Robert Havell/View of Hudson River from Tarrytown Heights, ca. 1842/oil on canvas Image courtesy of Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art

This spring, the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art explores its cultural heritage with exhibitions highlighting the works from regional artists and the museum’s permanent collection.

The first show of 2009, “Taking a Different Tack: Maggie Sherwood and the Floating Foundation of Photography,” is on display through April 8 in the Alice and Horace Chandler Gallery and North Gallery. Beth Wilson (Art History) served as curator of the show, which opened on Jan. 24. “Taking a Different Tack” documents the work and experiences of a group of photographers who, in the 1970s, exhibited their work and ran a series of innovative community programs out of a purple houseboat.

Across the hall in the Howard Greenburg Family Gallery, the museum presents “Eva Watson-Schütze: Photographer” from Feb. 14 to June 14. The portraits taken by Watson-Schütze, a member and resident of the Byrdcliffe Art Colony in Woodstock, feature the intellectual and creative elite of early 19th century Chicago and upstate New York.

Also on display from Feb. 14 to June 14 is “Bradford Graves: Selected Works” in the Sara Bedrick Gallery and “analog catalog: Investigating the Permanent Collection” in the Morgan Anderson Gallery and Corridor Gallery. The Bradford Graves show features the drawings and sculptures of the artist, who was a Kerhonkson resident. In “analog catalog,” Brian Wallace, museum curator, invited New Paltz faculty to explore the museum’s permanent collection database and present works not previously seen by the public. Faculty members working with Wallace are David Appelbaum (Philosophy), Gregg Bray (Communication and Media), Anne Galperin (Graphic Design) and Yoav Kaddar (Theatre Arts); independent designer and theorist Stuart Henley, a former New Paltz instructor, also participated in the show.

The spring semester closes with the museum’s annual series of student shows. And beginning this summer, the museum will turn its attention to the local environment before embarking on a collaborative exhibition with the New-York Historical Society designed to mark the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial.

The annual juried “Hudson Valley Artists 2009″ show focuses on the environment and ecological themes. Wallace said the museum is receiving artwork submissions; selections will be made in April. The show will be on display in the Alice and Horace Chandler Gallery and North Gallery from June 13 to Sept. 6.

Wallace said the show’s subject will be a nice complement to the Hudson River show, “The Hudson River to Niagara Falls: 19th Century American Landscape Paintings from the New-York Historical Society,” which opens on July 11 and runs through December 13.

William Rickarby Miller/Mohawk River at Little Falls, N.Y., 1892/oil on canvas Image courtesy of Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art

“Our summer exhibitions will present hundreds of years’ worth of artistic expression grounded in the artists’ intimate knowledge of the region,” said Wallace.

For “The Hudson River to Niagara Falls,” 45 landscape paintings – depicting locations along the Hudson River from New York City to Niagara Falls – will be on display at the museum, accompanied by a scholarly catalog, gallery guide and gallery talks. Through collaborations with faculty and staff, the museum will apply the exhibition’s focus on the river and how it led to the exploration of the upstate regions of the state to campus events outside of the museum. The museum has also partnered with the New York State and Ulster County tourism offices to include the exhibition as part of the Explore New York 400 campaign.

“This exhibition provides the museum with a terrific partnership opportunity that allows us to make extraordinary works of art to our audiences on and beyond the New Paltz campus,” said Sara Pasti, museum director. “We are grateful to the New-York Historical Society for lending their paintings to us and for their assistance in making this exhibition happen.”

For more information about all of the upcoming exhibitions, visit www.newpaltz.edu/museum/.

News Pulse will take a new direction in the new year.

In an effort to be more environmentally friendly and fiscally conscious, the newsletter for New Paltz faculty and staff – published by the Office of Public Affairs – will be moving to a completely online format beginning with the next issue, which comes out on Jan. 12. It will be available at the News Pulse Web site at www.newpaltz.edu/newspulse.

Submissions will continue to be accepted online at www.newpaltz.edu/newspulse/esubmit.cfm.

This is the latest transition to the newsletter, which debuted in 1998 as a weekly, two-page publication. News Pulse underwent a redesign in 2003: increasing to four pages, publishing twice a month. The Aug. 13, 2007 issue marked the publication’s foray into full color.

As we shift into the new format, we will be looking into ways to widen our coverage of the news, events, programs and people of the campus community.

Stay tuned for the next installment of News Pulse.

Empire State Games return in 2009

The Empire State Games, New York state’s annual Olympic-style athletic competition, will be back on campus in July 2009.

Once again, the college – as well as other Mid-Hudson colleges, universities and venues – will host portions of the games, which are still to be determined. New Paltz will also house 1,600 athletes.

A committee has been formed at New Paltz to prepare for the July 22-26 events. The group began meeting in mid-September.

Brian Williams (Athletics) will lead the committee whose members are Ray Bryant (University Police), Gary Buckman (Facilities Maintenance and Operations), Corinna Caracci (Residence Life), Patti Castellano (University Police), Eric Gullickson (Public Affairs), Erick Hart (Athletics), Mary Kastner (Design and Printing Services), Ralph Perez-Rogers (Dining Services), Rachel Reuben (Public Affairs), Scott Schulte (Environmental Health and Safety), Christine Waldo-Klinger (Auxiliary Services), Kimberly Strano (Admissions) and Rayna Wendell (Alumni Affairs).

“Our goal is to run a quality event that is equal to the success of the 2005 games,” said Williams.

For more information about the games or the committee, contact Williams at x3912 or williamb@newpaltz.edu.