This summer, after two years of pandemic-altered programming, the Hudson Valley arts scene is roaring back better than ever. If you’re looking to get out and about this season to celebrate its return, there’s no better event to hit up than the jam-packed Upstate Art Weekend (UPAW), back for its third year to celebrate the cultural vibrancy and diversity of our region.
Founded by Helen Toomer, a curator and co-founder of Stoneleaf Retreat artist residency in Marbletown, the festival had its inaugural run in 2020 when Toomer brought together 23 arts venues for a weekend of art and the great outdoors.
This year, the three-day, self-guided visual arts event, which takes place Friday, July 22 to Sunday, July 24, will include 145 museums, art institutions, and galleries (over double last year’s count), which will be welcoming visitors to over 100 special exhibitions and projects.
The weekend-long event will span eight counties: Columbia, Delaware, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Sullivan, and Ulster. In an exciting addition to the programming this year, more than 50 individual artists will open their studios to the public on Saturday, July 23, and Sunday, July 24, from 12 to 6pm.
This year’s list of participants include well-known names like Storm King Art Center, Opus 40 Sculpture Park, Dia Beacon, Olana, Magazzino, and more alongside relative newcomers such as the woman-owned design studio and cooperative Hinterland in Shokan.
Artists who are opening their studios for the weekend are located throughout the eight counties, and include Ellenville-based painter Adi Oren, West Kill writer, painter, and illustrator Steven Weinburg, and multi-generational ceramics studio Ugly Mug Studio in Ghent.
“Upstate Art Weekend is about community, collaboration, art and the outdoors, which are essential to our well-being,” says Toomer. “We are thrilled for our third year and cannot wait to connect more visitors with the arts upstate.”
Upstate Art Weekend will take place Friday, July 22 through Sunday, July 24. Further information about events and local favorites can be found on Instagram @upstateartweekend.
