Exhibition
August 30 – October 18, 2020
By appointment
Al Held Foundation
Boiceville, NY
Laura Kaufman:
Tension Bridge
River Valley Arts Collective is pleased to announce an exhibition of new work by Beacon-based artist Laura Kaufman, including sculptures that incorporate diverse media such as linen, willow sticks, ramie, wool, paper, and steel. The exhibition is organized in collaboration with the Al Held Foundation in Boiceville, NY, and will take place in the former drawing studio of Al Held.
Kaufman is interested in systems of language–linguistic, scientific, artistic. Her titles–Tension Bridge, The Upsett, ‘twill–reference the technical terminology of weaving, however, also suggest a double entredre that reflects the social and political unrest of our current time.
In her sculpture, works often fuse and transform transdisciplinary referents into unexpected material form, such as presenting a comma as a functional wood stool; “weaving” Scotch plaid on paper through a transfer print process; or, calculating the possible weight of Earth as numerical bronze necklaces. She approaches pattern, form, and material with an open mind and interest in the commonalities that bind rather than the distinctions that separate.
A shift in Kaufman’s recent work occurred after an encounter with an Adirondack basket maker. The relationship between baskets and weaving, together with baskets’ connection to local plants and the environment, was an inspiration for the new body of sculpture in Tension Bridge. Working with Hudson Valley-based basket makers, Kaufman learned the skills of basket making in order to weave new shapes and structures out of willow sticks, colored paper, and foraged vines. Combined with steel armatures and found wood supports, woven shapes are transformed into works that create pattern and drawing in space.
Hudson Valley-based artist Laura Kaufman’s recent exhibitions include Grace Farms, New Canaan, CT; Marquee Projects, Bellport, NY; The Dorsky Museum of Art, New Paltz, NY; University Art Museum, University of Albany; Matteawan Gallery, Beacon, NY; Albany International Airport Gallery, Albany, NY; Wassaic Project, Wassaic, NY; and the AIM Biennial, Bronx Museum of Art, Bronx, NY. Kaufman is an educator at Dia Beacon, Beacon, NY and Grace Farms Foundation, New Canaan, CT. She received a BA in Studio Art from Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY, and an MFA in sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI.
The exhibition opening will coincide with Upstate Art Weekend, a program of Stoneleaf Retreat, promoting creative spaces in the Hudson Valley and provides a curated road map for those wanting to explore and enjoy art in the region.
About The Al Held Foundation:
The Al Held Foundation is charged with the stewardship of Al Held’s art and creative legacy. The Foundation’s mission is to foster the appreciation and advancement of the principles of modern art and the public’s understanding of Held’s contribution to art of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. In the last decade the Foundation has facilitated the organization of exhibitions, lent works of art, promoted scholarly research, and conducted educational programs in the United States and abroad. The Foundation is represented by White Cube.
This exhibition is on view at the Al Held Foundation in Boiceville, NY. The Foundation is not open to the public, however, guided private tours of the exhibition are available on a limited basis, by appointment only. COVID-19 safety protocols are in place. Please contact info@RVACollective.org to inquire about reserving a tour.
