The Tang Museum, in partnership with Skidmore College, will open the new exhibition “500 Dams: Art, Ecology, and Radical Care” on Wednesday, September 26, 2026. Hosted at the museum’s space on the Skidmore campus and extending to the nearby Anaya Springs area of Saratoga Springs, the show presents a collection of ecological repair projects that span two decades of artistic and research‑driven restoration work.
The exhibition brings together a range of installations, visual pieces, and site‑specific interventions that examine how art can intervene in environmental degradation. By focusing on dam‑related landscapes, the curators aim to illustrate how collaborative efforts between artists, scientists, and local communities have sought to restore waterways and habitats over the past twenty years. The title “500 Dams” reflects the scale of the interventions documented, emphasizing both the physical structures and the broader ecological narratives they embody.
Organizers describe the show as an effort to highlight “radical care” for ecosystems, positioning creative practice as a tool for long‑term ecological stewardship. The partnership between the Tang Museum and Skidmore College underscores a growing commitment among academic institutions to integrate environmental concerns into cultural programming. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore how artistic inquiry has informed restoration strategies, from re‑vegetation projects to water flow redesigns, and to consider the role of public engagement in sustaining these efforts.
The opening on September 26 marks the first major museum presentation of the “500 Dams” series, offering residents of Saratoga Springs and the wider region a chance to engage with the intersection of art, ecology, and community‑based repair. The exhibition will run for several months, providing ongoing access to the works and related educational programming designed to deepen public understanding of ecological resilience.
By documenting two decades of interdisciplinary collaboration, the Tang Museum’s latest show seeks to inspire continued dialogue about the possibilities of art‑driven environmental action.