New Works & Artists Featured in Adirondack Experience’s Artists & Inspiration in the Wild

Press Room

Museum and Exhibition Expanded for 2024 Season

Blue Mountain Lake, N.Y. – Several new and significant works of art are now on display in the Adirondack Experience’s (ADKX) Artists & Inspiration in the Wild exhibition, 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.

Described as “refreshing” and “vibrant” by museum guests in 2023, Artists & Inspiration in the Wildfeatures more than 250 works acrossfour main galleries that illustrate how the natural features of the Adirondacks – light, forests, water, and mountains – have sparked the creative visions of diverse painters, sculptors, and expert artisans.

“Because there is so much diversity within creative arts across the Adirondacks, our goal is to introduce visitors to new acquisitions in the collection, feature new artists and their work, and to offer new experiences each year,” said Chief Curator Laura Rice. “These artists are making work with different materials, from different perspectives, yet they all share this deep sense of connection to the Adirondack landscape.”

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: Mint represents 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 invites visitors to further engage with the exhibition through a variety of innovative interactives. These range from ceiling projections and audio sounds that tie to each gallery’s theme to the ability to physically adjust the lighting of a landscape painting to see how it impacts the mood of the piece.

This exhibition was made possible in part by The Institute of Museum and Library Services, The National Endowment for the Humanities, and the New York State Council on the Arts.

The Adirondack Experience is extremely grateful to the generous donors, foundations, and corporations who supported Artists & Inspiration in the Wild.

Artists & Inspiration in the Wild is included with admission to 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.

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About Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake

Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake (ADKX), accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, shares the history and culture of the Adirondack region through interactive exhibits, hands-on activities, and culturally rich collections in more than 24 historic and contemporary buildings on a 121-acre campus in the heart of the Adirondacks. The ADKX offers a broad range of programs and activities including special and permanent exhibitions, the 19,000-square-foot Life in the Adirondacks interactive exhibition, outdoor hiking, and boating experience on Minnow Pond. ADKX offers daily activities with artists-in-residence, workshops, lectures, nature walks, family and educational programs, and signature events like the Rustic Fair, FallFest, and the Adirondack Artisan Festival. The museum is supported in part with donations from the general public, with some general operating support made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature. For additional information, call 518-352-7311 or visit www.theADKX.org.