Garden of Delights

Announcing ArtPort Kingston’s Grand Reopening with an Inaugural Public Art Exhibition

June 1 - October 5, 2025

Opening Reception: Saturday, 31 May, 6-8pm

Hours:  Weekends 12-5pm

> Location: ArtYard Kingston, 80 Smith Ave, Kingston, NY 12401 

> Artists: Kate Dodd, Ursula Endlicher, Erica Hauser, Kris Hauser, Sergey Jivetin, Natalya Khorover, Duncan Mackenzie, Eve Madalengoitia, Maria Markham, Ben Quesnel, Michael Rees, Margaret Roleke, Roxy Savage, Rosanna Scimeca, Suzan Shutan, Mary Ann Strandell, John Stowe, Rachel Urkowitz, and others.     

> ArtPort Kingston is thrilled to announce its grand re-opening with the launch of Garden of Delights, an  outdoor exhibition that invites visitors to wander through a living landscape of art and imagination.  Set against the backdrop of the concrete cityscape, art blooms from unexpected materials and narratives unfold under the canopy of creative transformation. Celebrating the intersection of art, horticulture, sustainability, and humanity’s place in the natural world. Everyone is an observer and participant in the garden, as elements shift and respond, prompting reflection on how we live, consume, and connect.

Garden of Delights is not just an art exhibition–it’s a living breathing environment where the refined elegance of a sculpture garden collides with the wild spirit of a botanical wonderland. Opening on June 1, the show invites visitors into an evolving landscape of interactive experiences, where repurposed materials, living matter, and bold artistic vision combine to create a space for personal reflection and communal gathering. Nestled within the urban terrain of Kingston’s midtown, Garden of Delights emerges as a vibrant oasis. Like the structures of the natural world, the artworks span across medium and scale: from monumental sculptures to delicate acrylic beetles, while bronze figures, sun reflectors, giant water sprinkler and a bubble machine animate the space, exploding the expectations of a sculpture garden. 

The artworks are not envisioned as static objects, but active agents of change. Sustainability and material exploration are central to the exhibition: upcycled, repurposed, and reclaimed materials serve as both medium and message. Interactive sculptures alongside multimedia performances bring the garden to life, while engaging the audience to reflect on pressing issues such as climate change, environmental racism, and humanity's inherent place in the natural world. A trellis woven from shotgun casings speaks to the cycles of violence and renewal, while the painting of a waterfall echoes art history and fragments evoke visions of regeneration through art practice. Visitors are invited to wander, linger, and connect with the evolving narrative woven between the artworks. In doing so, they become part of a story.

The exhibition will evolve in two stages: Seeding (Spring) and Blooming (Summer). Each of these phases will host distinct public offerings and a rotating exhibition of artworks, aligning with the various phases of transformation in the garden. Public programming will include regular performances, our annual Summer Film Series, and youth workshops that aim to foster ongoing public dialogue and local participation. The exhibition will have regular open hours on Saturdays & Sundays from 12-5PM through October. 

ThankS TO THE garden of delightS sponsors!