December 14th, 2024 - January 25, 2025

Featured Artists: Jen Dwyer, Tom Granda, Clare Wat, Lexa Walsh, Elizabeth Keithline, Clare Herron, Amanda Russo Rubman, John DeSousa, Kelsey Renko, Kirby Crone, Evan Paul English, Scott Chasse, Walker Esner, Richard Webb, John C Gonzalez, and others.

This vibrant show is a voice of community, featuring 15 local contemporary artists. In these challenging times, the exhibition encourages viewers to hold onto hope, kindness, and joy in their hearts, with a selection of works that inspire optimism and connection. The curated collection of paintings, sculptures, and mixed-media pieces embodies the resilience of the human spirit, inviting visitors to experience art that uplifts, engages, and resonates.

In a world that often feels divided, art has the unique power to unite us, offering a space where all communities can come together to share in the joy and beauty of creativity.

July 18 - August 10, 2024 

Opening Reception: July 19, 2024, 5-7PM 

Artists: Caitlin McCormack, Shweta Bist, Shanti Grumbine, Roxanne Savage, Jason Ting, Valerie Lyons, Aisha Alford  Donté Hayes, Brian Kaspr, Emmanuel Amoakohene, Caroline Nelson, Emily Weiskopf, Susan Tabachnick, Vick Quezada, Josh Kramb, Swati Jain, Leila Daw, Claudia Renfro, Melissa Dadourian, Natale Adgnot, Faustin Adeniran, Kim Weston, Ying Ye, Lesley Finn, Ramón Bonilla, Linda Perla-Giron, Patrick Li and others. 

ArtPort Kingston Midtown welcomes the Ely Center of Contemporary Art (ECOCA) to present “How did we get here?” an exhibition with artists whose work asks the viewer to look, then look again. Art builds a path between the personal and the universal: our collection spotlights the moments when that path can become a winding, narrative journey. 

“How did we get here?” is as important a question for the onlooker as “Where are we meant to go from here?” The work of art is a lens into the maker’s intentions, but the audience is already looking through many lenses at once: cultural, political, intersectional. It is in the second look–and beyond–that the viewer squints, considers angles, negotiates a way into the stories our featured works contain.

The works in our proposed exhibition draw from our annual Open Call, a conscious effort to recognize and foster art that may have not yet realized the space/time/attention it needs. The stories of artists looking for the right opportunities, too, weave the personal and the universally familiar. By partnering with ArtPort Kingston, we look to add another layer of re-vision, displaying this art outside the boundaries of ECOCA’s community to different eyes with different perspectives.

Learn more about the ECOCA by visiting their website.

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, Yin Mei, Matthew Schlanger 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. Additionally, this exhibition presents the US  premier of ArtPod Collective, an international cohort of artists invested in experiential and interactive works, founded by ArtPort Kingston’s directors. 

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. 

June 8 - July 7, 2024

Artists: Lindsay Kane, Henry Sanchez, Kate Harding, Clint Baclawski, Freedom Baird, Yin Mei, Caitlin Parker, Olivia Milner, Allison Kaufman, Keiko Narahashi, Mathias Kessler, Mary Ann Strandell, Julie Hedrick, Amanda Russo Rubman

Welcome to “Changing Tides,” an immersive container from which to navigate the currents of change sweeping across society writ large. The exhibition explores the pressing need for transformation across multiple spheres of human existence, including climate awareness, social engagement, sustainability and material explorations, and environmental stewardship. 

In “Changing Tides,” the artists serve as guides, offering glimpses into alternate realities that challenge the status quo. Through various modes of exploring the themes of climate change to social justice, the interconnectedness of our world and the urgency of collective action is illuminated.

At the heart of the exhibition is a celebration of creativity and innovation. Artists embrace upcycling, technology , social media, the use of natural materials, and transforming discarded objects into provocative works of art. Their material-based approach serves as a powerful reminder of the infinite possibilities that arise when we reframe our relationship with the world around us. 

As you journey through this exhibition, do not shy away from the questions and conversations that arise from confrontation. You will find interactive installations designed to encourage human connection, explicit sculpture that confronts environmental degradation, and each piece will offer a unique alternative in which to momentarily practice existing. 

“Changing Tides” is more than just an exhibition - it’s a collaborative call to action. The featured artworks direct us towards several initiatives and outreach programs where we can join hands in forging the path towards a more equitable, sustainable future for all beings.

APRIL 27 - JUNE 2, 2024

Artists: Lauren Cohen, Kellianne McCarthy, Katie Ford, Santina Amato, Pin Hsin Chu, Remy Sosa, Martine Kaczynski, Elise Church, Marianna Peragallo, Tom Fruin, Todd Frankenfield 

“Art has no answers, just suggestions.” 

Serendipity Sky invites you into an exploration of the sensation of surprise.

Through experiencing the unexpected and its potential for joy, we are reminded that some of life’s most profound moments occur when we least expect them. 

In art, serendipity often manifests through spontaneous inspiration in moments of experimentation. Embracing the unexpected allows thoughts to evolve organically, marking the passage from unknown to known and further into the unknown: perhaps a serendipitous blend of color in the process of an abstract painting or an absurd juxtaposition giving way to surrealism.

Serendipity infuses art with a sense of wonder and discovery. The sensation encourages us to remain open-minded towards new views, unexpected opportunities and moments of unplanned joy. 

If you will, take a moment to reflect on the role that serendipity plays in your life. Where has a chance encounter or unexpected twist of fate led to a meaningful experience? How could you make more room in your life for opportunities for serendipity to find you?

May this celebration of surprise inspire you to embrace the beauty of the unexpected and cherish the magic of life’s delightful surprises. 

MARCH 16 - APRIL 21, 2024

Artists: Linda Colletta, James Gallagher, Michelle Girardello, Joan Linder, Sarah Lutz, Alicia Mikles, Seth David Rubin and Amanda Russo Rubman 

“Where We Are” is an open question, a collective reflection on the here and now. 

The exhibition ponders the nature of transitions through time and space from both a personal and collective perspective. Contrasting narrative and abstract mediums catalyze an ongoing dialog that probes the intricate intersections of culture, society and human experience. There, each artwork serves as a prism, refracting the subtle currents of collective consciousness and inviting interpretation and reflection. 

Responding to a modern world influenced by access to vast quantities of information, the artists featured in “Where We Are” make work that explores the blurred boundaries between perception and truth. Observing our world and responding, the artists expose the complexity of contemporary life.  Through painting, experimental photography, collage and sculptural installations, these artists challenge our preconceptions and invite us to question the nature of reality itself. 

In various forms amidst the exhibition, fragments of memory serve as both a connection to the past and a way to view the present. The artists use these fragmented forms to delve into the complexities of memory, nostalgia and the accumulation of time. Close examination of the works offer glimpses into stories of transitory identity. There, the viewer is invited to transcend the confines of their everyday existence and explore the liminal space between the visible and invisible, the tangible and the intangible, or the remembered and forgotten. 

There, the question of “Where Are We?” becomes a portal into the subconscious where hidden truths and unspoken desires converge. 

FEB 9 - MARCH 10, 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. 

Each artwork in this exhibition demonstrates the artist’s ability to reveal themselves emotionally in the smallest of details - delicate strokes of paint, organic assemblages, layering of data, or gestures to imagined structures. There, over and over, the viewer can feel the pulse of the creator resonating in harmony with the essence of the subject matter. 

From Healey-Connely’s digital images, which flash in rhythmic patterns and compose emotional tapestries of life, to the juxtaposition of light and shadow in Halfin’s woven textures, the group of artists featured in “Poetic Gestures” are diverse in their mediums but related in their deliberate and masterful use of negative space to create a visual poetry where the vast and inexhaustible universe can be felt vibrating within the minutia. 

Barbara Owen’s object-paintings explore depth of field: her layers of color seem to float as each panel dances in relation to the others. Rooted in nature and spare in form, Kurt Steger’s dynamic sculptures feature balance as a central element. Susan Scott’s constructed paintings expand upon the traditions of abstract painting by developing narrative relationships between materials. Julia Elsas sonic sculptures, inspired by ancient indigenous ceramic water whistles, flutes, and horns, explore the sonic potential of clay. Elissa Levy’s printed textiles intertwine newspaper text and abstracted floral imagery as they drape and flow in space weaving truth and fiction into refurbished her-stories.