May 24–July 6, 2025

A Familiar Type of Magic

Featuring Daniella Dooling, Matthew Gilbert, Phil Knoll, Gabriel Martinez, Susan Ottaviano, Rafael Santiago, Annie Sprinkle & Beth Stephens

Even at our most rational and secular—few humans get through the daily vicissitudes of life without relying on spells or magical practices. Often, these kinds of familiar magic are beautiful and fun to share with others like divine recipe swaps. Some light candles for prosperity and burn sage to remove negative energy while others attend erotic rituals in the woods to summon the Queer Divine Spirit. We cultivate and consume herbs for psychological succor, look to prayers of supplication for mental realignment, and indulge in silent meditation to better center ourselves. Our entertainments are so magically centered—fantastically complex in their own spells and recited incantations—that it’s amazing that any of us are able to stop long enough to simply walk the dog or cook dinner.

Summer in the Hudson Valley casts its own spells and magic from its misty mornings, the dazzle of fireflies, or a chance encounter with a bear—all of which tempts us into believing that we can understand and be understood by nature.

A Familiar Type of Magic asks if it even matters whether we fully believe in the efficacy of our small incantations since wonderment and the re-enchantment of life is its own reward.

Opening Reception Saturday May 24, 3-6PM