ABOUT ARTPORT KINGSTON

ArtPort Kingston is a contemporary art gallery & curatorial project space housed in the historic Cornell Steamboat Building along the Rondout Creek in Kingston, NY. 

We aim to create art experiences that offer unconventional interactions with contemporary art to a wide range of audiences. We work with artists to transform unorthodox art spaces into imaginative, user-friendly platforms that defy genre and often lend to playful, engaging relationships with the artworks. 

Through art exhibitions, performances, gatherings, and beyond, ArtPort Kingston explores the environment and cultural/historical heritage of the Rondout Creek, and serves as an harbor at the confluence of art, community, and historical preservation. 

ArtPort Kingston is a certified 501c3 non-profit arts organization.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT & NON-DISCRIMINATION

ArtPort Kingston recognizes that we stand on the shoulders of complex histories. We acknowledge that we occupy land that was violently taken from its original stewards, the Munsee Esopus peoples of Lenapehoking, the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee, and the Huron-Wendat. We are indebted to the land and its original people, and strive to exist in a way that contributes to the reparation of the injustices they have suffered.

ArtPort Kingston is an equal opportunity employer and does not tolerate, under any circumstances the exclusion of individuals from an opportunity or participating in any activity because of race, color, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, and/or any other status protected by the law.

Read our full Non-Discrimination Policy here.

Hot Off The Press!

  • ArtPort featured among other Hudson Valley happenings in recent Hyperallergic article written by Taliesin Thomas!

    Read Here

  • Taliesin Thomas’s total-event review of UAW 2023 featured ArtPort Kingston as the author’s final stop.

    Read the article here.

  • Cover article featuring an interview with Laurie De Chiara and Stefan Saffer of Artport Kingston showcasing the all-painting show “A Painting is a Painting is a Painting.”

    Read the article here.

    Watch the full interview here.

  • ArtPort Kingston’s Director, Laurie De Chiara, featured alongside Stef Halmos and Helen Toomer

    Read the article here.

  • ArtPort featured among other distinct Kingston destinations in recent Chronogram article!

    Read here!

  • "The only way to find what you are craving is to create it”

    Edition 4: An interview with Laurie De Chiara, Founder and Director of ArtPort Kingston.

    By AJ Lee

    Read Here!

  • “Upstate Art Weekend 2021, Bigger and Better” By Paul Laster

    Read here!

  • Photos and article by Tania Barricklo

    View here!

  • “ArtPort Kingston is activating entire waterfront with installations and ‘micro-residency’ program”

    Michelle Falkenstein

    July 14, 2021

    Read here!

  • By Amberly Jane Campbell

    Read here!

  • MAY 28, 2021 BY ART SPIEL

    Form or Function at ArtPort Kingston

    Art Spiel Photo Story

    View here!

  • “Led by an art curator and an artist, ArtPort Kingston is a welcome addition to the creative landscape in the Hudson Valley.”

    By Lily Williams | February 19, 2021

    Read here!

  • “7 Shopping Day Trips to Support Local In The Hudson Valley”

    “Chase away the winter blues with some retail therapy on Hudson Valley main streets.”

    By Nina Doyle, Sierra Guardiola, and Kathryn Walsh

    January 22, 2021

    Read here!

 

ArtPort Kingston has been featured in…

  • CHRONOGRAM

  • HUDSON VALLEY MAGAZINE

  • ART SPIEL

  • WHITEHOT MAGAZINE

  • TIMES UNION

  • KINGSTONWIRE

  • HV1

  • DAILY FREEMAN

    and other publications…

ArtPort Kingston on the Radio:

“Kingston Happenings” ON Radio Kingston by Kevin Godbey

OUR MISSION


ArtPort Kingston serves as a harbor at the confluence of global art and local community.  Our mission is to integrate contemporary art into everyday life. Through a wide range of artistic endeavors, including exhibitions and associated programming, we offer resources and opportunities to creatives designed to spark dialogue, enhance accessibility in the arts, and cultivate a more open and curious world. 

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Our Team

 

Laurie De Chiara

Co-Founder, Director

Laurie De Chiara, a New York City native, is an independent curator/ former gallerist with an MA in Contemporary Arts/ Arts Management. De Chiara has been a creative force wearing many different hats in the art world for more than two decades. 

Stefan Saffer

Director of Interactions

Born in Forchheim, Germany, Saffer is an actively practicing artist, and his work includes paper-cuts, installations and social engagement. He is also a faculty member teaching at The School of VIsual Arts (SVA) in NYC in Art Practice, MA Program.

Harrison Nir

Producer

Harrison is a versatile creative producer working with artists, presenters, filmmakers, and organizations in service of thriving, interdependent arts ecosystems and impact storytelling projects. He is the founder of Run Artist Run, a creative consultancy developing emerging artists, and a sound artist whose work is grounded in documentary storytelling.

Kelly Jean Duff

Gallery & Events Coordinator

Kelly is a creative manager, art director, and brand designer with a long track record of managing teams and high-level creative at notable companies such as HelloFresh and Microsoft. Among her many skills, she excels at drawing your dog in their own likeness and, thereby, making you laugh and cry at the same time.

 

Our Story

United by a penchant for rule-breaking and a dedication to accessibility, Laurie De Chiara and Stefan Saffer of ArtPort Kingston have been establishing and curating left-of-center, industry-leading experiential art organizations for over 25 years.

Without declaration, they would (first individually and then collaboratively) pave a way for the commercial and popular rise of interactive art experiences and galleries world-wide.

Both De Chiara and Saffer were born curious.

Read the full story here.

The Cornell Steamboat Co. Building

108 East Strand Street, Kingston NY

Located in the historic maritime industrial district, the Cornell Steamboat Co.  building was constructed around 1906 to accommodate maritime transportation on the Hudson River between the D&H Canal and New York City.

This unique building has a beautiful interior composition, featuring industrial fixtures, oversized windows, and exposed brick. The Cornell Building is situated directly on the  waterfront with stunning views of the creek and Hudson River.

After decades of varied uses as artist studios, a woodworkers shop, and storage, the Cornell Building is finally being ulitized by ArtPort Kingston for ongoing art exhibitions and programming.  The raw space can be adapted for many uses, and it offers direct access to the beautiful Rondout Creek waterfront.