Curated by art faculty and students

December 3–12, 2021
Alice and Horace Chandler and North Galleries

At the end of each semester, the Dorsky Museum is proud to exhibit new artwork by students earning Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees. The thesis exhibitions are the culmination of the students' fine art studies, akin to the final exam, research project, or dissertation required of students earning liberal arts or science degrees.

BFA: Madison Consolato, Amanda Ellinger, Caroline Guzewicz, Chelsea Kain, Hailey Pierce, Renee Ricci, Katie Tiley, Hannah Ziegler

MFA: Hee Joo Yang

Curated by nico wheadon

February 5 – April 10, 2022
Alice and Horace Chandler Gallery and North Gallery

Somewhere in Advance of Nowhere: Freedom Dreams in Contemporary Art lauds the vital role of artists in dismantling broken systems, envisioning new shared realities and building future alternatives. Organized by guest curator nico wheadon, the exhibition features works by eighteen artists and two artist collectives and draws inspiration from Robin D.G. Kelley’s seminal book, Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination. Taking up Kelley’s provocation that “without new visions we don't know what to build, only what to knock down,” the exhibiting artists offer tools to bridge the distance between the world as one might freely imagine it and the world as it actually is. The late Black poet Jayne Cortez described this site of convergence between dreams and reality as, “somewhere in advance of nowhere.” With its focus on unearthing strategies that can be shared between individuals fighting historical oppression and across social movements more broadly, this exhibition mobilizes our collective imagination to envision a freer society here and now. It prompts visitors to both radically and urgently orient themselves along a spectrum of liberatory practice, from individual expressions of agency to collective social action.

Curated by David Hornung

February 5 – July 17, 2022
Morgan Anderson Gallery and Howard Greenberg Family Gallery

As part of our Hudson Valley Masters series, this exhibition presents Mary Frank’s powerful artwork from over six decades, which has always centered on the twin themes of social justice and the preservation of the natural world. Acclaimed artist/activist Mary Frank has been making art in her Manhattan and Hudson Valley studios for over sixty years. She is an independent spirit who emerged during the years of rising feminism in the early 70’s and has always followed a personal vision distinct from prevailing art world fashion. Mary Frank: The Observing Heart is a gathering of sculpture, painting, drawings, prints, and photographs from throughout her illustrious career.

Curated by Abigail Mack

February 5 – July 17, 2022
Seminar Room Gallery

This exhibition will explore, through photographic documentation, the steps taken by art conservator Abigail Mack as she approached the initial conservation of the Dorsky’s Museum’s 16th-century Italian plaster relief of the Madonna and Child. The story of how this task changed from a conservation to a restoration project will be highlighted.