For Immediate Release

From: The Catskill Center
P.O. Box 504, Route 28, Arkville, NY 12406
Phone: 845-586-2611     Fax: 845-586-3044  E-mail: cccd@catskillcenter.org
Contact: Katie Palm— 845-586-2611/kpalm@catskillcenter.org

The Geology of the Devonian; In the Heart of the Catskills Exhibit Opening June 4, 2016

May 6, 2016:  The Geology of the Devonian: In the Heart of the Catskills will be on display at the Erpf Gallery June 4th through July 30, 2016. This exhibit will merge the scientific geological writings of Robert and Johanna Titus with the exquisite fossil photographs of Art Murphy. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, June 4, from 3-5 PM, at the Erpf Center in Arkville.  

Come journey into the heart of the Catskills through an engaging merger of science and art. Discover the history of the Devonian period, some 400 million years ago, when tropical seas and primitive forests left the wonderful fossils we find today. Learn through the narrative of science, the beautiful photos, and fossil displays of this diverse exhibit why New York is known worldwide for its fine exposures of the Devonian strata.
Robert and Johanna Titus, along with Art Murphy will be speaking about the exhibit at 3 pm on Saturday, June 4. After the talk please join us for a reception as we celebrate 25 years of the “Kaatskill Geologist” in Kaatskill Life Magazine.
Dr. Robert Titus is a professor of Geology at Hartwick College in Oneonta NY, and his wife Johanna Titus is an instructor at SUNY Dutchess. They are columnists, writing popular geoscience columns for Kaatskill Life Magazine, the Woodstock Times, the Hudson Register Star, the Catskill Daily Mail, the Chatham Courier, and the Windham Journal. They are frequently invited to speak for Catskills and Hudson Valley civic groups. They are the authors of Hudson Valley in the Ice Age, a geological history and tour.

Art Murphy is a fine art photographer from Catskill whose images of local fossils have been exhibited both locally and internationally. The direction of his work changed the day he discovered a small brachiopod just outside his studio, which fortunately sits amidst a landscape teeming with Devonian fossils of all types. Captured by this marvelous object and its amazing deep time story, Art began scouring the local quarries, hillsides and creek banks for fossils and documenting his finds. His images, which pay homage to these early life forms, have been warmly received in both the science and art communities. They reside in many collections including the Bibliotheque Nationale de France in Paris and the Museum of Natural History in Florence, Italy, where he was honored with a solo exhibition.

The Geology of the Devonian: In the Heart of the Catskills is on display June 4th through July 30, 2016. The opening reception will be held June 4, 2016 from 3-5 pm. For more information, contact the Catskill Center at 845-586-2611, kpalm@catskillcenter.org, or visit www.catskillcenter.org.