Evoking Dialogue with NXTHVN’s “Double Down” at The Campus
The Campus is on view until October 27 on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 to 5 p.m.
Adrian Armstrong. The Adoration of the Magi - Three Kings in Christian Dior [Working title], 2024. Photo by Chris Gardner.
As I entered The Campus’ empty, echo-billowing space, I realized how lucky I’d been to view the artwork while no one was in the building. In comparison to their bustling opening, I made it just in time before art buffs slowly but surely made their way up for Upstate Art Weekend. Located right outside of Hudson in Claverack, New York, The Campus has harbored the attention of both city and non-city folk. It came to life with the collaborative help of six galleries: Bortolami, James Cohan, kaufmann repetto, Anton Kern, Andrew Kreps, and kurimanzutto. What once was an elementary school that had been vacant since the 1990s, these gallerists, alongside curator Timo Kappeller, created this inaugural exhibition to reshape the dialogue and expand cultural exchange and representation in and beyond the space.
Walking down the endless, liminal hallways that is The Campus, etched and weaved into the 78,000 square-foot school were 40 unscathed classrooms filled with 80 different artists’ paintings, sculptures, and installations. As you enter the building, you’re met with a disproportionately large gymnasium with towering sculptures, installations, painted basketball rims, and a colossal neon sign reading “Climate change is real” with over ten artists, including Andrea Bowers, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Trenton Doyle Hancock, and many more.
Despite the temptation to enter the gymnasium first, I was overwhelmed with curiosity about what was inside each room. To the left of the entrance is the principal’s office, where gallerists gathered and co-worked. To the right is The Campus’ partner NXTHVN, a New Haven-based gallery that emphasizes education, accessibility, and collaboration for artists, curators, and communities. With the help of NXTHVN’s Cohort 5 Studio, Curatorial Fellows Marquita Flowers and Clare Patrick, and founders Titus Kaphar and Jason Price, the annual fellowship aims to create a platform and empower underrepresented artists and curators.
The exhibition, Double Down, features the works of Studio Fellows Adrian Armstrong, Alexandria Couch, Eric Hart Jr., Fidelis Joseph, Jamaal Peterman, Eugene Macki, and Alex Puz. Filling two empty classrooms, Double Down explores diffusion when artists become kindred with one another and their works. Saturation is a recurring theme in bridging the gap between visualizing and conceptualizing artists’ own art and others around them. Deep, vibrant colors of paintings and mixed media installations by Armstrong, Couch, and Peterman contrast yet complement Macki’s material-heavy cultures.
Joseph’s intricate brush strokes and abstraction harmonize with Puz’s color theory paint technique and Hart’s distinctively hued photography. Like every room in The Campus, Double Down was created through conversation, dialogue, and working alongside its counterparts. Each piece is intended to create nuance and stop the viewer in their tracks. Whether the room is packed to the brim with viewers or completely empty, the entire exhibition juxtaposes the visual weight of the room through the stimulation of each piece in an empty space.
Throughout The Campus are visual landscapes that evoke urgency through themes like spirituality, social and environmental justice, juxtaposition, education, autonomy, and more. Outside of The Campus is also a sculptural series by Maren Hassinger titled Steel Bodies. The archetypal installation serves as a metaphor for the equality of the human body. In addition to appreciating the space for what it once was, The Campus recognizes its respect for the ancestral home of the Mohican and Schaghticoke People.
The Campus is on view until October 27 on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 to 5 p.m. It’s free to attend, and a portion of sales will go towards the continuation of building The Campus in the future.
