Art Walk Kingston returns with 50 locations to visit throughout the city

The Hudson Valley has some of the most beautiful places to explore. Whether traveling by car, boat, bike, or foot, you can find incredible local shops, artists, and restaurants. If you are looking for an opportunity to immerse yourself in the arts, finding an artist studio tour is a perfect opportunity to dive into the artist’s inspiration and workspace.

Art Walk Kingston is a celebration of the arts and the local community. This year’s tour, Sept. 17-18, has over 145 artists participating, with more than 50 locations to visit and some special activities throughout the weekend. During the tour, visitors can chat with the artist in their private studio or gallery, learn about their work and often experience the process of creation.

Art Walk Kingston started seven years ago when two friends were chatting about the art happenings in the area and realized that there was no studio tour available. After sending out a survey to the public and getting an overwhelming positive response, volunteers set out to make the tour available to everyone.

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Some of the unique opportunities within the tour include The HoloCenter, which focuses on the art medium of optical holograms, light based installations, multi-dimensional imaging and experimental visual media, and is located in the Cornell Creative Arts Center. The Center for Photography at Woodstock will present photographs of Ernest Withers at the Rezny Gallery on Prince Street in Kingston. For over 60 years, Withers (1922-2007) recorded the everyday lives of the Black citizens of Memphis, Tennessee - a deeply segregated city remnant of the Jim Crow South.

During the tour, you may also meet French couple Jerome and Benedicte Leclere who craft every piece behind L'impatience. Their ceramics are handmade and come from their studio in Kingston. They invite us to rediscover the simple things, celebrate little moments and share them with others.

Those interested in the history of Kingston should explore a wide selection of stories and anecdotes about “Kingston Then & Now” told through more than 450 images and accompanying text presented by Stephen Blauweiss at the Fuller Building on Pine Grove Avenue.

Performance painter Nancy Ostrovsky will create original work at TR Gallo Park on Sept. 17, from 2-3:30 p.m. to the sounds of bassist Michael Bisio. Viewers can later head to Kingston Library for a film screening of "Can Art Stop a Bullet?" presented by Movies with Spirit at 7 p.m. Filmed on five continents, with contributions from some of the world’s most socially engaged artists, thinkers and activists, this documentary explores the relationship between art and activism.

Physical maps will be available throughout the city and at supporting locations like Rough Draft Bar and Books, Village Coffee and Goods, and Kingston Wine Company. This studio tour is a chance for artists to open their private studios to the public, allowing them an intimate look behind the finished product. We should all be so lucky.

If you go:

What: Art Walk Kingston

Where: Various locations in Kingston

When: noon to 5 p.m. Sept. 17 and 18

More information: artsmidhudson.org/artwalkkingston; Digital Map: map.artwalkkingston.com

Melissa Dvozenja-Thomas is the director of development and marketing for Arts Mid-Hudson. Art From Here appears every other week Sunday. Contact her at 845-454-3222 or melissa@artsmidhudson.org.

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: 50 places to stop: What to see at Art Walk Kingston, Sept. 15-17