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Wednesday 11am - 5pm Thursday 11am - 5pm Friday 11am - 5pm Saturday 11am - 5pm Sunday 11am - 5pm

Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art (SDMA)

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Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art (SDMA)

http://newpaltz.edu/museum

https://www.instagram.com/dorskymuseum/

The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at the State University of New York at New Paltz (The Dorsky) is located at the center of the SUNY New Paltz campus. It is one of the largest museums in the SUNY system, with more than 9,000 square feet of exhibition space distributed over six galleries. Through its collections, exhibitions, and public programs, the Dorsky 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 Dorsky's permanent collection comprises more than 5,000 works of art, with areas of focus that include American Art, with an emphasis on the Hudson Valley and Catskill Regions, 19th, 20th and 21st century photography and metals. A small but excellent "world collection" of art and artifacts dating back to ancient times and representing diverse cultures enhances the museum's exhibitions and educational programs. The Dorsky's temporary exhibition program includes exhibitions drawn from the museum's collection as well as exhibitions, installations, and projects by nationally and internationally recognized artists. Each summer the Museum sponsors thematic exhibitions of work by Hudson Valley artists, featuring works by artists living in the mid-Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountain regions.

06/01/2026

Opening June 17

"In Our Time: R. B. Kitaj and Books" presents Kitaj's complete 1969–70 portfolio of fifty silkscreen prints based on books and printed materials from the artist's personal library.

Drawn from the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art collection, the works reveal connections between art, literature, politics, history, and personal memory. Included as a coda to the exhibition is "Forced Omission", a series of paintings by Hudson Valley-based contemporary artist Daria Irincheeva.

Guest curated by Reva Wolf in collaboration with students from her Fall 2025 course, Printmaking, Books, and R. B. Kitaj.

June 17–November 8, 2026

05/19/2026

Tomorrow in Kingston.

Join us for “Watts per Lumen: A Conversation on the Social and Sensory Perceptions That Light Mediates,” an offsite public program presented in collaboration with Chronogram and Lite Brite Neon Studio.

Artists Glenn Ligon, Rob Pruitt, LJ Roberts, and Erika deVries join curator Sophie Landres and Lite Brite Neon Studio Co-Director matteline deVries-dilling for a conversation exploring light as material, media, perception, and social force.

Wednesday, May 20, 2026
6–8 PM
The Fuller Building, Kingston, NY

Free admission with RSVP. Link in bio.

Image: Glenn Ligon, "Double Mirror", 2015, © Glenn Ligon; courtesy of the artist, Hauser & Wirth, and Thomas Dane Gallery.

04/23/2026

Mary Weatherford�“The Wind and the Sail,” 2023

While driving through Bakersfield, California, Mary Weatherford became fascinated by the city’s flickering neon signs, both illuminated and burnt out. She began incorporating neon into her paintings as a gestural element, using electric light the way another painter might use a brushstroke.

In “The Wind and the Sail,” light and painted color begin to shift together as the eye adjusts.

On view in “Watts per Lumen” through July 12, 2026

Courtesy the artist and Gagosian

04/09/2026

Nicholas Galanin
“Neon American Anthem (red)”

Watts Per Lumen

through July 12, 2026

04/02/2026

Closing Day Walkthrough with Artists
Hudson Valley Artists: Terrestrial Extra

Thank you to the many artists who joined us on the final day of 'Terrestrial Extra', offering insight into their work and the ideas behind the exhibition.

With nearly all of the exhibiting artists present, the walkthrough created a rare opportunity to experience the show through the perspectives of those who made it.

Thank you as well to everyone who came out to spend the afternoon with us.

03/26/2026

Closing Day Walkthrough with Artists
Hudson Valley Artists: Terrestrial Extra

Join us this Sunday, March 29 at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art for the final day of Terrestrial Extra.
We will gather informally in the galleries, with several exhibiting artists in attendance. At 3pm, curators Alta Buden and Craig Monteith will lead a brief walkthrough of the exhibition, joined by artists who will speak about their work.

A final opportunity to experience the exhibition and engage directly with the artists and ideas behind the work.

🗓 Sunday, March 29
🕒 Walkthrough at 3pm
📍 The Dorsky Museum

Free and open to all.

03/04/2026

Curator Tour Tomorrow — 11am

Join guest curators Alta Buden and Craig Monteith of for a guided tour of ‘Hudson Valley Artists: Terrestrial Extra’ at The Dorsky Museum.

Bringing together 18 Hudson Valley–based artists, the exhibition explores how materials drawn from the Earth’s surface—or extracted from its depths—become generative tools in contemporary art.

🗓 Thursday, March 5
🕚 11am–12pm
📍 The Dorsky Museum
Free & open to all.

Featured work:
Shari Mendelson, Mirage in the Hills, 2025. Courtesy of the artist.

01/23/2026

🚨 Opening February 8: 'Hudson Valley Artists: Terrestrial Extra'

Join us for the 19th iteration of The Dorsky’s annual exhibition series featuring contemporary art made by artists in the Hudson Valley. Guest-curated by artists Alta Buden and Craig Monteith, 'Terrestrial Extra' explores how remnants from stone and sand quarries, cement factories and clay pits—stone, glass, cement and clay, along with products and byproducts including steel, wood and charcoal—are also generative art materials.

🗓️ On view February 8–March 29, 2026
🎉 Opening Party: 4-6 pm February 7
📍 The Dorsky Museum at SUNY New Paltz

Image: Dan Devine, "Tumble," 2025, courtesy the artist

01/22/2026

🚨 Opening February 8: 'Watts per Lumen'

As an object of study, light is hard to see. Ambivalently, it is both a particle with no mass and the fastest wave in the universe. As a material, it occupies great expanses of space yet presents itself as mere surface or void. 'Watts per Lumen' explores how we nevertheless orient ourselves through an interpretation of the energy that it carries.

🗓️ On view February 8–July 12, 2026
🎉 Opening Party: 4-6 pm February 7
📍 The Dorsky Museum at SUNY New Paltz

Image: Leslie Hewitt, "Daylight/Daylong 019," 2022, courtesy of the artist and Perrotin, photo by Guillaume Ziccarelli

01/16/2026

🎉 We can't wait to welcome you back to The Dorsky! 🎉

Please join us for our Spring Opening Party on Saturday, February 7 from 4–6 pm. Come celebrate our newest exhibitions, Terrestrial Extra and Watts per Lumen, and enjoy refreshments and community as we gear up for another exciting season!

Our regular public hours resume on February 8. Looking forward to seeing you next month! And, as always, we can't thank you enough for your support!

Address

1 Hawk Drive
New Paltz, NY
12561

Opening Hours

Wednesday	11am - 5pm
Thursday	11am - 5pm
Friday	11am - 5pm
Saturday	11am - 5pm
Sunday	11am - 5pm

Telephone

+18452573844

Website

http://newpaltz.edu/museum

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