The sun is scorching, the clammy subway platform is unbearable, and the characteristic smell of urine is encroaching on the sidewalk outside your apartment – it’s time for a trip north. Just in time, 130 art venues open their doors next week for the fourth edition Upstate Arts Weekend. From July 21-24, arts organizations in the Hudson Valley will offer exhibitions, screenings, open studios and performances. With so many attendees, the event can get overwhelming, but a personalized card – and our list of highlights below – make it easy for visitors to plan personalized trips.
While last weekend’s storm flood hit some upstate venues particularly hard (Storm King was forced to close for a day and Garrison’s Russel Wright Design Center suffered extensive damage), the upstate art scene is bouncing back to his big party. Helen Toomer, who co-founded the Stoneleaf residency program in Eddyville in 2017, started Upstate Art Weekend in 2020. Stifled by COVID restrictions, only 23 organizations participated that first year, but the event has grown exponentially since then.
Italian Art Magazine in Cold Springs will host the official kickoff Friday night. The private museum was founded in 2017 to showcase contemporary Italian art and recently opened a exposure of works by Michelangelo Pistoletto as part of a new series dedicated to the Arte Povera movement. Then, on Saturday and Sunday, Magazzino will present Cinema in Piazza, a series of outdoor films in collaboration with the Cold Spring Film Society and Artecinema in Naples.
In Kingston, Women’s Workshop Workshop will open to the public on Saturday with an exhibition of “tiny works of art” by artists Rebecca Bingham, Andrea Fabrega, Lydia Ricci, Pat Sweet, Donna Thomas and Imin Yeh. Their creations include a miniature tea set, a small bicycle and a small cabin equipped with a tiny guitar, a wood stove and a library.
At one of upstate’s most popular arts destinations, visitors to Dia Tag will see the recently opened Rita McBride exhibition titled Momentum in addition to the museum’s ongoing installations of works by artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Michael Heizer and Sol LeWitt. On Saturday mornings, Dia Beacon will also host a family tour of its galleries where children can participate in hands-on activities.
A few minutes by car, Storm King Art Center also sees the light of day with a special program for children, inviting children to be inspired by the work of Ugo Rondinone “the sun” (2018) and “the moon” (2021) to create their own sculptures. The pair of works by the Swiss artist is one of three special installations for the 2023 season presented in addition to the permanent collection. Viewers can also see Beatriz Cortez The Volcano That Gone (2023) and R. A. Walden access points // or // alternate states of matter(ing) (2023), and adults can participate in activities such as outdoor yoga and meditation.
At Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, the school Native Studies Center will host a concert by Ya Tseen and a movement-based art performance titled “Future Being Being: Earth / Celestial” by Emily Johnson/Catalyst. The performances accompany the permanent exhibition of the center Indian theatre: indigenous performance, art and self-determination since 1969. Painter Jeffrey Gibson and writer Arielle Twist will make appearances during the weekend’s lineup, which also includes conversations with participating artists.
And if you can’t get enough performance, PS21 At the top edge of the Upstate Art Weekend card are two shows by Czech performance group Cirk La Putyka, which he describes as an “inventive and rebellious circus troupe.” On PS21’s publicly accessible grounds visitors can also see Silda Wall Spitzer & Tim Jones”dandelions(2023) and “James Casebere”Solo Pavilion for Two or Three(2021).
In Catskill, Foreland – a collection of galleries, studios, coworking spaces and other venues housed in a renovated mill – will be partnering with NADA (the New Art Dealers Alliance) for the second iteration of its expansive art exhibition. More than 40 galleries and 60 artists will exhibit their work, including sculptors Judd Schiffman and Courtney Puckett, presented by Testudo Gallery.
Another Catskill highlight is the current show at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site. The museum commemorates the famous Hudson River School painter, but this two-part exhibition, titled Women are reframing the American landscape, shines the spotlight on Susie Barstow and other women artists of the 19th century movement. The second section of the exhibition explores how contemporary artists are revitalizing and reinventing the practice of landscape painting. Artists on display include the Guerrilla Girls, Marie Lorenz, Tanya Marcuse and Wendy Red Star.
Where Upstate Art Weekend began, Leafstone Retreat organizes open studios on Sundays. Visitors can see the creative spaces of Lizania Cruz, Nene Aïssatou Diallo and Cheryl Mukerji as well as the works of alumni of the residency program – Liz Collins, Joy Curtis, Moko Fukuyama, Macon Reed and Rebecca Reeve.
Upstate Art Weekend officially begins at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 21. Hours vary from venue to venue throughout the weekend, and many exhibits and events are free. With a little planning, many sights are accessible without a car — city dwellers may have to endure a sweltering trip to Penn Station, but if you ask us, it’s worth it.
