Community Calendar

September 1-30, 2025 Cazenovia Artisans 39 Albany Street
Cazenovia Artist Reception: September 5 from 5-7 p.m.

Aquatint is a printmaking technique that produces tonal effects by using acid to etch into the printing plate, creating sunken areas that hold the ink.

“Sometimes new art forms fall right into your lap. I learned intaglio techniques, including etching and aquatinting, while working at Hamilton College. Hired as an assistant in the printmaking studio, I soon realized what a fun challenge it would be to delve into this somewhat antiquated artform, mixing science with art. Over the next four years, I invested in my own printmaking studio - learning with each accident, mistake and oops. The thrill of etching is pulling the first print to see if all those layers, lines and tones come together at long last.”

Set in the layered world of Najee Dorsey’s Poor People’s Campaign is a powerful collection of work grounded in the environmental struggles of today’s impoverished communities. Blending Southern nostalgia with digitally collaged speculative futures, Dorsey’s work unveils a future shaped by environmental racism, industrial pollution, and the resilience of those who endure these atrocities. This exhibition challenges viewers to confront what’s hidden in plain sight—smokestacks on the horizon, decaying landscapes, and children at play in dystopian backdrops, unaware, just going about their lives.

Each candid portrayal of a child, each scar of environmental injustice plaguing the earth, is a symbol of ongoing corporate greed, and a masterful fusion of futures transforming the landscape into an intimate battleground. Through these works, Dorsey challenges us to consider the true cost of progress and unchecked power.

Show Statement:
"Like many artists who have come to New Mexico, I was immediately drawn to the distinctive Southwestern light. The beauty of the natural environment is evident to most people; however, my interest was to explore the more banal peripheral landscapes that often go unnoticed by the casual observer. I began by photographing color fields and geometric shapes. I was interested in the way light and shadow could spark complex narratives, and I quickly became aware that these isolated moments in the suburban landscape were rich with metaphor. Closed and open doors, empty parking lots and forgotten swimming pools drew me to a scene; yet it was my reactions to these objects and spaces that elicited interpretation and projection.

"As a psychotherapist, I learned the art of asking the question – in many ways, these photographs are an extension of that work. The symbols and spaces in my images are an invitation to explore a rich world that is concealed from consciousness. And the scenes are an enticement to contemplate narratives that have no remarkable life or history yet tap into something deeply familiar to our experience; often disturbing, sometimes amusing…unquestionably present."

September 1-30, 2025 Cazenovia Artisans 39 Albany Street
Cazenovia Artist Reception: September 5 from 5-7 p.m.

Aquatint is a printmaking technique that produces tonal effects by using acid to etch into the printing plate, creating sunken areas that hold the ink.

“Sometimes new art forms fall right into your lap. I learned intaglio techniques, including etching and aquatinting, while working at Hamilton College. Hired as an assistant in the printmaking studio, I soon realized what a fun challenge it would be to delve into this somewhat antiquated artform, mixing science with art. Over the next four years, I invested in my own printmaking studio - learning with each accident, mistake and oops. The thrill of etching is pulling the first print to see if all those layers, lines and tones come together at long last.”

Set in the layered world of Najee Dorsey’s Poor People’s Campaign is a powerful collection of work grounded in the environmental struggles of today’s impoverished communities. Blending Southern nostalgia with digitally collaged speculative futures, Dorsey’s work unveils a future shaped by environmental racism, industrial pollution, and the resilience of those who endure these atrocities. This exhibition challenges viewers to confront what’s hidden in plain sight—smokestacks on the horizon, decaying landscapes, and children at play in dystopian backdrops, unaware, just going about their lives.

Each candid portrayal of a child, each scar of environmental injustice plaguing the earth, is a symbol of ongoing corporate greed, and a masterful fusion of futures transforming the landscape into an intimate battleground. Through these works, Dorsey challenges us to consider the true cost of progress and unchecked power.

Show Statement:
"Like many artists who have come to New Mexico, I was immediately drawn to the distinctive Southwestern light. The beauty of the natural environment is evident to most people; however, my interest was to explore the more banal peripheral landscapes that often go unnoticed by the casual observer. I began by photographing color fields and geometric shapes. I was interested in the way light and shadow could spark complex narratives, and I quickly became aware that these isolated moments in the suburban landscape were rich with metaphor. Closed and open doors, empty parking lots and forgotten swimming pools drew me to a scene; yet it was my reactions to these objects and spaces that elicited interpretation and projection.

"As a psychotherapist, I learned the art of asking the question – in many ways, these photographs are an extension of that work. The symbols and spaces in my images are an invitation to explore a rich world that is concealed from consciousness. And the scenes are an enticement to contemplate narratives that have no remarkable life or history yet tap into something deeply familiar to our experience; often disturbing, sometimes amusing…unquestionably present."

September 1-30, 2025 Cazenovia Artisans 39 Albany Street
Cazenovia Artist Reception: September 5 from 5-7 p.m.

Aquatint is a printmaking technique that produces tonal effects by using acid to etch into the printing plate, creating sunken areas that hold the ink.

“Sometimes new art forms fall right into your lap. I learned intaglio techniques, including etching and aquatinting, while working at Hamilton College. Hired as an assistant in the printmaking studio, I soon realized what a fun challenge it would be to delve into this somewhat antiquated artform, mixing science with art. Over the next four years, I invested in my own printmaking studio - learning with each accident, mistake and oops. The thrill of etching is pulling the first print to see if all those layers, lines and tones come together at long last.”

Set in the layered world of Najee Dorsey’s Poor People’s Campaign is a powerful collection of work grounded in the environmental struggles of today’s impoverished communities. Blending Southern nostalgia with digitally collaged speculative futures, Dorsey’s work unveils a future shaped by environmental racism, industrial pollution, and the resilience of those who endure these atrocities. This exhibition challenges viewers to confront what’s hidden in plain sight—smokestacks on the horizon, decaying landscapes, and children at play in dystopian backdrops, unaware, just going about their lives.

Each candid portrayal of a child, each scar of environmental injustice plaguing the earth, is a symbol of ongoing corporate greed, and a masterful fusion of futures transforming the landscape into an intimate battleground. Through these works, Dorsey challenges us to consider the true cost of progress and unchecked power.

Show Statement:
"Like many artists who have come to New Mexico, I was immediately drawn to the distinctive Southwestern light. The beauty of the natural environment is evident to most people; however, my interest was to explore the more banal peripheral landscapes that often go unnoticed by the casual observer. I began by photographing color fields and geometric shapes. I was interested in the way light and shadow could spark complex narratives, and I quickly became aware that these isolated moments in the suburban landscape were rich with metaphor. Closed and open doors, empty parking lots and forgotten swimming pools drew me to a scene; yet it was my reactions to these objects and spaces that elicited interpretation and projection.

"As a psychotherapist, I learned the art of asking the question – in many ways, these photographs are an extension of that work. The symbols and spaces in my images are an invitation to explore a rich world that is concealed from consciousness. And the scenes are an enticement to contemplate narratives that have no remarkable life or history yet tap into something deeply familiar to our experience; often disturbing, sometimes amusing…unquestionably present."

September 1-30, 2025 Cazenovia Artisans 39 Albany Street
Cazenovia Artist Reception: September 5 from 5-7 p.m.

Aquatint is a printmaking technique that produces tonal effects by using acid to etch into the printing plate, creating sunken areas that hold the ink.

“Sometimes new art forms fall right into your lap. I learned intaglio techniques, including etching and aquatinting, while working at Hamilton College. Hired as an assistant in the printmaking studio, I soon realized what a fun challenge it would be to delve into this somewhat antiquated artform, mixing science with art. Over the next four years, I invested in my own printmaking studio - learning with each accident, mistake and oops. The thrill of etching is pulling the first print to see if all those layers, lines and tones come together at long last.”