Stockade Art Show History

2026 marks a momentous year the Stockade Villagers’ Outdoor Art Show — its 75th anniversary!

Since its founding in 1951, thousands of artists and tens of thousands of art lovers have gathered in Schenectady’s Historic Stockade neighborhood to celebrate artistic excellence, discover exceptional artwork and carry forward a long-standing tradition

The Stockade Villagers’ Outdoor Art Show is one of the oldest continuously held outdoor fine art shows in New York State. It takes place each September in the historic Stockade neighborhood of Schenectady, where artists display their work along the tree-lined streets and sidewalks of one of the country’s oldest residential historic districts.

How It Started

The roots of the annual art show change a bit depending on the source. Here is the most complete published write-up.

For an article in a 1961 Stockade Spy, “It all grew out of talk during John Watrous’ 1951 informal art classes. Clen Crannell got on the telephone and began to call local artists, inviting them to display their work and Stockaders rallied round in force. … The show was originally held in the Spring, at the time of the Union College graduation festivities, and ran for two days. Now it’s in the Fall and runs for one.”

From Giles Y. van der Bogert in 1962, “Many of you also remember the interval when the place was vacant while Arthur lived out his lease across the street. It was then that the artiste met in the empty store each week to relax around the potbellied stove and paint. Here the Art Show was conceived and instituted, Where else could we show our own paintings except in our own show?”

From the 1969 Stockade Spy, “if you weren’t around two decades ago, here’s the report straight from the files of Ernie Cohen, 27 Front Street, who was one of the founders. Ernie tells us the whole idea evolved in 1948 when the fathers of a father-and-son YMCA Indian tribe decided to form a class of “Sunday” artists. Meetings were held on the back porch of the home of John Watrous, 29-1/2 Front Street, who was a GE artist and immediately proclaimed instructor. It was decided in 1949 to move the classes to an abandoned tailor shop which is now Arthur’s Market. About a year later, the class set up a “studio” in the basement of 21 North Ferry Street, the former playroom of the Cohen twins and today an attractive apartment. In June of 1951, the group decided to stage an outdoor show. The show was a resounding success with more than 75 artists participating. For the next eight or nine years it was a two-day event and since then has been held on just one day, attracting from 100 to 150 participating artists each year.”

1982’s Stockade Spy reported: “Thirty some years ago, in a vacant taylor shop in the building that is now occupied by Arthur’s Market, a dozen Schenectady businessmen and professionals got together to paint. They half jokingly called themselves the Riverside Art and Fox Hunting Club. The Group met a couple of times a month and was comprised of two building contractors, a plumber, a G.E. artist (who served as their instructor), a machinist, an ad-man, an architect, a bookseller and a lawyer. From this mixed lot came a creative product that some group members felt warranted a public showing.”

A 2013 Daily Gazette article remembers “Connie Colangelo has been part of the show, working on mailings and registration, then as organizer or co-chair, for 34 years. It all started in 1951, when her father-in-law, Nicholas J. Colangelo, was part of an art group that met in Arthur’s Market. Eight members of that group, including Colangelo, launched the art show by hanging their work on the fence around the statue of Lawrence the Indian.”

Over The Years

Over the years, the art show has grown extensively (with statistics below from Stockade Spy write-ups).

In 1966, “A crowd estimated at more than 4,000 persons choked the intersection of Front, Ferry and Green streets to examine, buy and comment on the works on display.”

1969 saw a record 211 exhibitors

In 1975, referring to 1974, it was reported “Last year, there were 285 exhibitors and it was estimated that the spectators numbered near 8,000.”

Over the years, rain and cold weather did not deter a crowd.

1981 “works of the 160 artists entered in the show.” In 1991, “The day was perfect… 144 artists registered.” In 1998, “Over 90 artists registered” and “There were 115 artists and a steady stream of spectators” in 2000.