Hidden River Expedition 2011 with Allen Crawford
This morning, Thursday, August 4th at 7:00AM, artist and author Allen Crawford embarked on a forty-mile, three-day kayak journey from the historic Quakertown of Mount Holly, New Jersey to Bartram’s Garden in Philadelphia. While on his journey, he will “re-explore” three rivers: the Rancocas, the Delaware, and the Schuylkill (which in Dutch means “hidden river.”) At one time, these rivers were bustling waterways that were vital to the region’s culture and commerce. Today, the Rancocas, Delaware, and Schuylkill are recovering from generations of abuse and neglect: wildlife not seen in decades (beaver, sturgeon, oysters) are beginning to return. They are living threads of history: along their banks are the ruins of Native and African American settlements, farms, ghost towns, suburbs, tidal marshes, battleships, industrial ruins, urban parks, bridges, shipyards, mansions, and colonial-era forts. While on this trek, Allen will be documenting the places and people he encounters with photos, video, and audio. Visitors to his website can track his progress during his trip.
Allen began his trip with a walk from his Mt. Holly house to the banks of the Rancocas Creek. After a short ceremony at Mill Dam Park, he launched his kayak and embarked on his journey to Bartram’s Garden. Allen will be making overnight stops along the way. This afternoon he will land at Riverton, NJ. On the afternoon of Friday, August 5th, he will land at Penn Treaty Park in Philadelphia. The public is welcome to meet him at both locations: just look for his flag. (Rumors suggest that some spontaneous picnicking may break out, so consider yourselves warned.)
Crawford will arrive at Bartram’s Garden on the afternoon of Saturday, August 6th. Art in the Age will be there to join in the festivities and celebrate the conclusion of this great adventure. We hope to see you there!
For more information on The Hidden River Expedition, visit Lordwhimsy.com.
ABOUT ALLEN CRAWFORD:
Allen Crawford (who writes under the pen name Lord Whimsy) is an artist, designer, author, failed dandy, bushwhacking aesthete, parenthetical naturalist, pseudo-intellectual, and a middle-aged dilettante. He wrote, designed, and illustrated The Affected Provincial’s Companion, Volume One (Bloomsbury 2006), which has been optioned for film by Johnny Depp’s production company, Infinitum Nihil. He has appeared in The New York Times, Interview, Frieze, Vice, Tin House, and Art in America. He and his wife are proprietors of the graphic design/illustration studio Plankton Art Co. Their most notable project to date is the collection of 400-species identification illustrations that are on permanent display at the American Museum of Natural History’s Hall of Ocean Life. A devoted enthusiast, lower-case adventurer, and explorer of what he calls “the local frontier,” Allen spends most of his time amid the margins of the forgotten, curious, and speculative found beneath, around, and between the everyday.
