July 1-30: The Hills Have Eyes, Artists of Hillsdale + Neighbors

Linda Stillman, August Garden Scroll, 2002/2016, acrylic, gouache, pencil, colored pencil, ink, flower stain, scanned laser prints of dried plants, string, push pins on paper, 36 inches x 14 feet. Inquiries: julielabspace@gmail.com.

Join us 1-5pm Saturday July 1st for the Opening Reception of The Hills Have Eyes: Artists of Hillsdale + Neighbors 🥂

Hello friends! Please join us Saturday July 1st, 1-5pm for the Opening Reception of The Hills Have Eyes Come out to meet and celebrate the artists of Hillsdale, neighboring towns and environs: Les Baum, Martha Bone, Louis Brawley, Ian Wilson Clyde, Peter Bradley Cohen, Stuart Farmery, Jean Feinberg, Marianne Gagnier, Joan Grubin, GUZMAN, Sean Hutcheon, Susan Jennings, Erick Johnson, Jennifer Johnson, Suzi Matthews, James Menshenfriend, Rylan Morrison, Kristen Palazzo, Susan Petry, Liz Sample, Karin Schaefer, Kim Sloane, Joseph Stabilito, Linda Stillman, Guy Walker Saturday will be a super fun and busy day in the area, and we’ll have an open house all afternoon We look forward to seeing you soon! XO Ellen + Julie

Erick Johnson, Triple Infinity 1, 2023, oil on panel, 14 x 11 inches. Inquiries: julielabspace@gmail.com. Full exhibition checklist coming soon.

The Hills Have Eyes: Artists of Hillsdale + Neighbors Opening Reception with the artists Saturday July 1st, 1-5pm On view Saturdays + Sundays 1-5pm through July 30 Extended hours for Upstate Art Weekend: July 21-24th, 10am-6pm

LABspace 2642 NY Route 23, Hillsdale NY 12529 Inquiries: julielabspace@gmail.com Full exhibition checklist coming soon

The hills surrounding LABspace are inhabited by skilled artists and makers who are keen observers In the five years that we have been in Hillsdale, these exceptional artists have also looked out for and watched over us These are artists who are actively engaged with our programming, exhibitions and events These are friends and neighbors who have come to our aid when we’ve needed help Gallery life can be hectic. It really does take a village This exhibition will feature recent paintings, sculpture, ceramics, photography, fiber, installation, and organic work sourced from the natural environment We are thrilled for you to see the powerful artwork being made in our small hamlet, and within minutes of the gallery Please join us for this love letter to the artists of Hillsdale + our neighbors The hills are alive 🌱

LABspace is located below Hillsdale General Store, and Cook & Larder Down the road from Sylvan Motor Lodge and The Alander 17 miles east of Hudson NY • 17 miles north of Millerton NY • 11 miles west of Great Barrington MA LABspace was founded and directed by artist Susan Jennings 2014-2018, and has been the curatorial project of artists Ellen Letcher and Julie Torres since April 2018 We have recently celebrated our fifth year of programming since taking the reins, thanks to all of you and to SJ

Audrey Francis: Bird Brain Closing Party & Link to Stream Conversation with Jennifer Samet

Thank you Petey, Anna and Kristen for your super fun visit and this sweet photo! Audrey Francis: Bird Brain Closing Celebration is on Sunday June 25th, 1-5pm. Full exhibition checklist here. Inquiries: julielabspace@gmail.com.

Final Weekend to see Audrey Francis: Bird Brain Saturday + Sunday 1-5pm! — Closing Party with Audrey Sunday June 25th, 1-5pm 🎈 — Link to Audrey’s conversation with Jennifer Samet below

Hello friends, It’s the FINAL WEEKEND to see Audrey Francis’ solo exhibition Bird Brain! These stunning paintings and pastels must be seen in person Visit us Saturday + Sunday 1-5pm, and please JOIN US for a Closing Party with Audrey on Sunday June 25th, 1-5pm 🥂 Huge thank you to Audrey for the incredible work that she has made expressly for this exhibition over the past two years. We have been so proud and beyond honored to share it with all of you ❤️ Click below to hear Audrey’s talk with Jennifer Samet, recorded live at LABspace on June 4th! Thank you all and see you here very soon, XO Ellen + Julie

Click image to listen to Audrey Francis in conversation with Jennifer Samet, recorded live at LABspace on June 4th. Huge thank you to Audrey and Jennifer for this fascinating dive into the backstories and origins of the work on view! Stream it here.

Audrey Francis: Bird Brain  On view Saturday + Sunday 1-5pm through June 25th CLOSING PARTY with Audrey on Sunday June 25th, 1-5pm 🎉

LABspace 2642 NY Route 23, Hillsdale NY 12529 Inquiries: julielabspace@gmail.com Full exhibition checklist here

Thank you to Taliesin Thomas for this review of Audrey Francis: Bird Brain on Chronogram. Full exhibition checklist here. Inquiries: julielabspace@gmail.com

LABspace is located below Hillsdale General Store and Cook & Larder 17 miles east of Hudson NY • 17 miles north of Millerton NY • 11 miles west of Great Barrington MA LABspace was founded and directed by artist Susan Jennings 2014-2018, and has been the curatorial project of artists Ellen Letcher and Julie Torres since April 2018. We have just celebrated our fifth year of programming since taking the reins. HUGE THANKS TO ALL OF YOU and to SJ!

Audrey Francis: Bird Brain, May 6-June 25, 2023

Audrey Francis, Shh, 2022, oil on canvas, 22 x 30 inches. On view in Bird Brain, May 6-June 25. Exhibition preview coming soon. Inquiries: julielabspace@gmail.com

Audrey Francis: Bird Brain Saturday + Sunday 1-5pm Through June 25

Hello friends! We are thrilled to present Rhinebeck NY artist Audrey Francis’ first solo exhibition with LABspace Please join us in welcoming art historian, curator, and writer Jennifer Samet for an in-person Beer with a Painter conversation with Audrey Francis on Sunday June 4th at 2pm A selection of locally brewed craft beer will be provided for the occasion by Rare Form of Troy NY, and soft pretzels from Hillsdale’s Cook & Larder Please bring a chair or blanket and meet us in the LABspace courtyard for this fun afternoon of art, beer and conversation 🌱 Huge thanks to Jennifer, Audrey, Rare Form, and Cook & Larder! See you here soon, xo Ellen + Julie

Audrey Francis, Collateral, 2023, pastel on paper, 45.5 x 36 inches. On view in Bird Brain, May 6-June 25. Inquiries: julielabspace@gmail.com

Audrey Francis: Bird Brain May 6-June 25, 2023 Beer with a Painter conversation: Jennifer Samet speaks with Audrey Francis about her work on Sunday June 4th at 2pm in the LABspace courtyard On view Saturdays + Sundays 1-5pm and by appointment through June 25

LABspace 2642 NY Route 23, Hillsdale NY 12529 Inquiries: julielabspace@gmail.com

Audrey Francis, Look out, 2022, oil on canvas, 48 x 35 inches. On view in Bird Brain, May 6-June 25. Inquiries: julielabspace@gmail.com

Audrey Francis writes about her work in Bird Brain: My recent oil paintings and pastels depict a range of avian themes. Although I am not a birder, my son is, and that familial connection to nature engendered, in part, my obsession with birds and their attendant metaphors and symbolisms. I often place birds as significant figures in various social, political, and feminist narratives within my work. The roles they play include silent witnesses, surrogates embodying my views on global issues, and incarnations of my desire to physically and mentally free myself from world affairs. My process, especially with oil paint, is slow and painstaking and my thoughts can often outpace the speed of my brush. Sometimes narratives can spontaneously change course in a work in progress, and I see this as an opportunity to embrace unexpected transformations and connections between themes. My work can also be observational, providing pictorial space for detailed depictions of birds and other figures, as well as investigations into color, line, form, and movement. Whether my work leans toward narrative or observation, I always incorporate fashion, pattern, and the natural world as complementary grounding elements. Throughout my career as an artist, I have endeavored to paint what I know and what moves me. My recent work about birds conveys an authentic and personal experience of contemporary life through the mediation of one of the most expressive and symbolic members of the animal world.

Audrey Francis’ diverse practice includes painting, works on paper, collage, sculpture, and textile art. Thematically her work explores a range of social factors including gender, politics of the body, sexuality, ideas of beauty, and her Latina heritage. Narrative—combined with fashion, pattern, and nature—often drives her painterly, chromatically-rich works. Francis cites outsider/folk art, modern narrative figural work, and baroque portraiture as influences. Francis’ work has been featured in over fifty exhibitions nationally, and may be found in private and corporate collections worldwide including the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in New York. Recent exhibitions include Mountain High, Valley Low and The Magic Garden, both at LABspace; Infinite Uncertainty at Opalka Gallery in Albany NY; LatinX at The Howland Cultural Center in Beacon NY; Showcase at The Moviehouse in Millerton NY; and Vista Panoramico at Ann Street Gallery in Newburgh NY, where Ellen Letcher and Julie Torres were first introduced to Audrey Francis and her work by director and exhibition curator Virginia Walsh. Francis holds an MFA in Painting from SUNY New Paltz, and a BFA in Illustration from Syracuse University. She has taught painting at SUNY New Paltz and design at Dutchess Community College. She is the recipient of various awards and honors, most recently the Research and Creative Projects Award, SUNY; The Joan Mitchell Award Nomination; and the Barrett Art Center Award. Francis has been an artist in residence at the Nantucket Island School of Design & The Arts. She is based in New York’s Hudson Valley.

Jennifer Samet is a New York City-based art historian, curator, and writer who specializes in contemporary and post-war painting. She is a Director of Eric Firestone Gallery and a member of the faculty at the New York Studio School. She is the author of the column Beer with a Painter in Hyperallergic Weekend Edition. Thank you to Taliesin Thomas for this review of Audrey Francis: Bird Brain on Chronogram. Exhibition checklist here. Inquiries: julielabspace@gmail.com

LABspace is located below Hillsdale General Store and Cook & Larder Down the road from Sylvan Motor Lodge and The Alander 17 miles east of Hudson NY • 17 miles north of Millerton NY • 11 miles west of Great Barrington MA LABspace was founded and directed by artist Susan Jennings 2014-2018, and has been the curatorial project of artists Ellen Letcher and Julie Torres since April 2018.

Closing Sunday April 30: BODY HIGH, Dee Shapiro, MASS MoMA

Pauline Decarmo, THE HAPPY FRIENDS I, 2023, acrylic on wood, 8 x 8 inches, on view in BODY HIGH through April 30. Full exhibition checklist here, inquiries: julielabspace@gmail.com.

Dee Shapiro, West Village, 2009, oil on board, 3 x 10 inches + frame, on view in Dee Shapiro: Peripheral Visions through April 30. Full exhibition checklist here, inquiries: julielabspace@gmail.com.

Final 2 weekends for Dee Shapiro: Peripheral Visions + BODY HIGH at LABspace AND for MASS MoMA at TurnPark Art Space in West Stockbridge MA

Hello friends! It’s going to be a beautiful spring weekend and there are only 2 WEEKENDS LEFT to see 3 shows that we have poured our hearts into— Dee Shapiro: Peripheral Visions + BODY HIGH are on view Saturdays + Sundays 1-5pm through April 30 at LABspace Please join us for a Closing Celebration next Sunday April 30th, 1-5pm!

MASS MoMA: Artists of the Berkshires and Pioneer Valley is on view at TurnPark Art Space through April 30. Inquiries: info@turnpark.com. Full exhibition checklist here. Click image for a quick video peek of the exhibition, courtesy MASS MoMA artist Seth Koen.

ALSO CLOSING on Sunday April 30th is MASS MoMA: Artists of the Berkshires and Pioneer Valley at TurnPark Art Space, featuring: Yura Adams, Reed Anderson, Susannah Auferoth, Richard Britell, Donnabelle Casis, Brantner Deatley, Shoshana Deatley, Carol Diehl, Katharine Dufault, Grigori Fateyev, Jacob Fossum, Jared Gelormino, Sean Greene, GUZMAN, Brece Honeycutt, Wayne Hopkins, Jane Hudson, Susan Jennings, Philip Knoll, Seth Koen, Ellie Kreischer, Zohar Lazar, Sharon Ligorner, Sue Muskat, Cassi Namoda, Barbara Neulinger, Sara Farrell Okamura, Hideyo Okamura, Mark Olshansky, Kristen Palazzo, Ron Ronan, Alexander Ross, Karin Schaefer, Katy Schneider, Katia Santibañez, Julie Shapiro, James Siena, Shira Toren, Cathy Wysocki, and Geoffrey Young   Run to see this showcase of 40 artists living and working in Western Mass, before it disappears! Meet up with some of the artists on Closing Day, Sunday April 30th 3-5pm for an informal goodbye This exhibition is curated by LABspace, and coordinated by Michelle Kaplan and Jared Gelormino of TurnPark Art Space Huge thank you to all of the artists, and to Michelle Kaplan, Jared Gelormino, and TurnPark Art Space ❤️ — MASS MoMA: Artists of the Berkshires and Pioneer Valley On view Saturdays and Sundays 1-5pm through April 30 Informal gathering on Closing Day, Sunday April 30th, 3-5pm Gatehouse Gallery TurnPark Art Space 2 Moscow Road West Stockbridge MA

On view at LABspace Saturdays + Sundays 1-5pm through April 30 Closing Celebration next Sunday April 30th, 1-5pm Gallery One— BODY HIGH group exhibition featuring Pauline Decarmo, Lois Dickson, Jacob Fossum, Zohar Lazar, Rebecca Litt, Kelsey Renko, Julia Schwartz, Olivia Tawzer, and Michael Van Winkle Gallery Two— Dee Shapiro: Peripheral Visions solo exhibition

LABspace 2642 NY Route 23, Hillsdale NY 12529 Inquiries: julielabspace@gmail.com Click here to read Taliesin Thomas’s review of BODY HIGH and Dee Shapiro: Peripheral Visions in the April 2023 Chronogram

Located below Hillsdale General Store and Cook & Larder 17 miles east of Hudson NY 17 miles north of Millerton NY 11 miles west of Great Barrington MA

LABspace was founded and directed by artist Susan Jennings 2014-2018, and has been the curatorial project of artists Ellen Letcher and Julie Torres since April 2018.