Hudson River Museum Presents Kindred Worlds: The Collection of Priscila and Alvin Hudgins and Hip Hop Heroes

YONKERS, NY, October 12, 2023—The Hudson River Museum proudly presents two exhibitions that champion the success of Black and Brown artists and musicians. Kindred Worlds: The Priscila and Alvin Hudgins Collection features vibrant art works by nineteen contemporary artists from the collection of Priscila and Alvin Hudgins, a testament to this Yonkers-based couple’s deep and enduring devotion to the arts. Hip Hop Heroes celebrates fifty years of Hip Hop and honors our local heroes who honed their craft and contributed to a thriving Hip Hop scene, featuring art and artifacts from Yonkers and its neighboring communities.

“In so many ways, these exhibitions are celebrations of excellence and community,” says Masha Turchinsky, Director and CEO, Hudson River Museum. “We are boundlessly appreciative that Priscila and Alvin Hudgins, as discerning collectors, HRM members, and Yonkers residents, have graciously shared their carefully cultivated collection with us for the benefit of all. Likewise, we are thrilled that will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop with meaningful contributions by local artists and music fans of all ages.”

 

Kindred Worlds: The Priscila and Alvin Hudgins Collection
November 10, 2023–March 2, 2025
View press images here.

Drawn from the private collection of Priscila and Alvin Hudgins III, Kindred Worlds transports an array of contemporary artworks from the walls of their home in Yonkers to the galleries of the Hudson River Museum. This is the first time these works are presented as a collection to the public, demonstrating a dynamic amalgamation of relationships between collector and artist, artist and subject, subject and kin.

For the Hudgins, building their collection was a way of building home and community—a practice that Priscila and Alvin take up in more ways than one, as they have become great friends with many of the artists featured in this exhibition. In turn, many of these artists have included images of Hudgins family members in their works.

“Our collection is deeply personal and intuitive,” said Priscila and Alvin Hudgins. “We truly love every piece and feel gratitude to the artists that allow us to be guardians of their magical creations during our short time on this physical plane. Our ultimate goal is for future generations to have the ability to enjoy these works. We also hope to inspire people that look like us to realize that they can too, join us in becoming ‘collectors.’”

Themes of myth and memory pervade the collection, as artists take up different visual strategies to convey personal histories. Here, artists such as Bony Ramirez, Laurena Finéus, and Naudline Pierre reinterpret classical techniques in order to create otherworldly renditions of femininity, Blackness, and migration. Others experiment with the materiality of art itself. Artists including Chase Hall and David Hammons use coffee beans, cotton, and grease as mediums, invoking specific histories of oppression and resilience—often in relation to the enduring and forceful presence of colonial structures.

The exhibition is co-curated by Alyssa Alexander, Independent Curator and Arts Administrator, and Karintha Lowe, HRM’s Mellon Public Humanities Fellow. Alyssa Alexander states, “This opportunity to work with two amazing collectors—but more importantly—two amazing people, has been my absolute pleasure! Their collection, and in turn this show, is the perfect opportunity for visitors of all ages to engage with new perspectives within American art at HRM.” Karintha Lowe adds, “The Hudson River Museum’s history has long been intertwined with ideas of home and community—after all, the Museum’s first site was Glenview, the Trevor family home! Kindred Worlds continues to celebrate the profound staying power of art in building community, and we welcome audiences, from local artists and art enthusiasts to college students, to join us in celebrating this stunning and deeply moving collection of works.”

Intimate vignettes provide another throughline across the collection. Drawing inspiration from childhood memories, ethnographies, and family photographs, many of the artists explore how ideas of “home” and “kinship” take on new and unexpected meanings when represented on the canvas. Jordan Casteel, for example, created her MTA series after observing the restful weariness of subway travelers, who find a moment for themselves in the comforting curve of plastic seats. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Raelis Vasquez turned to his family albums for solace, translating his photographs into painted scenes of quiet connection.

And, of course, there’s the ever-present presence of the Hudgins family themselves. We invite you to walk through the exhibition and locate images of Hudgins family members—captured, for example, in Henry Taylor’s gestural brushstrokes and Derrick Adams’s punchy, joyous color palette. These selected works document the Hudgins family’s abiding support of the arts and their vital legacy of Black American collectorship, one that continues to prioritize the success of Black and Brown artists and ensure a more equitable and expansive vision of American art.

Featured Artists
Derrick Adams • Susan Aparicio • Jordan Casteel • Michael Chuapoco • Kevin Darmanie • Esiri Erheriene-Essi • Laurena Finéus • Chase Hall • David Hammons • Devin N. Morris • Toyin Ojih Odutola • Zéh Palito • Naudline Pierre • Bony Ramirez • Jose Guadalupe Sanchez III • Henry Taylor • Raelis Vasquez • Carlos Vega • Lynette Yiadom-Boakye

Kindred Worlds is co-curated by Alyssa Alexander, Independent Curator and Arts Administrator, and Karintha Lowe, HRM’s Mellon Public Humanities Fellow.

Exhibitions are made possible by assistance provided by the County of Westchester.

Additional support provided by Sarah Lawrence College through a generous grant from the Mellon Foundation.

 

Hip Hop Heroes
November 10, 2023–March 3, 2024
View press images here.

Hip Hop Heroes celebrates fifty years of Hip Hop in Yonkers and its neighboring communities, centering the stories of the pioneers and party goers who helped shape it into a global phenomenon. Featuring art and artifacts from community members, the exhibition honors Yonkers, the Bronx, and Mount Vernon as sites of New York’s musical innovation, where artists from The Lox to DMX to Mary J. Blige honed their craft and contributed to a thriving Hip Hop scene.

Hip Hop is generally thought to be made up of four primary elements: DJing, MCing, breakdancing (or b-boying), and graffiti. Recognizing this multimedia dimension of the culture, the exhibition features work by graffiti writers, muralists, and comic book artists. The exhibition begins with an exploration of how the story of Hip Hop has often been told through the visual arts, featuring works by artists such as Antoinette Legnini and Andre Trenier and an original mural organized by Evan Bishop and painted by local artists including Nancy Mendez, Michael Cuomo, and Marco Barrios. These artworks are further contextualized by cherished memorabilia from community members, including a treasured collection of vinyls, ticket stubs, and flyers.

Yonkers-based artist Evan Bishop, who co-curated the exhibition alongside Karintha Lowe, stated, “This exhibition is an important step in the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop culture. Yonkers has made a significant contribution and produced iconic artists. Having the Hudson River Museum join in this acknowledgement is huge, and the public will enjoy it. I am honored to co-curate this exhibit with Karintha to make this event a reality. May the architects of the culture be pleased.”

The exhibition also builds from artist Evan Bishop’s workshop series, Hip Hop Heroes: Create a Comic Book Cover, which was held at the Museum in the winter of 2023 and introduced participants to the relationship between social issues and Hip Hop culture. Original works created in these workshops will be featured in the exhibition, complemented by a documentary about Bishop’s project, filmed by photojournalist Denzel Walters. A special feature of Hip Hop Heroes will be a series of arts workshops, held in the exhibition space, where visitors will have the opportunity to create their own Hip Hop heroes. The resulting art will be considered for inclusion in the comic book section of the exhibition, which will feature a rotating selection of original works, created by and for our diverse audiences.

Featured in the Museum’s Community and Partnership Gallery, Hip Hop Heroes is guided by the space’s mission to provide an inviting and experimental place to feature local, regional, and emerging artists as well as artists-in-residence and community-based collaborations.

Featured Artists
Tommy The Animator • Robin Alcantara • Marco Barrios • Shanequa Benitez • Michael Cuomo • Antoinette Legnini • Nancy Mendez • NIC 707 • Pose2/MaxxMoses • Lady Slim • Andre Trenier • Denise Trotman • Katori Walker • Denzel Walters

Memorabilia Contributors
The Benitez Family • DJ Buddy • Joe Genovese • Tom Ray • Raymond Vasquez

With special thanks to Ken Davis and Dennis Fields.

This exhibition is co-curated by Yonkers-based artist Evan Bishop and Karintha Lowe, HRM’s Mellon Public Humanities Fellow.

Significant support is provided by the New York State Senate and Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

This exhibition is made possible by the City of Yonkers, Mayor Mike Spano; ReStart the Arts, administered by ArtsWestchester; and Sarah Lawrence College through a generous grant from the Mellon Foundation.

Additional assistance for HRM exhibitions is provided by the County of Westchester.

 

Related Programs

Curator Tour of Hip Hop Heroes with Evan Bishop
Saturday, November 18, 1:30pm
Join Yonkers-based artist Evan Bishop, co-curator of Hip Hop Heroes, for a tour of the interactive exhibition that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the musical genre. Learn about Hip Hop’s history and its worldwide impact on pop culture while gaining an appreciation of Yonkers’ unique contributions to its development.

Free First Fridays: A Night of Music, Art, and History!
Friday, December 1, 5–8pm
Celebrate the holiday season at our new free evening hours, featuring live music by Diverse Concert Artists, committed to changing the face of classical and crossover music through diversity. The string quartet will play a mixture of classical, Broadway, and pop tunes, including Hip Hop, setting the tone to enjoy our current exhibitions and our Gilded Age historic home, Glenview, decorated in Victorian holiday splendor. Cash bar with holiday-inspired refreshments. Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program. #DiverseMusicNow #HRMFirstFridays

Curators’ Tour of Kindred Worlds with Alyssa Alexander and Karintha Lowe
Saturday, January 6, 1:30pm
Join co-curators Alyssa Alexander, Independent Curator and Arts Administrator, and Karintha Lowe, HRM’s Mellon Public Humanities Fellow, for a walk through of Kindred Worlds: The Priscila and Alvin Hudgins Collection. This tour will provide an insider’s look into the Hudgins Family and their vital legacy of Black American collectorship. Special attention will be paid to how themes of myth, memory, leisure, and care flow through this formally stunning and historically significant set of works.

Black Boy Fly: A Conversation with Joshua Renfroe and Bentley Brown
Sunday, January 21, 2pm
In his debut photography collection, Black Boy Fly, art director Joshua Renfroe documents the unique makeup of Black male culture, featuring concepts including sneaker culture, fatherhood, brotherhood, Hip Hop and more. Join Renfroe and curator and art historian Bentley Brown as they discuss the collection and explore the intersections between photography and Hip Hop culture.

Curator Tour of Hip Hop Heroes with Karintha Lowe
Sunday, February 4, 1pm
Join Mellon Public Humanities Fellow Karintha Lowe, co-curator of Hip Hop Heroes, for a tour of the interactive exhibition that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the musical genre. Discover how the story of Hip Hop in Yonkers has often been told through the visual arts, especially graffiti writing, comic books, and murals.

Yonkers: The Lost City of Hip Hop
Sunday, February 25, 2–4pm
Join us for an immersive program celebrating the rich and vibrant history of Hip Hop in Yonkers. This special event will feature a reading and discussion of Yonkers: The Lost City of Hip-Hop with author Jerome Enders, graffiti specialist Ken Davis, and DJ Beat Master Gene. #BlackHistoryMonth

Music and Spoken Word: MC Lady Slim
Saturday, March 2, 1:30pm
Celebrate Women’s History Month with the musical stylings of contemporary Hip Hop artist Lady Slim. In this performance and artist talk-back, Lady Slim will play a set from her recent work and share how the Yonkers Hip Hop scene has influenced her fiercely authentic and expressive music and lyrics. With special guest appearances by Yonkers-based MCs Tom Ray and Marcus John, who will join Lady Slim in an improvisational cypher. #WomensHistoryMonth

 

Image: Laurena Finéus (Canadian, b. 1998). Let her flight be joyful, 2023. Oil on canvas. Collection of Priscila and Alvin Hudgins. © Laurena Finéus.

 

Press contact:
Jeana Wunderlich
jwunderlich@hrm.org
(914) 963-4550 x240

Samantha Hoover
shoover@hrm.org
(914) 963-4550 x216

 

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