2020 was Basilica Hudson’s 10th Anniversary Season. After a decade of presenting innovative and genre-pushing programming, our vision for this transformative season was grand: bigger crowds, a diverse range of visiting artists, new marketplace events and an integration of environmental advocacy into every public program. 

The momentum was palpable; then COVID-19 brought us to a sudden halt. Event postponements turned into cancelations, and like so many other arts organizations, nonprofits and independent venues, we had to completely rethink what was possible in 2020. But our commitment and energy did not recede.

Though we ached for in-person, analog shared experiences — a principle on which Basilica was forged —  our 10th Anniversary Season spurred our growth in ways we couldn’t have imagined. Thanks to both new partnerships and long standing ones, and of course, our devoted Basilica community, 2020 was filled with global experiences, from transportive DRONES, to starlit nights at the drive-in and thought-provoking community panel discussions that reached across the airwaves.

Here are some highlights:

MUSIC

Thousands of DRONERS tuned in from around the world in April for our first ever 24-HOUR DRONE AT HOME, in what turned out to be our biggest drone yet. The experimental and experiential spirit of DRONE shined on to honor sound across space and time, as this DRONE is now permanently archived on our website to revisit forever.

In what was only the second in-person musical performance to take place within Basilica in all of 2020, Elvis Perkins graced our factory halls with his live-streamed Creation Myths album debut. 

ART

Art at Basilica moved OUTSIDE in 2020. From Kris Perry’s commanding MOTHER EARTH sculpture, to James Esber’s GRAND FLAG installation and Anita Glesta’s monumental WATERSHED large-scale projection, visual artists brought us ambitious and striking pieces that met both the creative and spiritual needs of this moment. Hudson as Muse, Basilica’s Artist in Residence Series, also launched with Mary Mattingly’s Ecotopian Library, a location-based multidisciplinary toolkit presented with Toolshed, that she shared in her live Zoom culminating event.

FILM

For the third year in a row, we were able to present our film program for FREE to the public, thanks to the continued support of like-minded partners and friends. This season, the historic Greenville Drive-In hosted our Non-Fiction Screening Series, merging the cross-cultural power of documentary filmmaking with the timeless tradition of outdoor filmgoing. To see these films, which covered topics ranging from police reform, to art as political action and housing discrimination, on the big screen, evoked a sense of inspiration and action that we were grateful to carry through 2020.  

Basilica was also able to bring the might of the big screen to the small screen, with at-home film festivals in partnership with the New York International Children’s Film Festival to present Kids Flicks, and SunCommon to present the Climate Action Film Festival.

LOCAL COMMUNITY & GREEN

The ethos of Basilica Farm & Flea persisted in 2020 with our first ever Virtual Market. This program, which served over 70 independent vendors, allowed our community to explore the bounty and splendor of our beautiful region from the comfort and safety of home. With LikeMindedObjects, we were also able to offer an educational webinar and product photography session free for local makers to help strengthen the building blocks of their sustainable local business.

2020 also inaugurated the Basilica Conversation Series, a way for us to virtually connect with our global community and spearhead discussions on resilient local economies, mutual aid for BIPOC artists, environmental racism and connections between the climate crisis and challenging social and economic issues our communities face. 

With the expansion of BASILICA GREEN in our 10th Anniversary Season, we committed to prioritizing local green initiatives and strategic partnerships that foster cultural activism, equity, environmental stewardship and sustainable community development throughout our programming, from film to visual art and beyond. 

All of these programs were made possible by our generous supporters and partners. See the full list HERE.

Photos 1, 2 & 4 by Allison Young. Photos 3 & 5 by Angelina Dreem