The Hudson Valley has become known not only for its rich visual art but also for its strength in the literary arts. The region is steeped in its own narrative tales such as Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," T.C. Boyle's novel World's End, and factual accounts of Henry Hudson's voyage.

Perry Meigs, Untitled 2 (Spring 2011), 2013, Acrylic on canvas, 18 x 24 in., courtesy the artist

The Stories We Tell provides a rare opportunity to examine the ways in which art and literature are closely related—both reflecting artistic practices of today as well as the role of the narrative structure in contemporary art. For Hudson Valley Artists 2015, artists are invited to submit work that considers the following questions. What is the difference between illustration and art that is shaped by narrative structure? How much is narrative a conscious or unconscious factor in an artist's practice? How do stories factor into abstract art in which the narrative might be known only by the artist?

Kevin Frank, Reliquary, 2013, Oil on canvas, 37 x 32 in., Courtesy the artist

This is the seventh year that the Hudson Valley Artists Annual Purchase Award of $3,000 will be used to acquire one or more artworks from the exhibition for the museum's permanent collection. This Purchase Award is made possible through the Alice and Horace Chandler Art Acquisition Fund. Artists who work has been purchased in the past include Holly Hughes, Stephen Niccolls, Patrick Kelley, Adie Russell, Elisa Pritzker, Charles Geiger, and Curt Belshe and Lise Prown, among others.