Guide
James Turrell’s luminous visions, Agnes Martin’s nonconformist heroism, Anicka Yi’s micro-organic experiments, and much more.
As the United States approaches the dubious milestone of 250 years, we look to art as an exemplar for independence of expression. This summer, artistic freedom reigns in Upstate New York. At the Hudson River Museum, photographs of Black cowboys and cowgirls by Ron Tarver offer poignant visions of American power. The inaugural Upstate Photography Biennial at the Center for Photography at Woodstock (CPW) is an exciting group exhibition that highlights regional talent, while a solo show of photos by Linda McCartney takes center stage at Fenimore Art Museum. Wassaic Project presents an incredible summer exhibition — my favorite this season — installed throughout seven floors, and Jack Shainman Gallery’s The School kicks off its season with a dynamic group show with a roster of leading contemporary artists.
A visit to Storm King offers art lovers a chance to see new temporary installations by Anicka Yi, Liz Glynn, and Saif Azzuz (plus all the other incredible permanent sculptures on their lush grounds) while Art Omi presents works by Tschabalala Self and Nayland Blake. The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors offers thrills for fans of visionary art with their current group show. Farther east on the map, an early light work by James Turrell is on long-term view at Catskill Art Space, and vibrant portrait paintings by Deborah Roberts can be found at the Everson Museum of Art. As we approach July 4th and everything that it represents, cheers to art as a beacon of true freedom for all!
Black Cowboys in America: Photographs by Ron Tarver
Hudson River Museum, 511 Warburton Avenue, Yonkers, New York
Through August 30
As the US approaches its 250th anniversary, Ron Tarver’s visions of Black American cowboy culture offer a proud, dynamic representation. At the Hudson River Museum, Black Cowboys in America: Photographs by Ron Tarver brings together colorful photographs from this Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, including images of Black men and women riding horses on farms and at rodeos and pageants. Among the most compelling of these photos from the early 1990s is Tarver’s “Texas Trail Ride (Multicultural Western Heritage Trail, Brackettville to San Antonio, TX)” (1994), featuring a group of confident riders in a field of dense sunflowers set against a twilit sky, a compelling vision of independence.
Upstate Photography Biennial
Center for Photography at Woodstock, 25 Dederick Street, Kingston, New York
Through September 6
The first-ever Upstate Photography Biennial at the Center for Photography at Woodstock highlights the diversity and strength of regional photographers. Co-curated by Marina Chao and Adam Gile, the exhibition brings together 39 artists working with photography in a range of styles and methods, including tintypes, cyanotypes, collages, and pinhole cameras. The mood of this show shifts compellingly from political to personal and back again, as demonstrated by black and white images of lesbian separatists learning to handle firearms in the woods by Morgan Gwenwald; a vision of a man alone on his bed below a wall cluttered with family photos by Luis Manuel Diaz; and Robert Kalman’s stoic portraits of people commenting on what it means to be American, with a poignant hand-written response by each sitter accompanying each image.
The Linda McCartney Retrospective: From the Light
Fenimore Art Museum, 5798 State Highway 80, Cooperstown, New York
Through September 7
The Beatles’ fame is so extraordinarily enduring that any peek into their world is still thrilling. This exhibition at the Fenimore Art Museum welcomes us into Linda McCartney’s loving private life with famed songwriter and vocalist Paul McCartney. During her career as a photographer, she not only regularly documented her husband and his band, but also created iconic images of other celebrated musicians, including Aretha Franklin and Jimi Hendrix — becoming the first woman to shoot a cover of Rolling Stone with her depiction of Eric Clapton in 1968. Among the most precious photos are images of Paul and their young children in Scotland, and a particularly sultry photo of Paul’s eyes in the rearview mirror of a car, titled “My Love. London” (1978).
