Garden of Delights

Part 1: June - October 2025

Opening: Sunday, June 1, 2025; 12-5PM | Add to calendar

Artists: Ben Quesnel, Britta Riley, Cystal Hedin, Erica Hauser, Jess Stapf, John Stowe, Kate Dodd, Kris Hauser, Lady Labor Roxanne Faber Savage Cystal Hedin, Lilah Friedman, Margaret Roleke, Maria Markham, Natalya Khorover, Rachel Urkowitz, Rosanna Scimeca, Sergey Jivetin, Suzan Shutan, Tatiana Arocha, Ursula Endlicher, and others.  

An Exhibition of Growth, Creativity & Connection

In an age defined by constant movement and digital overload, Garden of Delights offers a creative sanctuary of slowness and playfulness—a space to reconnect with nature, community, and the tactile joys of artistic creations. This outdoor exhibition transforms a field of tarmac in the center of Kingston into an oasis with the "Garden" as a concept for an exhibition of dynamic, living artworks celebrating the intersection of art, horticulture, sustainability, and humanity’s rightful place in the natural world. 

Garden of Delights features a cross-pollination of perspectives and mediums that combine to blur the lines between aesthetic and function. The exhibition equally prioritizes interactive sculptures, as it does mobile garden beds, irrigation systems, fountains, and dedicated spaces for private contemplation and communal gathering. These diverse forms and artworks combine to highlight the social and environmental value of green spaces in blighted urban contexts, offering a model for building sustainable, nature-centric values into our cities for the benefit of all. The result is a responsive, ever-evolving landscape and participatory art space. 

The exhibition will evolve in three stages, Seeding (Spring), Rooting (Summer), and Blooming (early-Fall). Each of these three phases will host distinct public offerings and a rotating exhibition of artworks, aligning with the various phases of life and death in the garden. Public programming will include monthly performances, film screenings, and youth workshops that aim to foster ongoing public dialogue and local participation.

When you step into Garden of Delights you experience the possibilities of beauty and utility in alignment, where art and nature are equally alive, and where the simple act of being at the confluence of these two influences restores the spirit. Through the integration of art and nature, Garden of Delights offers the City of Kingston a new community resource that will continue to grow, offer nourishment freely, display resilience when we need its example, and provide a slow, immersive experience to contrast the face-paced rhythms of modern life, accessible to those who need it most, and for all.

After closing for Winter 2025, the exhibition is planned to return for additional programming in Spring 2026.

ArtPort Kingston is thrilled to announce the return of our 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! This year’s series is once again co-produced by Cellar Door Cinema Club with community tech-support from Radio Kingston. 


The 2025 series will feature one screening per month from June through August. Each screening will take place at ArtPort Kingston’s newly established creative courtyard, ArtYard Kingston, in Kingston’s Midtown neighborhood. The series will begin with a screening on June 28th of “We Can Be Heroes,” the award-winning 2024 documentary about The Wayfinder Experience directed by Alex Simmons and Carina Mia Wong. 

This will be followed by two Emerging Hudson Valley Filmmaker events, one on July 12 and the other on August 23. These events will feature a series of short films by local emerging filmmakers. Regional filmmakers are invited to submit their films for consideration via our recently announced open call. Submissions are juried by local filmmaker and programmer Jack Warren, and are due by Sunday, May 4 at 11:59PM ET.

THE FUTURE OF MIDTOWN:

HELP ARTPORT PLANT A GARDEN

When: Saturday, May 3, 2025; 2-4PM / Rain Date: May 17 

Where: ArtYard Kingston | 80 Smith Ave, Kingston NY 12401 

ArtPort Kingston is proud to partner with the City of Kingston and Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress’s Midtown Thriving project to host a public townhall at 80 Smith Avenue on Saturday, May 3 from 2:00–4:00 PM, inviting community members to participate in shaping the future of the neighborhood—and of ArtPort Kingston itself.

Midtown Thriving is a year-long, community-driven planning effort focused on reimagining underutilized and city-owned properties throughout Midtown Kingston. The townhall at ArtPort Kingston will be one of several neighborhood stops that day, where residents can visit the site, hear about potential plans, and share feedback directly with organizers.

At 80 Smith Ave—home of ArtYard Kingston—visitors will have the opportunity to engage about ArtPort’s long-term vision for their new site.  ArtPort directors Laurie De Chiara and Stefan Saffer will be on-site to meet/chat with visitors to discuss ideas and thoughts for future projects. We want to hear the wishes and observations from neighbors and supporters. 

In conjunction with this community conversation, ArtPort Kingston is also seeking donations of garden and landscaping supplies for its upcoming Garden of Delight exhibition—a year-long public art and community garden project launching in June 2025. Materials requested include:

• Soil, stones, mulch

• Planters, garden beds

• Seeds, live plants, compost

• Basic gardening tools

• Outdoor furniture or decor

Donations can be dropped off at the event. Whether you’re a neighbor, a local gardener, or simply passionate about art and green space in Kingston, your participation is welcome.

To learn more about the Midtown Thriving project and view community survey results, visit: www.engagekingston.com/midtown-thriving

ArtPort Kingston has invited artists, designers, makers, and thinkers to submit flag designs for our new Flagpole Project. Launched in Spring 2025, the Project has been raising 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? 

Stay tuned for the next opening of the Flagpole Project with an original flag design by invisiblehand press (@invisible_hand), and will be followed by the hoisting of a new flag per month throughout the year. Invisiblehand Press makes prints, books, and objects for ritual and ceremony. This spell, the second in an infinite series, was printed on paper with a vandercook 219 and wood type, by Lilah Friedland and Polina Malikin in 2024. 

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

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.