So staying home allowed me to catch the conversation between Open Space Beacon's Dan Weise and Michael De Feo whose work is currently on exhibit at the gallery. I appreciated the format of the two guys sitting and talking. De Feo spoke about his development in the Street art scene, and the different artists that inspired him. De Feo also spoke about his full time career of teaching at a school in Connecticut, and the fine line he must walk between the expectations set for him as a teacher, and the process of practicing his art which can bring him in conflict with the law.
Retrogression at Zahra's Studio. 
After the discussion, I stopped into the exhibit at Zahra's Studio, and met the new gallery curator, Vanessa. The exhibit documents several derilict locations in the area. Each location photographed was accompanied by a small timeline of the site's former use and demise. Dennings Point is among the locations included. The trippiest of the buildings was a 50's era hotel near Albany, I believe. The condition of the space was just any other decrepit, neglected building. The bizarre part, for me, was this veneer of decay overlaid not on to an Industrial Age environment, but on a mid-century, modern interior. The building I was musing about previously is known at Bennett College, and it's located in Millbrook.
After Zahra's, I bought a couple of artbooks discounted in the moving sale at World's End Books as Deb moves the business from brick and mortar to the internet exclusively. The idea of not having a book store in town to peruse and fondle the books sucks a bit. There's alway the Beacon Reads bookstore, if you can catch when it's open.
Then on to Go North where Megan Maloy's Harford Fair photographs are on exhibit.
Those are all the openings I made it to. I ran back home to work for another couple of hours in the studio before heading back for the After Party at the Piggy Bank. Of Course there were several other openings happening, and Cafe Chronogram was happening at the Muddy Cup, but there's only so much you can see and do in one night.
One of the liquid chalk sidewalk tags that raised the hackles of various shopkeepers and landlords.
El Jef(f)e and DJ Bobby C at the Next Step at the Piggy Bank.
As there is still very little night life in Beacon to speak of (although, there is more to do, and more venues sporting live music) any dance night at the Piggy Bank has the feel of a post hibernation thaw when all the woolly critters come out and sniff each other - even now as we're heading into that frigid season.
It's a party, and because it doesn't happen very often, it feels special. This Next Step Party was put on by the folks at the Beacon Art Supply, Open Space and the Piggy Bank. It was fun, the music was great and a lot of folks blew off some steam.
Dan Weise and Jim Darling doing a little live painting.
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