New York’s Mid-Hudson Valley region has been the nexus of artistic creation and innovation since the 19th century with the founding of the Hudson River School. The School was the first indigenous American art movement which depicted the natural grandeur of the Mid-Hudson Valley and of the new nation.
Untitled (foxglove), collection of the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild
The diversity and extent of artistic activity in the Mid-Hudson Valley underpins the new exhibition at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art: “Linking Collections, Building Connections: Work from the Hudson Valley Visual Art Collections Consortium.” It is curated by Curator Brian Wallace (Museum) and Ariel Shanberg, executive director at the Center for Photography in Woodstock. The exhibition continues through Dec. 11.
“Linking Collections, Building Connections” explores a century of artistic activity and continuity in the Mid-Hudson Valley. It highlights over 150 artworks and their interrelating connections. The exhibition presents a broad cross-section of art: paintings, sculptures, furnishings, prints, drawings, photographs and conceptual works. These are from the permanent collections of partner organizations that comprise the Hudson Valley Visual Art Collections Consortium.
This proactive Consortium that includes the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, the Center for Photography at Woodstock, the Women’s Studio Workshop, the Woodstock Artists Association & Museum, and the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild promotes art and artists in its diverse forms. The Consortium has a plethora of ongoing projects that includes an online art database, an event series, a range of publications and the establishment of a regional center for building, studying and exhibiting collections that will highlight the richness of their cumulative holdings.
“Linking Collections, Building Connections” empowers visitors to establish their own connections among the works of artists who drew inspiration from the Mid-Hudson Valley and to create their own interpretations. The exhibit is a natural focus for museum tours, regional exploration and other educational activities. In addition, it effectively portrays the scope and significance of the Hudson Valley Visual Art Collections Consortium in terms of the region’s artistic and cultural history and life.
Funding for the printing of the exhibition catalog has been provided in part by the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area’s Quadricentennial Implementation Grant Program funded by the National Park Service.
Sarah Peters, "Necessary Disclosures," 2003, Collection Women’s Studio Workshop