(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Following the success and local impact of the inaugural edition of The Hudson Eye, the Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation has confirmed renewed funding for Edition #2, which will take place August 28-September 7, 2020. The festival will be curated by Aaron Levi Garvey.
In dialogue with local artists and local venues, the second iteration of the annual, 10-day artist-driven program — based in the dynamic and historic city of Hudson and with careful consideration for the artistic legacies of Hudson, beginning 200 years ago with the Hudson River School, as well as the cultural fabric of today’s Hudson communities — is mindfully crafting a lineup that highlights and celebrates the ongoing creative output of Hudson.
For 2020, the curatorial focus is on local artistic interventions within walkable Hudson, involving the local community in planning and studio visits, monthly, leading up to the program.
This annual program reveals the artistic undercurrent of Hudson through the activation of both known and alternative spaces.
Through a rigorously curated program across the disciplines of visual art, dance, music, performance art, and film, audiences will be invited to creative experiences as the program unfolds over 10 days, culminating on Labor Day. The Hudson Eye will spotlight and support both Hudson-based and returning artists at multiple local venues.
The Hudson Eye’s first edition hosted 12 programs across 11 venues and three public art installations during the 10-day program, featuring over 30 diverse artists and panelists with over 6,000 diverse attendees. While steering a local $50,000 matching grant, the program leveraged municipal funds from the City of Hudson and generated $468,000 in arts-based economic activity.