Several new and significant works of art are now on display in the Adirondack Experience’s (ADKX) Artists & Inspiration in the Wild exhibition in Blue Mountain Lake NY.
This is the most comprehensive showing of the museum’s art and decorative collections in its history. The permanent exhibit, which debuted in July 2023, showcases an inclusive and wide-reaching interpretation of Adirondack art across centuries – from renowned artists such as Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait and Winslow Homer to the groundbreaking work of Margaret Jacobs and for the first time, Tyler Schrader, who represents a new generation of Adirondack woodworkers.
Some of the artists with works on view include:
- Margaret Jacobs – A member of the Akwesasne Mohawk community, Jacobs incorporates aspects of her Indigenous identity in her work. Carrying Knowledge: Mintrepresents her take on the iconic Adirondack packbasket that “is inspired by Haudenosaunee utility packbaskets but fully fabricated from steel.” In 2022, Art New England named Jacobs as one of 10 emerging New England artists, and her work has been cited in popular publications like Harper’s Bazaar.
- Tyler Schrader – A woodworker who uses organic shapes, spirals, and curves that suggest natural tree forms, Schrader brings in a distinctive style that is equally at home in a rustic cabin or urban loft. His complex sculpture Cosmic Portal, which measures 9’ by 6’, incorporates layers of oak, maple, ash, and poplar that curve over lights that move in rhythm and change colors in response to music or the natural electrical impulses of plants.
- John Van Alstine – Inspired by the Adirondack landscape, mountains, and the guideboat, Van Alstine works primarily in steel and stone. The works in the artist’s Pyxis Awry series feature a “vessel” form—historically understood in art as a symbol for the self, a group of people, or all humankind.
Artists & Inspiration in the Wild is included with admission to the Adirondack Experience, which is open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through October 14, 2024. Online ticket reservations can be made at www.theadkx.org/visit.