There’s Art Down On The Farm

Artwork by Linda Schmidt (photo source: facebook.com)

Most serious sculpture exhibitions have daunting requirements–a long list of honorariums, a vitae of prestigious exhibitions, and professional references.  One exhibition we know and love has some slightly eccentric criteria—artworks that are cow-proof, hurricane resistant and having no sharp objects that a cow, for instance, might unwittingly bump into. This exhibition takes place on an active farm, where the 30-or-so Black Angus cattle roam freely through the woody glens and open fields of Saunders Farm. If you are going, head for Old Albany Post Road, the historic earthen highway of the original route between New York City and Albany.

The exhibition is presented by Collaborative Concepts, a not-for-profit arts organization with a mission based on the belief that “professional artists working together can achieve artful accomplishments and provide the community with exceptional cultural experiences.” Founded in 1999, Collaborative Concepts has curated more than 40 exhibitions in galleries and outdoor settings in the Hudson Valley. In 2006, they presented their first installation at Saunders Farm at the invitation of a Putnam County resident, Alexander “Sandy” Saunders, known for his work on the Clearwater Sloop. This year will be the 14th year of the farm exhibition, which is presented in collaboration with the Putnam Arts Council.

The Collaborative Concepts Curating Committee chose forty-eight artists’ work for the 2019 show. Many of these artists are Westchester County-based, including the organization’s president Jo-Ann Brody, Inez Andrucyk, Marcy B. Freedman, Carla Rae Johnson and Alex Uribe. The Collaborative Concepts at Saunders Farm exhibition is free to the public and can be viewed from 10am to dusk through October 27. On Saturday, September 21, from 2-6pm is the mid-run reception, featuring classical music, theatre and jazz.

Collaborative Concepts at Saunders Farm is made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts and is one of the few venues open to talented sculptors from the region.

And remember, all of the artwork shown is for sale!