“Collecting Local: Twelve Years of the Hudson Valley Artists Annual Purchase Award” opens Feb. 8 at The Dorsky Museum

The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz announces Collecting Local: Twelve Years of the Hudson Valley Artists Annual Purchase Award,” a new contemporary group exhibition featuring video, photography, sculpture, prints and paintings by 21 artists from across the Hudson Valley region.

“Collecting Local” will be on view from Feb. 8 – July 12, 2020, in The Dorsky’s Sara Bedrick Gallery. It is curated by Anna Conlan, curator and exhibitions manager at the Dorsky Museum. A public opening reception will be held on Saturday, Feb. 8, from 5–7 p.m.

Stephen Niccolls, “Strapat” 2014, Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art
Purchased with funds from the Alice and Horace Chandler Art Acquisition Fund, 2014.047

About the Exhibition
The Hudson Valley is home to a vibrant community of artists and makers, and The Dorsky Museum is committed to supporting their work.

Each year The Dorsky invites local artists to share new artwork through the juried Hudson Valley Artists exhibition. From hundreds of submissions, curators gather exciting new work into a cohesive collection that demonstrates the strength and diversity of contemporary art from throughout the region.

At the conclusion of the annual exhibition, one or two pieces are chosen to be acquired into The Dorsky’s permanent collection through the Hudson Valley Artists Annual Purchase Award, which is supported by the Alice and Horace Chandler Art Acquisitions Fund.

“Collecting Local” showcases more than 40 of these artworks from the permanent collection, presenting the public with an opportunity to view these outstanding artworks together for the first time.

About the Alice and Horace Chandler Art Acquisitions Fund
Alice Chandler served as president of SUNY New Paltz from 1980 to 1996. She and her husband, Horace, generously endowed a fund to champion the local artist community and enable the Dorsky Museum to grow its collection of contemporary art from the Hudson Valley.

Alice recently observed that she and Horace were proud to have made a “permanent contribution to the Dorsky Museum that will help it fulfill its more than half-century-old mission of celebrating the centrality of art to our students’ lives—and to our own.”

The Chandlers’ vision has been to encourage students and the wider community to engage with the living arts of our region. Through their generosity, The Dorsky has not only been able to exhibit local, living artists’ work, but also to acquire and preserve their art for future generations.

Libby Paloma, “Chingona AKA Libby” (from “Lo Que No Sabrías”), 2017, Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art
Purchased with funds from the Alice and Horace Chandler Art Acquisition Fund and gift of artist 2019.003

About The Dorsky Museum
Through its collections, exhibitions and public programs, the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art supports and enriches the academic programs at the College and serves as a center for Hudson Valley arts and culture. With more than 9,000 square feet of exhibition space distributed over six galleries, The Dorsky Museum is one of the largest museums in the SUNY system. Since its official dedication in 2001, The Dorsky has presented more than 100 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.

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.