'Hudson Made' Showcases the Hudson Valley’s Vibrant Arts Community

Kelly Engelhardt ‘20 and Dylan Skinner ‘20 created “Hudson Made,” a docu-series about the Hudson Valley’s rich art and design community, for their senior capping project. But for these two seniors, the project became much bigger than an assignment for class.

“Hudson Made” has four episodes inspired by different themes including “creator spaces,” “thoughtful,” “expression,” and “agriculture” that highlight small businesses and creative spaces spread out across the Hudson Valley. The series is an eye-opener to both Marist College students and residents of the Hudson Valley about the lively creative scene the area has to offer.

“We thought it was such a great way to combine our love for creative things and incorporate our business education,” Skinner said about their motivations behind the project. One of the inspirations for the series was to show Marist students that they have great opportunities in the area--not just in New York City. Engelhardt said that before they started the series: “We never knew of that world beyond Marist.”

The series features in-depth interviews with local retailers and artists in the community about their businesses and art. One of the spaces represented in the series is WomensWork.art, a gallery in Poughkeepsie that focuses on showcasing work by budding female artists. Another brand is Eleven Six, a clothing brand that emphasizes the importance of environmentally sustainable practices and fostering a sense of community.

According to Skinner and Engelhardt, building relationships with the retailers was the most rewarding part of the project. “Just having these interviews... [everytime] we walked away with the same feeling like ‘wow, I feel even more inspired,’” said Skinner. “They were so passionate,” Engelhardt agreed. 

“Hudson Made” discusses several hot topics in the fashion industry, including sustainability, ethical practices, and women’s empowerment. “I feel like it just kind of fell in our lap, but it worked out so well,” said Engelhardt. She expressed that issues like these are important to the community and their generation, and believes they should be implemented more into businesses in the fashion industry.

In addition to the four episodes of the series, “Hudson Made” hosted a sustainable, virtual pop-up shop featuring retailers from the series. Although the pop-up shop was originally supposed to be held in-person on Earth Day, Engelhardt and Skinner said it was “the perfect time” to have it because of the strong push to support small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“It’s really creating a positive impact for them,” said Skinner, “ I think that adds to our project even more. It just goes to show the sense of community we have with the local retailers in the Hudson Valley.”

Engelhardt and Skinner hope their passion project will encourage students at Marist to explore the Hudson Valley community and gain local experiences. “We want Marist to be proud to be in the Hudson Valley and part of this community,” said Skinner. She hopes that because “the videos are so short and so digestible, but so impactful at the same time,” students will be inspired to take advantage of the opportunities that live right outside campus.

The full series of “Hudson Made” is available to viewers on the Marist Fashion Instagram page.