It’s that time of the year again when the sweltering, swampy heat of New York City has even the cockroaches stumbling down its sidewalks. For those who find themselves among the swarms of city folk hopping aboard the Hudson Line this week to catch their breath and clear their heads in the Catskills, be sure to swing by the 158 local galleries, museums, artist residencies, studios, and cultural organizations taking part in the sixth iteration of Upstate Art Weekend (UAW), which this year takes place across a whopping five days from Thursday, July 17, through Monday, July 21.At its heart, the event is a celebration of the rich arts and culture scene in the Hudson Valley region, which especially in recent years has come under threat due to rising housing costs exacerbated by city-driven gentrification. To combat these issues, the community advocate group Celebrate845 has created a helpful resource guide for locals that spotlights free and low-cost services including cooling centers, food pantries and fridges, and affordable wellness care in the region.From art-filled barns in Ghent to hands-on indigo dyeing in Garrison, we’ve rounded up a variety of not-to-be-missed programming that tackles every twist and turn along the Hudson River. Upstate Open StudiosUpstate Open Studios, various locationsJuly 19–20, 11am to 6pmIrja Bodén, from the series Auto-Cats (2025–) (image courtesy the artist)More than 180 local artists across the Hudson Valley and upstate New York region, including figurative painter Marcus Leslie Singleton, performance artist Holly Hughes, and new media artist Nancy Baker Cahill, will offer visitors a peek into their creative processes as part of the inaugural Upstate Open Studios event. Artist Tatana Kellner, a co-founder of the Women’s Studio Workshop in Rosendale, told Hyperallergic that she will be exhibiting a selection of recent paintings from her Apart series alongside works by collage artist Judith Hoyt and abstract painter Ted Nixon. “I think it’s always a good idea to give exposure to the many artists living in the Hudson Valley, and it’ll take a sustained effort to have any meaningful impact,” Kellner said. Trees Never End And Houses Never EndSky High Farm, 11 Main Street, GermantownJuly 18–20, 11am to 5pmUtē Petit, “Mississippi Woman, Louisiana Man” (2025) (image courtesy Swivel Gallery)Benjamin Wigfall and Communications Village, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Nan Goldin, Ryan McGinley, and Tschabalala Self are among the more than 50 artists featured in this inaugural biennial exhibition at Sky High Farm, a food equity and farming nonprofit founded by artist Dan Colen. Presented in a historic apple storage warehouse, this group show delves into issues related to climate change, agriculture, food access, community activism, and education which lie at the crux of the organization’s mission.All Manner of Experiments: Legacies of the Baghdad Modern Art GroupCenter for Curatorial Studies at Bard College, 33 Garden Rd, Annandale-On-HudsonJuly 17–20, 11am to 5pmJewad Selim, “Children’s Games” (1953) (image courtesy Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College)In 1951, in the period following Iraq’s liberation from British colonial rule, artists Jewad Selim and Shakir Hassan Al Said founded the Baghdad Modern Art Group, a pivotal arts collective that aimed to reinterpret modernism through the lens of Iraqi cultural heritage. Spanning nearly eight decades of artwork and archival materials, this comprehensive survey revisits the history of the group and its enduring influence across West Asia, North Africa, and Europe. Works like Selim’s “Children’s Games” (1953) exemplify the early synthesis of ancient Mesopotamian, Islamic, and Western motifs that evoked the founders’ notion of istilham al-turath, or finding inspiration in heritage.Community Indigo Dyeing & Shibori WorkshopGarrison Art Center, 23 Garrison’s Landing, GarrisonJuly 19, 10am to 2pmHand-dyed fabric created by students using the Itajime technique (photo courtesy Katrin Reifeiss)Teaching artist Katrin Reifeiss will lead participants in a hands-on course diving into indigo dyeing and shibori, the ancient Japanese art of resist-dyeing. Participants are invited to breathe new life into a stained t-shirt, spruce up an old bedspread, or create a new work of art from vintage linens. Admission is $10 per item to dye, and participants are limited to two items. Check the center’s website for more details.Emily Cole: Ceramics, Flora & Contemporary ResponsesThomas Cole National Historic Site, 218 Spring Street, CatskillJuly 17–20, 10:45am to 4:30pmInstallation view of Emily Cole: Ceramics, Flora & Contemporary Responses, with works by Emily Cole (left) and Stephanie Syjuco (right) (photo by Peter Aaron, courtesy Thomas Cole National Historic Site)Intricately painted porcelain and works on paper by botanical artist Emily Cole, the daughter of Hudson River School founder Thomas Cole, are placed in conversation with site-specific installations, ceramics, sculptures, paintings, and photography by eight contemporary women artists in this cross-generational survey of floral art. Visitors can peruse the show on their own or register online for a curator-led tour of the exhibition scheduled for 2pm on Friday, July 18.School’s OutThe Macedonia Institute at Ten Barn Farm, 1142 County Route 22, GhentJuly 18, 12pm to 4pm; July 19–20, 9am to 2pmInstallation view of School’s Out with works by Nicholas Zepeda, Chris Retsina, Jairo Serna, Aaron Feltman, John DeSousa, and Todd Bienvenu (photos courtesy The Macedonia Institute)For the second year in a row, The Macedonia Institute (TMI), a family-run artist residency in Chatham, will partner with Ten Barn Farm to host an immersive group show highlighting the output of 25 TMI alumni. Embracing themes of summer nostalgia and youthful joy, this show includes works like autobiographical surrealist paintings by Brooklyn-based artist Rei Xiao; playful embroidered textiles by Kingston artist John DeSousa; and a gargantuan metallic charm bracelet sculpture by Abby Lloyd. In conjunction with the exhibition, a partnership with the local nonprofit Kinderhook will offer family art-making workshops on Saturday, July 19 from 10am to 1pm.46 GordonThe Campus, 341 NY-217, HudsonJuly 19, 12:30pm, 2:30pm, and 4pmDancer Amber Neff in “46 Gordon” by Nicole Cherubini and Julia K. Gleich (photo by Julie Lemberger, courtesy James Cohan Gallery)Inspired by Virginia Woolf’s seminal six-chapter essay “A Room of One’s Own” (1929), this 17-minute performance piece by Nicole Cherubini and Julia K. Gleich explores themes of individual agency, voyeurism, and sculptural space. In addition to the three scheduled performances, the piece will also function as an active installation, with performers inhabiting the space throughout the day. Between shows, you can peruse The Campus’s second annual exhibition, which encompasses 35 rooms in the abandoned former school building and includes works by Lena Henke, Rita Ackermann, Vivian Suter, Nari Ward, and dozens more.Life, StillADS Warehouse, 105 Ann Street, NewburghJuly 17–21, 10am to 5pmCaleb Stein, “Shamus in Embryo Pose, the Watering Hole” (2022), from the series Down by the Hudson (2016–25) (image courtesy the artist, Rosegallery LA and Palo Gallery NYC)Themes of instability, resiliency, and communal healing are explored in this group exhibition featuring the works of 13 photographers. Among them are Caleb Stein’s decade-long Down by the Hudson (2016–25) series, which documents a singular swimming hole in Dutchess County; Hannah Altman’s exploration of Yiddish folklore in the modern age; and Caroline McAuliffe’s fusing of nostalgic family photos with narrative storytelling.New Art at the Akin Free LibraryThe Akin Free Library, 378 Old Quaker Hill Road, PawlingJuly 18–20, 1pm to 4pmCourtney Puckett, “Sea Lady” (2012) (image courtesy the artist and Akin Free Library)Over 40 contemporary artworks including whimsical quilted chair wall sculptures, large-scale ceramic ropes, and a site-specific video work will converge with the historical collections of the Akin Free Library in this three-floor exhibition featuring a dozen artists from the Hudson and Harlem Valley region. Some of the pieces on view respond directly to the Library and its Late Victorian building, such as Amanda C. Mathis’s sculptural installation set in dialogue with a 19th-century spinning wheel and yarn winder.Upstate Gnarly!Brian Wood & Ashley Garrett Studio, 626 County Route 5, East ChathamJuly 17–20, 12pm to 5pmBrian Wood, “Sparagmos” (2025) (image courtesy the artist)Experimental mixed-media canvases by Carolee Schneemann, padded sculptures suspended from military parachute hooks by Patricia Ayres, and intricate works on Japanese paper by Valerie Hammond are featured in this 14-artist group show. Hosted in the studio of artists Brian Wood and Ashley Garrett, whose paintings are also on display, this exhibition considers the connections between the mind, body, and nature through mediums like painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, and photography.