Exhibition
June 5 – September 7, 2025
MANITOGA / The Russel Wright Design Center
Garrison, NY
All the Light and Shadow
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In partnership with Manitoga / The Russel Wright Design Center, River Valley Arts Collective is delighted to present All the Light and Shadow. Curated by Alyson Baker, the exhibition includes work by Stephanie Seal Brown, Zach Hadlock, Jonathan Kline, Alexandra Kohl, Re Jin Lee, Erin Rouse, Katie Strano and Natalia Woodward.
As makers of both fine art and functional objects, these artists are uniquely positioned to reveal the bonds that connect all forms of human creativity and how the impulse to share this gift can be expressed through skilled collaboration with material.
The framework of RVAC’s focal materials - fiber, wood, and clay – and the context of Manitoga’s remarkable historic home form the basis of a dialogue among this accomplished group of artisans about the intersections of craft and art within the domestic realm. With a palette of black and white, the works in the exhibition - while completely integrated into the house - are visually distinguished from their surroundings and connected to each other fostering a reciprocal and generative exchange.
Close to eighty years after it was first envisioned, Manitoga now provides a singular and inspiring context to present the work of subsequent generations of creative voices and offers a transformative experience for both the artists and for those who encounter their work in spaces that were so sensitively designed by Russel and Mary Wright.
About the artists:
Stephanie Seal Brown is a handweaver and textile designer who attended the Vävstuga Weaving School in Massachusetts and trained in the Swedish weaving tradition. She iterates upon traditional forms and techniques while introducing modern design to create works that are simultaneously beautiful and useful, posh and practical. Brown champions the inherent depth and richness of simply woven cloth and sees weaving as a way to connect with the natural world through meditative and deliberate hand-worked methods. This slow process allows time for every aspect of the textiles—aesthetics, function, longevity, materials—to develop and find voice in the final design.
Zach Hadlock is an artist and craftsperson who has worked in a broad range of methodologies and materials – focusing, most recently, on wood and ceramic. He earned an MFA from Bard College, was a resident artist at Skowhegan, and received a NYFA fellowship for sculpture. His work has been exhibited at venues across the country including Sculpture Center in Long Island City and Foreland in Catskill. In 2001, Zach established Platform as he expanded his practice to include making furniture and functional objects. He is the co-founder of Greenwood Social, a monthly meeting and skill share for spoon carvers in his local community.
Jonathan Kline is a basket weaver inspired by the traditions of the Taghkanic and Shaker communities of the Hudson Valley where he was raised. Jonathan was first introduced to the process of black ash basket making by Newt Washburn, the 4th generation basket maker of Abnaki and European descent with whom he studied. Though Jonathan has been inspired by the traditions that surround this craft, he has developed his own techniques and relationship with this historical material and medium. His practice is an exploration of the artfulness of forms – both utilitarian and sculptural - that can be made from native trees with a few simple hand tools.
Alexandra Kohl studied painting and textiles at Skidmore College and, through experiences training as an equestrian and working on farms, came to her current practice of weaving with horsehair. Her textiles are abstract studies that juxtapose organic materials with geometric patterns that she sometimes applies to functional forms such as pillows and lighting. Alexandra is inspired by the perspectives gained from human interaction with natural materials.
Re Jin Lee is a sculptor whose primary medium is clay – a material that guides her as she embraces mistakes and the unexpected memories and associations they uncover. Often, the subconscious influences on her works are only clear upon completion and she credits hindsight with being central to her practice. A native of São Paulo, Brazil and of South Korean descent, she earned her degrees in Art, Fashion, and Design from FASM (São Paulo), Central Saint Martins, London College of Design, and Istituto Europeo di Design (Milan). Re Jin is the founder of Naiana Nami, a creative space that encourages hands-on artistry and reconnection to traditional craft histories and culture.
Erin Rouse is a sculptor and broom maker whose practice is research based and anchored in historical technique. Operating under the studio name Custodian, Erin works with natural, hand-dyed fibers and historic tools to craft decorative and functional pieces that intertwine historical methods with modern techniques and ideas. She holds a BA in Visual Arts from Rice University and studied at FIT, Corcoran College of Art and the Canterbury Shaker Workshop. She has been an artist in residence at Textile Art Center, exhibited at Cooler Gallery, and taught at Peters Valley School of Craft.
Katie Strano is a fiber artist informed by both traditional and modern design influences. She weaves art pieces and cloth for the body and home, playing with woven structures to create texture and depth to express simple, quiet moments of reflection and acknowledge both the beauty and utility in her work. She is the floor loom and rigid heddle weaving instructor at the Brookfield Craft Center and is also the owner of Heddle-Over-Heels, where she works as a production weaver.
Natalia Woodward is an artist and maker whose primary medium is paper – a material she employs in printmaking, drawing, and collaging to explore the connections between the natural world and her artistic practice, at times using the drawn surface itself to engage in a dialogue with nature and sustainability. Natalia received a BFA in Printmaking from SUNY Purchase and she is the founder of Bat Flower Press, a letterpress and papermaking studio that specializes in sustainably sourced and handmade paper.
MANITOGA / The Russel Wright Design Center presents and interprets Manitoga as the Wrights’ inspiration and design achievement as a leading regional and national center for innovative and sustainable design, architecture, and landscape where we strive to build a creative community and to reach and engage an ever expanding and diverse audience.
The Design Center ensures that the extraordinary spirit of place of Manitoga and the timeless design vision that inspired its creation from a once devastated land are preserved and shared. We seek to celebrate good design for living in creative harmony with nature through tours, programs, and events; to inspire creativity; and to enhance lives through design.