Riverdale Outdoor Club Explores the Vibrant Street Art of Tweed Tunnels
Caption for the above photo: Students in the Outdoor Club explore the art-filled Tweed Tunnels.
Photo Courtesy of Mr. Crowley-Delman
Despite the challenges of organizing safe group activities during the pandemic, Riverdale’s Outdoor Club led a successful day trip in November to Tweed Tunnels, an abandoned World War I-era rifle range in Rockland County, New York, that has become a thriving and colorful street art site.
The tunnels were originally built in 1910 as a way for National Guard soldiers to move safely around Camp Bluefields rifle range. However, local residents complained about stray bullets landing in the nearby town, so the range was abandoned after only three years. The property was subsequently used for various purposes, including summer camps, but the long concrete tunnels remained. In recent decades, their secluded location in the woods has made them a popular place for street artists, who often like to remain anonymous.
Students prepare to venture through the narrow tunnels.
Photo Courtesy of Charlie Schuman
The destination was suggested by Riverdale’s Director of Science Research, Dr. Rachel Cox, who lives nearby the tunnels and admires their unique “intersection between nature and urban art.” During an initial visit to scout the site, Mr. Jake Crowley-Delman, Riverdale’s Director of Outdoor Education, was immediately blown away by the art and color on the expansive concrete walls. When he later learned that Middle and Upper School Visual Arts Chair Mr. Jason Ruff offered a course on Street Art, Mr. Crowley-Delman realized that many RCS students and faculty would appreciate and benefit from the Tweed Tunnels, so he decided to sponsor an outing to the destination. Since I enjoy spending time outdoors and exploring new places, I eagerly signed up to participate.
To reach the site, we took a long hike on a blazed trail through the forest of Blauvelt State Park. When we suddenly came upon the first concrete tunnel covered in vibrant street art, it was like entering an outdoor museum.
“It’s like going to an art gallery,” Mr. Crowley-Delman said. “Except the art is constantly changing and evolving, so it feels like you’re entering a living art space.” Junior Moose Harrison, the student leader of the Outdoor Club, emphasized that the site’s “duality” of “urban and natural aspects” makes it particularly appealing.
Almost every type and style of graffiti or Street Art can be found on the tunnel walls, from basic ‘tags’ and ‘throw-ups’ (stylized signatures) to cartoon characters, large-scale ‘blockbusters’ and elaborate art pieces. Junior Angus O’Connor, who took Mr. Ruff’s Street Art course last year and is further exploring his passion through an independent study, spotted the tags of several well-known graffiti artists during the hike.
O’Connor called the visit to Tweed Tunnels a “cool opportunity to see that much artwork in person.” Our group spent a long time walking along and on top of the tunnels, gazing at the art and taking photos.
Caption for the above photo: Tweed Tunnels flood with street art from a diverse group of anonymous artists.
Photo Courtesy of Charlie Schuman
In addition to the site’s intriguing history and artwork, it has a reputation for being spooky and even haunted. Both Harrison and O’Connor bravely ventured into the long, dark tunnels. According to Harrison, “There’s very little light—just enough to be creeped out by what you’re seeing.” They both found even more graffiti tags inside the tunnels, along with piles of empty paint cans on the ground. Harrison also reported seeing “gnarly-looking cave crickets” and “a big wolf spider.” Mr. Crowley-Delman, who also entered and explored the tunnels, spotted an owl’s nest and the skeleton of a mouse in one of the alcoves. Both Harrison and Mr. Crowley-Delman consider the wildlife to be part of the allure of the tunnels.
All of the participants on the outing appreciated the escape into nature on a beautiful fall day, as well as the added bonus of viewing some truly impressive artwork. Hiking has become a popular, low-risk pandemic activity with many health benefits. It provides exercise, a break from screens, and an opportunity to socialize in a safe manner. Dr. Cox is hopeful that this trend of people returning to “simple pleasures” might last. Additionally, Mr. Crowley-Delman believes that outdoor programs like the hike to Tweed Tunnels are “not only possible, but can be of really good quality even in the pandemic.”
Riverdale’s Outdoor Club is focusing its efforts on planning more local day trips for now, but according to Harrison, both he and Mr. Crowley-Delman are “thinking big for next year, when hopefully the pandemic has become less of a problem.”
