DUTCHESS AND COLUMBIA COUNTIES — A billboard with art by James Wise of the Bard College class of ’26 was on view at 3391 US-9 in Hudson from Dec. 20, 2023, to Jan. 17, 2023.
Titled, “How Long Will We Be Driving?”, the billboard came about through a partnership with Bard Community Arts Collaborative, the Center for Civic Engagement at Bard, and Shandaken Project’s Public Arts Initiative.
Wise’s piece was chosen from projects done by students in an extended media studio course at Bard College taught by Julia Weist.
Her students made 2D projects that were reviewed by Shandaken, and 3D projects that were reviewed by the Village of Red Hook’s chair for the Public Spaces Initiative Committee.
The 3D works were installed at Richard Abraham’s Memorial Park in Red Hook. The pieces ranged from interactive sculptures to large-format photographic prints to sculptures of wood and metal. This exhibit was not open to the public; it was a pilot program with the idea of future collaborations in mind.
Student Elena Schneider ’27 said, “Being able to make something to be displayed in the landscape where we live pushed me to create something I really care about and am proud of.”
Of the class, Weist said, “If you can create art that affects a viewer, moves a viewer in the parking lot of a grocery store, which is where our billboard project is located, you’ve succeeded profoundly as an artist.”
Wise’s piece was selected for the billboard outside of Hudson by Shandaken as part of its Public Art Initiative 14x48, which has exhibited “new work by contemporary artists across New York State since 2021.”
The title refers to the increasing reliance of society on artificial intelligence (AI) and the potential loss of human independence with such things as self-driving cars, Wise has explained; it questions the very use of cars in the face of global warming. The figure at the center of the work, an avatar created with AI, reminds viewers that AI is a field dominated by white males.
Explaining his approach to the work, Wise said: “My main concern was in conveying my concept as clearly as possible. I wanted the billboard to blend in, so I researched local insurance billboards for a base.” He added: “After layering and collaging the AI images I’d generated from various local insurance-themed prompts, I ended up landing on the final product. I was always cautious to keep my work as close to the source material as possible, while still subtly distinct under closer inspection.” Wise created the billboard by layering more than 50 AI generated images.
Photo courtesy Bard College
A Bard College student installs her sculpture at Richard Abraham’s Memorial Park in Red Hook. The installation was part of a pilot program with the village of Red Hook’s Public Spaces Initiative.
Karina Powers teaches traditional dances from Mexico in Millbrook.
Powers received a master’s degree in Mexican folklore dance from Escuela de la Danza in Baja California, Mexico. Since moving to the United States, she has built a career in performance and teaching. She has not only served as a dance director and performed as a professional vernacular music singer in California, but she has also worked towards her Doctorate, which she will receive in October.
As the founder of her company, Powers works tirelessly to make sure her dancers have everything they need, including costumes, proper flooring, music and a space to practice. Her husband built wooden panels, called tarimas, for students to dance on with their folklórico shoes. Millbrook Mayor Peter F. Doro allows Powers and her group to practice in Millbrook Hall, where she brings the tarimas to every practice along with costumes and proper footwear.
Powers dreams of owning her own studio where she can practice with her group, offer more classes, store costumes and create a space for her dancers to do their hair and makeup before performances. She said she hopes people learn about her classes so her company can grow and she can teach dances from a wider range of Mexican states while having greater access to traditional dress.
As a single mother and professor, Powers’ mother, Carmen Méndez, put her children in dance classes and signed them up for track and field, always keeping them goal- and career-oriented. She helped Powers with her company by creating all of the costumes her dancers wear in their performances. After her mother’s death in 2021, Powers said she has dedicated herself to carrying forward the passion, work ethic and love of dance her mother instilled in her.
“I miss her terribly, and I’m here because of her,” Powers said. “That’s why I want to do this, because of her. She gave me a lot, with the costumes, with her support. I do it for my mom.”
Karina Powers and her students practice in Millbrook Hall.Lucia Iandolo
Dancers in Powers’ group are dedicated to learning the art of dance from different states in Mexico on Tuesday and Friday nights at Millbrook Hall. They travel from many different places in New York to participate, with some dancers traveling more than an hour to make it to rehearsal each week.
“It’s a lot of work, but they learn it. I believe they love it, and it’s a way to come together, to do something good, to do something healthy, and to have people around you who appreciate this kind of art,“ Powers said.
Powers has studied with professor Eloy Jiménez Figueroa since childhood and said his mentorship inspired her to become the teacher she is today. She added that while she may not be the best teacher, she learned from the best.
While living in California, Powers taught elementary, high school and college students, as well as adults. She was recruited to teach traditional Mexican folkloric dance because of the region’s large Mexican community. Today, she encourages people of all backgrounds to explore the rich traditions of Mexican dance.
“This type of dance is not only for people from Mexico,” Powers said. “This is an art and the arts unite nations.”
Powers hopes to continue sharing that art in Millbrook and one day teach in the Millbrook Central School District. Powers and her group will perform at the Millbrook Library on Nov. 21, presenting traditional Mexican dances and inviting audience members to participate.
As a professor, dancer and singer, Powers stays grounded by believing in something greater than herself. She says that praying and putting herself in the hands of God has helped anchor her. She hopes to teach and dance for as long as her body allows.
“My mom, for me, is an angel. I put myself in her hands, and I have faith,” Powers said. “I have faith that God, or something good, is going to be there for the group and for myself.”
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