June Art Highlights

6/14 through 9/17- Regional Triennial of the Photographic Arts: THE CAMERA ALWAYS LIES, at Center for Photography at Woodstock, Woodstock

Curator Beth Wilson has assembled nine of the Hudson Valley’s most talented and provocative artists to explore the illusory quality of the photographic medium. Wilson states, ”Despite its apparent directness, photography (like all forms of representation) collapses reality in ways that inevitably shape our experience of the world as it is perceived through that (specific) medium. From its very inception, the camera has functioned to make a picture of the world, which is something very different from a total (re)creation of one. The ‘mirror with a memory,’ photographic images insinuate themselves between us and the place and time in which they are made, a technology that enables the wide array of strategies displayed by the artists in this exhibition.” Featuring the works of Joan Barker, John Dugdale, Jaanika Peerna, Rob Penner, Sam Sebren, Julianne Swartz, Kathleen Sweeney, Susan Wides and Ion Zupcu. Center for Photography at Woodstock, 59 Tinker St., Woodstock, www.cpw.org, 845.679.9957. Open We-Su 12-5 PM. Opening reception Sa 6/14, 5-7 PM

6/14 through 7/21- A VISUAL CONVERSATION, solo show by Robert Hills at Sharada Gallery, Rhinebeck

It’s worth a trip to the Sharada in Rhinebeck just to see the unbelievably cool art/furniture she has on display. I can’t even begin to describe the unique designs, fully functional—you just have to take a moment to check the website for yourself. This month Sharada enhances her one-of-a-kind location with paintings by Robert Hills. From the mission statement: “The show A VISUAL CONVERSATION is work that can only be described as visual software, where thoughts ‘roll’ across forms, allowing them to communicate, resonate, and interact with each other. It is a visual abstraction of the artist thinking about art. The paintings interact with each other to form a dialog, much like the software of generative forms. The connections between the visual images are like that of conversations with varied nuances, inflections and poetry of an internal thought on and about art; the visual externalization of the internal discourse. The moment of creation is immediate and passionate, a sublime moment.” Sharada Gallery, 45 E Market St., Rhinebeck, www.sharadagallery.com, 845.876.4828. Mo/Th 12-5 PM, Fr/Sa/Su 11 AM- 6 PM. Opening reception Sa 6/14, 5-8 PM

Through July- National Graffitti Month with CITY FOLK at Zahra’s Studio/Gallery, Beacon

Starting in Peekskill and moving up to Beacon in Y2K, Zahra’s Studio has provided a multi-function art space, complete with gallery, private art studio, and custom tattooing and piercing, with an emphasis on underground, counter-culture, and anti-political art in multi medias. Of course, there is no official National Graffitti Month (as far as we know), but don’t let that spoil the fun as VeeRock (aka Vanessa Tellez) hosts the graffiti-based art group City Folk, comprised of the individually notable members Whisper, KR-1, Bilrock and Team (check the following websites: subwayoutlaws.com, artcrimes.com, graffstars.com). As with any subgenre of art, the best are always worth checking out and this is no exception. Zahra’s Gallery, 196 Main St., Beacon, zahrastudio.com, 845.838.6311. Tu-Sa 12-8 PM. Opening reception with City Folk Sa 6/14, 6-10 PM

Through 6/27- SACRED GROUND: Held in Trust—Preserved Lands of the Hudson Valley, pastels by Marlene Wiedenbaum at Pritzker Studio & Gallery, Highland

The Pritzker Studio & Gallery presents an exhibition of pastel plein-air paintings that explores and further develops Marlene Wiedenbaum's work on the visual, emotional and ecological effects of land development on the Hudson Valley Landscape, utilizing over twenty-five paintings of preserved lands for this exhibit. This series will pay tribute to and support land preservation and planned development, and increase the public’s understanding of the diminishing landscape, particularly throughout the Hudson Valley in New York. An environmental talk will be given by Laura Conner, Environmental Educator I, Minnewaska State Park Preserve and Cara Lee, The Nature Conservancy Director, Shawangunk Ridge Program at the closing reception, Fr 6/27. Pritzker Studio & Gallery 257 South Riverside Rd., Highland, www.pritzkerstudio.com, 845.691.5506. See website for times. Closing reception Fr 6/27, 6-8 PM, speakers at 7 PM