The Center for Photography at Woodstock (CPW) in Kingston, New York, has opened the first-ever New York Upstate Photography Biennial, featuring the work of 39 artists from the Hudson Valley and beyond. Co-curated by Marina Chao and Adam Giles Ryan, the exhibition showcases diverse photographic practices, including Morgan Gwenwald's documentation of a lesbian feminist collective in the 1970s, Allison DeBritz's collages challenging media objectification, Robert Kalman's portraits paired with handwritten responses about American identity, and Viktorsha Uliyanova's textile-based works confronting Soviet conformity. The show runs until September 6, 2026.
This biennial matters because it establishes a new platform dedicated exclusively to upstate New York photographers, a region often overshadowed by the New York City art scene. By highlighting 39 artists working across varied themes—from queer activism and domesticity to historical memory and political resistance—the exhibition asserts the vitality and diversity of photographic practice outside major urban centers. It also reinforces CPW's role as a key institutional supporter of regional photography, potentially influencing how upstate artists gain visibility and critical attention.