On August 3, 2025, New York City’s summer arts calendar welcomed the debut of The Rose, a feminist-themed collage exhibition at a prominent downtown venue. Curated by artist Justine Kurland and Marina Chao at the Center for Photography at Woodstock in Kingston, the show presents more than 50 artists working from the 1960s to today. It frames collage as a powerful feminist tool of protest, identity formation, and resistance through pieces ranging from traditional paper and photography to ceramics, textiles, and video.
Audiences were inspired by the exhibition’s emphasis on collective agency and inclusivity. Kurland, widely known for her Girl Pictures series, launched the project out of frustration with the male-dominated visual tradition of photography, literally cutting up and reassembling those visual legacies into new feminist narratives. The project includes a companion book, The Rose: A Circular Genealogy of Collage, which broadens the conversation about feminist and intersectional art practices in solidarity and transformation.
The opening weekend attracted enthusiastic and diverse attendance, reflecting the exhibition’s commitment to community building. Many of the participating artists engaged directly with visitors through artist talks and discussions—a sense of dialogue that curator Marina Chao highlighted as rare and energizing in group exhibitions. Critics and visitors alike noted its communal intensity and political urgency, making it a standout in New York’s creative landscape.
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Concurrent with The Rose, two other notable exhibitions also enriched the city’s summer roster. Larry Fink: Sensual Empathy at CPW explores intimate and unvarnished social photography spanning Fink’s half-century career. Curated by Lucy Sante, the show includes images from his seminal Social Graces series alongside civil rights-era and jazz club photographs. Fink’s work, described as “political, not polemical,” captures both elite glamour and grassroots gatherings with dramatic chiaroscuro and emotional clarity.
Also part of New York’s August exhibition lineup are thematic installations at institutions such as Hauser & Wirth and Tina Kim Gallery. These include exhibitions exploring migration, identity, and immersive installations that continue the city’s exploration of art as both personal expression and social reflection.
The Rose runs through August 31, 2025, at the Center for Photography at Woodstock in Kingston, while Sensual Empathy remains on view through the same date. Both exhibitions underscore a broader cultural moment in New York where art is deeply intertwined with feminist politics, community engagement, and archival storytelling.
Together, they confirm that New York’s summer art season remains vibrant and resonant—drawing audiences to exhibitions shaped not only by aesthetics but by activism, identity, and shared creative histories.
