Founded during the first summer of the pandemic by art world veteran Helen Toomer to bring exposure to Hudson Valley art and artists and escape to quarantine-fatigued city dwellers, the first year featured 23 arts venues. In 2021, the number of participating sites numbered over 60.
This year's Upstate Art Weekend (July 18-21) has 146 participants, from galleries and museums (Bill Arning Exhibitions, Catskill Art Space, Magazzino) to lesser-known art destinations (Weird Specialty Studio), and artists' open studios (dozens of them in Beacon alone). With so much to choose from, it's hard to know where to point the arrow of one's attention. Here are some suggestions on what's new, what's hot, and what's not to be missed.
"A Dyke Cabin of One's Own"
Danielle Klebes's cheeky immersive installation at Mother-In-Law's in Germantown is a transformation of a country cottage into a queer "man cave." It's in collaboration with the cool kids at Newburgh's Elijah Wheat Showroom.
"Psychedelic Landscape: Portia Munson & Jared Handelsman"
At Beattie Powers Place in Catskill, the uber-talented Catskill art power couple exhibit their iconic work: Munson's flower mandalas (Pileated Woodpecker, pictured above) alongside Jared Handelsman's moonlight landscape photograms and bound-rock sculptures.
"Inaugural Exhibition"
The most anticipated gallery opening of the season was that of The Campus, the space opened in a former school in Claverack in late June by a consortium of New York City-based galleries. Timo Kapeller has organized the "Inaugural Exhibition," which showcases the work of 80 established artists, including Jenny Holzer, David Shrigley, Gabriel Orozco, and Andrea Bowers.
Jeffrey Gibson
Hudson-based Jeffrey Gibson, who is currently representing the United States at the Venice Biennale, exhibits new ceramic paintings at Alpana Bawa, a colorful clothing boutique in Ellenville.
Jean Shin Open Studio
If you visit one artist's studio during the weekend, this is the one to see. Shin, who's known for her labor-intensive, large-scale installations—including locally at Olana and Storm King—opens her studio in Hurley for viewers to inspect the workplace of a materials-obsessed artist.
Beacon Open Studios
Beacon will be the place with the most participating venues in Upstate Art Weekend, so it'll be the place to cover the most ground if you're trying to bag the most sites. Over 100 artist's studios will open for viewing on Saturday and Sunday. There's also an exhibit of participating artists at Hudson Beach Glass from July 13 through August 4.
Audra Wolowiec: (waves)
Strongroom presents (waves), an immersive, choral performance composed by Audra Wolowiec. Four performances will take place aboard the Estuary Steward, a passenger boat crossing the Hudson River between Newburgh and Beacon on Thursday and Saturday evenings at 7pm and 8pm.
Zero Art Fair
And now for something completely different: Artists Jennifer Dalton and William Powhida have created Zero Art Fair, connecting people who want to live with art but can't necessarily afford it with artists with extra inventory. It's not quite an art giveaway, but it's not not that either. There's a contract involved, and in perpetuity royalties for artists on future sales. Over 65 artists will be taking part in this experiment, held in an Elizaville barn.
