The 2024 Upstate Art Weekend was a large, sprawling affair that mapped over 140 spaces in the Hudson Valley region, from Westchester in the south to Albany in the north, or roughly a 125-mile (~200-kilometer) stretch of New York State, and Walton to Millerton, another 100 miles (~160-kilometer) east to west. The geography made it extremely difficult to experience more than a small selection of spaces, studios, and special events, but throughout the weekend — and buoyed by the beautiful weather — there was a constant stream of people eager to learn about a cultural scene that continues to grow.
Michael Scoggins and Alex Gingrow were two of the artists who opened their shared studio for visitors, and they even invited a number of artists to exhibit alongside them. Scoggins explained to me that the gathering was a great opportunity for his neighbors in Kerhonkson to discover what he’s been up to and learn about the artist community in the region. Kerhonkson, like many of the towns here, is slowly filling up with artists, who find the proximity to New York — about a one-and-a-half to three-hour drive, depending on the location in the Hudson Valley — appealing, as well as the energy emerging from the new crop of art venues that are creating an artistic density in the region.
While these new and growing spaces are attracting a new wave of people from New York City’s large art community up north, there are downsides. As several artists told a Hyperallergic editor over the weekend, they enjoyed their time Upstate, but now that they want to return to NYC they just can’t afford to.
There were also countless special events and gatherings, including Audra Wolowiec’s moving “(waves)” choral performance on a Hudson River ferry for Newburgh’s Strongroom space. Dozens of art lovers joined the artist and performers as they interpreted a score that resembled concrete poetry and then released words sculpted out of ice into the river itself.
We asked the owners and directors of art spaces in the area — as well as a few artists — about their experiences during the four-day event to hear what their takeaways were from the weekend. —Hrag Vartanian
The Barn on Berme — Kerhonkson, New York
Manju Shandler, who runs the Barn on Berme art space, told Hyperallergic that the venue “had a wonderful weekend with so, so many visitors,” many of whom appeared to be from nearby.
“They were happy to see local artists,” Shandler said, adding that several seemed “eager to visit some of the smaller, private venues that are not open year-round.” Outside of hosting, Shandler also said she enjoyed seeing other exhibitions during the busy weekend when she had the opportunity: “I was thrilled to be able to sneak out quickly to visit two venues within a few miles of us, Stony Kill Studios and Whimsy Flowers Farm. Both were awesome spaces showcasing amazing local artists.”
TRANSART — Kingston, New York
Greer Smith, who founded Kingston-based arts organization TRANSART, told Hyperallergic that she was fairly satisfied with the turnout this past weekend.
“We had people that came last year for the first time come back again,” Smith said, adding that many visitors gave positive feedback about the work on display and the exhibition space, which the organization moved into last year. “My feeling is that as long as we continue to show the kind of work we do, people will come.”
LABspace — Hillsdale, New York
Longtime Brooklyn artists Ellen Letcher and Julie Torres became co-directors of Hillsdale’s LABspace in 2018. This was the venue’s fourth year participating in Upstate Art Weekend, but Letcher and Torres told Hyperallergic that they remain uncertain whether they will participate again going forward, adding that they wish they “felt more support” from the event’s organizers for their space, programming, and exhibiting artists.
“More than ever, attention was placed on monied prestige spaces, NYC galleries showing NYC artists, and the spectacle of mega-events. We are focused on the art itself, and on the challenges of artists. We are a small artist-run space that provides a real experience for people who care deeply about art. We have been actively involved in building the Hudson Valley arts community that is now being overrun by money,” Letcher and Torres said.
“It is surprising to see many spaces benefit from the event without official participation. We feel that our participation fee of $400 has subsidized the attention, press, and attendance for other spaces — and in many cases — larger spaces with more reach and money.”
Mott Projects — Catskill, New York
For Mott Projects’s second year participating in Upstate Art Weekend, the contemporary art space presented artwork from three solo exhibitions they have held so far this summer. “The turn-out was again very impressive,” owner Erik Sommer told Hyperallergic, detailing that visitors largely from New York City, specifically Brooklyn, and the surrounding Catskills towns.
“I left feeling like several new connections were made with other artists, collectors, and curators that will be revisited down the road,” Sommer said, adding that the space will likely participate in future editions.
Caldwell Gallery Hudson — Hudson, New York
Jay Caldwell of Caldwell Gallery Hudson, which deals mostly in secondary-market works and estates, told Hyperallergic that his business tends to opt out of Upstate Art Weekend’s official programming, which typically skews toward contemporary art. Despite not officially taking part in the event, Caldwell noted there was “certainly an uptick in traffic.”
“It was a nice weekend. There were a lot of very interested people who were literally doing the Hudson gallery crawl,” Caldwell said, adding that “there seemed to be a lot of new faces.”
Ely Center of Contemporary Art at ArtPort — Kingston, New York
Aimée Burg, the gallery coordinator of the Ely Center of Contemporary Art, told Hyperallergic that this year was the first time the New Haven art venue participated in the event, presenting the exhibition How did we get here? at ArtPort’s location in Kingston. Many of the visitors who came by ArtPort’s space appeared to be neighbors and Upstate residents, Burg said, adding that she is uncertain whether the arts center will participate in the weekend event next year, as it is considering relocating to a new venue.
“It was fun and a great experience, but like a lot of arts centers, we are in flux; this pop-up show was a bit of testing the waters for locations,” Burg said, adding that it seems “this event is getting too big for just one weekend.”
“Perhaps there were actually more visitors in total, but because of the spread and scope of amazing venues, it felt like viewers were spread thin and unable to make it to everything.”
Mother In Law’s — Germantown, NY
For their fifth year participating in the Upstate event, the artist-run gallery Elijah Wheat Showroom exhibited the work of artists Dani Klebes and Jacob Rhodes at the Germantown gallery Mother-in-Law’s. Elijah Wheat Showroom co-founders Carolina Wheat-Nielsen and Liz Nielsen told Hyperallergic that “the foot traffic was remarkable,” citing around 50 visitors on Thursday and Friday and more than 150 people on Saturday and Sunday.
“Most art-goers were from the city on the weekend, but there was a strong showing of local folks on the weekdays,” they said. “It is always an incredible opportunity to participate, as we have seen greater visibility for our ‘upstate’ gallery because of Upstate Art Weekend’s powerfully competent marketing and connection-making.”
Jean Shin’s Studio — Hurley, New York
Artist Jean Shin held an open studio event in Hurley, New York, as part of a collaboration with Brooklyn-based arts nonprofit Powerhouse Arts. Shin told Hyperallergic that it was her first time doing Upstate Art Weekend and she would be happy to continue participating in the summer event in the future.
“It’s one very packed weekend, but really an extension of the deep creativity and community that is here upstate,” Shin said, noting that if she had to do anything differently, she wished she would have had more time with visitors “because the beauty of upstate is to spend slow, quality time together and in nature.”
Front Room Gallery — Hudson, New York
Daniel Aycock, one of the directors of Hudson’s Front Room Gallery, told Hyperallergic that the business was “spread too thin” to participate as a gallery in the official Upstate Art Weekend programming this year (Aycock’s partner Kathleen Vance exhibited her artwork at three different art venues included in the weekend event). Still, he noted that “what we experienced in the Hudson-to-Kingston region was much bigger than it has been in years past,” citing quite a few local attendees, “a huge influx of people from NYC,” and a “surprising” amount of visitors from places farther away like New England and Canada.
“The Hudson Valley has a rich history of artistic talent,” Aycock said. “The artists have always been creating here, but exhibiting in Manhattan generally. Upstate Art Weekend gives them a chance to show their work in their own backyards and get some real attention.”
Pamela Salisbury Gallery — Hudson, New York
Pamela Salisbury, who runs her namesake gallery in Hudson, told Hyperallergic that she chose not to participate in any dedicated Upstate Art Weekend programming. The dealer described the event as “pleasant” and said that “it was fun to show first-time visitors around,” but it “did not feel appreciably different,” as the gallery generally attracts visitors from nearby and out of town. “We will continue to make sure our doors are open during Upstate Art Weekend,” Salisbury said.
D’Arcy/Simpson Gallery — Hudson, New York
This weekend, the Hudson gallery D’Arcy/Simpson exhibited the work of Joseph Stabilito, a mid-career artist based in New York City and Hillsdale.
“We were not on the official map this year for Upstate Art Weekend mainly because it just got away from us in the craziness of the summer season,” owner Ellen D’Arcy Simpson told Hyperallergic.
“But we definitely plan to explore joining forces with the Upstate group next year to spread the word about the culturally lively Hudson Valley.”
