John F. Sendelbach

The Fish Tour

The Culinary Institute of America ~ Hyde Park, New York

A Culinary Sculpture Series for the Hudson River Watershed Proposal ~ May 2026

John F. Sendelbach  Sculptor & Landscape Designer. Shelburne Falls, MA 

The Idea in Plain TermsOne sculpture already lives on the CIA campus: a twelve-foot Atlantic sturgeon made entirely from salvaged culinary cutlery. “Old Diamondsides” stands near the entrance plaza, overlooking the Hudson River that once teemed with its living namesakes. It was installed in 2015 as the first node of a larger idea.The Fish Tour completes that idea.Eight site-specific sculptures, each fabricated primarily from recycled stainless steel kitchen tools and equipment, trace a deliberate pedestrian route across the Hyde Park campus. Each piece represents a signature species of the Hudson River estuary — ecologically, historically, and culinarily significant. Interpretive signage at every stop weaves together river science, watershed restoration, culinary tradition, and the deeper interdependence of healthy waters and healthy kitchens. The tour begins at the academic core and descends toward the riverside, turning underutilized spaces into moments of surprise, recognition, reflection, and quiet delight.It is a walking conversation between the kitchen and the river.

Why This Proposal, Why This Place, Why NowThe CIA sits directly on one of the Hudson’s historic Atlantic sturgeon spawning grounds. For centuries the river fed the valley’s people and its economy. Overfishing, pollution, and dams nearly erased the sturgeon and many of its fellow species; today their slow recovery stands as a powerful symbol of what is possible when we pay attention and act.
For students training to become the next generation of chefs, food systems thinkers, and culinary leaders, this campus location offers a rare and immediate teaching opportunity. The river is literally right there — visible from many parts of campus, flowing past the kitchens and classrooms every day. Yet the living connection between what happens in those kitchens and what happens in that watershed can remain abstract. The Fish Tour makes it concrete and daily. It invites future chefs to understand not just how to prepare fish, but why certain species matter, how their populations reflect the health of the entire estuary, and what responsible sourcing and stewardship actually look like in practice.
These eight species are not presented as the only fish in the river. The Hudson estuary supports a rich, complex web of life — dozens of finfish, shellfish, and forage species that have sustained communities for millennia. The Fish Tour uses these eight as representatives and entry points into that larger ecosystem. By paying sustained attention to them and to the health of the waters they depend on, they become both indicators and guardians. Their presence or absence, their abundance or scarcity, tells us how the whole system is doing.
In that sense, Old Diamondsides — the Atlantic sturgeon — functions as the quiet king of the river. He oversees the others not as a fierce predator but as a patient, bottom-feeding elder. Unlike sharks or bluefish that actively chase and consume other fish, the sturgeon is largely an egalitarian vacuum cleaner of the riverbed — sweeping up crustaceans, mollusks, worms, and small prey with his toothless, barbels-equipped mouth. Occasionally a small fish might get swept up in the process, but his role is not domination through predation. He moves slowly, anciently, filtering and connecting the benthic world to everything above it. In many ways he embodies the generous, foundational intelligence of a healthy watershed: taking what the river offers from the bottom and, by simply living, helping hold the whole community in balance.
Placing his sculpture first and largest sets the tone for the entire tour: respect for the river’s own logic, humility before its long memory, and recognition that the kitchen and the estuary are not separate realms.

The Series: Eight Species, Eight Nodes

1. Atlantic Sturgeon (“Old Diamondsides”) — Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus
   Already realized. The flagship and watchful guardian. Over 1,700 pieces of salvaged cutlery, hand-blown glass eyes by Jeremy Sinkus. Approximately 12 feet long, 360 pounds.
2. Blue Crab — Callinectes sapidus
   Estuarine icon whose bright blue claws signal the productive shallows where river meets sea.
3. Striped Bass — Morone saxatilis
   Prized anadromous gamefish whose seasonal runs have long marked the rhythm of valley life.
4. Bluefish — Pomatomus saltatrix
   Fast, toothy predator of the surf and inshore waters — the energetic hunter in the food web.
5. Lined Seahorse — Hippocampus erectus
   Delicate, upright inhabitant of the quieter seagrass and structure-rich shallows.
6. American Shad — Alosa sapidissima
   Once the most abundant and economically vital fish of the East Coast spring runs.
7. Silver Hake — Merluccius bilinearis
   Schooling mid-water and bottom dweller that supports both commercial fisheries and larger predators.
8. Bay Anchovy — Anchoa mitchilli
   Small, silvery forage fish — the foundational link that feeds everything from crabs to stripers to sturgeon.

Each sculpture will be scaled appropriately for its species and site (ranging from roughly 18 inches to 8–10 feet). They remain fabricated primarily from donated or salvaged stainless kitchenware, with glass or other subtle accents for eyes and character where needed.Materials and Craft

• Primary material: Recycled stainless steel cutlery, utensils, and small kitchen equipment — durable, food-grade metal that already carries the memory of professional kitchens.
• Fabrication: Welded, ground, and finished for long-term outdoor life. The varied surfaces and histories of the individual tools become part of each fish’s texture and story.
• Interpretive elements: Weatherproof signage paired with discreet QR codes that open layered content — species ecology, historical importance, culinary preparations and traditions, current restoration science, student-contributed observations, and recipes that celebrate responsible use.
• Durability & maintenance: Engineered for public interaction, accessibility, and safety. Periodic citric acid passivation (CitriSurf or similar) keeps the stainless surfaces bright and corrosion-free with minimal effort.

The aesthetic remains playful yet respectful — immediately recognizable as fish from a distance, delightfully made of kitchen tools up close. They invite touch, conversation, and repeated looking.

Proposed Routing and SitingThe tour creates a clear, unfolding pedestrian path from the upper academic campus down toward the Hudson shoreline. It activates overlooked courtyards, edges, view corridors, and gathering spots along the way. Each node includes modest seating or standing space so students, faculty, visitors, and even alumni can pause, read, reflect, or simply sit with the river in view. The placement turns everyday movement across campus into a gentle, cumulative educational experience.Connection to Larger PracticeThis series sits comfortably within the same approach seen in the stone salamander and newt projects in Amherst, the Minuteman Crossing plaza at UMass, the cutlery brook trout in Greenfield, and the broader frameworks of TransLocalism and reparative landscape work. The CIA Fish Tour remains one thoughtful node in a way of working that pays close attention to specific ground — what the river remembers, what the kitchen transforms daily, and what becomes possible when those two realities meet in permanent, walkable form.
It is also a natural continuation of a conversation that began on this campus more than a decade ago.

Next StepsThe proposal is conceptually mature and ready for the next layer of collaboration. Old Diamondsides already provides the technical, aesthetic, and community proof of concept. I welcome the opportunity to:

• Walk the campus with leadership from the new School of Food Studies and Liberal Arts, facilities, and any interested faculty or students.
• Develop detailed site-specific renderings, engineering specifications, phased budgets, and material sourcing plans.
• Explore partnerships for kitchenware donations (alumni and industry drives), fabrication assistance, interpretive content development, and potential student involvement in research or documentation.
• Discuss maintenance protocols and long-term stewardship so the entire series remains vibrant for decades.

This is offered in the spirit of deepening an already successful campus asset and giving the river’s stories a stronger voice in the daily life of the CIA. The sturgeon has been standing watch. It is time to let him have companions. Let the tour begin.
John F. Sendelbach  Sculptor & Landscape Designer
johnsendelbach.com. Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. May 2026