HUDSON – Saturday, June 11, the Hudson Opera House opened its doors to “Warren Street,” an exhibition in which some 33 artists, many with local connections, take as their inspiration Hudson’s main shopping and dining street.
Richard Roth, the exhibition’s curator, said he was inspired by a body of work created by photographer Lynn Davis, who photographed every building on Warren Street in 1994 to document the city’s eclectic mix of architectural styles. From pyramids and other forms of architecture, to icebergs, Ms. Davis, a contemporary and friend of the late Robert Mapplethorpe, tackles large scale subjects with vigor and iconic style. Visitors to “Warren Street,” will get to see her 314-foot-long work in its entirety.
“I thought I would like to show them with other contemporary works,” said Mr. Roth. I talked it up and all the artists came up with something unique. Many created new works just for the show.”
Musho Rodney Alan Greenblat, a well known pop artist and a Buddhist, is represented by his humorous image of the Buddha and “Thunder Bunny” helping three intoxicated artists get home from the Red Dot restaurant safely. Musho’s lively and whimsical work has been exhibited in New York City and beyond since the 1980s.
David Franck’s panoramic photograph of the Presbyterian Church tower surrounded by mists reveals an unexpectedly poetic vision of the street. Randall Schmit and Barbara Slate provide works with a rich collage pileup of imagery.
Bruno Pasquier-Desvignes’ fanciful and witty kinetic sculpture has a more abstract relationship to the street. Jim Wright’s “The Red Studio” celebrates the cinematic experience, sadly, no longer available on Warren Street.
Nancy Hagen’s water color of Space 360 represents a classical interpretation of the architecture. Lee Musselman’s image of Chinese restaurant greeting cards was inspired by the bulletin board in the Chinese restaurant on lower Warren Street.
Phyllis Hjorth’s “Kids on Street” combines expressive portraits in a direct painterly composition that is full of life, while Tom Froese’s photo of his charcoal drawings on exhibit at the Warren CVS during Art Walk gives the viewer two kinds of expression in one work.
The enigmatic work by Luccio Pozzi, the Italian neorealist, portrays the 200 block of Warren Street in early morning darkness.
Roger Mason’s hot palette of reds, oranges and pinks shows Warren Street with a giant finned car parked on a treeless street.
Arthur Yanoff uses recognizable collage elements in his otherwise abstract composition to refer to his personal experience of the street.
Edward Avedisian, McWillie Chambers, George Crosby, Teddy Cruz, Enid Futterman, Tom Froese, Chad Kleitsch, Melora Kuhn, David Lee, Reggie Madison, Richard Minsky, Seth Nadel, Ken Polinskie, Tom Roe, Dan Rupe, Margaret Saliske, Randall Schmit, Bill Sullivan, Earl Swanigan, Benjamin Swett, Tony Thompson, and Jim Wright also have work in the exhibition.
The show will remain at The Hudson Opera House, 327 Warren Street, through August 14. The website is www.hudsonoperahouse.org.