Bard Spring Season

The Spring Season at Fischer Center at Bard College in Dutchess County begins this Saturday, January 31 at 8 p.m. with an Opera workshop called “Danger and Devotion,” staging operatic scenes from the 1600s to the 1900s. Students from the Bard College Opera Workshop will perform in the chorus and as soloists. Founded in 1860 in Annandale-on-Hudson, in Dutchess County, New York, Bard College has been a haven for writers, artists, intellectuals, and scientists since the mid-1930s, when many luminaries fled Europe and settled in New York. The college is an important cultural institution in the region, and includes the Hessel Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. In addition, every summer Bard offers an eight week long arts festival – Bard SummerScape, which takes place in July and August, and a classical music festival – Bard Music Festival, which takes place in August. For full program, visit http://fishercenter.bard.edu/springevents/.

The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College

Also, in Dutchess County the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College is opening a new exhibit this Friday, January 30 – XL: Large-Scale Paintings from the Permanent Collection, on view through March 29. Founded in 1864, the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center houses over 18,000 paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculptures, textiles, ceramics and glass wares from ancient times to the present. The collections include many European and American masters, such as Albrecht Durer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Pablo Picasso, and others. The Warburg Collection contains works by leading artists of the Hudson River School of Painting such as Frederic Edwin Church. Two new installations are also worth checking out: http://info.vassar.edu/news/announcements/2014-2015/150123-fllac-installations.html. For more information about Vassar’s Art Center, visit http://fllac.vassar.edu.

Carrie Haddad Gallery

Carrie Haddad Gallery, located in Hudson, Columbia County, opened in 1991 as the city’s first gallery. It showcases many established as well as emerging artists. Painted Cities, a multi-media group show, opened this Wednesday, January 28 and will run through March 1. The gallery is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 12 noon to 5 p.m. For more information, visit http://carriehaddadgallery.com/

Huguenot Street

Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz, Ulster County, includes seven authentic historic stone houses built by Huguenot settlers fleeing Europe in the late 1600s – early 1700s. The seven existing homes were built between 1705 and 1799 in the Dutch rural architectural style – some of these households also include Federal elements. In addition to these homes, the Historic Huguenot Street includes a church, a research library, and an archive. The street, in its current state, was founded in 1894 by the descendents of the first settlers; it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960. Special events are organized year round. For more information, visit http://www.huguenotstreet.org.

Arts Society of Kingston 

Arts Society of Kingston (ASK) in Ulster County was founded in 1995, and presents ten – twelve juried art shows each year. Workshops and other events are organized year round, including poetry readings, musicals, plays, and other performances. On view through January 31 there is a member exhibition called Interaction of Color, and a spotlight exhibit featuring paintings by Isaac Abrams inspired by Physics, Chemistry and Biology. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 1 to 6 p.m., and by appointment. For more information, visit http://www.askforarts.org.

Enjoy an artful Catskills weekend!