Road Trip to the Hudson Valley May 17, 2004 | Archives About 30 dedicated JAs managed to meet the bus at the inhumane hour of 9am on a Saturday morning for what proved to be an incredible day of art in the Hudson Valley, thanks in part to the great weather, but mostly to our terrific hosts, Livia and Marc Straus. First stop on the tour was a preview of The Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art (HVCCA), which opens to the public on June 12. A labor of love for the Strauses, the space houses exhibitions of contemporary work as well as an artist in residency program and educational programs. The opening exhibitions include “Symbolic Spaces,” which considers the use of architectural representation as a metaphor in current works, with pieces by Neo Rauch, Nigel Cooke, and Mona Hatoum, amongst others, and a smaller show called “Repetition,” which features works of just that (think Kusama). Also on view will be two permanent installations, Thomas Hirschhorn’s Laundrette and Helene Aylon’s The Earth Ambulance: 82-92-02. It’s a very impressive beginning for the Center, to say the least. After a walkthrough of the shows, many members assumed it was lunchtime, but oh no, we were just getting started. Back on the bus to our next stop, the studio of artist Linda Jean Fisher. Apparently, the town of Peekskill has recently developed artists’ lofts in the downtown area, which are meant to be sold only to people practicing an art-related occupation. Linda Jean’s studio is in one of these new spaces, and it was a spectacular sight to see, especially for a busload of Manhattinites: loads of sunlight, wood floors, high ceilings . . .Laid out on the floor in neat rows as well as around the edges of the room were many of Linda Jean’s works on paper, having to do with studies in color and her contemplations of the atomic bomb, amongst other subjects. Next we took an art-break for an idyllic picnic on the Hudson, followed by two more studio visits. First, Jo-Ann Brody who makes lanky sculptures of mainly women out of clay and cement. Then off to Robert Goodnough and his family, wife Miko and daughter Kathy. It was a treat to see generations of artists at work, but personally, I enjoyed meeting an older artist who is can really paint—this man is truly a professional. We left with cookies and autographed posters, on our way to the final stop of the day, a collection visit at the Strauses’ home. Talk about a grand finale, we were treated to still more good food and beverages, amazing artwork, and excellent advice and input on collecting from the Strauses. I’m pretty sure we got everyone back on the bus, but they didn’t go willingly. Rumor has it that some particularly durable JAs returned to the city in time to hit some openings in Chelsea. Wow. Back To Blog Main Page   Past Entries 2007 Archives Back To Blog Main Page