CPW, an arts non-profit dedicated to engaging audiences
and fostering conversation around critical issues in photography, is thrilled to announce the
grand opening of its newly renovated building on January 18, 2025. Located in the midtown arts
district of Kingston, a historic city in the heart of the Hudson Valley 90 miles north of New York
City, the 47-year-old community-based museum and school has been undergoing a renaissance
since relocating from Woodstock in 2022. The opening marks a pivotal moment for CPW as it
unveils a state-of-the-art center dedicated to photography and related media. The renovation,
directed by the architectural firm
Lopergolo + Bartling Architects, represents the first
phase in a larger transformation of the 40,000 square foot former cigar factory. In this phase,
the first two floors of the factory will now house 6,000 square feet of exhibition space, an
expanded Digital Media Lab, a theater, workshop spaces, offices, meeting rooms, a visitors’
lounge, and CPW’s photo library.
The opening celebration will feature a grand party and the unveiling of four new exhibitions,
each offering unique and powerful perspectives in contemporary photography. Three of these
exhibitions will be on view from January 18 to May 4, 2025, while the fourth, showcasing works
from an open call for submissions, will run from January 18 to February 16, 2025.
The opening exhibitions reflect CPW’s origins, explore important cultural and social issues, and
highlight creativity within the Kingston community and region:
●
Mary Ellen Mark: Ward 81. This iconic 1976 series captures the lives of women in a
locked psychiatric ward, demonstrating Mark’s empathetic and unflinching approach to
complex subjects. Curated by Gaëlle Morel and Kaitlin Booher and accompanied by the
book Ward 81: Voices, by Mary Ellen Mark and Karen Folger Jacobs, edited by Martin
Bell, Julia Bezgin, and Meredith Lue (Steidl, 2023).
Laurie in the Bathtub, 1976 © Mary Ellen Mark, Courtesy of The Mary Ellen Mark Foundation_Howard Greenberg Gallery
Mona with Michael Douglas's Picture, 1976 © Mary Ellen Mark, Courtesy of The Mary Ellen Mark Foundation_Howard Greenberg Gallery
●
My Sister, My Self: Photographs by Colleen Kenyon and Kathleen KenyonMy Sister, My Self: Photographs by Colleen Kenyon and Kathleen Kenyon.
A celebration of the photography and art of the Kenyon sisters, who co-directed CPW for
nearly twenty-five years. Their work, shaped by their shared identity as twins, spans
hand-colored photographs, collages, and collaborative projects. Curated by Tom Wolf
and Laurie Dahlberg, and accompanied by a catalog of the same title, published by CPW.
Organized by CPW, this retrospective features the Kenyons’ most iconic works, and is
presented at CPW in Kingston, NY, and at the Kleinert/James Center in Woodstock, NY.
© Kathleen Kenyon. Setting the Clock on the VCR.
© Colleen Kenyon. Colleen and Kathleen, Mt. Tremper, New York - August 1979.
●
Keisha Scarville: Recess. The inaugural Saltzman Prize winner’s exhibition explores
diaspora, loss, and the unfixing of identity and body through striking images and textiles.
Curated by Marina Chao and accompanied by a limited run artist book produced by
1080PRESS in Kingston, NY.
Seawall Water, 2024 © Keisha Scarville, Courtesy the artist and Higher Pictures, New York
●
Free, For All: Featuring works submitted through an open call during the first two
weeks of January 2025, this exhibition will be on view in CPW’s new Community Gallery.
Brian Wallis, Executive Director of CPW, said, “This is a thrilling step, transforming CPW
from a one-room gallery in Woodstock nearly 50 years ago to a cultural anchor for midtown
Kingston and the Hudson Valley region. The elegant rehabilitation of our historic building is the
result of almost three years of hard work by our dedicated staff, our brilliant architects, our
fantastic board and advisory board, and the whole Kingston community. Now, we can better
serve our audiences, presenting exciting programs that are both community-focused and
globally relevant.”
In its new building, CPW aims to create a model for a community-based, artist-oriented
photography and visual arts organization. Founded in Woodstock in 1977, CPW moved to
Kingston in 2022 to better serve artists and partner with cultural institutions. The organization
purchased the building at 25 Dederick Street in February 2023 and enlisted esteemed
architectural firm Lopergolo + Bartling in 2024 to direct the conversion of the historic, circa
1907 factory. The final phase is set to open in 2027, CPW's 50th anniversary, and will include a
new welcome porch and public entry, additional exhibition and community spaces, storage for
the collection, a bookstore, a darkroom, café, and a comprehensive building upgrade to meet
sustainability goals.
“It’s been incredible working with CPW to realize their vision for a transformed facility in the
heart of midtown Kingston,” says Erin Bartling, co-founder of Lopergolo + Bartling. “Now that
Phase One is completing, 25 Dederick is coming to life with CPW’s impressive caliber of
programming. We look forward to continuing our work on Phase Two and the additional
opportunities this space will bring to the local community, artists, visitors, and art patrons in
just a few short years.”
The renovated space at 25 Dederick Street will become a significant cultural hub in Kingston’s
evolving arts district, targeted for revitalization in the city’s 2022 Arts & Culture Master Plan.
The project has already received over $2 million in New York State funding. The building is
conveniently located near Kingston City Hall, Kingston High School, the Empire State Trail, and
the recently redesigned Broadway-Grand Street intersection, a key part of Kingston’s business
corridor improvements.
Kingston Mayor Steve Noble said, “I congratulate CPW on their beautiful space. When the City
of Kingston applied for the Restore NY grant on CPW’s behalf, we were honored to support the
repurposing of a unique historic structure. This vibrant arts organization is a valuable asset
to–and a perfect fit for–Midtown Kingston.”
Funders helping CPW to rehabilitate the building are: Restore NY, Empire State Development,
New York State Council on the Arts, Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, Preservation
League of New York State, Frankenthaler Foundation, Howard Greenberg, The Gunk
Foundation, and CPW’s individual donors.
About CPW
Founded in 1977 as the Center for Photography at Woodstock, CPW is a not-for-profit arts
organization with a dual mission: to support artists working in photography and related media,
and to engage audiences through creation, discovery, and learning. At the heart of CPW’s
mission is programming that is community-based, artist-centered, and collaborative. To foster
public conversation around critical issues in photography, CPW offers exhibitions, workshops,
artists’ residencies, and access to its Digital Media Lab. In 2022, CPW relocated from
Woodstock to Kingston, NY. In January 2025, CPW will open its newly renovated headquarters
– including a photography museum, and an educational and community center– in a
40,000-square-foot factory building at 25 Dederick Street.
