THE POP UP GALLERY GROUP was born through a partnership with the City of Kingston and the Kingston City Schools. The KHS art department was asked to create an after school program that engaged students in Kingston, through the Arts. With Kingston coming into it's own as a vibrant Arts center, but Midtown, Kingston struggling to fill its empty storefronts, we made it our mission to transform those empty storefronts into opportunities for artists, students and the community. The community has been supportive and this experiment has provided many opportunities for our students to engage, learning skills in arts management, the power of community arts collaborations, and most recently we have been able to offer hands on art making opportunities, as our alumni artists have stepped up to offer workshops and series to the public.

Take a look at our WORK.

“The Exaggerated and the Unreal” Paintings by Maxim von Eikh

Kingston Artists Collective, April 4-30, 2019

With intensity and visceral quality, von Eikh’s work comes to life through mark making inspired by the rough and ruined nature of urban decay, graffiti art, and the exaggerated qualities often found in a free imagination (day dreaming or mental un-health). Reiterating practices that are both practiced well and are seen as raw and obsessive techniques von Eikh forgoes the lessons learned by masters as well as the mistakes made by previous artists and simply goes all in, using his gut and his intuition to meld the mediums (anything available) at his fingertips into an image perhaps palpable, perhaps upsetting but always hallucinatory and even surreal in nature. The exaggerated is his aim and it is his longing in expression, his constant upending desire to create in the raw that fuels his work.

“Picking Up the Pieces: Transformation of life after loss.”

Kingston Artist Collective, March 2-28 2019

Amy Ackerman has lived her life surrounded by art. She has lived through and with her artwork, blending her painting and life together in her career. Amy’s paintings are a unique blend of emotion, passion, and mystery. There is magic in her paintings.

A natural painter, Amy understands the processes of paint. She lets the piece take her to wherever it goes, letting the work decide its outcome. Ackerman looks to bring her talents to children’s book illustration to inspire imaginative growth. With her skill set, it’s more than possible.

www.amyackermanart.com

Photographs Opening reception by Katherine Solomon, Saturday, January 5, 6pm-8pm

Katherine Solomon is a photographer from Rosendale, now living in New York City.
She graduated from Kingston High School in 2010, and attended Skidmore College. Since graduating, Katherine has worked as a photo assistant, worked in the photo department in a furniture warehouse, and worked in a gallery. She is currently assisting photographer, Mark Seliger.
In her own work, she has photographed for a few magazines, including Teen Vogue and Nylon.
She loves photographing animals and domesticity.

Artist Statement:

In my work I tend to focus on the same themes over and over. I am obsessed with ideas of domesticity and the troubled housewife. I have tried and tried to broaden my interests, but I keep returning to photographing housewife scenes over and over again. I think my pictures tend towards having a darker undertone. Photographs that are most interesting to me are pictures that have an obvious story to tell (with lots to look at), but you are left to come up with the story yourself.

www.KatherineSolomon.com

Vincent Pidone: At the Kingston Artist Collective in collaboration with The PUGG

The Opening Reception was held from 5-7pm, July 7th, 2018.

Pidone’s work can be described as geometric abstraction exploring his enduring interest in Morie Patterns. He describes himself as self-taught, but not naïve

The KAC is a community space and cafe and it is modeled after DIY Art Spaces, focused on creating safe and supportive centers for community organizing, conversation, recess, education, films, and performances.