Meet the Controversial Artist Making a Difference in Up-State New York
As masked art lovers flock to see the activist art show Jewel the Wound, in Hudson NY, detractors fly confederate flags on their pick-up trucks as they stalk the Warren Street gallery
HUDSON VALLEY, N.Y.: A protester wears a mask depicting a burning America flag. A naked woman in resplendent repose spreads her legs. Kaepernick and Malcolm X kneel together, one in protest the other in prayer at a Mosque in Egypt. Dead black bodies pile up to create a bridge across a divided society, while in a carnival shooting game, black bodies are the target. This is Jewel the Wound, a powerful art exhibition that has united and energized the small, diverse community in Hudson, NY, and where, due to unprecedented demand, the show is extending its run through the end of November.
Inspired by a quote by Artist Myron Polenberg, "Plywood is the Canvas of the Movement," twenty-eight artists have produced original work on plywood. The show, which was originally scheduled to close shortly after the Presidential election, is donating a minimum of 25% of sales to local not-for-profits fighting for social justice.
The show is a COVID safe online/in-person partnership between the hudsonartfair.com and The Hudson Milliner Art Salon that features a wide array of artistic talent headlined by Tschabalala Self, Michele Quan, and Charlotta Janssen, rising stars Louise Smith, and Huê Thi, underrepresented artists Lucy Welch, and Chiarra Hughes, street artists Ntchota Badila, and Baju Wijono and many others.
Rise Through Rage Detail by Chiarra Hughes
The reaction from the community has been supportive, and the show has created solidarity within a diverse audience. Nevertheless, there have been detractors and disruptors in the form of confederate flag flying pick-up trucks that slow as they pass the gallery before gunning their Hemmi's in threatening disapproval. But overall, the show is being hailed a success by the artists, the organizations they are supporting, and the town itself - as it works to position itself as an Up-State New York cultural hub. Artist Jeremy Bullis imagining that this coming together of artists would be remembered as a turning point in the Town's cultural history.
