by Anne Sanger, Curator/co-founder

Kingston Social Co-founders (L to R) Samara Daly, Anne Sanger, and Helena Palazzi

Pinkwater Gallery in Kingston, New York, has come a very long way since 2019, when I started it on North Front Street in a rented storefront. My philosophy was that I could take my background in fashion and retail and translate it into a viable template for running an art gallery. Easier said than done.

Spring’ by Karen Barth featured in the café

My objective with the gallery had been to make a splash in an up-and-coming town with a higher end offering of art shown in the style of a city gallery, but accessible and affordable to a wider (and younger) audience more accustomed to experiencing and buying art online. Just six months after the gallery’s opening, a worldwide pandemic took hold, and I was forced to close my doors for several months.

Reopening in June 2020, the gallery began to show an eclectic array of art, including paintings, drawings, some sculpture as well as objets and monotype prints. I developed a concept called à la Maison to emphasize the home-friendly nature of the artwork exhibited. I narrowed the focus to spotlight women artists, back in 2021, and the public responded. However, the math never quite added up and toward the end of 2023, I closed the business.

Works from The Karen Barth Archive on the main gallery wall.

In talking with my co-curator and fellow artist Helena Palazzi, we decided to pivot and – with a third friend, Samara Daly – bought a building on Fair Street in Uptown Kingston where we could launch a new concept. The café, mercantile and gallery that became Kingston Social was born.

Artwork by Karen Barth, as featured in the mercantile

Kingston Social opened in May 2024 and the multi-themed business has been humming ever since. Serving authentic Italian coffee and espresso drinks, pastries and snacks, plus offering gifts and goods for the home, Kingston Social is also special because of the contemporary fine art on its walls and the welcoming, spacious design of its space. The artistic bent of the environment is uniquely appealing to the cross-section of lifelong locals, city transplants, and tourists from around the world.

Works from In Repose: The Paintings of Kristin Osterberg, recently on view

We continue to mount exhibitions of approximately eight to ten weeks in duration and featuring primarily women artists. We continue to show abstract art, though with the recently concluded In Repose: The Paintings of Kristin Osterberg, we are showing more representative work (portraits of women at rest as well as still life paintings). In November 2024, we will exhibit the surreal landscapes of Caroline Burdett, and next year we will include a show of fine art photography by three exciting young photographers from different parts of the United States.

We are excited about the future in Kingston, the Hudson Valley, and the “upstate” art scene at large. Pinkwater Gallery equally focuses on artists and art collectors. As an artist, I enjoy curating shows that center the process unique to each artist, telling the story of its making and offering information about the artist and their motivations in easily-digested language. For collectors, we offer payment plans and a way to envision artwork in the client’s own home. Our aim is to give collectors new to the art market a welcoming “way in”, while assisting seasoned collectors to find great art from less prominent voices. Works from past shows and current offerings may be viewed at www.pinkwatergallery.com. We ship everywhere in the continental United States.

by Susan M. Rostan, MFA, EdD, NAWA

Welcome the launch of Borshch of Art, a nonprofit organization with a mission to reclaim Ukrainian heritage by researching and properly acknowledging American artists of Ukrainian heritage and origin.

Through public programs, research, scholarships, publications, and its Discover Database of prominent artists and yet-to-be-discovered contemporary American artists of Ukrainian descent, Borshch of Art endeavors to offer opportunities to build knowledge, create a record of overlooked artists, and contribute to cultural heritage preservation. NAWA historical members Louise Nevelson and Anna Walinska are among the first cohort of artists featured by the new organization.

Founder Anastasia Gudko chose the name Borshch of Art because the Ukrainian dish “borshch” and its diverse ingredients reflect that the Ukrainian nation is multicultural and includes multiple ethnicities. The impetus for the venture was a lack of resources that provide information on modern and contemporary artists who immigrated from Ukraine. Educating herself on American artists, Gudko was stunned by the fact that museum labels and online catalogs often incorrectly indicate the artists’ origins: most Eastern European artists are assigned “Russia” as their place of birth or just called “Russian.”

The Discover Database is in the process of compiling an extensive collection of artist profiles. Each profile includes a short biography showcasing the artist’s notable works and insights into their creative process and influences. By exploring these profiles, art enthusiasts, scholars, and curious individuals can gain a deeper appreciation for the artists’ contributions and the cultural context in which they create.

The criteria for inclusion in the Discover Database:

• The artist was born in territories now part of Independent Ukraine as of 24 August 1991;
• First, second, or third-generation Americans of Ukrainian descent ;
• Artists born within the Modern and Contemporary art periods of roughly 1850 and the present day;
• Ukrainian artists who resided in the United States for a prolonged time and created a body or work in the US;
• Ukrainian artists who currently reside in the US and have immigrant or green card status or are naturalized citizens.

The Borshch of Art website is accessible online at borshchofart.org