reGifting at Van Brunt Gallery

Van Brunt Gallery will be opening its annual group gift show with offerings from a cavalcade of stars we've all come to know and love... The show opens on Sat, Dec 2 and runs through Dec 31. Opening reception Dec 2 6-9pm.

Machinations

A couple of weeks back, I noticed a sign reading "Freshman Fine Art Coming Soon" in the window of the long dormant, recently vacant space that was occupied by Minetta Brook for several years. The space is just off Main St on S. Chestnut. I currently don't have any information on what the nature of this space will be.

I caught the broadcast last night of last week's Board of Education meeting when a resolution was passed to transfer control of the old high school building back to the BOE. The proposal will be presented to the bakruptcy court on Nov. 28 for approval. If approval is granted, the school board will begin the process of assessing the physical needs of the building, and the potential future use of the facility. A handful of representative tenants of Bulldog spoke at the meeting expressing the benefit they feel Bulldog Studios provides to the community, and the necessity the workspaces at Bulldog represent for the tenant artist/small businesses. The artists voiced their desire to work together with the community and school board to enhance the educational benefits of continuing the presence of artists' studios in the building. Another concern for the tenants is discovering when heat in the building my be turned on. It was stated that, currently, the Board has no right to enter the building assess the physical systems of the building, and that the responsibiliy of taking care of the outstanding utility bill in the amount of $90,000 is still that of the Beacon Cultural Foundation.

Superintendant of Schools, Jean Parr stated that the Board will be openly seeking input from the community in determining the future use of the building. For those who find interest in such forms of public discourse, the process to determine the fate of the building and Bulldog Studios should prove truly entertaining. Given the various opinions voiced in the comments at the Beacon Dispatch website, and in the Beacon Free Press, there should be a robust exchange on this issue.

Beacon Art Supply's Call for Artists

This is just in from the folks at Beacon Art Supply:

Calling All Artists (from the Beacon Area, anyhow!)
Join the Beacon Art
Supply 4X5 Club!
We supply a 4”X5” canvas and you create something on
it.
Return it to us and now you are eligible for a 10% discount on store
merchandise!
(AND you will be a part of an upcoming 4X5 exhibit with your
Hudson Valley peers!)
The show will be a permanent installation in our store,
representing a cross-section of the area’s visual artists, as well as a portal
for communication. So please include your contact info with your contribution.
Stop by and visit us, and pick up your canvas if you haven’t already
received one.
Deadline is ASAP—we know the holidays are upon us, so view it
as a little creative zen in the midst of holiday angst.
Date of exhibit
opening to be announced.
Please try and stay within the confines of
4”X5.”
Have fun.
Create Something.
Nicole Ashey
Beacon Art
Supply
506 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508
845-440-7904
www.beaconartsupply.com

Beacon School district vote on former high school building

Today's POJO reports on Monday's School Board vote to transfer the title of the former high school building back to the school district and some reactions from artists on the prospects for the building's current tenants.
The transfer is pending approval from the bankruptcy court, andit's not clear if the school district will renew exsisting leases if the transfer is allowed to happen.

Artist book launch at bau Sunday, Nov 19, 6pm

bau is presenting a collaborative book project between the members of the coop and Elia Gurna. The book, "The Bear That Crosses the River," features a poem written by Gurna with accompanying original artworks created by the members of Bau.
There is a limited edition of 10 books that will be for sale for $100 each.
Elia will also be performing with her group, einlab will be performing during the event.

Unfortunately, I'll not be in town for this event. I was able to get a glimpse of Elia's poem over the Summer as the project was developing.. It is this is type of project that I find most interesting in its potential for investigating new forms of interactions between artists, and hopefully new forms of support for the entity, and I hope to see more such efforts in the future.

Ann Lauterbach Reading @ Dia:Beacon, Nov 19, 2pm

Dia's Readings in Contemporary Literature series continues tomorrow with poet Ann Lauterbach reading and discussing her work

Tickets for the reading are $15; $10 students, seniors; $3 members. Tickets include museum admission. Reservations are suggested. Call 845 440 0100 ext. 45.

3 in New Paltz

Angelika Rinnhofer, Peter Iannarelli and I are having an exhibit at Unison Arts Center in New Paltz called "Come Gather 'Round." Featured in the exhibit is a selection of work in a variety of media that looks at the nature of the stories we share, and the things we're told when we are young. There will be an opening reception on Friday, Nov 17 from 5-7pm, and the exhibit will run through Dec 31.

Living the High Life

Dia:Beacon was all abuzz today as one half of the most dynamic sybling duos since Chang and Eng visited the museum. Mary Kate - or Ashley (the skinnier of the two) came to view the artwork with a companion, and a stalking papparazzo in tow.

The actress' visit passed without incident, and no, she did not try to evade the public's gaze by hiding behind a Fred Sandback piece.

In other celebrity news, W magazine's November Art Issue features an item on former Dia Director, Michael Govan in his new digs at the LA County Museum and his mission to bring SexyBack -- to the encyclopedic museum.

Gallery Talk on Blinky Palermo at Dia:Beacon

A Gallery Talk is being presented on Nov 11 at Dia:Beacon by independent curator and Bard CCS faculty member, Ivo Mesquita. Mesquita will be discussing the work of Blinky Palermo. The talk will begin at 1pm.

Hessel Museum grand opening Sun, Nov 12

The grand opening of the Hessel Museum at Bard College is happening on Sunday, Nov 12. The inaugural exhibit, Wrestle, is curated by Tom Eccles and Trevor Smith and spans the new museum galleries and exsisting CCS galleries with over 150 pieces from the Marieluise Hessel collection housed at Bard. Artists featured in the exhibit include DoHo Suh, Thomas Struth, Cindy Sherman, Tony Oursler, Christopher Wool, Janine Antoni, Sol Lewitt, Gabriel Orozco......and many many more....But wait, there's more.
Prior to the opening, there will be a panel and book launch at 10 am with Rhea Anastas and Michael Brenson, editors of "Witness to Her Art" a collection of writings of artists included in the Hessel collection.
Sunday's reception will open with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 12pm and run to 4pm. At 2:30 pm, a Wrestle Panel Discussion is scheduled with Tom Eccles, Trevor Smith, Arthur Danto, Vasif Kortun, Ute Meta Bauer and Molly Nesbit.

As several Beacon folks have been working on the installation of the exhibition, there should be a small caravan making the hour trip up to Bard, so it should be easy to line up a carpool.

Update:
CCS Bard's homepage with the program of events for the opening day.

Holland Cotter's review of Wrestle.

A short film by Liza Bear from the museum opening.

Artist Talk at Tentents Art Lab Nov 11, 2pm

A couple of weekends back, I stopped into Tentents Art Lab, and met the founder, Steven Shermeyer. Shermeyer is a collector with an intense passion for supporting artists, and has narrowed the focus of this endeavor works on paper and showcasing artists that investigate "the natural world" in their work. Tentents' exhibits will rotate on an almost monthly basis. The first exhibit in the space is a collection of works in guache, graphite and charcoal by Brooklyn based artist Mia Pearlman that explore the permutations, real and fantastic, of cloud formations.

The artist will be giving a talk on her work at Tentents on Saturday Nov. 11 at 2pm.

Call for small works at Chthonic Clash

Chthonic Clash Coffeehouse is seeking submissions for it's annual small works exhibit and sale. All varieties of 2 and 3-D work priced under $250 will be accepted. Artists will be allowed to submit up to 5 pieces. The coffeehouse will take a 10% commission on sales.
The exhibit will open on Nov. 11 with a reception from 6-8pm, and run through Jan. 12.

For more information, or to rsvp, contact Rick at the Clash...
453 Main St. 845.831.0359

Hudson River Artists discussion at School of Visual Arts

Harald Plochberger will be among the panelists at an ATOA(Artists Talk On Art) discussion on Hudson River artists at the SVA in Manhattan on Friday, Nov. 3 from 7-9 pm. Also on the panel are Pat Braja, Carol Wax, and John Lawson. The discussion will be moderated by Catskill Arts Society director, Richard Reeve.