A soaring, raw theater space that sat inaccessible for decades will become the site of a new immersive multimedia installation by artist Millicent Young, opening May 9.
“Holding Light Sutra,” presented by the arts nonprofit STRONGROOM in partnership with Safe Harbors of the Hudson’s Ann Street Gallery, will occupy the historic Ritz Theater Stagehouse. The installation marks a significant use of the venue, which Safe Harbors only recently reopened after it had been shuttered since the 1970s.
The center of the installation features a suspended cubic form constructed of white horsehair. The sculpture is designed to move with the air like breath while absorbing and fragmenting video projections of nature and structural ruins. The visual elements are paired with audio field recordings from the Atlantic coast and Ulster County, where Young is based.
“My artwork meets these events as matters of the soul—where collective history and personal story merge,” Young said. The artist noted the work explores themes of displacement and the loss of habitat, using the hair to represent “tethers that bind us against fragmentation.”
The exhibition will open Saturday, May 9, with a reception and artist discussion from 4 to 7 p.m. It will remain open weekends from noon to 5 p.m. through July 12.
Additional programming includes:
- May 31: A performance event featuring Timothy Hill and Jeni Ascosi.
- June 25–29: Extended hours for Upstate Art Weekend.
- July 12: A closing reception and screening of a project documentary.
Young, whose work has been featured on the cover of Sculpture Magazine and is included in the National Museum of Women in the Arts, has received numerous grants from the New York State Council on the Arts and the Henry Moore Foundation.
The Ritz Theater Stagehouse is located at 100 Ann St. in Newburgh. Admission details and further information can be found through STRONGROOM or the Ann Street Gallery.
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