Kingston, NY — BravinLee Programs announces Stay Frosty Kingston, the second edition of its open-air art event, presented this year in collaboration with ArtPort Kingston in Kingston, New York, and part of Upstate Art Weekend. It is free and open to all. June 25–28. Opening: Thursday evening June 25. Hours: TBA. ArtPort Kingston, 80 Smith Street, Kingston, NY, 12401
Part tailgate. Part trunk show. Part art fair. Part site-specific exhibition. Stay Frosty’s first edition, presented in Fall 2025 in a parking lot in Harlem with 30 participants, reimagined each vehicle as a self-contained, curated presentation — where trunks opened to sculptural creations, installation, sound, multiples, and conversation. The result was dynamic, accessible, and community-driven—art experienced beyond the confines of a conventional setting. The participants are artists, dealers, non-profits, and independent curators. Stay Frosty Kingston transforms ArtPort’s three parking lots into a dynamic exhibition space featuring over 50 presentations, including site-specific sculptures, installations, performances, and workshops.
Stay Frosty re-thinks the status quo of the contemporary art world. It is shaped by an open vision of exchange—the structure remains dynamic and responsive, designed to serve makers and creatives by fostering connection, collaboration, and shared experience. The name Stay Frosty comes from Vietnam era GI slang-- DONT PANIC.
Kingston, NY is one of the Hudson Valley's most vital and artist-dense communities. Stay Frosty has found its ideal host in ArtPort Kingston — a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to supporting artist-led initiatives and fostering meaningful community engagement in non-traditional ways throughout the region. ArtPort Kingston was one of Stay Frosty Harlem’s exhibitors.
BravinLee Programs was founded by Karin Bravin and John Post Lee in 1991 in SoHo. BravinLee works through a site-responsive exhibition model. It has always operated within and outside the gallery; it now focuses fully on the latter, organizing exhibitions in unexpected, nontraditional environments where place is as central as the work itself.
ArtPort Kingston, run by Laurie De Chiara and Stefan Saffer, is a Hudson Valley nonprofit dedicated to fostering artist-led exhibitions/ projects, residencies, and community engagement in Kingston, New York and beyond. ArtPort Kingston provides the premises and collaborative foundation for Stay Frosty Kingston, bringing together two organizations committed to building culture horizontally — outside the gates, on the ground, and in community.