Inadvertent Galleries and Almost-Art

A binary ode to minimalism at...is it Jeff Wilkinson architecture?

Roberta Smith reflects on the moments of "almost art" that she encounters throughout NYC in her NY Times piece on "inadvertent galleries."  It's a nice piece on looking and seeing.
It's a piece that I think draws out some of the more poignant aspects of the Windows on Main St. exhibit - and many other psuedo-public art projects.  It's generally not what exists in the project or the "art", but usually what happens outside of it - and most likely what happens after it's gone that is most interesting.
Having one's very act of seeing gently tweaked opens up the possibility of seeing things around us in another way.  A new way.  I think that changed state - reached through the exercise of looking at art -  is at the heart of Roberta's piece.  And it stands at the core of what I think is the greatest power and potential of the WOMS exhibit (even if particular works of art aren't particularly good).
In his essay in the catalogued selection of works from the NY Public Art Fund (Plop: Recent Projects of the Public Art Fund), Tom Eccles offers up an analogy (which I am paraphrasing) that if an artwork in a gallery or a museum is akin to that which you might hang in a place of prominence, over the mantel or a sofa in the living room, a work of public art is more like that painting or photo on the wall at the back of the hall near your bedroom.  That work in the hall neither demands or commands your full attention like the one over the mantel;  your relationship with it is far more informal, yet perhaps more consistent, and it's likely that this is the work that exerts the most influence on how you see through the day.

Of course, I'm a geek in regards to this notion.  I'm tripping out any number of times each day on what I see around me....and what I think I see around me.



The image at the top of the post and the one just below here are just two examples of superb "almost art" that Roberta writes about in her piece.

Even without the dude in the pink shirt, this window is an exemplary expression of a weird, native conceptualized environment.

My midnight waffle courtesy of Theresa and Liam Goodman

In respect to actual moments happening WITHIN the scope of a WOMS work, Liam and Theresa Goodman (Gooby) will be distributing free waffles* at Tas Kafe on Saturday, Aug 27 from 9a-12.  This is the second free waffle give away, and I must say the waffles are good.
I even penned my own testimonial quotes in honor of the waffles:


"These waffles are well worth waking up at 11pm for"
"This was the best waffle I've eaten all year.  It's also the only waffle I've eaten all year, but that should not diminish any of it's bestness."

WOMS walking tour on Dead Hare Radio Hour

Get ready to hit the Mean Streets err... Main Street in Beacon, NY.

Dakin Roy at Beacon Cycles.

Steve Rossi, Jennifer Mackiewicz, Matt Kinney and Angelika Rinnhofer joined me for a walking tour and review of the Windows on Main St  for this week's episode of the Dead Hare Radio Hour. 

Now in it's seventh year, Windows on Main St. is a store front window based exhibit of artist installations.  This year's exhibit, organized by Melissa Tatge and Hannah Anderson features the work of a whopping 40+ artists. 
In the podcast, Our intrepid group strolls and chats about the Western half of the exhibit (stay tuned for the second half very soon).

This is an impromptu, rough and ready recording this week.  I sought to not edit the recording....something foreign for those episodes I've been responsible for producing, so it's a little cringe inducing to hear so much of me...and to hear so much of me stuttering through my thoughts.  If you listeners might feel the same, by way of an apology, I added a bonus treat to you dear listener, to make up for the lapse of neutral objectivity, we have embedded a special drinking game in this Episode.  Here is the one and only rule:  Each and every time you hear me utter the word 'Context'  take a swig of your favorite cold syrup.  You'll be wasted in no time.

I expect to conduct a second-half walk through of the exhibit next week....if you're interested in joining us, drop me a line.
If I have get the time in the next couple of weeks, I'll post some of my thoughts on this year's installment.
Some images (some of them bad) of some of the things we saw on our walk.

Teresa Marra at Bank Sq Coffee House.

Cristin Hughes at Mountain Tops Outfitters

Cayla Lockwood at Paper Presence.

Nicole Ganas

a bad photo of the sculpture at Global Home.

Myra Kooy at RiverWinds Gallery.

Myra Kooy at RiverWinds Gallery.

Allison Braun at Play.

Amy C. Wilson at Dream in Plastic.

Lynn Isaacson & Shannon Kahan at the Cup & Saucer Tea Room.

Lily Zand at School of Jellyfish.

James Westwater at School of Jellyfish.

Christopher Albert at Artisan Wine Shop

Beth Haber at Beacon Institute.

Chris Sanders at Zora Dora.

Erica Hauser's 2008 WOMS installation still up at Zora Dora.

Calls for Artists: The Big Draw + WOMS 2010

First, The Big Draw: a fundraising drawing extravaganza for the Beacon Open Studios 2010.  The Big Draw will be a drawing marathon, party and live auction.  A handful of exquisite corpse drawings created by notable Beaconites will be auctioned off and a broad wide selection of 6"x8" 2D works will be available for $40 each.  Artists will be on hand drawing throughout the evening.
Deadline for submitting 6"x8" works for thee event is May 23.  Artists whose 6x8's are sold will  receive 50% ($20) of the purchase price.
Artists will also be on hand creating drawings throughout the evening.  If you are interested in drawing during the event, or submitting a piece, check out the submission info & form  
This event is not restricted to Beacon artists.  Anyone from anywhere are invited to submit work.

Remember, Beacon Open Studios is taking place on Sept. 25 & 26.  Artists interested in participating can sign up for the low low price of $20 until June 5th at which point the fee will rise.
I can tell you that both members of the maykr household will be participating this year...since one of us will have just finished her MFA, and last year's installment was so successful.

Next, Windows on Main St is coming back for its sixth year.

Deadline for project proposal submissions is July 1.  As I understand it Ty Marshal has handed over his share of the reigns to Katy Peace, but  Melissa Tatge is still involved in the inner workings.  The exhibit will be taking place from August 14 to September 11.

Windows on Main St 2009

Windows on Main St is coming back for its fifth year. Ty Marshal and Derek Bryant of Floor One Gallery and Melissa Tatge of Melissa Tatge Creative are spearheading this year's exhibition and they are accepting artist proposals for site responsive storefront window installations along Beacon's Main St. This year's exhibition will be held between August 8 and September 12.
If you are interested in submitting a proposal for an installation or volunteering with the project or even sponsoring the project, email Ty at 17EastMain@gmail.com.

As the WOrMS Turns

After four years of organizing the Windows on Main St. project, Karlos Carcamo and I are passing the torch to whomever may want to pick it up.
KC and I instigated the project in 2005 as a way for artists to interact with the local environment, merchants and inhabitants of Beacon's Main St. We also envisioned the exhibition as an artist driven open source project that would shift in its form according to whomever is involved in developing the current incarnation of it.
In these four years, we've received an incredible level of interest and participation on behalf of our local merchants. We've also enjoyed the financial support of BACA, the Dutchess County Arts Council, The Community Foundation, and Rhinebeck Savings Bank.
We've been able to facilitate some great moments for the participating artists and, I believe, for street bound viewers. I have very much appreciated the ways in which my experience of Main St. has been altered or informed by the projects that been done. I've said several times before that my perception of this project is that it's an intimate endeavor. For me, the exhibition is summed up in the singular chance encounter between passerby and artwork at that very moment in the viewer's day in that very spot along the viewer's path. WOMS is also about the artist and business person who may become just a little more familiar with one another through the host/collaboration experience.
Karlos and I have spoken about taking the project into a fifth year, but at this moment, we feel that the moment is beyond ready for some new custodianship. I think these four years have been a good start and I hope someone will be willing to pick it up and explore new aspects of engaging our immediate surroundings in creative exchanges.
If anyone is interested in rolling WOMS forward, shoot me an email.

Eye Candy Friday: Temporeality

This weeks ECF selection is a snippet of vid I took last Saturday as Karen Brummund was installing her work at 469 Main St. as part of WOMS 2008.


The multi-staged, multi media piece incorporated adhering individual sheets of paper to the window, each carrying a portion of a window sized photo taken of the window by WOMS co-curator Matthew Slaats. The photo essentially depicts what the window saw via its reflection as Matthew was taking its picture: Matthew, standing in the street, camera to eye, some parked cars, and the Raindance boutique across the street. This treatment was repeated for the space's side window, and the window in the door.
The piece, from the start, was a temporary time based "performance" created by the window and the environment. (Karen refers to these works she creates as time-based drawings) (Please note that this is all my interpretation, as I hadn't discussed the piece at length with Karen.) A camera positioned in a parked car across the street on Saturday was automatically taking pictures of Karen installing the sheets of paper, and eventually, the wind taking them down, at which point a similarly scaled line drawn depiction of the original photograph went up in its place. The time elapsed video of this process will soon be available for viewing at Go North.

The line drawing portion of the piece.
I found this to be a particularly poetic piece, and I'm fortunate to have seen as much of is as I had on Saturday morning, as the piece was conceived to be fleeting. I was struck by the rhythmic waves moving through the mosaic of papers as the wind caught it, animating a frozen moment, depicted in photograph.

To stand in front of this piece in this window, was to stand in front of some trans-dimensional mirror, you see all the reflections you'd expect to see, except your own, which obviously would not be visible as you've been rendered a vampire. You do, however, see Matthew's ghostly voyeur aiming to snap your non-reflecting image for some nefarious purpose, like posting in a blog.

OK, I'm going too far, but this piece definitely spoke of the intermingling of past and present, the extension of a moment held indefinitely, then carried forth. The work also demonstrates the fullest extension of responding to place. Here, Karen frames her response through the eyes of another (Matthew), and through the experience of the place itself. It's a "If these walls could talk" sort of thing. Karen's is an oblique reference to history, and the brief retelling of a fading memory by an old girl on Main St.

The full piece as of Saturday evening, Aug 9
Unfortunately, the life span of the piece was curtailed due to objection by the property's owner. I'm not certain on what grounds he objected, but we certainly comply with the wishes of our hosts on matters such as this, and the piece was removed late in the evening of Aug 9. In any case, the piece was not destined to sit statically in the window through the run of the exhibit, this just expedited the dismantling and prevented viewers from experiencing the full arc of the piece, and that's a real loss.

As I said, a video depicting the rise and fall is expected to be at Go North Gallery for viewing, hopefully soon.
Much of Karen's work incorporates similar, and more ambitiously scaled architectural renderings place on the actual structures depicted. Here's a recent project described at usagnet.com and an interview with Karen on the Popcorn Youth blog

Windows on Main St tour, 8.9.08 - selected images

We were the beneficiaries of excellent weather for the WOMS tour on Saturday, Aug 9, 2008. As usual, we here at maykr are greatful to the everlovely Angelika Rinnhofer for providing us everlovely pictures such as these of our tour.

The crowd gathered 'round Erin Parsch's piece at the Hudson Fisheries Trust.

Clinton Wilkins discusses his collaborative piece with Maura Araj at Artisan Wine Shop.

Erica Hauser in front of her work, Poptimism, at Zora Dora.

Above: Jill Reynolds discussing her work, HOT HOUSE at Hudson Beach Glass.
Below: HOT HOUSE.

Tom Hughes contemplating his mini motors of death at Iron Fish Trading Co.

Above: Megan Metcalf explaining her piece exploring the interconnectedness of community at the Main St Salon.
Below: Megan's in-progress diagram of the relationships that revolve around Main St. Salon.



More interconnectedness at Paper Presence; that of inspiration and ideas within a community by BHS students Cheyenne Cole, Brian Pena and Rebecca Ambrosini.

Windows on Main St Walking Tours, Aug 9 & 10 @ 3pm

Here's the breakdown of the WOMS walking tours that we'll be having this weekend:

Saturday, beginning at 3pm at Muddy Cup (129 Main St), we'll be walking and discussing the western half of the projects which include:
Ryan Burghard at Mountain Tops
Jill Reynolds at Hudson Beach Glass
Tom Hughes at Iron Fish Trading Co.
Clinton Wilkins & Maura Arraj at Artisan Wine Shop
Erin Parsch at Hudson Fisheries Trust
Erica Hauser at Zora Dora Paletarias
Megan Metcalf at Main St. Salon
Cheyenne Cole, Brian Pena and Rebecca Ambrosini at Paper Presence

On Sunday, the 10th starting at 3pm at Zuzu's (453 Main St.) we'll visit:
Theresa Gooby at Beacon Natural Market
Simon Draper at Exit Drake Realty
Jessica Lauretti at Dickinson's Antiques
Jake Selvidio at Zuzu's
Karen Brummund at 469 Main St.
Matthew Slaats at 469 Main St.
Steve Walls at Watkins Press
Jenny Price at Jacqueline

The tour will take the form of an informal strolling conversation. After grabbing a refreshing drink at Muddy Cup and Zuzu's we'll all share in a pleasant and stimulating interaction with the project's curators, artists and host businesses.
A major component of work like this sited in these locations is conversations; between artist and space - between artwork's and viewer's - between the various people who come in contact with the piece, and these walking tours are a perfect complement to the spirit of the project.
If you have any questions regarding the exhibitions, or any of the events related to WOMS, please email me.
FYI, there is a panel discussion in the works and I'll be posting that info here when it comes available. Also, I'll be posting statements from the other project curators in the coming days. Here's Matthew Slaats' statement on the project.

Windows on Main St Curator Statement: Matthew Slaats

Matthew Slaats is an artist living in Staatsburg and he's been involved with some projects in Beacon in recent years. Matthew's strong affinity for sport is represented in his work as is evident in his performative and cooperative projects. Matthew is currently involved in developing the Hyde Park Project that ultimately will merge elements of collective community memory and advanced technology in a decidedly unstuffy art viewing venue; the Hyde Park Drive In.
His focus on active interaction with various audiences in his artistic practice is well suited for a project such as WOMS. (Honestly, I'm not trying to make this sound like a press release. It's just coming out that way.)
Here's Matthew's statement about his approach to the Windows exhibit:

The engagement of community and context is at the center of my artistic and
curatorial practice. My interest lies in understanding places and people
on a multitude of levels many of which are imperceivable. The goal is to
engage on a much deeper level by asking questions and expecting answers.
The artists that I have invited work on these levels. They go beyond just the
creation of an object or an image, but to a place were participation is vital to
the completion of the work.
The objective of these efforts is to make meaning. Meaning that is developed through action. The action being the artist and the community partaking in a conversation where mutual understanding is achieved.

The artists that comprise Matthew's selection for this years Windows are Ryan Burghard, at Mountain Tops (144 Main St.), Tom Hughes, at Iron Fish Trading Co. (167 Main St.), Megan Metcalf, at Main St. Salon (211 Main St.), Karen Brummand (469 Main St. -next to Go North), and Jenny Price, at Jacqueline (469 Main St.) Details of all of the artists' works, will be posted in due time at the WOMS blog.
Matthew is also contributing an interactive piece of his own to WOMS this year. Call and Respond:

Call & Respond is an interactive telephone project. Cards displaying a telephone number will be distributed throughout Beacon. Participants can call the phone number to hear a message that will change every few days. After hearing the message they
will be able to respond as they see fit.
During the run of Windows On Main, messages will be collected and then be available to be heard at Go North Gallery.

Windows on Main St: August 9 - September 7, 2008

The Windows on Main St exhibit is back for its fourth year. This year's exhibit will be opening on Saturday, August 9, and run through Sept. 7.
I am one of four curators, along with Karlos Carcamo, Matthew Slaats and Christian Toscano, coordinating nearly twenty storefront artist projects along Main St. Here's a near complete list of the artists and the host locations:
Ryan Burghard - Mountain Tops, 144 Main, Jill Reynolds - Hudson Beach Glass, 162 Main, Tom Hughes - Iron Fish Trading Co., 167 Main, Erin Parsch - Hudson Fisheries Trust, 197 Main, Erica Hauser - Zora Dora's Paletarias, 203 Main, Megan Metcalf - Main St. Salon, 211 Main, Cheyenne Cole & Brian Pena & Rebecca Ambrosini - Paper Presence, 296 Main, Theresa Gooby - Beacon Natural Market, 348 Main, Simon Draper - Exit Drake Realty, 412 Main, Jake Selvidio - Zuzu's 453 Main, Karen Brummund 462 Main, Matthew Slaats - 462 Main, Jenny Price - Jacqueline, 478 Main.
We will be holding two guided walking tours of the exhibit this coming weekend. To make the tours manageable and comfortable, the exhibit will be divided in two with a tour of the western half on Saturday, and the eastern half on Sunday. Here are the details:
Saturday, Aug 9 @ 3pm, starting at Muddy Cup (129 Main St.)
Sunday, Aug 10 @ 3pm, starting at Zuzu's (453 Main St.)
I can't think of a better way to kick off one's Second Satuday than enjoying a gentle stroll with splendid conversation. The curators and many of the artists will be on hand to discuss their pieces.
Exhibition maps will be available at many locations up and down Main St. Tune in here or at the WOMS blog for more information on the exhibit and accompanying events. WOMS is sponsored by BACA, Rhinebeck Savings Bank, the Ann and Abe Effron Fund of the Community Foundation of Dutchess County, and is, in part, made possible through a grant from the Dutchess County Arts Council, administor of public funds through NYSCA's Decentralization Program"

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.

This Just in....

Dateline Beacon:

It seems that Robert Brush has reached the required number of signatures to make it on to the ballot in his bid to become Beacon's next Mayor.

Rockin the Vote

Robert Brush's WOMS 2007 installation at 504 Main St.
photo by angelika rinnhofer

Robert Brush's contribution to this year's Windows On Main St exhibit has an installation/"campaign office" for staging his own campaign for Mayor of Beacon.
In order to be included on the ballot, Robert must submit a petition signed by Beacon residents who are registered to vote. There will be some folks collecting signatures in front of the Key Food throughout the day tomorrow. If you can't make it over, but would like to have your name included on the petition, email me and I'll get you in touch with him.

Spud Me, Please

Windows On Main St 2007 will be opening on August 11.

In order to make this year's event successful, we need your potatoes.
Participating artist, Audrey Chibbaro is creating an installation in the window of the Beacon Natural Market at 348 Main, and it's really Audrey who needs the potatos for the installation.
We are asking for the donation of locally grown potatoes.
If you have a potato or two that you are willing to donate, there will be a drop of box at the Natural Market, marked "Potato Donation."

Donations can also be dropped off at Go North, 469 Main St. on the weekend.
Hell, we'll even come to pick up your potatoes if that suits your fancy. Just email us a info@maykr.com

Deadline for Potato Donations is Aug 10.