Saugerties, N.Y. – Opus 40 Sculpture Park in Saugerties, NY, has opened for its 2024 season of visits, events, guided tours, and educational and environmental programs.
Visiting hours are weekends only in April, Friday—Monday in May and Thursday—Monday from Memorial Day through Labor Day. All visits include access to the in-earth bluestone sculpture created over nearly 40 years by artist Harvey Fite; the Quarryman’s Museum, featuring tools from the quarriers who harvested bluestone on site for decades; the Opus 40 Gallery featuring a rotating schedule of exhibits; former quarry trials for walking; and guided tours with the organization’s resident expert John Cederquist who knew both Harvey and Barbara Fite.
Full information about visiting is here: https://opus40.org/visit/
Opus 40’s popular event season, curated by former BSP Kingston talent buyer and founder of Chosen Family Presents Mike Amari, kicks off on April 28 with Catskill Mountain Shakespeare’s performance of Shakespeare’s magical play The Tempest, performed on the site’s main meadow with Harvey Fite’s sculpture and the Catskill Mountains as frame. On May 2nd, the Opus 40 Gallery, curated by photographer China Jorrin, hosts an opening party for an exhibit from the Saugerties Artists Studio Tour, featuring small works from participating artists in the 2024 Tour. On May 9, the site will come alive as the fabulous cumbia-experimentalists from Bogotá: Meridian Brothers perform with DJ Shakti and visuals by local artist BA Miale. On May 12, saxophonist, multireedist, and composer Colin Stetson performs. Opus 40’s annual Community Day, free for Hudson Valley residents, is happening on May 18 and features a fabulous array of activities, food, and vendors. Free offerings include a Mushroom Walk with Luke Sarrantonio, Plein Air Painting Demo with Woodstock School of Art, Catskill Music Together Kids Interactive Music Class, a Story Slam with Hudson Valley Story Workshops, and much more. Rounding out the month will be a weekend of movies on the big screen with Upstate Films on the Friday and Saturday of Memorial Day weekend —This is Spinal Tap and O, Brother Where Art Thou? — and a special performance with neo-soul indie artist Nick Hakim on May 29.
The full, and regularly updated, performance listings including two nights with the legendary Sun Ra Arkestra, British post-punkers Dry Cleaning, Grammy award winning Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab, Mexican marimba smashers Son Rompe Pera and more can be found here: https://opus40.org/events/
2024 also includes expanded educational and environmental offerings such as drystone walling workshops with the Stone Trust in Vermont, dedicated to the ancient art of drystone walling which so inspired Fite; Mindful Birding Walks with the Feminist Bird Club; Woodland Walks with Wild Hudson Valley; geology walks with Robert Titus; Mushroom Foraging with Chicory Naturalist, and more. Weekly yoga with Kelli Gillmore, qigong with Jill Schwartz, flower essence making with Aurabelle Wrolsen will also be back, as will small artmaking for children on weekends.
Information on classes, workshops and nature walks is here: https://opus40.org/education-environment/workshops/
The 2024 Season is generously supported by
The New York State Council on the Arts
The Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation
Lake Placid Arts
Hudson Valley Credit Union
The Kvistad Foundation
Town & Country Liquors
& Krause’s Chocolates
For more information: Caroline Crumpacker, caroline@opus40.org or 845-681-9352
High Res Photos: https://bit.ly/Opus40Photographs
Website: https://opus40.org