FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 18, 2025
JOHN MORTON
Minisceongo Overlay
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 13th 5-7PM
GARNER Arts Center unveils John Morton’s sonic tribute to a storied waterway
GARNER Arts Center proudly announces the official opening of Minisceongo Overlay, a semi-permanent outdoor sound installation by acclaimed composer and sound artist, John Morton. Situated on a pedestrian walkway and commercial bridge overlooking the Minisceongo Creek within the GARNER Historic District complex, this immersive work invites visitors to experience the creek as both a musical instrument and conduit to the voice of nature.
John Morton has always been intrigued by giving voice to non-human entities and spaces. His latest installation, Minisceongo Overlay, will allow visitors to encounter a living soundscape that transforms the creek’s natural rhythms into a meditative experience, accessible to the public at any time. As the water flows between industrial buildings and beneath the bridge, it speaks through the installation, echoing the past and inviting reflection.
Rivers carry objects, experience, and memory. The Minisceongo Creek, which flows from Harriman State Park to the Hudson River, has long served industry at this historic location. Morton’s installation channels the creek by giving it a voice, one that amplifies its gurgles, roars, and whispers through waterproof microphones and digital processing.
The custom-built microphones, both above and below the water level (hydrophones), bring the stream sounds to a computer that will analyze, mix, and alter the sonic content, and create a slowly evolving musical “overlay” to the constant ebb and flow of the stream to be heard through mounted speakers above the pedestrian bridge.
John Morton and GARNER Arts Center received a “Support for Artists” grant in the field of Film, Media, and New Technology from the New York State Council on the Arts to support the presentation of Minisceongo Overlay.
GARNER Arts Center has partnered with composer, John Morton on numerous installations, including How’s That Going to Work at GARNER Arts Festival in 2022, and Variations on a Dream with visual artist, Jo Yarrington at Hudson Valley Maker Faire in 2024.
Running concurrently in Building 35’s Ned Harris Gallery, GARNER Arts Center will also present Enrichment, a collaborative sound and light installation by John Morton and Jo Yarrington. Alongside, in Building 35’s Main Gallery is RESONANCE, a solo exhibition and collection of “visual songs” by painter and musician, Paul Kostabi. Together, these works celebrate the interplay of environment, memory, and auditory stimulation.
John Morton’s work has been featured across the U.S., including installations at The Kitchen, Target Margin Theater, and the Kohler Arts/Industry Program. His sensor-based sound environments—such as Central Park Sound Tunnel, Sonic Hotel, and Fever Songs—have earned support from the NEA, NYSCA, and NYFA, and have been spotlighted by NPR’s “American Mavericks” and the American Music Center’s “New Music Box.”
Join us as we celebrate the official public opening of Minisceongo Overlay and the premiere of these gallery exhibitions. Come experience the Minisceongo Creek as not just a waterway, but as an electronic voice, a conduit to memory, and a muse.
You’re invited:
School and community groups are invited to schedule a special tour of the installation and exhibition with the artist or curator. Please call Jesse Heffler at (845) 947-7108 for more information
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JOHN MORTON
Minisceongo Overlay
Semipermanent Installation at the creek bridge between Buildings #1 and #19
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 13, 5-7PM
WHERE:The Creek Bridge at Buildings #1 and #19
ADDRESS: GARNER Historic District, 55 West Railroad Avenue, Garnerville, NY 10923
CONTACT: Jesse Heffler, Programs & Operations Director, (845) 947-7108; jesse@garnerartscenter.org
FOR APPOINTMENTS: (845) 947-7108 / info@garnerartscenter.org https://garnerartscenter.org/exhibitions
FOR PRESS:
Support for GARNER Arts Center is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, Rockland County Tourism, The Village of West Haverstraw, The Town of Haverstraw, the GARNER Historic District, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
