This class takes students inside the studios of contemporary Hudson Valley artists to hear from the artists about their inspirations, processes, and careers. Students will view multiple visual art forms, including painting, sculpture, neon, photography, and installation art, and will have an opportunity to ask questions.
NOTE: Two tours are on Tuesday, four are on Wednesday. Class length will vary from 1 hour to 1½ hours. Standing is required.
If you have previously taken this class, please allow others to register during preregistration.
Week 1. Tuesday, March 10. Visit Arlene Shechet’s studio in Kingston and learn about her long and successful career as a sculptor.
Presenter: Arlene Shechet is a sculptor known for working with and combining a variety of materials, including wood, stone, metal, and clay. Shechet’s artwork is held by museums worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Centre Pompidou, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and many others. Click here for more information.
Week 2: Wednesday, March 18. Lite Brite Neon Studio in Kingston fuses art and electricity. Students will learn the process by which artists use neon tubes as a medium, bending the glass into sculptures, words, and designs in order to realize an artist’s vision.
Presenter: Matteline deVries-dilling (she/they) co-founded Lite Brite Neon Studio. Lite Brite receives funding from and is a project of Queer\Art, which mentors younger artists and works with Queer Elders. Lite Brite Neon Studio has worked with a broad range of artists from the queer, IBPOC, and related communities, producing luminous artworks that have been exhibited worldwide. Click here for more information.
Week 3: Wednesday, March 25. Joy Taylor's paintings offer a contemporary interpretation of nature, capturing its dynamic energy and ever-changing beauty. Her work features sparkling detail, daring composition, and luminous color.
Presenter: Joy Taylor paints the natural world. Her work has been commissioned by the MTA Arts for Transit Program. She is the recipient of a Pollock/Krasner Foundation grant, among other awards. Click here for more information.
Week 4: Wednesday, April 8. Phyllis Palmer focuses on figure painting. Her goal is to create intimacy and respect for the body, without regard to gender identity.
Presenter: Phyllis Palmer, a figure painter and graduate of RISD, has exhibited widely and is the recipient of numerous grants. Click here for more information.
Week 5: Tuesday, April 14. Tanya Marcuse is a photographer. Students will visit her indoor and outdoor studio. Marcuse will share her new project, Book of Miracles, and the unusual and intensive processes involved in creating this three-part series.
Presenter: Tanya Marcuse is a photographer known for large-scale, fantastical images exploring nature’s cycles of growth and decay. A Guggenheim Fellow, she teaches photography at Bard College. Click here for more information.
Week 6: Wednesday, April 22. Steven Siegel, an environmental artist, will discuss his inspirations from the sciences of geology and biology and his life's work, which ranges from sculptures made from newspaper, plastic bags, and other recycled materials to mixed media wall pieces, large collages, and film.
Presenter: Steven Siegel is an environmental artist known for his public art commissions and site-specific installations made from recycled industrial materials, as well as large collages that combine film and photography with object making. Click here for more information.