Hard Water Sailing: The Ice Boats of the Hudson River, a solo exhibition of photography by Adam T. Deen at The Stewart House in Athens, New York. Opening Thursday, January 8, it will be the first solo exhibition of Deen’s work.

Deen’s work captures the strength, grace and surrealism of ice boats culture. He spent several weeks out on the ice with the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club in early 2022, when an expanse of the Hudson River froze off the shore of Athens.

The series presents the patient process leading up to that thrilling moment of flight. The Club watches the River closely. The ice no longer freezes every year and even when it does, the wind can be elusive. But when the alchemy is right, skillful riders can exceed 75 mph. The Club preserves several historic boats, some of which once belonged to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. A portion of sales from the exhibition will benefit the Club.

“Out on the ice they say, ‘this isn’t soft water sailing,’ Deen recounts. “And it’s not. Many, many people carry a massive, heavy structure from the shore out onto the frozen water. It’s a real community effort. Then the boat goes from heavy with gravity to totally weightless. It’s like magic.”

“I’ve been ice boating since about 1969,” recalls club member Reid Bielenberg in a documentary short Deen produced on the Club . “The idea intrigued me; sliding on the surface of a river.”

Adam T. Deen is a photographer and filmmaker based in the Hudson Valley with an eye on contemporary culture. His work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. adamtdeen.com | @adamtdeen