Special Programs

Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art (SDMA)

The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art (SDMA), located at the State University of New York at New Paltz, comprises more than 9,000 square feet of exhibition space distributed over six galleries. The SDMA is one of the largest museums within the SUNY system. Through its collections, exhibitions, and public programs, the SDMA seeks to (1) support and enrich the academic programs at the university, (2) present a broad range of national and international art for study and enjoyment, and (3) serve as a center for Hudson Valley arts and culture of both the past and the present. Embracing the historical and the cutting edge, the regional and international, the SDMA unites art education and art exhibition, strengthening the university’s educational programs while building new audiences for the arts.

Dedicated in 2001, the SDMA is named after Samuel Dorsky, who came to the art world after achieving success in business. Originally known as the College Art Gallery, the SDMA was begun more than 65 years ago by a dedicated committee of faculty members to enhance the teaching mission of the university. The SDMA has collections that now comprise more than 5,000 works of art, including a small but excellent “world collection.” Areas of focus include American Art, with an emphasis on the Hudson Valley and Catskill Region, photography and metals. The SDMA’s temporary exhibition program features exhibitions, installations, and projects by internationally recognized artists as well as an annual thematic exhibition of work by regional artists.

This summer's programs are part of the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial celebration marking the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson and Samuel de Champlain's voyages along the river and lake that bear their names and the 200th anniversary of Robert Fulton's successful steamboat voyage, which inaugurated steam commerce on the Hudson River. This event, which takes place from New York Harbor to the Canadian border, will showcase the Hudson Valley as an international destination.

Summer exhibitions with a Hudson Valley theme include:

  • Views and Visions: The Hudson River to Niagara Falls, 19th Century Landscape Paintings from the New-York Historical Society, a major exhibition of 19th-century American landscape paintings featuring work by Hudson River School artists.
  • Hudson Valley Artists 2009, an annual exhibit that showcases the work of regional artists, which in 2009 will focus on environmental and ecological themes.

GETTING TO KNOW THE ART

Docent-Guided Tours
Discussions that take place between docents and museum visitors create a relationship between the viewers and the art—leading to a sense of understanding, a feeling of engagement, a moment of pleasure. Visitors of all ages can make connections between their own lives and the valued artifacts, art objects, and history represented by the Museum's collections and exhibitions. Call (845) 257-2331 to find out about our Sunday afternoon docent tours.

Family Days
Share a special day with your young ones at the museum. This program—designed for children aged 5-12 who are accompanied by an adult—combines interactive, guided museum visits with art activities. Reservations are required for this program. Call (845) 257-3844 to learn about our next Family Day.

Special Educational Programs
Special programs are scheduled intermittently and in association with a particular show always attract a lively and interesting crowd. Educational programs accompanying the 2009 exhibitions will include lectures, panel discussions, gallery talks, guided group tours, family activities, and special programs for primary and secondary school students. If you are interested in participating in any of the museum's programs, call (845) 257-3844.

Join the SDMA email list, and we will send you advance notice about these events, or visit www.newpaltz.edu/museum for more information.

SUMMER 2009 EXHIBITIONS

Summer hours are Tuesday through Friday, 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 1-5 p.m. Closed on Mondays, legal holidays, and intercession.

June 13 – September 6

Hudson Valley Artists 2009: Artists and the Environment

Curated by Brian Wallace

Alice and Horace Chandler Gallery and North Gallery

Hudson Valley Artists is an annual juried exhibition featuring work by emerging and mid-career artists from six Hudson Valley counties. The exhibition is open to artists who have not had a major one-person museum exhibition and are not represented by a commercial gallery at the time of submission. The 2009 edition of this series will be collaborative and interactive by its very nature, featuring information pieces developed by exhibiting artists/artist-scientist teams available in the gallery and at satellite venues in New Paltz. In addition, the museum plans to schedule an ongoing presence of exhibitors in the gallery to aid in the SDMA’s efforts to break the "4th wall" of the typical exhibition.

July 11 – December 13

Views & Visions: The Hudson River to Niagara Falls

19th Century Landscape Paintings from the New-York Historical Society

Curated by Dr. Linda S. Ferber

East Wing Galleries

This project is conceived and organized by the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art (SDMA) at the State University of New York at New Paltz in partnership with the New-York Historical Society (N-YHS). The exhibition curator is Dr. Linda Ferber, director of the H-YHS and a renowned authority on 19th-century American art. Views and Visions: The Hudson River to Niagara Falls comprises forty-five paintings drawn from the permanent collection at N-YHS. The paintings were executed between 1818 and 1892. They depict landscapes, historic sites, natural wonders, and waterways of New York state from the mouth of the Hudson River north to the Adirondacks and then to the western boundary of the state—Niagara Falls. Important landscape paintings by Hudson River School painters such as Albert Bierstadt, John W. Casilear, Thomas Cole, Jasper Cropsey, Asher B. Durand, and George Inness are highlights of the exhibition.

CONTINUING EXHIBITIONS (ENDING 6/14)

Bradford Graves: Selected Works

Curated by SDMA curator Brian Wallace

Sara Bedrick Gallery

At the time of his death at the age of 58 in 1998, sculptor Bradford Graves had produced a diverse body of outdoor, architectural, and indoor sculpture in limestone, wood, metal, concrete, and other found and manufactured materials that combined modernist geometries with references to ancient cultures and to the land itself. Graves, who was awarded an NEA fellowship in 1980, had installed or exhibited his work in museums, galleries, and sculpture parks in, among other locations, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Rutgers, Princeton, Woodstock, and New York City, as well as Scotland, Haiti, and Yugoslavia.

Analog Catalog

Organized by SDMA curator Brian Wallace with SUNY New Paltz faculty David Appelbaum (Philosophy); Gregory Bray (Communication and Media); Anne Galperin (Graphic Design); Stuart Henley (independent design theorist); Yoav Kaddar (Theatre).

Morgan Anderson and Corridor Galleries

Analog Catalog deploys critical design theory, linguistics, psychology, art media, and interactive performance to examine how museums both reinforce and resist accepted ideas about the value of objects and institutions. Art, devotional, craft, and design objects from the museum's permanent collection are displayed to invite questions about the values they represent. Particular attention is paid to works in the collections that have never been exhibited; to non-exhibition museum spaces, materials, and objects; and to museum strategies of description and display. Through scheduled and unscheduled performances, selected artist projects, and ongoing changes to informational and educational materials, Analog Catalog seeks to engage and destabilize the taxonomies of museum collection and display.

SUMMER OPENING EVENTS AT SDMA

Saturday, June 13 - 5-8PM Opening Reception for Hudson Valley Artists 2009

Saturday, July 11 - 5-8PM Opening Reception for Views and Visions: The Hudson River to Niagara Falls

PERTINENT INFORMATION

Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art
Museum Information
845-257-3844
www.newpaltz.edu/museum
sdma@newpaltz.edu
Wheelchair accessible
Free admission

Hours
Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday 1-5 p.m.
Closed on Mondays, university holidays, and intersession.

Exhibitions and dates may be subject to change. Please call the museum or visit our website to confirm hours and schedules.