The River That Flows Both Ways

Ever Baldwin Erika deVries Clarity Haynes Portia Munson

May 2nd - June 29th 2025

RUTHANN is pleased to present The River That Flows Both Ways, an exhibition featuring the work of Ever Baldwin, Erika deVries, Clarity Haynes and Portia Munson. This is a two-part exhibition that begins at RUTHANN and continues with Marinaro in New York City, opening July 2nd, 2025. 

The concept of flow, an experience of total engagement in an activity, was introduced into psychology by Csikszentmihalyi in 1975, based primarily on first-hand accounts in a variety of domains. He found examples in physical activities such as rock climbing, sports (where it is also known as being in the zone), games such as chess, religious rituals, occupational activities such as surgery, and creating in the arts (creative flow). Csikszentmihalyi described the elements of the flow experience this way: The sense of having stepped out of the routines of everyday life into a different reality, clear goals every step of the way, immediate feedback, effortless attention, action and awareness merged, balance between skill and challenge, time distortion, and spontaneity. These properties are cognitive; they are relevant to the study of problem representation, automatic vs. controlled cognitive processes, time perception, and modes of cognition.

The River That Flows Both Ways describes the process by which creative ideas and aesthetics can flow between individual artists to provide mutual inspiration, permission, support, and collaboration. The artists in this exhibition have been engaged in a creative dialogue through studio visits for the past several years. Common themes include working from intuition, feminist, queer and trans approaches to spiritual and activist concerns; magic; collage and found objects/collecting of objects; witchcraft; craft; play; joy; delight; and feminist and LGBTQIA+ resistance.

WINTER GARDEN

February 7th - April 20th 2025

Charlotte Becket   Lisa Corinne Davis   Kerry Downey   Ellen Letcher   Kathryn Lynch   Caitlin MacBride   Keisha Prioleau-Martin   Courtney Puckett   Dana Sherwood  Elisa Soliven   Filiz Soyak   Amy Talluto   Julie Torres   Scott Vander Veen  Andy Van Dinh   Alona Weiss   Seldon Yuan  

RUTHANN is pleased to present our inaugural exhibition, Winter Garden. This debut group show reflects our dedication to fostering an inclusive and supportive art community and providing a platform for artists of diverse practice. Winter Garden features seventeen artists based in the Hudson Valley and New York City who work in a range of media including textiles, prints, ceramics, works on paper, paintings and sculptures.

One kind of winter garden we envision is a green house refuge, bursting with colorful or unexpected plants, earthy scents and humidity when the air can be searingly cold outside. The conditions are controlled but the life inside is not; the plants are thriving within their parameters. Another winter garden is seemingly dormant but actually has plenty of activity going on underground; during the hibernatory months plants and fungi are growing stronger roots and storing energy. Below the earth rhizomes consistently expand and networks connect to build larger systems. Within these garden metaphors, artists could be the gardener, the plant itself, or perhaps both depending on the activity. As we collectively face the political, environmental and societal changes around us at this darker time in particular, RUTHANN offers a dynamic exhibition full of color, hope and expansion.

Images by Jason Andrew