March brings a fresh wave of art exhibitions to the Hudson Valley, showcasing a dynamic mix of established and emerging voices across mediums. From Maria Lai’s poetic textile works at Magazzino to John Moore’s meditation on migration at The Capa Space, these shows tackle themes of memory, perception, and resilience. At HVMoCA, artists prove that creativity flourishes with age, while surreal landscapes and interactive sculptures invite viewers to see the world anew. Whether exploring the natural world, reimagining history, or challenging artistic norms, these exhibitions offer a compelling snapshot of contemporary art in the region. Here’s what to see this month.
“Maria Lai: A Journey to America” at Magazzino
Through July 28
Maria Lai’s first solo exhibition in the US is a sweeping survey of the Sardinian artist’s six-decade career. Featuring nearly 100 works, “A Journey to America” explores Lai’s evolution from abstract painting to her signature textile-based practice. Highlights include Legarsi alla montagna (1981), a community-driven performance using 16 miles of blue ribbon, and stitched canvases that weave together tradition and experimentation. A pioneer of Arte Povera, Lai’s work is tactile, poetic, and deeply rooted in Sardinian identity. Magazzino Italian Art, Cold Spring.
“Reprieve” at Private Public Gallery
March 8-23
Three artists who’ve had their work featured on the cover of Chronogram—Richard Bosman, James Casebere, and Melora Kuhn—anchor “Reprieve,” a group exhibition at Public Private Gallery. Bosman’s noir-inflected narratives crackle with cinematic urgency, while Casebere’s constructed photography transforms miniature architectural models into uncanny, atmospheric visions. Kuhn, ever attuned to myth and history, weaves allegorical imagery into richly layered paintings that question power and identity. Together, these artists explore themes of refuge, illusion, and escape—reprieves both literal and psychological. A fitting meditation in a world teetering between chaos and calm. Private Public Gallery, Hudson.
“Familiar/Unfamiliar” at Bill Arning Exhibitions
March 8-May 17
“Familiar/Unfamiliar” at Bill Arning Exhibitions brings together Kevin Mosca, Matthew Bede Murphy, Sue Muskat, and Erik Daniel White, artists who subvert everyday imagery to probe the boundaries of perception. Mosca’s work reimagines the archetype of the milkman, infusing nostalgia with a surreal twist. Murphy’s pieces draw inspiration from telenovelas, blending melodrama with fine art to challenge cultural narratives. Muskat’s abstract compositions distill domestic scenes into their essential forms, while White’s art transforms mundane moments into profound visual experiences. Collectively, the exhibition examines how the familiar can become a canvas for unexpected interpretations. Bill Arning Exhibitions, Kinderhook.
“If These Walls Could Talk” at Carrie Haddad
March 8-May 17
Walls may not talk, but the paintings in “If These Walls Could Talk” at Carrie Haddad Gallery speak volumes. This group show of interiors and architecture explores the interplay between space and psyche. Richard Britell’s tightly composed cityscapes contrast with his luminous portraits, while Kathryn Freeman’s dreamlike domestic scenes blur the line between the natural and the surreal. Brigid Kennedy plays with reflection and perception, Glenn Palmer-Smith channels forgotten grandeur, and Judith Wyer captures the quiet drama of art-viewing itself. Rounding it out: Lionel Gilbert’s moody still lifes from the ’60s and ’70s. Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson.
“Alta Vista” at Upstairs at Small Talk
March 14-April 27
Landscapes get a remix in “Alta Vista,” a two-man show featuring Kirkland Bray and Todd Koelmel. Bray’s surreal scenes, built from found materials and collage, reimagine the natural world as a stage for peculiar human gatherings. Koelmel, an artist-engineer hybrid, distills landscapes into crisp, graphic compositions—color-blocked, hard-edged, and oddly soothing. Together, their work straddles abstraction and reality, nostalgia and modernity, pushing a timeless genre into fresh terrain. Expect landscapes that look familiar but feel slightly off-kilter—like deja vu in paint. Calico Exhibitions at Upstairs at Small Talk, Woodstock.
“So You Think I’m Too Old To…” at HVMoCA
Through May 3
Who says the muse fades with age? “So You Think I’m Too Old To…” at HVMOCA makes a compelling case for late-life creative surges, showcasing 68 artists aged 62 to 94. The exhibition pushes back against youth-centric narratives, spotlighting artists who hit their stride in later years—proving that experience, introspection, and artistic grit only deepen with time. From painting to sculpture to mixed media, the works on view challenge the notion that creativity has an expiration date. Wrinkles be damned—this is art unchained. Hudson Valley MOCA, Peekskill.
“Great Green Hope for the Urban Blues” at the Lehman Loeb Art Center
Through August 10
The Hudson Valley has long been cast as a “great green hope”—a pastoral escape, a utopian counterpoint to the city. This exhibition at the Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College unpacks this mythology, pairing historic Hudson River School landscapes with contemporary works by Tanya Marcuse, Lisa Sanditz, Caleb Stein, and others. The exhibition probes the region’s dual identity as both idyllic retreat and site of industry, displacement, and reinvention. Vassar College, Poughkeepsie.
Paddy Cohn “Clouds” at Robin Rice Gallery
March 8-April 27
Cohn reimagines the sky in electric hues—hot pinks, deep navies, and cobalt blues—pushing clouds beyond the realm of the ephemeral into the surreal. Blending the dreamlike essence of Magritte with the precision of Gerhard Richter, Cohn’s paintings toy with perception, making the familiar feel uncanny. In Weightless Reflections, a lone cloud drifts in contrast to its anchored shadow, while Just a Cloud Away dissolves into an expanse of saturated blue. A former textile designer turned fine artist, Cohn’s first solo show at Robin Rice is an invitation to get lost in the sky. Robin Rice Gallery, Hudson.
“Faces of Exodus” at Capa Space
Through March 23
John Moore has spent 15 years documenting the human cost of migration—his camera capturing the desperation, resilience, and heartbreak along the US-Mexico border and beyond. “Faces of Exodus” at The Capa Space distills his award-winning work into a searing retrospective, including new images from Ecuador’s internal conflict. Moore’s lens doesn’t blink: ICE raids, mass deportations, the children left clutching at the unknown. His infamous Crying Girl in Red is here, along with images that tell stories too easily ignored. A meditation on crisis and hope, this exhibition demands attention. Through March 23. The Capa Space, Yorktown Heights.
“The Accessible Instrument” at Headstone Gallery
March 1-31.
Michael Fortenberry’s “The Accessible Instrument” is less an exhibition than an invitation—to touch, to move, to listen. His trio of skeletal, wooden sculptures, somewhere between botanical forms and alien pods, hang and stand in the space, waiting for human interaction to activate their soundscapes. With help from sound designer Michael Simonelli, Fortenberry transforms raw material into a responsive, haptic experience, a meditation on body and presence. Like a William Basinski loop, these pieces dissolve the boundaries between art and viewer, inviting a moment of engagement, of stillness, of becoming. Headstone Gallery, Kingston.
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This article appears in February 2025.
