In Dutchess County, NY, The Church in Staatsburg will host “Unearthing the Light,” an exhibition and programming series that reveals and reclaims hidden histories and erasures, running July 17 through early September 2024.
The exhibition was inspired by a little-known cemetery located on the grounds of Hudson Correctional Facility, where girls and infants who died at the institution, formerly known as the House of Refuge for Women (1887-1904) and the New York State Training School for Girls (1904-1975), were buried and largely forgotten. The are being memorialized by the transmedia art project Incorrigibles.
The exhibit brings together 17 contemporary artists whose work addresses the neglect and erasure of bodies because of gender, race, and poverty, while also considering the earth itself as a site of both harm and healing. The history provides a backdrop for contemporary works that examine themes of memory, justice, and renewal.
“Unearthing the Light” features diverse media including photographs, works on paper, paintings, sculpture, video, embroidery, and plant works by acclaimed artists Nancy Burson, Celine Cannon, Alison Cornyn, Yolanda Cuomo, Elena del Rivero, Heather Greer, Sandra Harper, Jazmine Hayes, Ofelia Mangen, Tanya Marcuse, Jillian McDonald, Rita Peress, Negin Sharifzadeh, Maggie Simonelli, Nina Sobell, Diana Weymar, and Marina Zurkow.
Exhibition Dates:
● Upstate Art Weekend: July 17-21, 12 pm-6 pm daily
● Opening Reception: Saturday, July 19, 6 pm-9 pm
● Extended Run: July 17-early September, by appointment after Upstate Art Weekend
Free Public Programming:
● Craft seed balls to heal the earth
● Create photograms that capture light and shadow
● Author reading with Ona Gritz from her book “Take A Sad Song”
“These programs embody the exhibition’s commitment to moving beyond documentation toward active engagement with issues of social and environmental justice,” the organizers said in an announcement of the exhibition sent to the New York Almanack.
The exhibit and programs take place at The Church in Staatsburg, 5 Market Street, in Staatsburg, NY.
The exhibition and public events are supported by a Post-Incarceration Humanities Partnership Grant from Humanities New York and the Mellon Foundation for Incorrigibles, a sponsored project of the New York Foundation for the Arts. Beverage sponsorship courtesy of Muze THC infused seltzer.
The Church in Staatsburg is a recently established art space dedicated to presenting exhibitions and programming that engage with critical social and environmental issues through the lens of contemporary art practice.
Read more about the Arts in New York State.
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