From left to right: Leo Hedbavny, Evelyn Talutis, George Miller (Librarian and Archivist), Helen Reis, Rein Olvet, Linda Monte (President, Greater Ridgewood Historical Society), Charles Dono, Mary Ellen Borello and Paul Kerzner.
Staff
Arthur Kirmss
Curator of exhibits and historic interpreter Arthur Kirmss is also an accomplished artist and musician. His sculpture, paintings, jewelry, engravings and wood carvings can be found in many public and private collections, and he has written and published numerous articles on primitive shell bead making, wampum, and other subjects of historic and artistic interest. Arthur holds a BFA from Pratt Institute, completed graduate studies in drawing and design at the University of Guadalajara, Colegio Cervantes, Mexico, and earned an MFA in sculpture and print making from the University of Arizona at Tucson. Arthur is also founding member and performer in two musical ensembles: Dolcy Jones, a vocal quartet specializing in rare historic American music of the colonial through Civil War eras; and Courante, a duo of recorders and harp that perform music written through the early Baroque era. You can visit the online shop of the Onderdonk House to purchase items featuring some of Arthur's recent work.
Staff News
On September 15, 2007, artist-in-residence Arthur Kirmss was one of this year’s guest speakers at The New Netherland Project’s 30th Rensselaerswijck Seminar, a one-day conference held in the Carole Huxley Theater of the Cultural Education Center at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York. This year’s theme was “The Truce, 1609–1621” - speakers explored the ramifications of this period of peace with Spain on developments in the Netherlands and the New World. Arthur was there to speak about and demonstrate the production of zeewant or wampum, the Native and Dutch currency of Nieuw Amsterdam. Since 1979, the New Netherland Project, now in conjunction with the New Netherland Institute, has organized an annual Seminar, called The Rensselaerswijck Seminar for the historic patroonship of that name in the Albany region. The Seminar is usually one day, with a number of invited speakers from the United States and abroad, often from the Netherlands, who present papers on aspects of a common theme.
For more information about the New Netherland and New Netherland Project,visit www.nnp.org.