When Dutch explorer Adrian Block passed through Long Island Sound in 1614, he took special note of two unusual rock formations standing near a harbor and made a chart of the area, labeling it "Roodeberg" (Red Hills). Those outcroppings -- now known simply as East and West Rock -- served as landmarks for settlers for years to come, and eventually became part of the folklore of the city that grew up around them. The interrelationship between "the Rocks" and modern-day residents of New Haven is explored in the exhibition "The Harbor of the Red Mountains: Contemporary Photographers Look at East and West Rock," which is on view through Saturday, Aug. 28, at the New Haven Colony Historical Society. The show features over 50 works by 13 area photographers -- 6 of whom are Yale affiliates. The exhibit was organized by Linda Lindroth, a New Haven photographer and assistant professor at Quinnipiac College, who lives across the street from East Rock. "This exhibition is the product of a search for new spaces and new relationships within the city to show artwork," says Lindroth, noting that it is the first time that the historical society has hosted an exhibit by living photographers. In an essay in the exhibition catalogue, Amy L. Trout, curator at the New Haven Colony Historical Society, writes, "More than geographical features, East and West Rocks are symbols of New Haven. As such, they carry meaning beyond what their physical presence implies." The Rocks have served as a "backdrop" in artworks documenting the changes in New Haven over the years, she notes. "For historians, the 20th-century record of East and West Rocks is a photographic one," writes Trout, adding, "By 1900 East and West Rocks were officially city parks where a factory worker, store clerk or any New Havener could stroll and wander at leisure. Neighborhoods formed around the base of the rocks. Photographs document this growing human contact with the rocks -- both the physical proximity of houses, parks and picnics and people's emotional or spiritual connection to them." The Yale-affiliated photographers featured in the exhibit are Terry Dagradi, a designer in the biomedical communications department at the School of Medicine; and Yale alumni Marion Hoben Belanger '90 M.F.A., Lori Blados '84 M.F.A., Anne Higonnet '84 M.F.A., '88 Ph.D., Robert Lisak '81 M.F.A. and Jan Murdock '88 B.L.S. The other featured artists, in addition to Lindroth, are Marianne Bernstein, Phyllis Crowley, Mark Depman, Joan Fitzsimmons, Sean Kernan, Ben Ledbetter, Harold Shapiro and Jane Booth Vollers. "The Harbor of the Red Mountains" is supported in part by a grant from William C. Graustein. It is cosponsored by People's Bank. Located at 114 Whitney Ave., the New Haven Colony Historical Society is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. Admission is $2 for adults, $1.50 for senior citizens and students with I.D., $1 for children ages 6-16, and free for children under age 6. T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S Yale students working with city residents to revitalize New Haven . . . Top women in tennis to vie for Pilot Pen trophy Enterprise Center helping to transform ideas for new businesses into realities With NIH support, researchers seek ways to heal spinal cord Exhibit pays tribute to Fossey's work with mountain gorillas Entomologist verifies immigrant mosquito's arrival in state Artistic transgressions applauded in Yale Art Gallery show Fellowship winners devote summer to work in Elm City Dwight Hall internships provide opportunity for public service Accomplished high school students will attend Yale as Sterling Scholars Alumni honored for their success as scholar-athletes Support renewed for Yale-China's summer institutes Links between environment, economy explored in new books Yale affiliates featured in exhibit focusing on East and West Rocks Noted pediatrician T. Berry Brazelton to speak at annual conference Campus Notes Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events| Bulletin Board Classified Ads|Search Archives|Production Schedule|Bulletin Staff Public Affairs Home|News Releases|E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page

This view of East Rock Park, by School of Medicine staff member Terry Dagradi, is among the images in "The Harbor of the Red Mountains."