STAATSBURG, NY, July 14, 2025 – The Church in Staatsburg announces "Unearthing the Light," a powerful exhibition and programming series that reveals and reclaims hidden histories and erasures, running July 17 through early September 2024. The exhibition brings together 17 contemporary artists whose work addresses the neglect and erasure of bodies because of gender, race, and poverty, while also considering the earth itself as a site of both harm and healing.
Exhibition Dates:
● Upstate Art Weekend: July 17-21, 12 pm-6 pm daily
● Opening Reception: Saturday, July 19, 6 pm-9 pm
● Extended Run: July 17-early September, by appointment after Upstate Art Weekend
The exhibition was inspired by a little-known cemetery located on the grounds of Hudson Correctional Facility, where girls and infants who died at the institution, formerly known as the House of Refuge for Women (1887-1904) and the New York State Training School for Girls (1904-1975), were buried and largely forgotten until the transmedia art project 'Incorrigibles' commemorated them last summer. This historical foundation provides a poignant backdrop for contemporary works that examine themes of memory, justice, and renewal.
"Unearthing the Light" features diverse media including photographs, works on paper, paintings, sculpture, video, embroidery, and plant works by acclaimed artists Nancy Burson, Celine Cannon, Alison Cornyn, Yolanda Cuomo, Elena del Rivero, Heather Greer, Sandra Harper, Jazmine Hayes, Ofelia Mangen, Tanya Marcuse, Jillian McDonald, Rita Peress, Negin Sharifzadeh, Maggie Simonelli, Nina Sobell, Diana Weymar, and Marina Zurkow.








