Past Events

Events from 2023

Visitors: Redefining American Identity

Tuesday, November 28th | 8:00PM

Old Dutch Church

272 Wall Street, Kingston, NY

This Nov. 28th is #GivingTuesday! Join us in the sanctuary of the Old Dutch Church as we collaborate with graduate students from Bard College Conservatory Vocal Arts Program for a special vocal recital to benefit the Reher Center! Come celebrate the diversity of immigrant and Indigenous languages, cultures, and traditions through an evening of music and poetry.

Inspired by our work, Bard students have challenged us to raise $5,000 by midnight on #GivingTuesday!

While concert admission is free, all proceeds will directly support our mission to shine a light on immigrant stories.

Can't make it to the concert? No worries!

You can still discover this fabulous music by exploring the program here, and help us meet this challenge by donating below.

 

 

Home and Hearth: Stories of Peace and Hope

Sunday, November 19th | 2:00PM

Reher Center Gallery

99-101 Broadway, Kingston, NY

Storytellers Lorraine Hartin-Gelardi and Karen Pillsworth invite listeners to join them in a Story Concert for Grown-Ups on Sunday, Nov. 19th at 2PM at Reher Center for Immigrant Culture and History. The storytellers will share personal stories and traditional tales about the search for a place to call one’s own and what happens when you get there.

Holding Space for Tenderness: A Cyanotype Project by Carmen Lizardo

Sunday, November 12th | 2:00PM

Reher Center Gallery

99-101 Broadway, Kingston, NY

Are you ready to leave your mark on Kingston's canvas? We invite you to participate in this Cyanotype Project, where your handprints will become a part of a unique art exhibition. Join us in transforming the former Kingston Food Co-op building into a Pop-Up Gallery, and let your creativity shine! The project aims to celebrate individuality and creativity through the art of cyanotype printing, which result in beautiful, striking blue images. In this project, your handprints will serve as the canvas for your artistic expression! This display will be open to the public throughout the project's duration, allowing your work to be seen and appreciated by the entire community.

How to Participate:

  • Sign up for free and drop in for this hands-on workshop!
  • Bring a significant object that fits in your hand, or a piece of writing
  • Your hands will be photographed holding your object!

 

Deli Dinner

Saturday, November 4th | 6:00-8:00 PM

The Children's Home of Kingston

26 Grove St., Kingston, NY

A deli-licious event you won’t want to miss! We're thrilled to bring back a true Reher Center classic, our popular Deli Dinner. Featuring Italian and Jewish delicacies, this mouth-watering event has been cooked up in partnership with our friends at the Ulster County Italian American Foundation!

Click here to join us in-person or to place orders for pick up.

$30 in advance, $35 at the door

Family-Friendly Cultural Food Workshop

Friday, October 27th| 6:00-7:30 PM

The Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center

467 Broadway, Kingston, NY 12401

Food traditions are a staple of every culture around the globe; it is a way to connect people across generations and geography.
Expand your knowledge and treat your appetite as you create your own Chutney and Gluten-Free Spiced Potato Cake under the expert guidance of Mini Dhingra, owner and founder of Samosa Shack here in Kingston. Participants will leave with new skills, cultural knowledge, and of course, the food they create throughout the workshop.

*Best suited for children 10 and up!*

Click here to register!

Community Oral History Training Day

Sunday, October 22nd | 2:00 - 3:30 PM

Reher Center Gallery: 101 Spring Street

Are you interested in Oral History? Would you like to learn how to interview family members and share stories?

Connect over culture, family, and tradition over the upcoming holidays as you interview each other and use your new skills!

Join us for a family-friendly program at the Reher Center Gallery on Sunday, October 22nd at 2:00pm and learn how to prepare, conduct, and record your own Oral History! Professor and Food Studies scholar Dr. Willa Zhen of the Culinary Institute of America will lead an educational and interactive workshop teaching you how to be an oral history expert.

While admission is free, please sign up here!

Kingston Night Market Send-Off at the Reher Center!

Saturday, September 23rd | 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Reher Center: 101 Broadway & 101 Spring Street

Rondout Businesses have always been hubs of community. Join us in historic Reher’s Bakery retail shop for a Pop-Up Exhibit, Celebrating Rondout Businesses Past and Present. View historic photos of Rondout small businesses across time; offering a unique view into our neighborhood’s long history of family and immigrant-owned businesses. Engage with Reher Center Executive Director, Dr. Sarah Litvin for interpretation of these riveting historic photos. 

Have you enjoyed the Night Market this year? Do you have ideas for what you'd like to see or do at a future Night Market? Please join us to share your thoughts! Together, let's help the Waterfront Business Alliance improve the experience for all!

Afterward, enjoy free admission to our new exhibition, “Taking Root: Immigrant Stories of the Hudson Valley,” which features the personal and familial stories of 36 different individuals from 22 different countries and 6 different continents who call the Hudson Valley their home.

Farms, Food, and Connection in the Hudson Valley: A Mini-Doc Double Feature and Panel Discussion at The Rosendale Theatre

Thursday, September 14th | 6:30 PM EST Doors Open

Rosendale Theatre, 408 Main Street, Rosendale

What does it mean to nourish a family, and in turn a community? Join us for a mini-documentary double feature to hear how two immigrant families do just that in the Hudson Valley! Savor the stories of Against the Grain and This Organic Life: Gopal Farm along with a panel discussion from Reher Center Curator Dr. Sarah Gordon, Nfamara Badjie, Co-Founder of Ever-Growing Family Farm, and HUDSY filmmaker and Co-Founder Angel Gates.

 

Special thanks to The Ferriday Fund for supporting our programs and enabling us to provide free admission for Farms, Food, and Connection in the Hudson Valley. While admission is free, please reserve your spot here!

Reher Center Fiesta of the Arts

Wednesday, August 30th | 5-8 PM EST

Opus 40, 356 George Sickle Road, Saugerties

Join us for a sunset celebration of culture! Savor delicious foods, enjoy ambient music, and bid on beautiful Hudson Valley artworks. More details coming soon, but you can reserve your ticket today by clicking here!

Community Listening Day at Kingston Library

Thursday, August 3rd | 1-7 PM EST

Kingston Library, 55 Franklin St, Kingston

Do you have a Hudson Valley immigration story to tell? Join us from 1pm-7pm on August 3rd, 2023 at the Kingston Library for a Community Listening Day! Listening Days are an opportunity to record your stories of adaptation, identity, and immigration.

Continuing the effort of the Hudson Valley Oral History Project, this series was developed in partnership with the Kingston Library, Bard College, Ulster Literacy Association, La Vida Real Church, Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church and more. Contribute your story and you will benefit the community long into the future! 

Immigration in America from Colonialism to Covid: A Book Talk with Dr. Hasia R. Diner and Dr. Carl J. Bon Tempo

Wednesday, June 14th | 5-6:30PM EST

Online via Zoom.

Free

Join the Reher Center at 5pm EST for a book talk with leading scholars Dr. Hasia R. Diner and Dr. Carl J. Bon Tempo centered on their new work, Immigration: An American History. This sweeping history tells the story of American immigration from the colonial period to the present, centered on the lives of ordinary people who shaped the nation.

Don’t miss out on this lively conversation moderated by Reher Center Curator Dr. Sarah Gordon, that will explore the complexity of U.S. immigration from the colonial era to the COVID-19 pandemic.

About the Authors

Hasia R. Diner is the Paul and Sylvia Steinberg Professor of American Jewish History at New York University. Her research has focused on the history of American Jews, immigration, and women’s history. In addition to her recent book Immigration: An American History (Yale 2022), Professor Diner contributed the essay “Sewing Women, Sewing Men, and the Story of Migration: From the Global to the Local,” to the Sewing in Kingston exhibition catalog

Carl J. Bon Tempo is associate professor of history at the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY). He is the co-author, with Prof. Hasia Diner, of Immigration: An American History (Yale University Press, 2022) and the author of Americans at the Gate: The United States and Refugees during the Cold War (Princeton University Press, 2008). His current research explores human rights politics in the 1980s United States.

Taking Root: Immigrant Stories of the Hudson Valley Opening Day!

Saturday, May 6 | 11AM - 3PM

Reher Courtyard & Gallery

99 Broadway, Kingston, NY

Taking Root is a multisensory exhibition that amplifies the stories of local immigrants as never before.

Listen to the voices of our storytellers – their joys, tastes, tears, and laughter – and immerse yourself in what is unique to each person and what is held in common about being an immigrant to the Hudson Valley.

Join us for Opening Day on Saturday, May 6 for free, family-friendly programming and tours!

Spring Celebrations with Alianza Cultural de Kingston

Wednesday, March 29 | 5PM - 8PM

St. James United Methodist Church

35 Pearl St., Kingston, NY

Registration is required in advance!

Please Register Here

Join us for Spring Celebrations with Alianza Cultural de Kingston, Folk Arts Program of Arts Mid-Hudson, Reher Center for Immigrant Culture and History, and St. James United Methodist Church for an evening of food demonstrations and sharing related to Easter, Passover, Nowruz, and Ramadan. Seating is limited, so register here today to reserve your spot!

Place Story: Place Corps Fellows' Presentations

Thursday, February 16 | 3-4PM

Reher Center Gallery

99 Broadway, Kingston, NY

Place Story, part of the Place Corps Kingston Fellowship, is an exploration of the individual & unique relationships we have to Place. Utilizing oral history methodology, personal observations, and multimedia methods, each Place Story project unearths a dynamic history of Place that informs our understanding of ourselves & our community in our PLACES. Place Story presentations will be held at the Reher Center Gallery on February 16th from 3-4 PM, with refreshments following. Want to learn more? Send an email - info@placecorps.org

Events from 2022

A close-up of a fir tree decorated with light advertising winter celebrations.

Wintertide at Reher's Bakery

Saturday, November 26 | 11AM - 1PM

Historic Reher’s Bakery

101 Broadway, Kingston, NY

Free guided tours every 30 minutes

Explore Historic Reher’s Bakery, a landmark of the Kingston Waterfront, as you kick-off the holiday season at Wintertide on Saturday, November 26th!

On Saturday, November 26th from 11am-1pm, enjoy free 30-minute tours of the preserved bakery site at the heart of the Reher Center and be transported back to seasons past. Explore our historic artifacts, hear stories of the Sunday morning rush, and discover how the Reher’s family business fostered community for their Kingston neighbors.

Take in some history amid the winter celebrations and become a part of the community we’re building in the Rondout for generations to come.

Wintertide at the Kingston Waterfront is a day of music, refreshments, and photos with Santa at T.R. Gallo Park! Explore festive offerings at most neighborhood establishments and stick around for the tree lighting at dusk.

Buffet Dinner at Graziano’s Downtown Café

Monday, November 14 | 7PM

Graziano's Downtown Cafe

91 Broadway, Kingston, NY

Purchase Tickets Here

Join us for a delicious buffet dinner at Graziano’s Downtown Café to benefit the Reher Center for Immigrant Culture and History.

Owner and chef Graziano Tecchio hails from Venice, Italy, where farm-to-table practices are a long time family tradition. He learned from an early age how to fish, slaughter, butcher, garden, and cook. These traditions carry on at the Downtown Café, where Graziano serves his incredible northern Italian cuisine inspired by the bounty of the Hudson Valley.

We're grateful to Graziano's Downtown Café for hosting this mouthwatering event, where every dollar of every ticket purchased will support the Reher Center. To make this event as appetizing and impactful as possible we're offering tiered ticketing. Whether it's $125 or $75, you can choose the price that's meaningful to you. With no administrative or production costs, you'll directly contribute to our work of amplifying immigrant stories. Seating is limited, so purchase your ticket here today to reserve your spot!

Schmatta Talk: Italian & Jewish Stories of Sewing in Kingston

Monday, November 14 | 5-6:30PM

Reher Center Gallery

Free | Sold Out

Enjoy an excerpt of the documentary Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags, which explores the rise and fall of NYC’s garment industry, and hear from Italian and Jewish Kingston residents whose family stories shine light on the business of sewing in our city.

In the 1920s, more people in Kingston worked in sewing industries than in any other job – and many of those employed were Jewish and Italian immigrants and their descendants. Join us to explore the history of the garment industries in Kingston and New York City, and celebrate the Italian and Jewish stories featured in Sewing in Kingston.

Plus! Join us for buffet dinner following the event at Graziano’s Downcafe Cafe at 7pm to benefit the Reher Center. To learn and purchase tickets for dinner, click here.

About the Film
The Garment Center is the heart and soul of Midtown Manhattan and the backbone of the fashion industry. It was the gateway for many immigrants to the American Dream. Now, it’s in danger of disappearing. Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags, a feature HBO documentary, explores the rise and fall of New York's fabled schmatta (rag) trade as a microcosm for the economic shocks that have changed our lives.

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Supporters
Thank you to the Ulster County Italian American Foundation for their support of Schmatta Talk: Italian & Jewish Stories of Sewing in Kingston through a 2022 Community Grant.

Sewing in Kingston is made possible thanks to significant support from the Coby Foundation. Associated public programs are made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Humanities New York.

Many thanks to Sewing in Kingston Presenting Sponsors: Ulster County Tourism, Shawangunk Valley Conservancy/Bienstock Family, and an Anonymous Donor.

Additional Sewing in Kingston supporters include our Pleat Sponsor: Ditto! Design!, and Stitch Sponsors: Barbara & Joe Cohen, Basch and Keegan, Central Hudson Gas & Electric, CoWork Kingston, Herzog’s Home & Paint Centers, Jill Ammerata, Miller & Khan, Rick Friedman, and RUPCO.

Two images side-by-side, one shows author Alvin Eng who wears glasses and long hair, the other shows the cover of his memior

In Conversation with Playwright Alvin Eng:
Our Laundry, Our Town: My Chinese American Life from Flushing to the Downtown Stage and Beyond

Saturday, November 12 | 7-8PM

Inquiring Minds Bookstore

65 Partition Street, Saugerties, NY

On Saturday, November 12th, don't miss out on a great evening with New York Times featured playwright Alvin Eng as he reads from his new memoir Our Laundry, Our Town: My Chinese American Life from Flushing to the Downtown Stage and Beyond. Following his reading, Alvin Eng will be joined in conversation by Reher Center Director Dr. Sarah Litvin.

This conversation and book signing will be held at Inquiring Minds Bookstore at 65 Partition Street in Saugerties, NY.

About the Book
Our Laundry, Our Town is a memoir that decodes and processes the fractured urban oracle bones of Alvin Eng's upbringing in Flushing, Queens in the 1970s. Back then, his family was one of the few immigrant Chinese families in a far-flung neighborhood in New York City. His parents had an arranged marriage and ran a Chinese Hand Laundry. From behind the counter of his parent’s laundry and within the confines of a household that was rooted in a different century and culture, he sought to reconcile this insular home life with the turbulent yet inspiring street life that was all around them––from the faux martial arts of tv’s Kung Fu to the burgeoning underworld of the punk rock scene.

About the Author
Alvin Eng is a native NYC playwright/memoirist, performer and educator. His memoir, OUR LAUNDRY, OUR TOWN (My Chinese American Life from Flushing to the Downtown Stage and Beyond), was published by Fordham University Press in May 2022. The memoir was covered by The New York Times and NPR/WNYC among others. THREE TREES, the first of Eng’s Portrait Plays series of historical dramas about artists, was recently published by No Passport Press. This work dramatizes the haunting relationship between sculptor Alberto Giacometti and his primary 1950s muse/model, Japanese philosopher, Isaku Yanaihara. He is currently completing his acoustic punk raconteur work, HERE COMES JOHNNY YEN AGAIN (or How I Kicked Punk). This piece explores the profound impact of opium and the Opium Wars on the Chinese Diaspora, as well as NYC’s punk/counterculture. Eng is a two-time appointee to the Fulbright Specialist roster as a U.S. Studies/Theatre scholar, as well as a three-time recipient of NYSCA/NYFA Fellowships––most recently in 2020 for Nonfiction Literature. His plays and performances have been seen Off-Broadway, throughout the U.S., as well as in Paris, Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China. You can follow Alvin at IG: alvin.eng8 Twitter: alvineng8 or www.alvineng.com.

Oaxacan Embroidery Workshop with Concepción Duran

Saturday, November 12 | 1-2:30PM

The Greenhouse, 65 St. James Street, Kingston, NY

Tickets $5-$15 | Register Here

A white, blue, pink, and orange Oaxacan Huipil, cotton with ribbons.

Learn the history and techniques behind traditional Oaxacan embroidery in this beginner workshop led by Kingston artist Concepción Duran. Create a work of art you can take home inspired by the indigenous cultures of Oaxaca.

This workshop will be taught in Spanish and English, with simultaneous interpretation available. No prior sewing experience needed! All materials will be provided for this workshop.

This workshop will be held at the Greenhouse at the Good Work Institute, located at 65 St. James Street in Kingston.

About the Artist
Concepción Duran is a master of traditional Oaxacan embroidery and a member of Kingston’s diverse community of Latino/a/x immigrants. Embroidery is a key part of Concepción’s family traditions; she learned her sewing skills and many of her designs from her mother, who learned from Concepción’s grandmother. Today, Concepción continues this legacy by teaching her daughters to embroider. Concepción and her mother Antonia, who still lives in Oaxaca, often collaborate on projects, with Antonia sewing blouses and huipil that Concepción embroiders with traditional floral and animal motifs inspired by her Zapotec and Mixtec roots.

Embroidered huipil courtesy of Concepción Duran

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This workshop is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Mid-Hudson.

 

Thank you to our supporter Good Work Institute for hosting our Sewing in Kingston artist workshops this fall.

 

Interpretation is made possible through the support of the Hudson Valley Foundation for Youth Health.

Three brown fabric mouse

Sew an Upcycled Catnip Mouse with Connie Snyder

Saturday, November 5 | 1-2:30PM

The Greenhouse, 65 St. James Street, Kingston, NY

Tickets $5-$15 | Register Here

Create a wool catnip mouse with Kingston designer Connie Snyder that’s perfect for the cat lover in your life–or fill it with lavender for a sachet. Use recycled fabrics in this beginning sewing workshop that celebrates sustainable design.

Registration is required for this workshop. No prior sewing experience needed! All materials will be provided. Mice can be hand sewn, or if you have a portable sewing machine you’d like to bring, we’ll teach you that way too!

This workshop will be held at the Greenhouse at the Good Work Institute, located at 65 St. James Street in Kingston

About the Artist
Connie Snyder is a graphic designer and sewer whose roots connect to Kingston’s legacy of garment and textile work. Connie learned to sew at home at age 10 from her godmother. She also has sewing in her blood, with grandmothers who worked in Kingston garment factories in the mid-20th century, at a time when thousands of young immigrant and working-class women found stability and opportunity within the industry. Connie’s designs are inspired by her love of creating and upcycling, and her desire to give new life to garments that hold memories and stories. Connie’s work can be found at lilachilldesigns.com

Image courtesy of Lilac Hill Designs.

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This workshop is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Mid-Hudson.

 

Thank you to our supporter Good Work Institute for hosting our Sewing in Kingston artist workshops this fall.

Multicultural Dinner

Saturday, October 22nd | 6-10PM

Wiltwyck Country Club
404 Steward Ln, Kingston, NY

Tickets $54 | Register here
Please RSVP by October 15th

Join us and our friends at the Ulster County Italian American Foundation for a night of food, music, dancing, and raffles at our Multicultural Dinner. All cultural groups in Ulster County are invited! We ask that you please bring a cultural dessert to be included on our dessert sharing table.

Be sure to register here or by check to UCIAF PO Box 4427, Kingston, NY by October 15th. If registering by mail, please include the names of the people who will be attending and an email address.

For further information, email UCIAFINC@gmail.com or visit uciaf.org.

Round out this night of good food and company with some truly amazing raffle prizes! With appreciation to the UCIAF, all monies collected for the raffle will support our work. Whether or not you can attend, you can enter to win a range of prizes - from delicious foods, wines, and spirits to a personal baking class, there's something for everyone! Learn more and buy your tickets online here.


 

Multicultural Dinner Raffle

The Reher Center is excited to host our third annual raffle at the Ulster County Italian American Foundation dinner!

This year we've moved ticket sales online - so please peruse the prizes here! The drawing will happen at the dinner on 10/22 at 8 pm.

If you're the winner you'll receive an email notification. If you're in the room, you can take your prize home. If you can't attend we'll reach out to coordinate pick-up. Questions? Contact us at info@rehercenter.org

Click here to view this year's raffles!

Stories at Reher’s Bakery

Sunday, October 16 | 11am to 1pm

Historic Reher’s Bakery

101 Broadway, Kingston, NY

Guided bakery tours at 11am and 12pm

Storytelling at 11:30am and 12:30pm

Join us for this free family program and celebrate Kingston’s bread stories from the past and today! Enjoy short guided tours of Historic Reher’s Bakery, hear Kingston’s Storyteller Laureate Karen Pillsworth share the classic story Everybody Bakes Bread, and create your own (non-edible) loaf!

Recommended for families with children ages six and up.
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This program is made possible by a 2022 Storytelling grant from Story Circle of the Capital District, and by our annual sponsors: Community Manufacturing Solutions, Ulster Savings Bank, and Yonnetti Restorations Unlimited, LLC.

Hungarian Embroidery Workshop with Kati Lovasz

Saturday, October 1 | 1-2:30PM

The Greenhouse, 65 St. James Street, Kingston, NY

Tickets $5-$15 | Register Here

Join embroidery artist Kati Lovasz for a beginner workshop and create a tree-of-life-inspired design to bring home. Gather inspiration from the colors and traditional motifs of Hungarian folk arts and learn basic hand-stitching skills.

Registration is required for this workshop. No prior sewing experience needed! All materials will be provided.

This workshop will be held at the Greenhouse at the Good Work Institute, located at 65 St. James Street in Kingston.

Matyó sampler courtesy of Kati Lovasz.

A red and blue embroidered pattern that features birds and flowers.

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This workshop is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Mid-Hudson.

Thank you to our supporter Good Work Institute for hosting our Sewing in Kingston artist workshops this fall.

Two images of the artist Ishraq Zraikat; in one image she looks at the camera wearing a black top and headscarf, in the other she kneels in front of a loom on the bank of a river

Nomadic Weaving with Ishraq Zraikat: Bringing Traditional Bedouin Weaving from Jordan to the Hudson Valley

Sunday, Sept 25th | 11am - 6pm

Reher Courtyard on Spring St

On Sunday, September 25th, Jordanian artist and weaver Ishraq Zraikat performed “Nomadic Weaving,” a visual arts public performance that introduced the people of Ulster County to Bedouin weaving. Visitors joined Ishraq at the Reher Center courtyard as she constructed her loom from scratch using locally found materials, warped it with wool yarn, and weaved a small textile from start to finish before a live audience.

About Bedouin Weaving
Bedouin weaving is an ancient shelter-building technology. A Bedouin home or tent is woven from goat's hair and sheep's wool using a simple flat floor loom made of found objects like tree branches and rocks. The Bedouin floor loom is a mobile and free-spirited tool that is easily set up and dismantled to accommodate the nomadic lifestyle of the Bedouins. They were constantly on the go and could not carry too much with them so they adapted their weaving tools and techniques accordingly. The performance is a celebration of the fluid nature of Bedouin Weaving: it can be done anywhere, anytime, and amongst other social activities. It is an homage to the ingenuity of the Bedouin people, especially the women, who found ways to weave intricate textiles with limited resources in an arid environment. 

About the Artist
Ishraq is a Jordanian textile artist, weaver, and wool researcher. She attained an undergraduate degree in Architecture from Virginia Tech before pursuing her graduate study in Textile and Material Design from NABA-Milan. Her research-based practice bridges various design disciplines through a fundamental appreciation and craft of fiber/ textile media. Her work strives to unveil the sophistication of traditional handcraft – not through historicism – but as part of an affective economy which continues to be driven by everyday necessity, human innovation, and our eternal pursuit for beauty. An interdisciplinary practice built upon such critical reflections of process and material technology; and palimpsest of a journey through architecture, fashion and textile design. Ishraq specializes in sustainable practices of processing wool from animal to finished product, and is currently involved in textile related initiatives in the Hudson Valley where she maintains residence, and in her native Jordan. In 2018 she became a certified wool grader from the American Sheep Industry.

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This workshop is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Mid-Hudson.

Art Walk Kingston

Saturday, Sept 17 & Sunday, Sept 18

12-5 PM

At the Reher Center & throughout Kingston

Art Walk Kingston is a celebration of the arts and the local community. Over the course of two days, visitors and local residents were invited to explore three distinct areas of the city of Kingston and immerse themselves in a range of art and events. Paintings, photographs and sculptures are just some of the mediums that were on display at home studios and galleries. Whether you had a few hours or a full day, the event weekend offered a broad range of art and activities.

The Reher Center was pleased to participate during Art Walk Kingston! Participants visited Sewing in Kingston and saw artists on view including Carole Amper, Concepciόn Duran, Jay Reeder, mau, Mumba, Connie Snyder, Deborah Mills Thackrey, Robert Tonner, Elena Valencia, and Dina Washington. For more information on visiting the exhibition, click here.

For more information Art Walk Kingston 2022, visit www.artwalkkingston.com or facebook.com/artwalkkingston.

Braiding Bread & Traditions Opening

Monday, Sept 12 | 5:45-6:15 PM

Outside of the Reher Center

Join us to raise a glass in honor of our newest windows exhibition, Braiding Bread & Traditions. The exhibit features mouthwatering photographs by renowned local photographer Aaron Rezny spotlighting local Rondout Rolls by Rosie General, Filipino Ensaymada by Lamissa Events LLC., and Guatemalan Pan Dulce by Super Pan Panadería Hispana.

Photo courtesy of Aaron Rezny.

Sustainable Fashion Day at the Reher Center

Sat, Aug 20th | 1-5PM | Free

Looking for a wardrobe refresh? Visit the Reher Center for our Saturday, August 20th Sustainable Fashion Day and bring principles of recycling and reusing home to your closet!

Join us for a free afternoon of activities inspired by our hit new exhibition Sewing in Kingston – take part in guided exhibition tours, give your wardrobe some love with our mending and styling workshops, and participate in the circular economy by bringing items for our clothing donation drive and closet swap.

Featured Activities:

  • Bring clean, gently-worn clothing to our donation drive and closet swap
  • Mending workshop with Anna Svoboda-Stel of the Germantown Laundromat
  • Learn 100 ways to style a t-shirt with Sydney Maresca
  • Work with Andrea DelCid to hand-stitch our Reher community tablecloth using recycled fabric

Participants in our Sustainable Fashion Day will enjoy free admission to our newest exhibition, Sewing In Kingston!

Help us keep clothing out of landfills by bringing clean, gently-worn clothing to our donation drive and closet swap. Donated clothing will go to Beyond The 4 Walls Outreach Program, which equips vulnerable Kingston families and children with the resources they need at no charge. Most requested items include t-shirts, jeans, and sneakers. 

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Image Credit: Jacket, Tyvek, 2018. Courtesy of Marian Schoettle. Mau (Marian Schoettle) works out of Kingston's Shirt Factory and practices what she calls "idea-based clothing design." Many of her pieces are made of Tyvek, the same materials used in packing and house wrap. 

Sustainable Fashion Day is made possible thanks to a sponsorship from the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area.

Sewing in Kingston is made possible thanks to significant support from the Coby Foundation. Associated public programs are made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Humanities New York. Many thanks to our presenting sponsors Ulster County Tourism, Shawangunk Valley Conservancy/Bienstock Family, and an Anonymous Donor.

Voices from Behind the Machine: Discussing Women’s Experiences in Sewing Industries

Wed, July 20th | 5-6:30PM
Free | Register Here

From working in Kingston’s shirt factories and running tailor shops to creating garments for loved ones, women of the Hudson Valley – many of them immigrants – have long used sewing, knitting, and textile arts to support their families, start their own businesses, and pass on their cultural traditions. 

Join us for a lively discussion panel that will trace the history of women’s contributions to the business of sewing, design, and manufacturing, and highlight their contemporary experiences within these industries. Moderated by Sewing in Kingston co-curator Sarah Gordon, this panel will feature scholars, artisans, and entrepreneurs on the invaluable contributions of women past and present.

Registration required. Click here to register for this event.

Our panelists include Anna Pulvermakher of Loopy Mango in Rhinebeck; Starla Bollé, a recent graduate of the Ulster BOCES Fashion Design & Merchandising Program; Sarah-Maria Vischer-James of Community Manufacturing Solutions in Kingston; and historian Dr. Hasia Diner of New York University.

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Image Credit: Headshots provided by Anna Pulvermakher, Starla Bollé, Hasia Diner, and Sarah-Maria Vischer-James (pictured clockwise from top left).

Sewing in Kingston is made possible thanks to significant support from the Coby Foundation. Associated public programs are made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Humanities New York. Many thanks to our presenting sponsors Ulster County Tourism, Shawangunk Valley Conservancy/Bienstock Family, and an Anonymous Donor.

Exhibition Tour: Tracing Women’s Stories in Sewing in Kingston

Labor activist Mabel Fuller speaks with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt about the importance of women's work.2pm on Sat, July 16th
$12 Suggested Donation | Purchase Tickets Here

A limited number of tickets will be available for walk-up purchase.

Join us for an hour-long guided tour of Sewing in Kingston, our wildly popular new exhibit, as we explore the stories and honor the contributions of Kingston women within our city’s sewing industries. 

Whether as factory workers or artisans, organizers or entrepreneurs, women have been the backbone of sewing work within Kingston. In this guided tour, you’ll learn about women’s impact on the city’s garment industry, hear about artists and expert seamstresses, and discover the diversity of cultural sewing traditions practiced and shared by Kingston women.

Spots are limited, so click here to purchase your ticket now!

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Image Credit: Mabel Fuller and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt meeting during WWII to discuss ILGWU war relief effort (detail), c. 1943. Kheel Center for Labor Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library.

Sewing in Kingston is made possible thanks to significant support from the Coby Foundation. Associated public programs are made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Humanities New York. Many thanks to our presenting sponsors Ulster County Tourism, Shawangunk Valley Conservancy/Bienstock Family, and an Anonymous Donor.

Family Tour of Sewing in Kingston

A group of young people explore a gallery exhibition about sewing in Kingston, NY.Sun, June 26th | 2-3PM | Free

Get ready to explore and express your creativity in this free family tour of Sewing in Kingston!

Featuring colorful garments, intriguing artifacts, and community stories, our latest and much-discussed exhibition Sewing in Kingston showcases how past and present Kingston residents have used sewing to earn a living, express themselves, and share their culture. 

Together, we'll go on a guided scavenger hunt through our gallery using our bilingual English and Spanish family guidebook, and end by sketching a t-shirt design inspired by your cultural identity! 

This tour is open to all but geared toward kids ages 5 to 12 and their guardians.

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Sewing in Kingston is made possible thanks to significant support from the Coby Foundation. Associated public programs are made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Humanities New York. Many thanks to our presenting sponsors Ulster County Tourism, Shawangunk Valley Conservancy/Bienstock Family, and an Anonymous Donor.

Opening Day: Sewing in Kingston

Saturday, May 7th | 11:30AM-5PM |Free

Join us on Saturday, May 7, to celebrate the opening of our new year-long exhibition Sewing in Kingston! Enjoy guided tours and family-friendly arts activities that bring to life the history of Kingston’s garment industry, the power and imagination of makers past and present, and the importance of immigrant communities, women, and families for understanding sewing in Kingston. 

With thanks to the Hudson Valley Foundation for Youth Health, adult and family gallery tours on May 7th will be available in English and Spanish.

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Sewing in Kingston is an exhibition and public program series at the Reher Center that explores how Kingstonians from many backgrounds have used sewing to earn a living, to express creativity, and share their culture. Join us to learn about the ups and downs of Kingston’s garment industry, the persistence of small businesses, the imagination of artists, and the power of family. The exhibit will highlight the role of immigrants and women and connect local experiences to broader historical, cultural, and economic stories.

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Sewing in Kingston is made possible thanks to significant support from the Coby Foundation. Associated public programs are made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Humanities New York. Many thanks to our presenting sponsor Ulster County Tourism.

Opening day is made possible by a sponsorship from the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, with Spanish-language tours made possible through the support of the Hudson Valley Foundation for Youth Health.

In Conversation with Dinaw Mengestu: Small and Immigrant Business Owners on Community

Saturday, April 30th | 5-6:30PM
Free | Register Here

Join us for a reading at the Reher Center by award-winning novelist Dinaw Mengestu, whose work explores the complexities of immigrant experiences in America. Following the reading, Mengestu will join small and immigrant business owners in a panel discussion moderated by Kwame Holmes, Director of the Kingston Housing Lab.

Registration required. Click here to register for this event.

Can't join us in person for this event? Watch the livestream starting at 5pm EST on the Reher Center Facebook page. Thank you to Radio Kingston for their help in streaming this talk!

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Dinaw Mengestu, a recipient of the 2012 MacArthur Foundation Award, was born in Ethiopia and raised in Illinois. His fiction and journalism have been published in The New Yorker, Granta, Harper’s, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times. Mengestu was chosen for the 5 under 35 Award by the National Book Foundation and was named on The New Yorker’s “20 under 40” list in 2010. He is also the recipient of a Lannan Fiction Fellowship, The Guardian First Book Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, among other awards. He is the author of three novels: The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears (2008), How to Read the Air (2010), and All Our Names (2014). His work has been translated into more than fifteen languages. He is the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor of the Humanities at Bard College.

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The Big Read Hudson Valley: Spanning the Hudson River with Words is a dynamic, community-wide reading program offering reading groups, performances, workshops, and events in Red Hook, Rhinebeck, and Kingston. 

NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

El proyecto NEA Big Read es una iniciativa del National Endowment for the Arts (el Fondo Nacional para las Artes de Estados Unidos) en cooperación con Arts Midwest.

Kingston Immigrant Oral History Project & the Ávila Ensemble at the Reher Center

Saturday, April 30th | 2-4PM | Free

Enjoy an afternoon of music, community, and light refreshments at the Reher Center, featuring the Ávila Ensemble of the Hudson Valley and the Kingston Immigrant Oral History Project, a collaboration of the Reher Center and Kingston Library.

2-4pm: Learn more about the Kingston Immigrant Oral History Project and sign up to add your story to this collection of immigrant experiences of 20th and 21st-century Kingston. Register for a recording time and learn about local organizations supporting the needs of Kingston communities.

3pm: Enjoy a performance by the Ávila Ensemble of the Hudson Valley, a quartet of four Venezuelan students from the renowned Bard College Conservatory who specialize in the folk and classical music traditions of Venezuela. 

Explore interviews from the Kingston Immigrant Oral History project here.

Interested in adding your story to the collection? Contact the Kingston Library at (845) 331-0507 or email circulation@kingstonlibrary.org

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The Big Read Hudson Valley: Spanning the Hudson River with Words is a dynamic, community-wide reading program offering reading groups, performances, workshops, and events in Red Hook, Rhinebeck, and Kingston. 

NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

El proyecto NEA Big Read es una iniciativa del National Endowment for the Arts (el Fondo Nacional para las Artes de Estados Unidos) en cooperación con Arts Midwest.

 

 

 

 


Kingston Immigrant Oral History Project
is supported with federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds allocated to the New York State Library by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS; imls.gov) and administered by Southeastern NY Library Resources Council.

The House on Mango Street Comes to Your Street!

Saturday, April 9th | 2-5PM | Free

Explore the Sandra Cisneros' classic The House on Mango Street in this series of bilingual street performances that activate Midtown Kingston. Your guides, local actors and students from the Center for Creative Education (CCE), will bring The House on Mango Street to life through word and dance right here on Henry Street. Meet at the Kingston Library to make your own Mango Street craft that you will carry with you as we parade through the neighborhood.

Back at the library, we will kick off the Kingston Immigrant Oral History Project with a launch party featuring local Latinx foods. This project invites immigrant Kingstonians to share and contribute their personal story to a collection that will be accessible at the Kingston Library and Reher Center and will create an historic record that centers immigrant voices.

Schedule:
2 PM: Crafting at Kingston Library
3 PM: Depart library for street theater
4 PM: Immigrant Oral History Project launch and food

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The Big Read Hudson Valley: Spanning the Hudson River with Words is a dynamic, community-wide reading program offering reading groups, performances, workshops, and events in Red Hook, Rhinebeck, and Kingston. 

NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

El proyecto NEA Big Read es una iniciativa del National Endowment for the Arts (el Fondo Nacional para las Artes de Estados Unidos) en cooperación con Arts Midwest.

 

 

Kingston Immigrant Oral History Project is supported with federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds allocated to the New York State Library by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS; imls.gov) and administered by Southeastern NY Library Resources Council.

An Afghan Culture & History Primer: Helping the Hudson Valley to Welcome Refugees

How can each of us be better neighbors to newly-arrived Afghan community members?

Over the past few months, several dozen Afghan refugees have settled in the Hudson Valley. On Sunday, February 27, Sina Baha and Khadija Ghanizada offered a virtual presentation on Afghan culture and history, and discussed some of the challenges Afghan newcomers face in the Hudson Valley in an event geared toward assisting Hudson Valley neighbors in welcoming our newest neighbors. 

This event was sponsored by the Reher Center and the Afghan Circle of the Hudson Valley, a group currently working in support of a refugee agency to help resettle a family in Ulster County.

Click here to watch a recording of this event.

To learn more about the Afghan Circle of the Hudson Valley and their ongoing work, visit afghancirclehudsonvalley.org