Each year, ACC collaborates with the Coxsackie-Athens School District to exhibit exemplary student artwork. The exhibition features photography, painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, and more, all made by budding artists in our area. In the summer of 2023 ACC began working with art teachers/coordinators Elisa Futia (primary), with Joseph Allard, Martin Olstad, and Kayla Ramundo, to present the 2024 annual school exhibition. It’s scheduled for May 2024 to allow ample time in the classroom with these teacher/mentors. This exhibition is a source of pride for young creatives who experience their work displayed in a respected community cultural center. By hosting area students, ACC can welcome all families, including those without regular access to art galleries and exhibits.

Artists Mary Ann Strandell and Michael Rees are united by marriage and their shared vocation. They enjoy thematic connections that explore the notion of "the wild” by pushing beyond conventional norms. They approach this concept from distinct perspectives coupled with advanced technologies such as rapid prototyping, lenticular printing, and augmented reality to bring their artistic visions into discovery.

Michael Rees's artistic odyssey takes a profoundly personal turn as he navigates the terrain of the body, drawing inspiration from his battle with cancer. He crafts immersive narratives through computer-generated imagery and advanced programming, employing détournement to challenge viewers' perceptions. Augmented reality elements further blur the boundaries between the real and the imagined, heightening the disquieting quality of his sculptures. This exploration of the imagination suggests that despite adversity, there’s potential for growth and opportunity.

Mary Ann Strandell seamlessly blends traditional and digital mediums, using her art as a lens to examine societal themes. Her works in Next To The Wild–plein air paintings and 3D lenticular print installation–pay homage to the pioneering women in the Hudson River School and Georgia O’Keefe, who first made an enduring connection to the landscape at Lake George. These works honor the past and spark a vibrant dialogue with the present, envisioning the wild as existing in a natural state, untamed and untethered.

First Friday Reception: 6/7, 5 - 7pm

Curated by Carrie Feder.

The exhibition Twenty/20 celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Athens Cultural Center by exploring the multiple meanings of “twenty,” as a number, an anniversary, a cycle and as a symbol of change, passage of time, transformation and growth. “Twenty” holds significance in mathematics, astrology, numerology and religion as well as signifying the coming of age in many traditions. 

It also alludes to vision, and to our journey through life and towards greater understanding.Like any subject, once delved into, the web of meanings which are a part of our collective cultures are illuminated in ways we may not have been conscious of before.

Artwork and ephemera relating to the various meanings of “twenty” include the Aster Flower, pieces made of china or porcelain, and the use of green - the color of emeralds, which are symbolic gifts commemorating the passage of twenty years.

Participating  Artists:
Laura Battle, Jesse Bransford, Donna Dennis, Julie Evans,Elliott Green, Valerie Hammond, Carter Hodgkin, Geoff Howell, Kahn & Selesnick, Ellen Kozak, Melora Kuhn, Portia Munson, Purgatory Pie Press, Christy Rupp, Edward Rothbard, Margaret Saliske, Jean-Marc Superville Slovak, Kiki Smith, Corrine Spencer, Liza Todd-Tivey, Katherine Umsted

First Friday Reception: 8/2, 5-7pm

FELIX BEAUDRY (b. 1996 Berkeley, CA) is a textile artist based in Kingston, NY. Felix graduated with a BFA from RISD in 2018. He works primarily with his industrial knitting machine; making tapestry and sculpture.  Congenital Knot at SITUATIONS was his first solo show in New York City. Recent exhibitions include And You Will Shine and Shine at Golestani Gallery, 2021 (Düsseldorf, Germany) Rocking Rookies at Tatjana Pieters, 2019 (Ghent, Belgium), and Fresh Fruit at Situations, 2018 (New York, NY)

ACC collaborates with the Hudson Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society (HALPS) to commemorate the 150th birthday of this iconic beacon, partnering with high schools in Athens-Coxsackie, Catskill, and Hudson. Student artworks about the lighthouse, river life, and river lore will be exhibited, along with poetry and long-form writing created in the classroom. For the opening event, students will read texts, and an actor will perform a monologue on the life of Augustin Fresnel, the inventor of the lens used in lighthouses worldwide. 

First Friday Reception: 10/4, 5-7pm

James Holl artist takeover: book launch and art exhibition.

“Holl is a master colorist– there are no false notes in these paintings. The works have a lyricism to them that one can easily imagine are traces of light flying across their surfaces: they have a feeling of truth.”

Claire Lambe, from “Particle Point Collisions at Lockwood Gallery”                            Roll Magazine, rollmagazine.com. 2020

Book signing: 10/27, time TBD

First Friday Reception: 11/1, 5-7pm

ACC’s annual winter members’ exhibition, small works at smaller prices. Artwork will be on view and for sale during the Victorian Stroll and holiday season. This exhibition of affordable artworks showcases ACC member artists and supports them through direct sales.

First Friday Reception: 12/6, 5-7pm

Noted portrait photographer Lynda Shenkman presents images of Athens residents in their chosen environments. These images will be presented ¾ life-sized and accompanied by a biography of each subject.

First Friday Reception: 1/3/25, 5-7pm