We entered 2021 under a veil of unpredictability, with the lessons of 2020 as our guide. Through the innovation and trust from our collaborators and supporters, Basilica Hudson was fortunate to present a season of connection, safely welcoming visitors and independent voices back into our reclaimed industrial solar factory.

We are honored to have hosted over 30 events in 2021, all of which were free except three! 

Here are some highlights:

Music

Our season began with a stunning NY PopsUp performance by longtime Basilica friend Justin Vivian Bond, who filled our halls with music, laughter and applause for the first time in 18 months. This optimistic energy carried us through 2021, as we welcomed the return of DRONE AT HOME, a digital reworking of our beloved festival that brought boundary-pushing experiments in sound through global airwaves and into our homes.

We were also honored to work with local collaborators for intimate nights of music at Basilica Hudson. Emily Ritz’s album release show, presented with The Hudson Eye, was cathartic, our North Hall rafters echoing with sound long missed. Hudson-based project HI-BEAM presented Stefa and CISNE, two transformative Latinx artists creating electronic and vocal-forward music. 

While we were heartbroken to cancel Basilica SoundScape, our new (lower capacity, in-person) program Basilica SoundBath emerged as a loving homage to both SoundScape and DRONE, inviting artists Samer Ghadry, Elvis Perkins, Circuit des Yeux and Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe to explore their craft with complete creative freedom.

Film

Basilica Hudson’s Non-Fiction Screening Series returned to the historic Greenville Drive-In Outdoor Cinema for another season celebrating cross-cultural, experiential documentary films. Thanks to continued support of like-minded partners and filmgoers, we were able to present six free screenings, with topics ranging from the gig economy, electronic music’s female pioneers, large-scale art installations, Indigenous farming practices and the current effects of climate change. This year, we also had local musicians perform before almost all of our screenings!

We are so grateful for the chance to gather in larger numbers at the drive-in, and for the conversations and learning opportunities that each film provided, both for our audience and for Basilica Hudson as an organization. 

Art 

Our Hudson As Muse Artist in Residence Series highlighted the multi-disciplinary spirit at the heart of Basilica, each artist uniquely incorporating climate action and centralizing our river city to their work.

Saugerties-based artist Erika deVries’ powerful neon installation encouraged us to “Take Care of the Pain”; Kamau Patton developed a composition/performance piece using samples from Basilica’s landscape; Vivors’ film used Basilica as a set piece to explore self reflection; Inclusive Ecologies planted native paw paw trees on our campus; Toolshed launched their tool lending library on our campus; and local artists Reginald Madison’s & Tshidi Matale’s MELODIUS THUNK jazz concert evoked a powerful culminating sonic moment to his season residency in our Basilica Back Gallery.

We also collaborated with Free Columbia on an art dispersal to offer original works of art to the public on a pay-what-you-can basis. 

Despite our love of Analogue, we are ONLINE! 

 Collaboration with Tangible Remnants podcast hosted by Nakita Reed

Inspired by the 2020 creative shift to online focused programming, we officially launched the Basilica Conversation Series Podcast! Our extraordinary guests enlightened us on inequities designed into the American system, the future of opera, the healing magic of poetry, sustainable fashion and so much more. 

BASILICA GREEN & Local Collaborations

The expansion of our program BASILICA GREEN wove climate action into our cultural programming, from film screenings on regenerative agriculture and other climate solutions to a public forum on regenerative development. We were honored to be a sponsor of the Sustainable Futures Conference, as well as participate in the Hudson Valley Climate Solutions Week, both of which focused on the climate emergency and local creative work underway to address it.

We also broke ground on the Basilica Net Zero Campus Project, which will render our campus entirely carbon neutral and winterized for year-round programming.

This past year solidified more than ever the beauty and opportunity that emerges from collaboration. We deepened invaluable connections with local-focused partners who helped strengthen our ability to serve Hudson. From Diata Diata International Folkloric Theatre’s performance, to the Cross Pollination Program with Thomas Cole National Historic Site and The Olana Partnership, to the Processional Arts Workshops and many more!

Our season closed with the return of the Basilica Farm & Flea Holiday Market (this time mini and open-air to accommodate social distancing) supporting small businesses and local entrepreneurs, which included a community sponsored resource evening developed in collaboration with the Black Entrepreneur Market.

Looking Ahead

As we enter the new year, we’re more inspired than ever to continue connecting with our incredibly talented community of local artists. We are fortunate to be surrounded by so many visionaries in the Hudson Valley and want to provide a space for more regular, intimate gatherings. 

We are also embarking on a Strategic Planning Process to guide the next decade, informed by feedback sessions with local leaders, organizations, causes and community members. We can’t wait to see you at the factory soon, and THANK you for all your support.

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The Hudson As Muse Basilica Back Gallery Artist In Residence Series is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.

Basilica Hudson’s Film and Media program is generously supported, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.