Jen Dwyer, ‘Deborah'sLiving Room, 2021’ — artwork included in the current exhibition at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art
I don’t have an interview to post this week — I am working with several luminous folks right now but life (and work) means we have to skip a week. Which is fine, because creativity doesn’t really exist on a schedule.
Or does it? My husband is someone who has always been pretty rigorous about his creative process ever since he embarked on writing novels in his 20s. He now gets up at 5am most days to ensure he has the brain space and quiet to write (unfortunately, our son often also believes this is his most creative period). From conversations with many artists over the years — written and visual — I know everyone has their own quirky ways of getting to ideas: one best-selling novelist we know likes to write into the night with Frasier blaring in the background, some need to be cajoled by deadlines into a frenzy of activity, another listens to Siri reading their writing back at them at double speed like a manic, robotic fever dream.
Whatever your process, here are three things you can do in the Hudson Valley this Summer if you are looking for a way to shake up your creative molecules…
Westwind Orchard (photography by AJ Lee)
Salsa dancing at Westwind Orchard
Every Friday this Summer at 6.30-8.30pm join a wonderful salsa-dancing couple and host of locals — flush-cheeked with end of the week vibes — for a vibrant, casual dancing lesson at the beautiful orchard venue in Accord. I can attest that this is the perfect way to finish the week and enjoyable even when carrying a clingy 3 year-old. No reservations necessary: just turn up and leave your inhibitions at in the parking lot.A round of golf at INNESS
Not the obvious creative pursuit, but this course is part of the stunning new INNESS site in Accord that will soon open up with more facilities including pool, restaurant and gym. Created by restaurateur Taavo Somer — of Freemans-fame in the city, and behind Hotel Kinsley and Lola Pizza in Kingston, among other popular venues — this spot promises to be a hub for local creative folks looking for a moment of peace and connection. I haven’t sampled the course yet but our resident writer has and gave it his seal of approval.The ‘Hudson Valley Artists 2021: Who Really Cares’ exhibition at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art
I am excited to see this exhibition! The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art was started over 65 years ago in the State University of New York at New Paltz. This exhibition is curated by Helen Toomer — a local artistic powerhouse: Co-Founder of Stoneleaf Retreat, an artists’ residency focused on supporting womxn and families, and founder of Upstate Art Weekend. Local artists were invited to submit artwork that deals with the challenges of the past year and the re-imaginings of years to come, responding to the question “Who really cares?” asked by Marvin Gaye fifty years ago on the monumental album, “What’s Going On.”Let the sun and rain shine on you this weekend. See you on the other side.