Dorsky Museum announces public programs for Worlds of Wonder: Hudson Valley Artists 2014

The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art’s upcoming exhibition, Worlds of Wonder: Hudson Valley Artists 2014, includes free public programs that display the creativity of contemporary artists in the region. The exhibition, part of The Dorsky’s annual Hudson Valley Artists exhibition series, opens in the museum’s Alice and Horace Chandler and North Galleries on June 21 and will be on display through Nov. 9. All programs are free and held at The Dorsky Museum on the SUNY New Paltz campus.

Saturday, June 21, at 4 p.m.

Curator’s tour of Worlds of Wonder: Hudson Valley Artists 2014 with Ian Berry
Ian Berry, curator of Worlds of Wonder and Dayton director of the Frances Tang Teaching Museum, Skidmore College, discusses the 16 artists in the exhibition, whose work creates connections across time, media, and subject. Berry is a specialist in contemporary art and a leader in the field of college and university museums. He joined Skidmore as the Tang’s founding curator in 2000 and was named director in 2012.

Saturday, June 21, from 5–7 p.m.
Opening reception for Worlds of Wonder: Hudson Valley Artists 2014
The public is invited to celebrate the opening of the annual Hudson Valley Artists exhibition at The Dorsky Museum.

Sunday, June 29, at 1 p.m.

“Senses of Wonder,” an interactive event and dance performance with artist Judy Thomas and Laura Ward/Octavia Cup Dance Theatre
Viewers are encouraged to touch the hand-wrapped tubing and navigate the complex curvilinear space of Judy Thomas’ installation Expansion, on display in Worlds of Wonder. Laura Ward and Octavia Cup Dance Theatre will also perform a spontaneous dance movement piece in and around the sculpture on the theme of human curiosity. Thomas and Octavia Cup Dance Theatre have previously collaborated to create installations and sets for productions at The Secret Theatre in Long Island City, Merce Cunningham Studio in New York, and Williamsburg Art Nexus in Brooklyn.

Sunday, July 20, at 2 p.m.
Flower Stain Demonstration with artist Linda Stillman
Linda Stillman presents an introduction to an easy staining technique to make drawings using flower petals and leaves. Her “Wave Hill Diary,” a record of flower stains, is on display in Worlds of Wonder. Stillman is an artist who works in various media, investigating concepts of time, memory and nature. Inspired by her gardens in Hillsdale, N.Y., her goal is to “preserve the fleeting beauty of nature.”

Saturday October 18, at 2 p.m.
Artist gallery talks with artists Adriana Farmiga, Holly Hughes, and Mike McGregor
These three artists included in World of Wonder will discuss their works on view and how these works fit into their larger artistic practices. Farmiga’s abstract installation uses and was inspired by vinyl drains and ducts. Hughes presents a range of colorful paintings, prints, and ceramics on a vibrantly painted background. McGregor makes photographs that document the relationships of taxidermists and taxidermies.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Worlds of Wonder focuses on the laboratory-like environment of the artist studio, exemplifying the exploration and curiosity that is at the heart of many artistic practices. In his call for submissions, Berry asked, “To what extent do science and nature, architecture, design, and history weave in and out of contemporary art making? How do artists bring together disparate elements into a singular work, or a cluster of related images or objects?” This exhibition will create its own space for discovery in unexpected places while highlighting new art from the region, paying homage to the cabinets of wonder that were precursors to museum collections.

The participating artists are: Fern T. Apfel, Gabe Brown, Loren Eiferman, Adriana Farmiga, Holly Hughes, Kay Kenny, Mison Kim, Mike McGregor, Reuben Moore, Douglas Navarra, Stephen Niccolls, Caitlin Parker, Sean Sullivan, Judy Thomas, Linda Stillman, and Angela Voulgarelis.

ABOUT THE HUDSON VALLEY ARTIST SERIES
For over 20 years, the annual Hudson Valley Artists exhibition has been one of The Dorsky Museum’s signature exhibitions. It is curated from an open call for emerging and mid-career artists with a permanent mailing address and active art practice in Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester Counties who have not had a major one-person museum exhibition and who do not have an exclusive contract with a commercial gallery. Students are not eligible. Previous curators include: Connie Butler and Gary Sangster, Thomas Collins, Gretchen Keyworth, Denise Markonish, Brian Wallace, Linda Weintraub, and Daniel Belasco.

This is the sixth year that the Hudson Valley Artists Annual Purchase Award of $3,000 will be used to acquire one or more artworks from the exhibition for the museum’s permanent collection. This Purchase Award is made possible through the Alice and Horace Chandler Art Acquisition Fund. Artists whose work has been purchased in the past include: Curt Belshe and Lise Prown, Francois Deschamps, Charles Geiger, Patrick Kelley, Barbara Leon, Gilbert Plantinga, Elisa Pritzker, Adie Russell, and Thomas Sarrantonio.

ABOUT THE DORSKY MUSEUM
The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, located at SUNY New Paltz, is fast gaining wide recognition as the premier public showplace for exhibition, education, and cultural scholarship about the Hudson Valley region’s art and artists from yesterday and today. With more than 9,000 square feet of exhibition space distributed over six galleries, the Dorsky Museum is one of the largest museums within the SUNY system. The Dorsky was officially dedicated on October 20, 2001. Since then it has presented over one hundred exhibitions, including commissions, collection-based projects, and in-depth studies of contemporary artists including Robert Morris, Alice Neel, Judy Pfaff, Carolee Schneemann, and Ushio Shinohara, among others.

Museum Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, Holidays, and Intersessions.

For more information about The Dorsky Museum and its programs, visit http://www.newpaltz.edu/museum, or call (845) 257-3844.