From March 28 to April 30, 2011, the Center Art Gallery at Calvin College presents "Light on New Netherland," a traveling exhibition produced by the New Netherland Institute to celebrate the quadricentennial of Henry Hudson’s exploration. New Netherland – the Dutch province that stretched from today’s New York state to parts of Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut – existed for 55 years, and its legacy lives on.
"Light on New Netherland" provides insight into the role the Dutch played in the settlement and development of colonial America. Based on original Dutch documents in the collections of the New York State Library and State Archives, the exhibition traces the history of the Dutch in New Netherland, beginning with Henry Hudson’s exploration in 1609. Many of the illustrations in the exhibition are the work of Len Tantillo, the foremost artist in recreating historical images of New Netherland. Tantillo’s work has appeared in national exhibitions, books and television documentaries, and in 2005 he was commissioned to create a painting on Dutch architecture in colonial America for the American wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In addition to the traveling exhibition, the gallery will also feature a number of paintings, decorative art objects, and artifacts from the Calvin College permanent collection and the Holland Museum collection in Holland, Michigan. These pieces help illustrate art and everyday life of the 17th century Dutch, as well as the revival of Dutch interest during the early 20th century known at Holland Mania.