“Unveiling a Creative Haven: The Center for Photography Expands in Kingston!”

“The first query everyone poses is: ‘Will you have a darkroom?'” comments Brian Wallis, executive director of the Center for Photography at Woodstock (CPW). The center is relocating to a four-story former cigar factory in midtown Kingston on January 18. The new facility will encompass 6,000 square feet of exhibition space, a theater, a larger digital media lab, workshop areas, offices, and a photo archive.

And indeed, a darkroom will be available. Even in this digitally driven era, some artists cherish developing their images manually. In fact, the more traditional techniques of photography are experiencing a resurgence: tintypes, cyanotypes, ambrotypes, and even daguerreotypes.

Why has the Center for Photography at Woodstock transitioned to Kingston? That’s an excellent question. It relocated in 2021 and is contemplating a name change (formerly known as the Catskill Center for Photography). Until then, it primarily goes by its acronym, CPW.

Four initial exhibitions showcase the diversity of photography in the present day. “My Sister, My Self” highlights the creations of Colleen Kenyon and Kathleen Kenyon, two identical twin sisters who co-directed CPW for nearly 25 years. The twins were born in Dunkirk, New York in 1951, both attended Skidmore College, and subsequently studied photography and art at Indiana University.

Being a twin means learning early on the boundaries—and techniques—of photography. Some of the Kenyons’ works directly explore the bond of twinhood, such as Colleen Kenyon’s Colleen and Kathleen, Shady, New York, December 1979, where one sister—I’m unsure which—adorns the other’s head with Christmas tinsel.

In 1981, Colleen became CPW’s executive director; by 1982, Kathleen took on the role of associate director. During their tenure, the center provided over 500 workshops, including sessions led by Sally Mann and William Wegman. Kathleen edited their publication, Photography Quarterly. Colleen was recognized for her vibrant hand-colored self-portraits, while Kathleen crafted gently satirical collages. CPW plans to release a catalog for this exhibition.

Does everyone harbor a hidden fear of ending up in a psychiatric hospital? I certainly do. Mary Ellen Mark‘s exhibition “Ward 81” portrays the experiences of women in a locked psychiatric unit. Mark and writer Karen Folger Jacobs lived and worked for five weeks within the Oregon State Mental Institution in Oregon in 1976.

If you anticipate seeing eccentric individuals, you won’t find them here. The most unusual photograph captures a woman asleep next to a large image of Michael Douglas by her pillow—something that wasn’t so strange in 1976. Mark accentuates the normalcy of these marginalized individuals.

One might wonder how many of these women took their own lives, with a morbid curiosity. “Ward 81” was published as a book in 1978, but since then new recordings and photographs have come to light.

Keisha Scarville‘s exhibition “Recess” derives from textiles she discovered in her mother’s closet following her passing. (Scarville’s parents were both from Guyana.) The choice to capture black-and-white images of richly colored fabrics imparts a grave quality to the work reminiscent of a memorial. Furthermore, the absence of color amplifies the physicality of the textiles—the creases and contours of the material. Intricate patterns evoke the meandering paths of a life.

Scarville, an artist from Brooklyn, was the first recipient of the Saltzman Prize for up-and-coming photographers, which includes a $10,000 grant. She was a resident artist at CPW in 2003.

The fourth exhibition, titled “Free, For All,” will showcase creations submitted through an open call during the first two weeks of January. The center courageously intends to display every single photograph they receive, in a salon style. The submissions must be prepared for mounting. Additionally, the curators are planning collaborations with community organizations like the Kingston Garden Club and the local high school. The weekly “meet the artist” series will carry on.