MARGARETVILLE — After moving from Brooklyn to Margaretville last year, Cena Pohl Crane was warmly embraced by a vibrant, established arts community. This July, she will open her studio doors to the public, showing how the support of a community not only sustains an artist's work but provides a foundation for resilience during a challenging era.
The exhibition, “The Center Cannot Hold: Paintings for Hope and Resilience,” will be held upstairs at The Commons Building, 784 Main St. The show runs from July 11 to August 2, 2026, with an opening reception on Saturday, July 11, from 4:00 to 7:00 pm.
Cena Pohl Crane’s oil paintings on canvas utilize deeply saturated colors and expressive brushwork, created without a fixed preconception of what the work will communicate. Through a process of discovery in the act of painting, subconscious meanings reveal themselves, often touching on themes of melancholy, anxiety, or the uneasy comfort found between figures. Crane views the act of sharing these works as essential to the work itself.
“In Brooklyn, I was working mostly in isolation. Like many people these days, I feel overwhelmed by the news and the dissolution of societal norms,” says Crane. “Art helps me process these emotions, and my goal is to make a connection with the viewer through recognition in what they see and experience. Building those bonds between people is where the hope and resilience happens—when we stop feeling so alone.”
This exhibition is intended as an antidote to isolation, as a catalyst to bring the local community and visitors together in a shared space. In addition to her solo studio exhibition, Crane will concurrently participate in a group show at Longyear Gallery (downstairs in The Commons Building) and will be included in the AMR Open Studios tour the weekend of July 24–26.
Exhibit Details
Location: The Commons Building, 784 Main St., Suite 202, Margaretville, NY.
Dates: July 11 – August 2, 2026.
Public Hours: Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm (and by appointment).
Opening Reception: Saturday, July 11, 4:00–7:00 pm.
