A symposium that revisits and reflects on Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s (RPI) connection to the Erie Canal featuring a series of musical performances will be held on Friday, November 14 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the Center For Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS) Auditorium at RPI.
Presented along the Erie Canal during its 200th anniversary, the symposium – titled Reflections on Waterways: Intersections of Arts, Culture, and the Environment in New York – explores how art, history, and the environment converge in shaping New York’s cultural identity.
The School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute collaborated with the Albany Symphony, the New York State Canal Corporation / New York Power Authority, and WMHT, for the symposium.
Completed in 1825, the Erie Canal was the largest state-funded public works project of the 19th century and the first navigable waterway linking the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. The Canal transformed commerce, accelerated westward expansion, and forever altered the trajectory of U.S. history. Today, though its primary use is recreational, the Erie Canal remains a powerful symbol of innovation and community. Its legacy is preserved through museums along its corridor and recognized nationally as the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.
When Stephen Van Rensselaer founded Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in 1824, he envisioned a new kind of education. At that time, the college experience was passive; the typical college student attended lectures and took exams. Van Rensselaer wanted students to be active. He wanted them to participate in lectures, engage with the material, experiment and go into the field to learn and apply their knowledge. Now, as RPI enters its third century, in tandem with the Erie Canal, the institution stands ready to redefine what it means to lead in higher education.
“RPI is committed to supporting and sharing local history through the arts,” said Rebecca Doerge, Provost at RPI. “The Erie Canal, often called the internet of its day, had just opened when the first class of RPI students earned their degrees. The completion of the canal system revealed vast new opportunities for Rensselaer graduates to shape revolutions for an industrializing nation. Today, in partnership with some of New York State’s most innovative organizations, RPI faculty, students, and graduates are continuing to shape revolutions. This free symposium offers a forum for curious people from all disciplines to push the boundaries and embrace the transformative power of knowledge.”
The two and one half-hour program will feature screenings of videos on the history of the Canal and musical works originally commissioned for the Erie Canal Bicentennial, with RPI thought-leaders providing deeper academic, engineering, and music technology context and inquiry. The music, scholarship, and public dialogue will celebrate the ongoing legacy of both RPI and the Erie Canal, while also considering the role of waterways in shaping both past and future cultural life in New York State.
Program highlights include:
Opening remarks by Rebecca Doerge, Provost of RPI; a representative of the New York State Canal Corporation; and David Alan Miller, Music Director of the Albany Symphony.
Screenings of short documentary films produced by WMHT on the interlinking history between RPI and the inception of the Erie Canal, as both institutions embark on their third century of operation.
Screenings of Albany Symphony-commissioned musical works including Canton Tea Man’s Tale(Dai Wei) and Earth and Water (Clarice Assad).
Scholarly responses and commentary from RPI faculty, including Chris Tozzi (Science and Technology Studies), Rob Hamilton (Arts), and Kate Galloway (Games and Experiential Media).
Student presentations will highlight cutting-edge interdisciplinary work that engages themes of waterways, culture, and environment.
The symposium is free and open to the public. Coffee and light refreshments will be available in the morning, and boxed lunches will be available first-come, first-serve for those continuing to network after the closing address.
To attend, please register online. More information is available at AlbanySymphony.com.
Reflections on Waterways: Intersections of Arts, Culture, and the Environment in New York
A symposium co-presented by RPI, New York State Canal Corporation, WMHT and Albany Symphony
Friday, November 14 – 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
9:30 AM — Morning Refreshments and Networking
Coffee and light refreshments available in the CBIS lobby
10:00 AM — Welcome and Introduction
Rebecca Doerge | Provost, RPI
A Representative from New York State Canal Corporation / New York Power Authority
David Alan Miller, Music Director of the Albany Symphony
10:10 AM — WMHT Screening: The Canal That Sparked America’s Engineering Revolution
Will Pedigo | Vice President and Chief Content and Engagement Officer, WMHT
10:25 AM — RPI Presentation: How Horizontal and Vertical Waters Shaped Troy’s Past and Present
Chris Tozzi | Senior Lecturer of Science and Technology Studies, RPI
10:40 AM — WMHT and Albany Symphony Screenings: (1) What Happens When a Historic Waterway Inspires a Modern Symphony? and (2) Earth and Water by Clarice Assad
William Gibbons | Dean of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, RPI
David Alan Miller | Music Director, Albany Symphony
10:55 AM — RPI Presentation: Ecological Engineering interplay of earth and water engineering, design, degradation, and restoration
Kate Galloway | Assistant Professor, Games and Experiential Media, RPI
11:10 AM — Albany Symphony Screening: Canton Tea Man’s Tale by Dai Wei
David Alan Miller | Music Director, Albany Symphony
11:25 AM — RPI Presentation: Music Technology and Live Performance
Rob Hamilton | Associate Professor and Head of Arts, RPI
11:40 AM — RPI Student Presentations
Moderator: William Gibbons | Dean of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, RPI
12:00 PM — Closing Remarks
William Gibbons | Dean of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, RPI
Angelyn Chandler | Vice President of Planning, New York State Canal Corporation / New York Power Authority
David Alan Miller | Music Director, Albany Symphony
12:15 PM — Conclusion
Boxed lunches available first-come, first-serve in the CBIS lobby
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