"Circle of Friends" Opening Reception

At Cornell Creative Arts Center, “Circle of Friends” reads like both a roll call and a reunion. The group exhibition, organized by Poughkeepsie artist Penny Dell, gathers more than 40 Hudson Valley makers connected through two vital creative hubs: the Community Printmaking Workshop at the Poughkeepsie Underwear Factory and Fallkill Clayworks. Dell, whose prints, paintings, and ceramics anchor the show, has spent decades cultivating a practice rooted in community and shared process. Here, that ethos is literal: the exhibition grows outward from presses, wheels, and shared studio tables where technical tools become social glue.

Installed in a building that itself houses ceramics and print studios, the show underscores the region’s ecosystem of collective making. Works by Larissa Alvarado, Onaje Benjamin, Undine Brod, Matt Munson, Suprina, Xuewu Zheng, and dozens more reflect a range of approaches but a shared spirit of reciprocity. It’s a portrait of interwoven practices, sustained by geography, curiosity, and the quiet momentum of making together.