Exploring Artistic Visions Along the Erie Canal

The Erie Canal Artist-in-Residence (AIR) program invites artists to explore the past, present, and future of this iconic waterway through their unique artistic lenses. A partnership between the New York State Canal Corporation and the Erie Canal Museum, the AIR program is a celebration of creativity, history, and stewardship.

The program supports the revitalization of the Erie Canal by blending art with storytelling to illuminate its cultural, environmental, and historical significance. Through exhibitions, events, and public programs, the AIR program brings new perspectives to the Canal's lasting impact on New York State and the nation.

We are thrilled to welcome the 2025 Artists-in-Residence, Kari Varner and Sarah Cameron Sunde, who will begin their year-long exploration of the Erie Canal. Stay tuned for updates on their journey! 

2025 Artists-in-Residence


 

Kari Varner

Kari Varner is a photographer and educator living and working in Binghamton, New York. She received a BFA from the University of Denver and an MFA from Washington University in St. Louis. Her explorations of the landscape often take the form of photographs, installations and ephemeral works.

Kari has received grants from the Light Work Organization and a Puffin Foundation. She has been awarded residencies at Kimmel Harding Nelson, Millay Arts, Wofford College and the Institute for Electronic Arts at Alfred University.

Her work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions abroad, including the Palace and Museum Bourbon del Monte in Monte Santa Maria Tiberina, Italy; San Marco Basilica in Florence, Italy; and Kunst(seug)haus Rapperswil Museum and Kammgarn West Schaffhausen in Switzerland. Previous exhibitions in the United States include the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum in St. Louis, the Candela Gallery and Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts.

In 2025 Kari will explore three sites along the canal to create an archive of ecological change through direct collaborations with nature. By harvesting plants both terrestrial and aquatic and applying them to the process of photographic production the images emerge as a direct result of their interaction with the canal and the species who inhabit its banks and waters. 

Kari Varner
Sarah Cameron Sunde

Sarah Cameron Sunde

Sarah Cameron Sunde is an interdisciplinary artist working at the intersection of performance, video, conceptual and public art. She investigates scale and duration in relation to embodiment, ecological crisis, and deep time. Her work is presented nationally and internationally, and most notably includes 36.5 / A Durational Performance with the Sea - a series of nine site-specific participatory performances and durational video works made by Sunde standing in bodies of water for full tidal cycles, made in collaboration with communities on six continents (2013-2022). She is instigator/co-founder of Works on Water, a Guggenheim Fellow, and a Cultural Leader with the World Economic Forum.  

As an Artist-in-Residence with the Erie Canal Museum, Sunde will conduct research engagements at three distinct sites in the East, West and middle of the Canal, working in both video and photography.  One body of work will be made in collaboration with Jeremy Dennis, an artist/photographer from the Shinnecock Nation, and will document Sunde’s attempt to physically connect her body with the canal; another will focus on the ecology of the canal in relation to climate. Both are intended to encourage visitors to look closely and slowly, providing a sensory experience of the Canal.  

At the end of each research engagement, the public will be invited to participate in making imagery, walking the canal, and a community dialogue.  

2024 Artists-in-Residence

Alon Koppel

Exploring through rephotography how time transforms Canal landscapes.  

Judit German-Heins 

Honoring with tintype portraits the contributions of women whose work is associated with the Canal.

Clara Riedlinger

Capturing the legacy of the spiritual and cultural history of western New York’s Burned Over District through photography and video

2023 Artist-in-Residence

Matthew López-Jensen 

He lives in the Bronx and teaches environmental art at Fordham University and Parsons School of Design. He is a Guggenheim Fellow in photography with work in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The National Gallery of Art, and The Brooklyn Museum, among others. He received his MFA from the University of Connecticut and BA from Rice University. He was the first Erie Canal artist-in-residence and has participated in residency programs at MacDowell, the New York City Urban Field Station, Guild Hall, the Queens Museum, Wave Hill, and L.M.C.C., among others. He is a Citizen Pruner, NYC Parks Super Steward, and community gardener.

Recreation & Events

Heading to World Canals Conference (WCC) 2025 in Buffalo? 
Join us for an inspiring fireside chat as we delve into the Artist-in-Residence (AIR) program, a unique collaboration between the New York State Canal Corporation and the Erie Canal Museum.

Over the past three years, artists have spent a year each on the Canal, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary through their creative perspectives. Hear firsthand from these artists about their processes, intentions, and inspirations as they document the rich history, landscape, and community of the Erie Canal. Don’t miss this visually stimulating session that promises to reveal the remarkable in the everyday and inspire newfound appreciation for historic waterways.

“Seeing the Canal Anew: Artistic Journeys Along Historic Waters”
Monday, September 22
1-2 p.m.

Speakers: 

Angelyn Chandler
New York Power Authority

Matthew López-Jensen
Fordham University and Parsons School of Design

Clara Riedlinger
Artist / Filmmaker