assistant at Lorenzo, Mr. Lincklaen and Miss Fairchild, led by Cazenovia Seminary instructor Charles Welsch, would often travel to Chittenango Falls with family and friends for sketching and picnic outings. The amateur artists’ delicate depictions of a stone bridge that once traversed the road south of the falls are important not only for the cultural narrative they provide but also for the architectural detail of their drawings.

A trio of striking contemporary photographs by Karen Kozicki and Aaron Diefendorf interject 21st century sensibilities and representation methods such as infrared and digital photography to the exhibition. Diefendorf, a former Cazenovia resident, and a PhD candidate in geosciences at Pennsylvania State University, offers his landscape photography as a way to inspire environmental awareness and conservation.       

In addition to the art exhibition, the Cazenovia Public Library’s lobby features information on the natural and cultural history of Chittenango Falls State Park including the area’s geologic beginnings, its distinguishing natural resources such as the amber ovate snail found in just one place on earth -- the cool misty environs of the falls, and the conveyance of the park in 1887 to the Chittenango Falls Park Association. 

On Thursday, May 22^nd at 7:00 pm, SUNY CESF graduate student Kimberly May will present “The Splendor of Chittenango Falls State Park: Exploring Historic and Natural Significance.” Her presentation will include an overview of the Park’s natural and historic wonders and will also highlight some of the new and exciting plans in store for the facility. The public is invited to bring along historic images of the Park to this free program which will be held in the Community Room of the Cazenovia Public Library, 100 Albany St., Cazenovia.

“We are thrilled to be able to collaborate with Lorenzo State Historic Site and Chittenango Falls State Park with these exhibitions,” said Betsy Kennedy, Library Director. “In addition, we are connecting with other area libraries and museums in order to bring The Art of Chittenango Falls and the work of artist Dwight Williams to an ever-expanding audience.”

Williams’ paintings can be found at The Smithsonian American Art Museum and The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. as well as the Columbus Museum of Art in Columbus, Ohio. The Art of Chittenango Falls features work that has never been exhibited before.

The exhibitions will be on display at the Cazenovia Public Library through May 30, 2008. The Cazenovia Public Library is open Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 pm, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 pm, and is handicapped accessible. 

 “Upper Falls, Chittenango Falls, NY. Photograph by Aaron Diefendorf is part of the Cazenovia Public Library’s The Art of Chittenango Falls exhibition through May 30, 2008.”