Upstate Photography Biennial

The first Upstate Photography Biennial is a landmark new exhibition series celebrating the diversity and vitality of photographic practices in upstate New York.

Overview

Highlighting the extraordinary proliferation of creative cultural activity in the region, the exhibition will showcase the work of thirty-nine artists, drawn in part from an open call for submissions.

Organized by CPW curators Adam G. Ryan and Marina Chao, the Upstate Photography Biennial will spotlight the breadth and richness of contemporary photographic practices across the Hudson Valley and the upstate region. The goal of the ongoing series is to foster meaningful dialogue and community engagement around the evolving role of photographic work in the region.

“Over the past decade, upstate New York has become a central node of the photography world in the U.S.,” said Brian Wallis, CPW Executive Director. “The inaugural Upstate Photography Biennial at CPW aims to capture the extraordinary vibrance of this historic cultural moment and the phenomenal surge in creativity from this all-embracing community of artists.”  

The Upstate Photography Biennial brings together artists who use photography to explore the most relevant issues of our time: identity and the meaning of place, healthcare and the fragility of the human body, climate change and the physical and psychic spaces we inhabit. For the artists in this exhibition, “upstate” describes not only a geographic region but also a condition of transition—between city and countryside, public life and private experience, past and present. Many of the Biennial artists work with historic photographic processes–tintypes, pinhole cameras, collages, cyanotypes, and meticulously crafted prints–underscoring the photograph as a physical object. At a time when most images appear only briefly on screens, this interest in archaic visual models is not simply a nostalgic throwback but a deliberate political choice of resistance. Altogether, these works demonstrate how photography continues to shape our understanding of history, memory, vision, and realism in a rapidly changing world, where the notions of truth and stability may seem to be crumbling.

“The many thoughtful and ambitious artists included in the Upstate Photography Biennial reflect the remarkable strength of the photographic community that has taken root here,” says Biennial curator Adam Giles Ryan.  “Our role at CPW is to recognize that work, support it, and make sure it’s seen.”

The event highlights CPW’s ongoing commitment to community. For nearly fifty years, CPW has celebrated photographic artists of the region and partnered with other local cultural organizations. This collective spirit is exemplified by our long-standing artist residency program Woodstock AIR, our Community Gallery, as well as our numerous partnerships across the region, including the Dorsky Museum of Art, My Kingston Kids, Kingston High School, Place Corps, Upstate Films, and the Woodstock Film Festival. Coinciding with Upstate Art Weekend (June 25-29, 2026), the Biennial will offer participating artists valuable exposure to local audiences as well as to visitors from around New York State and beyond.