"I was drawn to the watering hole because it was shared by such a wide range of people. As I mentioned earlier, the 2016 elections were extremely close in Dutchess County. Then there was this beautiful, Edenic place where different people came together, let their guard down, and tried to cool off. In this tense political moment, there was something about this that drew me in. The more time I spent at the watering hole, the more I wanted to depict its softer, gentler aspects. This approach extended to how I photographed the town in general." - Caleb Stein
ROSEGALLERY is pleased to present, Down by the Hudson, an exhibition of photographs by Caleb Stein. The show exhibits a selection of works from Stein’s ongoing project of the same name.
Wappinger Creek is a 41.7-mile-long creek that connects the waters of Thompson Pond to the mouth of the Hudson River in Dutchess County, New York. Carved by the creek’s path is a hidden Eden nestled in a small wooded area behind the Overlook Drive-In Theater on the outskirts of Poughkeepsie. Amongst the trees and muddy banks, residents congregate in and around this watering hole. Physical and social dissonance is forgone in this haven. The maple leaves rustle in the soft breeze, and rushed footsteps progress into a subsequent splash. Placid conversation fills the air, accompanying the slow trot of those wading in the water.
Caleb Stein’s Down by the Hudson series is an ongoing ‘ode’ to the small town of Poughkeepsie, New York. Rendered in black-and-white, his photographs provide an intimate glimpse into the lives of Poughkeepsie’s residents amidst the current backdrop of de-industrialization and political tension in the U.S. The watering hole serves as a neutral zone, a side-step from the day-to-day turbulence of life. It is a communal ground that provides a place of recreation and refuge.
