Jill Reynolds: "In the Labudio"

In 2010, the Dutchess County Arts Council awarded fellowships in installation and sculpture to two artists:  Matthew Slaats (my Dead Hare Radio partner) and fellow Beacon artist, Jill Reynolds.

On March 5 of this year, Jill gave a talk at Pawling Trinity, in Pawling, NY.  The talk was a co presentation of the Dutchess Arts Council and the Oblong Land Conservancy and Friends of the Geat Swamp (FrOGS), and it corresponded with the opening of an exhibit of Jill's work at Gallery on the Green in Pawling.

I recorded her talk, partially, with the hope of using portions of it for the radio show.  Since her talk was so integrated with the powerpoint images she using to illustrate it, trying to use it for the radio was a bit futile.  But, since it was such an informative and interesting talk, I wanted to make sure we could share it with a wider audience.
I combined the audio captured during the talk and married it to the PowerPoint Jill had assembled to create the video embedded below, which consists of her entire talk.

The video clocks in at about an hour and a half.  For the first 55 minutes, Jill discusses and surveys a range of artists whose work either is inspired by, responds to, or utilizes scientific methodology or techniques. In the final 40 minutes, Jill shows images of her own work and discusses arc of her creative career.

The video starts with former DCAC President, Benjamin Krevolin's introduction of Jill. 


Arthur Ganson is one of the artists Jill discusses, and originally, showed two youtube videos of his kinetic sculptures in action. Since the videos embedded in the original presentation didn't work, we've simply added the video url's. But below is a video of one of the two Ganson works played by Jill (the other, Wishbone with Machine has been removed from youtube).

Benjamin, with Todd Spire at the art auction to benefit Grace Smith House back in 2005 at Spire Studios.

This week marks the end Benjamin Krevolin's tenure as prez of the Dutchess County Arts Council.  Benjamin served as the area's arts advocate in chief since 2002. 
Listen to Benjamin's "exit" interview on the Dead Hare Radio Hour earlier this week.

"Connecting Arts to Tourism" Workshop being held at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, July 16, 5:30 pm

Jim Cypher Jr. passed this item along for all who might be interested:

A Workshop for Artists and Art Organizations
The Dutchess County Arts Council, the Center for Research, Regional Education and Outreach (CRREO) along with the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art (SDMA) at the State University of New York at New Paltz will host a program for artists and arts organizations throughout the region, titled "Developing Shared Marketing Tools and Other Ways to the Tourist Market in the Hudson Valley." 

The Workshop will be held on **THURSDAY** , July 16, 2009; 5:30pm-7:30pm at Locust Grove Estate at 2683 South Road (Route 9) inPoughkeepsie, New York. Admission is Free, however, reservations are encouraged. Email reservations to info@artsmidhudson. org or visit www.artsmidhudson. org for more information.

Lydia Higginson, Deputy Director of Dutchess County Tourism will be leading this workshop. Lydia, an Arts Council Board Member, has more than twenty-five years experience in the areas of Marketing, Tourism, andFundraising.

The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art (www.newpaltz. edu/museum) is a not-for-profit educational institution located on the New Paltz campus. The museum comprises more than 9,000 square feet of exhibition space distributed over six galleries. The SDMA is one of the largest museums within the SUNY system. 

The mission of The Center for Research, Regional Education and Outreach (CRREO) (www.newpaltz. edu/crreo) is to conduct studies on topics of regional interested; bring visibility and focus to these matters; foster communities working together to better serve citizenry; and advance the public interest in our region.

About the Dutchess County Arts Council 

The Dutchess County Arts Council, founded in 1964, is a non-profit arts service organization dedicated to strengthening and supporting artists and arts organizations in the Mid-Hudson Valley region. The mission of the Dutchess County Arts Council is to provide the leadership, funding, encouragement, and services necessary for the highest quality of art to thrive in our county and region, and for citizens to value the arts as an important part of daily life, economy, and social fabric of our communities. Programs and activities include: grants to established organizations, community based projects and Arts in Education programs; folk arts research and presentation; technical assistance, professional development, and cultural community networking opportunities; awareness and advocacy; and community-wide fundraising efforts including the Dutchess County Art Fund. Programs are funded by the County of Dutchess, the New York State Council on the Arts, and
private donors.

Grant me the strength

A Beacon contingent was on hand to receive a number of grants from the Dutchess County Arts Council at a potluck ceremony on Thursday night, March 6 in Kingston. The DCAC administers the funds in Dutchess and Ulster Counties for the NY State Council on the Arts Decentralized Program. The program funds community arts projects sponsored by non profit organizations.
Almost fifty programs and projects from the two counties received funding from this grant program. The ceremony was sort an informal Oscar ceremony set before a backdrop of savory and sweet dishes arrayed in casseroles and tin foil. The only thing really lacking was the orchestra keeping the acceptance speeches to the utmost brevity. That said, It was interesting to hear of all the efforts and energy being put forth by many people to enhance the cultural life in our slice of the Hudson Valley.
Jennifer Mackewiecz and I accepted the grant given to BACA as the sponsoring organization for this year's Windows on Main St which will be held in August.
Donald Kimmel of Flying Swine was on the scene Thursday night. Flying Swine received funding for an upcoming autumn performance of "Savage in Limbo" by John Patrick Shanley. The play is set in the bar and the performance will take place this fall in the long anticipated wine and beer bar that should open in the coming months by Jim Svetz, owner of the Muddy Cup.
Beacon artist Rick Price and Gigi Fris of the Beacon Sloop Club were on hand to accept funding for a mural that Rick will be creating that for the Sloop Club. The mural will depict scenes of the of the environmental legacy of Pete Seeger, the sloop Woody Guthrie and the activities of the Sloop Club. Rick is in the process of planning the composition. Upon completion of the mural in the coming months, it will temporarily be installed on the side of the building that houses the River Winds Gallery. The Sloop Club is hopes to find a future permanent home for the mural closer to the waterfront, possibly somewhere at the Long Dock development.

Stephanie Heimann and Ronnie Farley of Fovea Exhibitions Beacon Gallery received funding for an upcoming exhibit called Women on the Front Lines scheduled to open on May 10 and run through July 6.
Given the amount of territory the DCAC covers, and the number of artists living and working in the county, very few of those artists are actually members of the council. I can attest to the eager efforts and intentions of the Council's board and staff to effectively serve as an advocate for artists' interests and exist as a relevant resource for the area's artists. As artists, we represent a substantial portion of the stakeholders within the constituency that the Arts Council serves, and through membership artists can help shape how culture and the arts in our area are developed.
I encourage all artists living and working in the area to consider joining the DCAC, particularly "contemporary artists" whose work exists outside of traditional contexts of art and who feel that their interests are not necessarily served by the activities of the Council. It is through the feedback support from such artists that the Council's benefits artists can be further developed.

DCAC workshop on internet marketing for artists and small organizations, March 15

The Dutchess County Arts Council will be holding a seminar on Arts Marketing and internet social networks on March 15 at Suny New Paltz, in Lecture Center 110, SUNY New Paltz, 75 S. Manheim Boulevard, New Paltz, NY. Driving directions are available online at www.newpaltz.edu.
The program will be an all day affair lasting from 9:00 to 5:00 with a panel discussion in the morning and in the afternoon, an opportunity for hands on computer time, to create profile pages in a number of the social network sites. Attendees are encouraged to bring a disc with images of artwork to upload during the hands on session.
The fee for the program is $30 for DCAC members and $40 for non members. The fee includes a continental breakfast and box lunch. Registration deadline is March 7. A registration form is available at www.artsmidhudson.org or by calling the Dutchess County Arts Council at 845-454-3222.

The workshop will provide an overview about these popular sites, what their strengths are, how to include them in marketing strategies, and other practical
issues involved with file sharing, messaging, viral marketing, e-chatting, blogging, and more. This full-day program will feature a panel discussion in the morning and an afternoon hands-on session where participants will have an opportunity to develop a page of their own. Represented on the panel will be the Children's Media Project, individual artists Matthew Slaats and Christopher Albert, as well as marketing specialist Dean Temple of Drake Creative, and attorney, Gary Schuster, Esq. of Jacobowitz & Gubits, LLP.

2007 Dutchess County Executive's Arts Awards

Rick Price's mural on the exterior of theBeacon's Howland Public Library.

The Recipients for the 2007 Dutchess County Executive's Arts Awards were announced last week. This year's Art in Public Places award is going to the Howland Public Library's recently installed mural created by Beacon artist Rick Price. Another Beacon recipient is Sara Pasti who is being presented with a special citation.

All of the award recipients are listed below.

Natalie Merchant, Individual Artist
Pawling Concert Series, Arts Organization
Howland Library Mural, Art in Public Places
Sam and Joanne Rein, Individual Patrons
Adams Fairacre Farms, Business/Corporation
Grace Lalicki with the Rhinebeck School District, Arts in Education
Sara Pasti, Special Citation
Malika Chatlapalli and Emily Holohan, Youth with Exceptional Promise in the Arts

An awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, October 18 at the Dutchess County Golf & Country Club. More information can be found at the Dutchess County Arts Council website, www.artsmidhudson.org.

Hudson Valley Podcasting

The Dutchess County Arts Council is teaming up with Drake Media to create a venue for local artists, to submit audio, and video files for a local pod cast. Details, are below.


Drake Media with the Dutchess County Arts Council - Pod Cast

The Dutchess County Arts Council is working with Drake Media to produce a pod-cast exploring local events and artist resources in New York's Hudson River Valley. If you have digital or audio files of an upcoming concert, reading, artist interview, or similar that you would like to have considered for inclusion, please e-mail them to: info@artsmidhudson.org and/or dean@drakreate.com.

For more information, call Benjamin Krevolin at the Dutchess County Arts Council at (845) 454-3222 and/or Dean Temple, at Drake Media, at(845) 677-8918.

Submission Deadline: Ongoing


Hudson Valley Events Vlog
There's a new Video Blog in town exploring local events and artist resources in New York's Hudson River Valley. Whatever your medium, genre, scope, philosophy, etc...this is a resource for you, an opportunity to market your work. Drop a line and your event, opening, program, self, project, band...whatever!...will be covered. If you're interested in getting directly involved with this series, video works and partners are also welcome and encouraged.

Subscribe with RSS, FireANT, Yahoo! or even iTunes. Hudson Valley Events Vlog wants to include you and your projects and spread the good word! No artist, band, venue, or event is too large or too small.

So....Get into videoblogging already! ... if you're not already doing it... at http://valleyvlog.blogspot.com/. (You can also read publications like Chronogram and The Pulse on this site.)

For more information, contact Thomas G. Henry, Producer / DJ / Promoter / Performer at "Fax n Phone": (845) 516-0005.