Threading Lineage explores connections between historical works from the Hart Cluett Museum collection and contemporary works of curating artists, Ally DeRusso and Victoria van der Laan. Through quilts and related pieces from the collection, the exhibition reflects on how fabric transcends time, function, and artistic styles, highlighting the enduring role of textiles in hyperlocal placemaking, family history, kinship, and emotional connection. It invites viewers to consider the significance of textiles in individual and collective history, and how each maker may serve as a voice for a broader community.
Join us on October 3rd from 6-8pm for the opening reception of this new exhibit!
Ally DeRusso is a printmaker and photographer living and working in Upstate New York. She holds an MFA from the University at Albany and a BFA in Studio Art from The College of Saint Rose. She has exhibited at venues such as Kinhouse Gallery (Fort Wayne, IN), Collar Works (Troy, NY), and CREATE Council on the Arts (Catskill, NY). In 2022, DeRusso was a recipient of an Individual Artist grant from Saratoga Arts.
Victoria van der Laan is a textile artist working in Troy, NY. Victoria's heritage is quilt-making and she carries this knowledge and tradition forward in her textile works and sewn paintings, echoing the work of her forebears while innovating new possibilities for the form. She has been awarded multiple residencies including the Penland Winter Residency, Elizabeth Murray Artist Residency, and Millay Arts Residency and has exhibited her work widely throughout the Northeast. A strong proponent of the Solidarity Economy, Victoria has become known for her Pay What You Can project and offers all of her work with an equity pricing scale.
Thank you to Susan Cerrata for assisting in the preparation and installation of this exhibit.
Arts Thrive & Grow is funded by New York State & the New York State Council on the Arts, with support from Governor Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins, and local elected officials, including Senators Jake Ashby and Patricia Fahy and Assemblymembers Scott H. Bendett, John T. McDonald III, Angelo Santabarbara, Phil Steck, and Mary Beth Walsh.