The Tang Museum: Inside and Out

Designed by American Institute of Architects Gold Medal winning architect Antoine Predock, the building appears to burst out of the ground - its main wings and two dramatic walkways reaching out in all directions. It is said to reproduce in an artistic sense Skidmore's commitment to interdisciplinary education; the many intersections of the arts, humanities, sciences and social sciences.

What is somewhat surprising is how many Saratoga residents I have spoken to in preparation for this piece have not visited the Tang, even those among us who value the arts and liberally sample the many offerings downtown.

So it is worth stating a bit of advocacy: the Tang Museum is without peer in the region, a jewel that not only is an asset to Skidmore's students, parents and faculty but an incredible gift for every resident of the County and beyond. This should be on everyone's must-see list of things to do locally, or else you shouldn't bother to make one.

The current calendar of events lists no less than seven exhibitions on display this weekend, a combination of visiting works that journey to leading art museums worldwide, and offerings from the Tang's extensive collection. The mix is strongest on contemporary art, but is by no means even closely limited to that. Every medium you can imagine is utilized to create exhibits; multi-media presentations that befit the Tang's teaching mission.

The exhibition entitled Lives of the Hudson is being spotlighted now, and explores the long history of one of America's greatest rivers. Ian Berry, the Tang's curator, relates that there are four main themes that guided the organization of this exhibition: the natural river, the imagined river, the human river and the working river.

This Saturday, October 17 at 3 p.m. is an excellent time to visit the exhibit. The dramatic multi-media display will be augmented by talks and discussions by artists Bob Braine and Leslie Reed, along with Skidmore College Professor of Chemistry Judy Halstead and Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences Karen Kellogg.

Along with important works by Hudson River School painters, Lives of the Hudson presents objects of material culture, science, and recent art. The exhibit combines information about the river from physical descriptions to the human effects of tourism and industry, with provocative images by contemporary artists who ask us to reconsider our use of the river and our relationships with nature and history. The exhibition's focus is the last two hundred years and thus presents an intersection of contrasting and varied stories - environmental, historical, and individual - whose journeys all lead back to the Hudson itself.

Interestingly, the Tang's tenth birthday has a symmetrical and artistic ring to it: 10/10/2010! Given their service to the Skidmore family and the greater Saratoga community, and the fact that they present excellence in multiple forms every day, one can only anticipate with great relish what they have planned to commemorate that wonderful occasion.