The Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake, (ADKX) is welcoming four artists — Jacoub Reyes, Iakonikonriiosta, Tom Bonamici, and Réka Szabó — selected for its new Artist-in-Residency program. This year, artists will live and work on site for one month, in June, July, August, and September, respectively.
During the residency periods, the artists will focus on creating their own body of work within the public areas of the museum grounds and guide activities in the museum’s Art Lab makerspace.
The intention of this program is for artists to engage with the public while spending time pursuing their own creative works and be inspired by the natural areas that comprise and surround the museum’s campus, as well as key objects and stories within the collection.
Artists were selected through a competitive application process. The museum received 114 applications from artists in 41 different countries and six continents. Submissions included artists who work in a range of mediums including sound, digital, animation, painting, photography, sculpture, and performance.
A committee comprised of ADKX staff as well as arts leaders in the region reviewed applications: Ruth Adams, co-Executive Director, Art Omi (Ghent, NY); Jon Donk, Managing Director, Lake Placid Center for the Arts (Lake Placid, NY); and Catherine Underhill, Executive Director, View Arts Center (Old Forge, NY).
This new approach to the residency program will allow the artists to spend time with the ADKX staff and collection. Throughout the 2025 season visitors will have a unique opportunity to engage with each of these artists and learn more about their creative process and artistic style.
The 2025 ADKX Artists-in-Residence are:
June: Jacoub Reyes
Jacoub Reyes is an artist and public academic based in Florida. His artistic research centers his Caribbean and Pakistani background as a relational point which he utilizes to expand on themes of colonialism, social response, and ecosystems as seen in his work with The Institute for Electronic Arts, Ma’s House, The Latinx Project, CENTRO, and most recently Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake.
His projects with Alfred University, Hunter College, UCSF, and other prestigious institutions have garnered international acclaim. He graduated from the University of Central Florida receiving a BFA in Drawing and Printmaking. He went on to receive certifications in sustainable materials from Parsons.
The intersections found in his work has allowed him to travel globally, engaging in lectures, workshops, and community events with Mid America Print Council, Frontera Galeria Urbana-MX, Museum of Latin American Art, and others. Notable awards and fellowships include the Center for Craft’s Teaching Artist Cohort, South Florida Cultural Consortium Grant, and The Puffin Foundation, among others.
July: Iakonikonriiosta
Iakonikonriiosta is a citizen of the Mohawk Nation, Bear Clan. She bring grassroots Kanienkehaka cultural experiences, political activism, and community knowledge with her. She earned a great deal of educational knowledge and experience in the fields of cultural preservation and management, including a Bachelor of Arts and two master’s degrees.
She also accumulated work knowledge through two and a half decades of experience as a Supervisor, Archivist, Head Archivist, Historic Preservation Officer (working with the Haudenosaunee Repatriation Committee 2003-2008), Executive Director, Shop Owner, Post-Secondary Course Instructor and Museum Coordinator/Manager. At home, Iakonikonriiosta sews and quilts to maintain her personal balance and create beautiful expressive quilts.
August: Tom Bonamici
Bonamici means “Good Friend” in Italian. Tom was raised in Eugene, Oregon. He studied urban geography and architecture at Dartmouth College and industrial design at the Pratt Institute. He’s worked in bag and clothing design for 15 years, with extensive experience in entrepreneurship, small business, and domestic manufacturing.
After 8 years of teaching at the University of Oregon, he’s thrilled to transition to a research role, exploring lightweight materials for backcountry travel. He’s particularly interested in showing the advantages of lightweighting gear for human performance and environmental responsibility, as well as exploring the historical and poetic attributes of outdoor equipment.
September: Réka Szabó
Réka Szabó, born in 1986 in Romania, is a Hungarian visual and conceptual artist specializing in environmental art and site-specific installations. She holds a degree in Fine Arts and a master’s in Design, Visual Communication.
Since completing her studies in 2013, Szabó has participated in various international art events, residencies, and art festivals worldwide. Her work, recognized in the contemporary art scene, delves into the intricate relationship between Nature and human existence, emphasizing their inseparability.
In addition to these artists the ADKX will also be hosting five additional regional artists for shorter residencies including Indigenous beadworker Wilma Cook Zumpano; illustrator Lydia Nichols; plein-air painter Sandra Hildreth; Indigenous sculptor and potter Natasha Smoke Santiago, and Indigenous basket-maker Angello Johnson.
ADKX is open daily through October 13, 2025, from 10 am to 5 pm. For more information on exhibits, events, and visitor experiences, visit www.theadkx.org.
Source link
