Exhibitions
The Athens Cultural Center presents a dynamic range of exhibitions that celebrate the talent and diversity of our region’s creative community. These include member shows, nonprofit partnerships, K–12 student exhibitions, and seasonal curator-led projects. Each exhibition invites residents and visitors alike to connect through the shared experience of art.
current
Animal Bodies
The Works of Elana Herzog, Jean Shin, and Brigitta Váradi
Curated by Yasmeen Siddiqui
On View June 5 - August 16, 2026
First Fridays: June 5, July 3, August 7, 5-7pm
Gallery Hours: 12-5pm Saturday & Sunday
Artist & Curator Talk: June 26, 5-7pm
Upstate Art Weekend Hours: June 27 & 28, 11-6pm
The works on view draw our attention to ways textile design and manufacturing express connections and relationships among wild and settled worlds. Each of these artists often works panoramically. For this exhibition, we offer viewers a chance to study their approaches at an intimate scale.
Each center land and its inhabitants in ways that intersect. Herzog travels extensively, from her family’s Catskill home to Central Asia and beyond, collecting fabrics and patterns to cut, splice, weave, and staple, disavowing embedded structures and pathways that order space and attachments. Váradi works with sheep farmers in Ireland and the Hudson Valley identifying and amplifying the ways humans relate to a flock and how both attend to and live with land. Shin excavates the stories of Hemlock trees in the Hudson Valley and waterways including New York City’s oyster banks tracking and reconfiguring raw materials that were once made into satchels and mother-of-pearl buttons.
Beyond archiving relationships among the primordial and artifice, the works here posit new expressions of how animals might live with landscapes.
— Yasmeen Siddiqui, Minerva Project
This exhibition is organized by ACC and Minerva Projects with funding from the Athens Community Foundation and ACC members. The Athens Cultural Center’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. This exhibition is made possible in part with public funds from the Greene County Legislature through the Greene County Cultural Fund, administered by CREATE Council on the Arts.
Photo credits (top to bottom): Elana Herzog, Jean Shin, and Brigitta Váradi
Upcoming
Seasons of Greene VII
On View: 8/21 - 10/11/2026
Opening Reception: 8/22, 4 - 7PM
First Fridays: 9/4 & 10/2, 5 - 7PM
Gallery Hours: Fridays 4 - 7PM, Sat & Sun 1 - 7PM
Every landscape holds a story, revealed slowly to those willing to look closely. For the landscape painter, seeing is an act of patience and care. Hours spent observing shifting light and changing seasons become an intimate conversation between artist and land. The resulting paintings invite us to experience not only what a place looks like, but what it feels like.
This enduring relationship inspired the Greene Land Trust to establish the Seasons of Greene exhibition series. Each year, accomplished regional artists respond to the forests, fields, waterways, and vistas stewarded by the Trust, offering fresh perspectives on the landscapes that define Greene County. More than a celebration of scenic beauty, these works encourage a deeper appreciation for the places that sustain our communities and connect us to one another. Together, they remind us that art can inspire curiosity, foster stewardship, and strengthen our sense of belonging to the land we share.
Seasons of Greene VI is presented by the Greene Land Trust and the Athens Cultural Center, with support from the Athens Community Foundation and ACC Members. The Athens Cultural Center’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
2026 Schedule of exhibitions
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12/20/25 - 2/15/26
Photographs by Thierry Casias
Esperanza, Hope is a portrait-based exhibition that traces the evolving identity of Athens, NY through the intertwined forces of migration, immigration, and integration.
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3/6/26 - 3/22/26
Confluence / Convergence brings together the work of Bruce Byers, Dan Bridge, Ellen Mahnken, and Nancy Meissner in an exhibition that considers how distinct artistic practices meet, overlap, and resonate within a shared space. -
4/3/26 - 4/26/26
Our spring members’ exhibition at the Athens Cultural Center is a lively exploration of contemporary art, where creativity and community converge in a celebration of innovation and tradition.
Guided by the thoughtful curatorial vision of Lucy and Dandy Michener, this seasonal show embraces both the richness of our cultural heritage and the excitement of emerging ideas.
The exhibition not only honors our community’s deep artistic roots but also invites visitors to experience new ways of seeing and understanding the world. In doing so, it reaffirms our commitment to fostering a space that celebrates cultural identity, encourages thoughtful engagement, and inspires progressive artistic exploration.
Important Dates
3/28: Art Intake, 3-6PM. Drop off your work at ACC, 24 Second St. Athens NY 12015
4/3: First Friday Reception and Opening, 5-7PM
4/26: Art Pickup, 12-5PM. Pick up your work from ACCArtwork Requirements
- original work
- does not exceed 36” in any dimension or 20lbs in weight
- has not previously been shown at ACC
- wired and ready for installation
- up to two artworks per participant
BECOME A MEMBER >
JOIN THE SHOW > -
5/1/26 - 5/17/26
Annual Coxsackie-Athens Central School District K-12 exhibit. -
6/5/26 - 8/16/26
Curator Yasmeen M. Siddiqui brings together three internationally recognized artists Elana Herzog, Jean Shin, and Brigitta Váradi.
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8/21/26 - 10/11/26
The Greene Land Trust exhibition showcases the diverse landscapes and protected properties under the Trust’s stewardship, celebrating the natural beauty and ecological significance of the region. -
11/6/26 - 12/13/26
Our annual Members’ Small Works Exhibition features a diverse range of artwork, each roughly 12" x 12" or smaller, highlighting the remarkable creativity and talent of our member artists.
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12/19/26 - 1/24/27
ACC’s annual tradition of celebrating the people, history, and creative spirit of Athens.