Upcoming events
Engage with community building events in the Hudson Valley! These include art exhibitions, concerts, city meetings, and talks hosted by artists, activists, and writers alike.
In Concert: Sweet Honey In the Rock
Sweet Honey In The Rock® remains among the most vibrant, versatile and ever relevant musical collectives in music today; both as a performance ensemble and as an ambassadorial African American organization founded on the triumvirate missions of empowerment, education and entertainment. Currently consisting of members Carol Maillard, Louise Robinson, Nitanju Bolade Casel, Aisha Kahlil, and featured musician Romeir Mendez on upright acoustic bass and electric bass. A possibility to still attend by picking up tickets in person on the day of the concert.
November 3
Bardavon Opera House
35 Market St., Poughkeepsie, NY
Noliwe Rooks discusses "A Passionate Mind in Relentless Pursuit: The Vision of Mary McLeod Bethune"
Author and chair of Africana Studies at Brown University Noliwe Rooks discusses her latest work. Floridian Mary McLeod Bethune was a trailblazing educator and influential New Dealer who shaped the landscape of civil rights and Black education in America. As president of the National Council of Negro Women and vice president of the NAACP she amplified the voices of Black women. An entrepreneur at heart, she owned a resort and a life insurance company. Noliwe Rooks’s new book delves into the life of this extraordinary leader, spotlighting Bethune’s mentorship of generations of Black leaders.
November 3
The Gilder Lehman Institute of American Society
Virtual Meeting
Racial Capitalism and (Re)production of Urban Spaces
Prentiss Dantzler, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Toronto employs racial capitalism as a theoretical intervention to explore the particular plight of African Americans and their quest to claim property and land for themselves. Urban scholars have long argued that capitalism and racism have a symbiotic relationship realized in the built environment. Yet, few have extended their analysis beyond lower levels of scale to a broader political economy of place. By situating racism and capitalism as interlocking systems of dispossession and displacement, the “housing question” is brought into perspective as a way to understand broader calls for reparative justice.
November 6
Vassar College, Rockefeller Hall, Room 200
5-6:30 pm
124 Raymond Ave., Poughkeepsie NY
Rachel Pollack Exhibition, Gallery Talk with Susan Aberth and Cat Willett
The exhibition opens November 4. A celebrated science fiction author and activist, Pollack made history by creating DC Comics’ first transgender heroine. November 7 gallery talk will feature Dr. Susan Aberth (Bard) and Brooklyn-based illustrator Cat Willett. Cat will be signing her book Women of the Tarot which features a chapter on Rachel.
November 7
Milder I. Washington Art Gallery,
5-6:30 pm
53 Pendell Rd., Poughkeepsie NY
Acclaimed author Colson Whitehead will deliver the 2024 William Gifford Lecture
Colson Whitehead, who has won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction twice, is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Underground Railroad (an Oprah’s Book Club selection and winner of the 2016 National Book Award and 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction) and also, among other titles, the author of The Nickel Boys, winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
November 12
Vassar College, Taylor Hall 102
6-8 pm
124 Raymond Ave., Poughkeepsie NY
A Hudson Valley Reckoning: Discovering the Forgotten History of Slaveholding in My Dutch American Family
The FDR Presidential Library and Mid Hudson Antislavery History Project present a conversation and book signing with Debra Bruno, author of "A Hudson Valley Reckoning: Discovering the Forgotten History of Slaveholding in my Dutch American Family". This is a free public event, but registration is required.
November 13
Henry A. Wallace Center, FDR Presidential Library & Museum
6 pm
4097 Albany Post Rd., Hyde Park NY
Poughkeepsie Public Library Holiday Book Sale!
Shop, save, and support the Poughkeepsie Public Library District! The Holiday Book Sale features thousands of gift-quality books and media, sorted into multiple categories and most priced at $4 or less per item. All items will be half-price on Sunday. This year’s sale again offers an additional room for specially priced vintage items, coffee-table books, items, and books of local interest, collectible books and books signed by authors.
November 22 - 24
Locust Grove Historic Estate
2683 South Road (Route 9), Poughkeepsie NY
“Alternative Realities: Modern and Contemporary African Fashion, a View from the Continent"
Marist College showcases the diverse fashion of Africa. The exhibit is one of the many projects from Guzangs, the global and interactive platform celebrating African art and fashion. “Alternative Realities” includes 45 pieces of garments, accessories, textiles, sculpture, and jewelry from 14 acclaimed designers from across Africa. The work gives the Marist community an opportunity to interact with African art through the lens of fashion.
Through November 15
Steel Plant Studios, Marist College
3399 North Rd., Poughkeepsie NY
My Grandmother’s Whispers: Indigenous Prints and Beadwork
My Grandmother’s Whispers: Indigenous Prints and Beadwork explores the persistence of Indigenous ancestral knowledge through matrilineal lines. On display are five prints from Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts, created by Indigenous artists Dyani White Hawk (Siċaŋġu Lakota) and Wendy Red Star (Apsáalooke). The prints are complemented by five pieces of Haudenosaunee beadwork, including contemporary works by Lorna Hill and Samuel Thomas.
Through February 2
Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College
124 Raymond Ave., Poughkeepsie NY
City of Poughkeepsie Meetings
Historic District & Landmark Preservation Commission Meeting Nov 14th, 6 pm
Public Arts Commission Meeting Nov 21, 6:30 pm
Challenges and Solutions for Interpreting Slavery in the North
Do you know your site has enslavement stories to tell but aren’t sure how to research or share them? So much of the history of enslavement has focused on the Southern United States. However, enslavement existed in the Northern United States as early as 1627. The Northern Slavery Collective (NorSC) is a group of museum professionals and academics dedicated to researching and interpreting the history of enslaved people and the practice of enslavement in the Northern United States. Whether you're a museum professional, historian, educator, or community leader, this program is designed to offer practical solutions to deepen your understanding and improve your interpretive work.
November 19
American Association for State and Local History
3 pm
Webinar