March 1, 2025, 2-5pm – ArtYard Kingston

80 Smith Ave, Kingston

Flag Pole Project

Flying Artist Flags Over the City of Kingston

ArtPort Kingston has invited artists, designers, makers, and thinkers to submit flag designs for our new Flag Pole Project. Launching in Spring 2025, the Project will raise one original artist-made flag per month above ArtYard Kingston at 80 Smith Ave throughout 2025. Each new flag, raised in a communal ceremony, offers an opportunity to rethink the meaning and role of flags in contemporary society.

A flag is a powerful symbol–a human invention that serves both as a form of communication and a symbol of beauty, devotion, and reverence. As symbols of both unity and division, oneness and diversity, flags can evoke strong emotions, rally communities, and communicate ideas across vast distances. Historically, flags have represented nations, ideologies, and movements, but what do they mean to us now? How has their significance evolved? How might it continue to evolve over time?

Run as an open-call, the program seeks designs and flag-like artworks that explore the potential of the flag as a means of communication at this present moment. Applicants were asked to respond to a number of prompts, including: How can the format be reinvented as a tool for connection rather than division? How can a flag transcend traditional symbols of territory, ownership, and conflict? Can a flag be used to unify diverse ideas, communities, and cultures?

Follow @artportkingston on IG for more updates, and look out for future open-call opportunities to submit your flag design.

24/7 Gallery

80 Smith Ave, Kingston, NY

info@artportkingston.org

In times of chaos and uncertainty, Art needs to be present and available all the time for us to find comfort, confidence, distraction, beauty and sanity. We created a way to offer Art for you to see/ experience on your own time schedule, anytime. 24/7 every day there will be Art to see and we like you to become a part of a discussion and leave your feedback at our new project we are proudly calling 24/7 Gallery. The space, transformed from a small, three-walled glass storefront into a continuous platform for artistic expression, is on view to the public 365 days a year, except installation days. Although locked for safety, it offers a window into a world of contemporary art, where local, national, and international artists can experiment with the gallery’s unconventional format. We hope to foster a space that encourages curiosity, dialogue, and connection, where people can engage with art in a way that feels spontaneous and accessible. We aim to bring a bit of color and surprise to midtown Kingston, making this neighborhood feel more vibrant, engaging, and groovy. The beauty of this format is that art is no longer confined to a traditional space with specific hours—here, it’s always present, always accessible, and always engaging.

The gallery will host a rotating selection of installations, exhibitions and events—always free and open for anyone to experience from the street. Whether it’s a single artwork, a full installation, or a collaboration between multiple artists, 24/7 Gallery is intended to be a constantly evolving experience.

Stay tuned for more updates as we prepare to open the gallery, and get ready to see Kingston’s streets through a fresh, colorful lens. We can’t wait to welcome you to 24/7 Gallery, where art never sleeps!

Game On: A Fusion of Art and Interactivity Unveiled 

July 18 - August 25, 2024

Opening Reception: Thursday, July 18,  6-8PM

Artists: Lucid Dream Mini Golf, Suzan Shutan, Freedom Baird, Lynn Herring, Lake Heckaman, Clementine Williams, Dustin Schenk, ArtPod Collective, Stefan Saffer and others.

Are we ready to have some fun? 

“Game On,” a much-anticipated summer exhibition, promises to redefine the experience of art by inviting attendees to play, engage, and explore through a diverse array of interactive artworks. From July 18 to August 25, “Game On” brings together a select group of visionary artists who specialize in creating gamified immersive experiences that center playfulness. From digital installations to hands-on sculptures, each piece offers a unique perspective on the intersection of art, technology and interactivity. 

The heart of the exhibition is an installation by Lucid Dream Minigolf - a collective of artists collaborating on a narrative-driven creative mini golf experience. Their featured project, “In Search of Lost Time,” offers an existential journey via an immersive storytelling experience using the medium of minigolf as interactive art. Lucid Dream Minigolf’s aesthetic combines humor and depth to draw players into a metaphorical world that explores the experience of feeling “behind” or “delayed” in one's life. The resulting experience blurs the boundaries between the silly and the sentimental, the whimsical and the deep, and aims to leave players feeling more connected to themselves and others. 

With “Game On,” we aim to showcase the transformative power of art when viewers are allowed to be active participants in the creative process. Whether navigating through virtual landscapes, manipulating light and sound, or collaborating with fellow participants in real-time games and experiences, each artwork in the exhibition offers an opportunity for personal exploration, self-expression, and joyful discovery. 

Get lost in the experience and rediscover yourself; this is “Game On.”

SUMMER FILM SERIES: 

Emerging Hudson Valley Filmmakers 

Friday, June 28, 2024, 7 - 10:00 PM 

ArtPort Kingston is thrilled to announce the first edition of a Summer Film Series dedicated to local films and filmmakers, and to serving our community with inspiring, welcoming and fun public cinema events in outdoor settings! 

For this first edition, ArtPort Kingston will screen a selection of short films from emerging Hudson Valley filmmakers. The program was developed in collaboration with Hudson Valley filmmaker Jack Warren. The approximately 60-minute screening will be followed by both a moderated and audience Q&A session with participating filmmakers. Arrive early to dine with various local food trucks and vendors.

Updated Location: ArtBuoy Gallery - 274 E Strand St, Kingston NY 12401

ArtPort Kingston’s Summer Film Series is supported by Radio Kingston. For more information or to get involved as a sponsor or volunteer, please reach out to info@artportkingston.org, and, for updates, follow us on Instagram at @artportkingston. 

ArtPort Kingston's monthly Art Salons will provide an intimate space for art enthusiasts, collectors, and creators to converge in meaningful dialog and mutual support. 

Artists are invited to present works and audience members are invited to participate in a dynamic exchange of ideas guided by a given theme. Salons will variably feature artist talks, workshops, and other experiences.

ArtPort Kingston's monthly Art Salons will provide an intimate space for art enthusiasts, collectors, and creators to converge in meaningful dialog and mutual support. 

Artists are invited to present works and audience members are invited to participate in a dynamic exchange of ideas guided by a given theme. Salons will variably feature artist talks, workshops, and other experiences.

SONIC MUD: Sound Performance with Artworks 

March 2, 2024 | 4:00 - 5:00 PM 

Artists: Julia Elsas, Kenny Wollesen, Kirk Knuffke and Madeleine Ventrice 

Activating her ceramic sculptures with sound, “Poetic Gestures” featured artist Julia Elsas will present a one-of-a-kind musical performance alongside her band SONIC MUD. 

SONIC MUD musicians play a range of ceramic flutes, drums, natural trumpets, shakers, clayrimbas, rain machines, water whistles and more, all hand-built by Julia. The performances are unique and one-of-a-kind. The music is improvisational while they bring to life the richly resonant and earthy sounds of clay. In early 2023 SONIC MUD recorded their first album, Above Ground at Figure 8 studios in Brooklyn, and the album was released on September 1, 2023. 

Drummer and vibraphonist and SONIC MUD band member Kenny Wollesen is a ubiquitous presence on the New York downtown music scene.  For close to three decades, he’s played, recorded and toured with everyone from Tom Waits to Jim Hall, Butch Morris to Lou Reed and David Byrne to Bebel Gilberto. Wollesen is an integral part of the Bill Frisell Trio, the downtown super band Sexmob as well as many of John Zorn’s groundbreaking ensembles.  

Madeleine Ventrice joined SONIC MUD at the beginning of 2023 for the recording of "Above Ground" and she has been performing with the band in Brooklyn, Baltimore and in Georgia, playing horns, nose flute and small percussion. In addition to that, Madeleine is a choral singer, performing for over 12 years in various choir ensembles in Italy, where she comes from, and in NYC. She also works as an architect in Brooklyn and she is currently designing a performance space in Long Island.

Accolades for cornetist and composer Kirk Knuffke include NPR’s Best Jazz Album of the Year for 2017’s Cherryco (SteepleChase), winner of DownBeat Magazine’s “Rising Star” critics poll in 2015, and recipient of the Jerome Foundation Composers grant. In 2016, he placed 2nd in the European El Intruso Critics poll for trumpet.  Knuffke has released 18 recordings as leader or co-leader and is featured as a sideman on over 50 recordings with leaders Matt Wilson, Allison Miller, Butch Morris, Uri Caine, Pierre Dorge and Michael Formanek to name a few. It’s no wonder the New York Times tagged Knuffke as “one of New York City’s Busiest Musicians.”

Poetic Gestures

February 9th - March 10th 2024

Artists: Julia Elsas, Kathie Halfin, Cody Healey-Conelly, Barbara Owen, Margaret Roleke, Susan Scott, Kurt Steger and Elissa-Levy

Immersed in a world of brushstroke, color, and form, you are invited to transcend the boundaries of language into a symphony of emotion. 

In “Poetic Gestures” the poetry of visual expression takes center stage.