On the weekend of August 12-14, 1994, 350,000 gathered at Winston Farm in Saugerties to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival—and catch more than 50 musical acts on two stages, including Green Day, Bob Dylan, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Aerosmith, and a handful of unsigned local bands like Futu Futu and Lunch Meat. The concert went off without a hitch—and then the weather moved in on Saturday and the 850-acre field became a sea of mud and trash by Sunday afternoon.
Nancy Donskoj was there. "I missed the original Woodstock music festival, so I was very excited to have the opportunity to go to Woodstock '94 and document the event," says the Kingston-based photographer. I arrived early on Sunday, the festival's last day, and stayed until the end. The day before, rain had turned Winston Farm into a sea of mud, and because of that service vehicles could not enter the site, causing the garbage to overflow. I found discarded food containers, plastic bottles, and pizza boxes scattered everywhere. But the amazing thing was no one seemed to mind and they appeared to embrace it. I walked for hours, with my shoes encrusted in mud, taking pictures, meeting people, and listening to the music."
Donskoj's photos are part of a summer-long celebration of Woodstock '94 being held at locations across Saugerties, including numerous concerts, screenings of concert footage, and discussions with musicians and journalists. Donskoj's photos will be exhibited at Sketchbook Gallery at Jane Street Art Center, August 3-31. For more information about the events, visit Woodstock94celebration.com.
