Hello!
The Upstate Artists Guild (UAG) is currently operating on a virtual platform, without having a gallery location which we maintain. We host an annual member show & have started offering classes at the Art Associates Gallery Studi Space at 21 Railroad Avenue in Albany, NY. UAG Membership is free!
We are STILL working on a new website design (thank you for your patience!) The plan is to have a member site where artists showcase images of their work, bio, contact information and upcoming opportunities.
If you think someone may be interested in joining the UAG, please refer them to our membership form. If you have any questions, please send an email to info@uagmembers.org.
Our Annual Member Show was held on August 5th – September 30th at Art Associates Gallery- Studio Space, 21 Railroad Ave. Albany
Our 1st Poetic License-Albany show was on display September 2nd – September 30th at Art Associates Gallery Studio Space and moved to Lark Hall 351 Hudson Ave Albany from October 7th- October 28th
A gallery of images from the Opening Reception, held on Friday 10/7 6pm-9pm will be here soon!
“Ekphrastic art” is defined as the response of an artist in one medium to a work of art by an artist in another medium. Its more common manifestation is in poetry written about visual art, e.g., paintings, photographs, drawings, sculpture. Poetic License – Albany is a project that turns that around, giving local visual artists an opportunity to respond to the work of poets.
Last year, inspired by a project created by the Poetry Barn in West Hurley, NY & the Arts Society of Kingston (ASK), we created our own version of this project which we called Poetic License – Albany. 113 individual poems were submitted by 62 poets; ultimately, 18 works of visual art were exhibited at the Art Associates Gallery & at Lark Hall in Albany, with 3 readings held in conjunction with the exhibits.
Inspired by that success, the Hudson Valley Writers Guild & the Upstate Artists Guild are excited to work together again to present this opportunity in 2023 for collaboration between poets and visual artists in the Capital District.
2023 Call for Poems
We are looking for poems (or an excerpt from a longer poem) that are image-driven, that present a narrative or a written description containing images that arise from our senses, or as poet William Carlos Williams famously said, “No idea but in things.” The images can come from the “real world,” or the world of fantasy, from dreams, be in color or in black & white, but the writing should be such that makes the reader see, hear, smell, taste, feel, etc. what the poet experienced. Please note we are not looking for ekphrastic poems.
If selected, your poem will be displayed along with the artwork it inspires at an exhibit in September at a venue to be determined. The number of poems selected will be based upon the size of the venue and what it will be able to fit in, & not all work selected by the editors may be selected by an artist. See the Guidelines below, which will also be posted on the website of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild hvwg.org and on poeticlicensealbany.com
Guidelines
- Poems must be no longer than 150 words, and no more than 25 lines long.
- Poems will be considered whether they are previously published or unpublished work.
- Send up to two (2) poems in the body of an email titled “2023 Poetic License – Albany”
- Include your name, address, email address, and phone number in your email — no bio.
- Send your email to dwlcx46@gmail.com by midnight, EST, on March 30, 2023.
- Judges will be local poets & members of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild.
- Please note: Your poem may be accepted by the editors but not selected by one of the artists.
To see the work and poems that were selected in 2022, please click here.
Stay tuned for more workshops and more opportunities to show and see art!