The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz is pleased to announce the acquisition of new artwork by regional artist Samantha Bittman for its permanent collection. Both a textile work and a painting, Bittman’s Untitled, 2020 is made by weaving a geometric design and using the fabric as a surface for painting.
“In these works, the graphic and textured patterning of the hand-woven textile support gives me direction for painting, resulting in a surface that has areas of both acrylic paint and exposed hand-woven textile,” said Bittman.
“This particular work conflates craft and abstraction into one object, bringing attention to the expectations we carry for both types of art making while playing with our visual perception.” She adds: “It is an honor to receive this award and to be included with this group of artists working with fabric and fiber in the Hudson Valley.”
Bittman is one of 19 artists in Homespun, the annual Hudson Valley Artists exhibition, which this year was curated by invitation and features artists working with textiles. Homespun highlights a variety of materials and techniques, from sewing to weaving, needlework, quilting, collaging, dyeing and tufting. While each artist has a unique approach to their chosen medium, several distinct themes run through the exhibition, including the representation of women’s issues, the history of craft and fiber art, cultural heritage and the environment. The embrace of fabric and craft—commonly associated with women’s work—opposes and rebels against art history’s patriarchal value system. In addition, the techniques of weaving, sewing and quilting employed by artists in Homespun are traditional folk practices and challenge the hierarchical opposition of fine art vs. craft.
The acquisition is made possible thanks to The Dorsky’s Hudson Valley Artists Annual Purchase Award, which enables the Museum to acquire exceptional work by Hudson Valley artists and enrich its holdings in contemporary art from the region each year. The Purchase Award is supported by the Alice and Horace Chandler Art Acquisition Fund.
Previous Hudson Valley Artist Purchase Award recipients include ransome, Annie Raife, Donise English, Kathy Greenwood, Libby Paloma, Jean-Marc Superville Sovak, Richard Edelman, Deb Lucke, Nestor Madalengoita, Holly Hughes, Stephen Niccolls, Patrick Kelley, Adie Russell, Gilbert Plantinga, Thomas Sarrantonio, François Deschamps, Charles Geiger, Barbara Leon, Elisa Pritzker, Amy Talluto, Mollie McKinley and Adam Chau.
The next Hudson Valley Artists exhibition call to artists will go out in fall 2023. Artists who wish to receive notification of the artist’s call can subscribe to the Museum’s email list at http://www.newpaltz.edu/museum.
About The Dorsky Museum
Through its collections, exhibitions and public programs, the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz supports and enriches the academic programs at the College, presents a broad range of world art for study and enjoyment and serves as a center for Hudson Valley arts and culture. The Museum is widely recognized as the premier public showplace for exhibition, education and cultural scholarship about the Hudson Valley region’s art and artists from yesterday and today.
With more than 9,000 square feet of exhibition space distributed over six galleries, The Dorsky Museum is one of the largest museums in the SUNY system. Since its official dedication on October 20, 2001, The Dorsky has presented more than 100 exhibitions, including commissions, collection-based projects and in-depth studies of contemporary artists including Robert Morris, Alice Neel, Judy Pfaff, Carolee Schneemann and Ushio Shinohara.
Museum Hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, holidays and intersessions.
For more information about The Dorsky Museum and its programs, visit http://www.newpaltz.edu/museum or call (845) 257-3844.