The Gochman Family Collection, founded by ARTnews Top 200 Collectors Becky and David Gochman, has announced more details for its forthcoming space in the Hudson Valley.
Branchline, as it will be called, will open on November 6 in Katonah, New York, about an hour north of Manhattan. The new exhibition space, which will be open to the public four days a week and be free to visit, takes its name from the “branch lines” of the various rail systems that connect Katonah to New York City, per a release, which adds, “Evoking ideas of movement, connection, and exchange, the name also speaks to the branching histories and artistic lineages held within it.”
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The campus will consist of three structures, which have been renovated by Elizabeth Roberts Architects: the Main Gallery, the Annex, and the Barn. The Main Gallery and Annex spaces will open in November, while the Barn and a Sculpture Deck will open next year. “Our design for Branchline reflects the Gochman Family Collection’s goal of providing an exciting new resource for locals, artists, and art lovers alike that is respectful and sensitive to the community and history of Katonah Village,” architect Elizabeth Roberts said in a statement.
Branchline’s inaugural exhibition, “Line Break,” will primarily feature works from the more than 800 artworks in the Gochman Family Collection, which was established in 2021. Curated by GFC assistant curator Moonoka Begay (Ndee + Diné), with collection associate Nicole van Brugge, the exhibition will feature the works of 18 artists, including Teresa Baker, Andrea Carlson, Raven Chacon, Sara Flores, Jeffrey Gibson, Ishi Glinsky, George Morrison, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Kay WalkingStick, Marie Watt, and Emmi Whitehorse.
“This inaugural exhibition brings together an exciting selection of artists that offer powerful contributions to living Indigenous histories,” Begay said in a statement. “We are thrilled to position these artists in dialogue and hope that this exhibition models our greater intentions for Branchline as a site for the exchange of cultural perspectives, artistry, and relational ways of knowing.” Branchline is the second exhibition space founded by Gochman, who previously cofounded the Forge Project, also in the Hudson Valley. Gochman donated an art collection she’d assembled to Forge shortly after its founding, before stepping back from a leadership role, so that it could be a Native-led organization.
But Gochman, who sees herself as the custodian of the art in the collection, continued collecting and has been doing so at a fast clip. In the past five years, the collection has mostly lived at the Gochmans’ residence in the Upper East Side, which the family opens up for tours and receptions. Because it is one of the largest collections of contemporary Indigenous art, works are also often on loan to museums for various exhibitions.
Gochman always had in mind that she would establish another space to display these works. In March, she hired Laura Phipps, an associate curator at the Whitney Museum who had worked on “Sixties Surreal” and Jaune Quick-to-See-Smith retrospective, to serve as director of Branchline.
“From the beginning, I never imagined the Collection as something that should remain behind closed doors,” she said in a statement. “The artists we work with deserve to have their work seen, discussed, and properly contextualized. Branchline allows us to deepen those relationships by creating a place where exhibitions and conversations can happen alongside the lending program that has always been central to the Collection.”
She added, “My hope is that it becomes a place people return to as we continue to evolve and present new shows and programs.”