The photographs of "Upstate" explore the community, culture, landscape and architecture of one of the oldest regions in the country. Located on the shores of the upper Hudson River, the city of Hudson was the first city chartered in the United States in 1785 and it developed rapidly as a thriving whaling and merchant seaport. After an economic downturn in the early 19th century, Hudson's economy rose again during the mid-century through heavy industries such as iron factories and mills. The Hudson River School, a mid-19th century art movement embodied a group of landscape painters such as Thomas Cole and Frederic Edwin Church, portrayed the natural beauty of pastoral landscape in the Hudson Valley and themes of discovery, exploration, and settlement. During the 20th century, Hudson's economy suffered with effects of the Great Depression and the closing of its factories and loss of manufacturing jobs. In recent decades, Hudson has experienced new economic growth, revitalization and transformation through a migration of newcomers from larger cities. In many ways, the ups and downs of Hudson's cultural and economic landscape reflect the experiences of industrial cities across America.
Aliu, Xhenet: - Xhenet Aliu's debut novel, Brass (Random House, 2018), was named a Spring 2018 Barnes & Noble "Discover Great New Writers" selection, received starred reviews in Kirkus, Booklist, and Library Journal, and was called a "striking first novel" by Publisher's Weekly. Her short fiction collection, Domesticated Wild Things and Other Stories(University of Nebraska Press, 2013), won the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Fiction and was called "extremely funny and mordant" by author Sherman Alexie. Aliu's writing has appeared in journals such as Glimmer Train, Hobart, The Barcelona Review, Necessary Fiction, American Short Fiction, as well as in the anthology Extraordinary Rendition: (American) Writers on Palestine (O/R Books, 2015). A fellow of the Bread Loaf Writer's Conference and the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, Aliu has received financial support from the Elizabeth George Foundation and was the recipient of a special mention in the Pushcart Prize anthology.
Nordström, Alison: - Alison Nordström is an independent scholar, writer and curator based in Cambridge, Massachusetts specializing in historical and contemporary photographs of all kinds. Formerly the Director and Senior Curator of the Southeast Museum of Photography, (Florida) and Senior Curator of Photographs/Director of Exhibitions at George Eastman House, (New York) she is the author of over 100 published books and essays on photographic topics, and has curated over 100 photographic exhibitions in nine countries. Currently a Research Associate at Harvard, she is also a visiting scholar in photography at Lesley University and the photo/video editor for the Journal of Florida Studies. She has recently served as Artistic Director of Fotofestiwal Lodz, in Poland, and is an exhibition curator for the Hamburg (Germany) Triennial in 2018. She holds the PhD in Cultural and Visual Studies.
Stauffer, Tema: - Tema Stauffer is a photographer whose work examines the social, economic, and cultural landscape of American spaces. Her work has been exhibited at Sasha Wolf Gallery, Daniel Cooney Fine Art Gallery, and Jen Bekman Gallery in New York, as well as galleries and institutions internationally. She was awarded an AOL 25 for 25 Grant for innovation in the arts in 2010. She is the recipient of the 2012 Women in Photography -LTI/Lightside Individual Project Grant and a 2014 CCNY Darkroom Residency for her documentary portrait series, Paterson, depicting residents of Paterson, New Jersey during the years following the economic crisis in 2008. She was a finalist for the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2013 and her work was included in the competition exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery from 2013-14. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Photography at East Tennessee State University.
