Joseph Bertolozzi's Bridge Music in the NYT

Yesterday's NYTimes Art section ran a long article, accompanied by a video on the website, on Beacon composer Joseph Bertolozzi's project Bridge Music.
Bertolozzi is creating a musical composition that will be played on the Mid-Hudson Bridge in Poughkeepsie, using the bridge as musical instrument, by an ensemble of percussionists.

Joe's website contains a narrative of his process thus far, as well as information on how to donate toward supporting this project.

June 24 panel discussion on printmaking

(l-r) Elizabeth Winchester, Phil Sanders, Lisa Mackie, Patricia Phagan, Paul Smart

I commend Elizabeth Winchester, and bau on the program that has accompanied the bau 30 exhibit.
I haven't seen the exhibit, but I did attend the panel discussion held last Sunday at the Howland Cultural Center.

The panel discussion was called "Still Relevant: Printmaking in Contemporary Art." Discussion started off with Vassar Drawing and Prints Curator, Patricia Phagan giving a brief history of printmaking through the 20th Century.

The panel discussed where the medium of printmaking stands currently, with many University Art Departments dismantling printmaking programs, competition from digital media, and the apparent lack of attention given to art prints by collectors.

Given the name of the talk, I was almost expecting a woeful lamentation by a group feeling marginalized within the greater art world. Fortunately this was not the case. Examples given by Lisa Mackie of the Lisa H. Mackie Studio, and Phil Sanders, Director & Master Printer at the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop both gave examples of their interactions with artists of other media exploring various applications of the printmaking process. They also discussed advances in the process including the option of non toxic inks and chemicals now available.

Around 30 people were in attendance at the Howland which is a great asset to the community for just this type of event, and I'm pleased that bau chose to hold the talk there.

This was a great discussion between a group of people who are very knowledgeable and passionate about the topic. It's something we don't get enough of. It also stirred within me that compulsive desire to start pulling prints again.

PS. just a plug for the Howland which is in the middle of a fund drive to go green with a geo-thermal heating and cooling system.

Claire Lofrese & Emma Crawford at Art in the Loft at Millbrook Vineyards & Winery

Claire Lofrese Multiple Horizons 13, 2007, acrylic and oil on panel.
Claire Lofrese and Emma Crawford have an exhibit opening this week and running through August 27 at the Millbrook Vineyards and Winery in Millbrook, NY.

An opening reception will be held this Saturday, June 30, from 5-7pm.

Elizabeth Winchester has a not-so-secret admirer

Paul Smart, of the Almanac Weekly is smitten with bau member Elizabeth Winchester, and I think it might be serious.
In an article on the Beacon Art Scene from last June, Smart refers to her work as "stunningly beautiful."
Later, Winchester is quoted in an Oct. '06 article titled "Not just a summer fling."
I certainly hope that there is some reciprocity to this affection, because such scenarios can easily step into the realm of stalking. Smart's latest love letter comes in the form of an article on the current printmaking exhibit at bau, (organized by Winchester) and the related panel discussion that is happening today at 4pm at the Howland Center.

Prints princess

...Thank heaven for Elizabeth Winchester, the former San Francisco-based artist
whose work with various organizations and institutions up ans down the Valley
has done so much not only to keep everyone's spirit up in recent years, but
whose enthusiasm (and own great art, in various forms) has helped spur something
akin to a one woman renaissance worthy of such mention. In a new show
at bau, the beacon artist union cooperative of which she is one of eight key
members, Winchester's latest Big Push takes form down via a series of exhibits,
panel discussions and other events all happening under the moniker Fresh
Ink...

Ed Murr in Stories and Pictures exhibit at FIT, NYC

Ed Murr in front of his work at The Museum at FIT. photo courtesy of Ed.

The work that encompasses Ed Murr's Master of Illustration thesis is currently on exhibit at FIT's MA in Illustration group exhibit, Stories and Pictures.

Ed's studio has been on the first floor at Spire Studios for - I believe - almost two years. I've only seen a small portion of his work- generally, whatever was visible through the little window of his studio door. Although I've not seen the finished work of Ed's thesis, what I was able to see as he was developing the work is pretty intense. Ed brought this group of work to the TnA critique earlier in the Spring, as he was formalizing the content of his thesis.

The MA in Illustration exhibit at The Museum at FIT, located at 27th & 7th in NYC will run through July 28.

Uncanny Valley opens at Dorsky Museum, June 23

Susan Magnus, Peter Iannaralli, Will Walker and Laura Moriarty are among the artists whose work is included in the Uncanny Valley, at the Samuel Dorsky Museum in New Paltz. There will be an opening reception on June 23 from 6-8pm. The exhibit runs through Sept. 9

Today's POJO has an article on the exhibit.

The Dorsky will be opening several exhibits tomorrow, and there are a few other events scheduled in addition to the reception. Here's the line up:

3pm - Gallery Talk by Interpreting Utopia
co-curators Ariel Shanberg, Executive Director, Woodstock Center for
Photography and Brian Wallace, SDMA Curator.

4pm - Gallery Talk: The Arts and Crafts of Byrdcliffe by
Carla Smith, Executive Director, Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild.

5pm - Performance by exhibiting artists Isabelle
Lumpkin and George Quasha.

TnA critique scheduled for July 10 @ Beacon Studios

The next critique is scheduled for July 10. The plan currently is to meet at the main parking lot at Beacon Studios at 7:30.
At the critique last week, we started at Go North to discuss my work, and proceeded to Peter Iannarelli's studio to talk about his current work, and the writing of Heywood Hart.

Check back for further details on the next critique, or if you'd like to be added to the critique contact list, email me at info@maykr.com.

bau panel discussion June 24 at Howland Center

Elizabeth Winchester will be moderating a panel discussion organized by bau and hosted at the Howland Cultural Center at 477 Main St. on Sunday, June 24 at 4pm.
The panel discussion is titled Still Relevant: printmaking in contemporary art and is being held in conjunction with bau's current exhibit Fresh Ink.

Participants of the panel are:

Lisa Mackie, Proprietor, Lisa H. Mackie Studio
Patricia Phagan, Philip & Lynn Straus Curator of Prints and Drawing, Vassar College
Phil Sanders, Director & Master Printer, Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop
Paul Smart, Art Columnist

I for one am glad that the discussion is being held at the Howland. With the bau space being as intimate as it is, holding events and talks where an audience is essentially held captive there (particularly in June) has often felt a little cruel and unusual.

Over the wires and through the buds

Passing along a couple of podcast episodes that I found interesting:

A recent LACMA podcast posted in April featured a conversation between Robert Irwin and Michael Govan. There is a video version (the audio version I listened to was in two parts.) A segment of the talk that centered on the relationship Govan and Irwin developed as they worked on projects at Dia, including Irwin's work in creating the master plan for Dia:Beacon. An interesting anecdote relayed here dealt with a late addition to the museum's landscape of a variety of tree the artist found in a nursery in Jersey, which was later revealed to be a variety of hemlock, originally discovered on Mt. Beacon.



Another worthwhile podcast item was a discussion Brian Andrews and Marc LeBlanc had with curator Joseph del Pesco and artist Scott Oliver about the Collective Foundation from the May 13 Bad At Sports podcast. The conversation begins at about the 20 min. mark, after the review of Miranda July's book. The Collective Foundation is a multifaceted endeavor that is currently existing as an exhibition, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Difficult to explain in short form, the CF is amalgamation of efforts on the part of various folks in the San Francisco area to augment the art scene in the area, support artists the efforts of artists, and doing so within an expression of creative practice.

The Yerba Buena Center's description of the CF:

The Collective Foundation (CF) is a temporary organization. The concept of
curator Joseph del Pesco and artist Scott Oliver, CF relies on the contributions
of numerous people who are working to advance art in the Bay Area. During the
organization's launch at YBCA, The Foundation will set up temporary headquarters
in our galleries. They will hold think-tank discussions, how-to sessions for
navigating the CF Web interface, and Shotgun Review Second Saturdays where
participants will review as many Bay Area art shows as possible. The furniture
for the Foundation’s headquarters will be borrowed from local individuals,
modified for the exhibition, and returned at the close of the show—a generous
illustration of the benefits of networking.

I really can't nail down a concise description of the effort, except to say it sounds like a holistic, assertive and innovative pursuit to imbue the mechanics of supporting artistic activity with meaning and a spirit that is almost performative. The CF embodies the type of activity I hoped to establish with the formation of bau, but which turned out not to be possible for a variety of reasons. I think the CF represents a methodology to consider, particularly in the case of Beacon Studios, where artists there are working to strengthen the prospects of the long term viability of staying in the old high school building.

A few images from Second Saturday, June 2007

Last week's Second Saturday line up of happenings were blessed with great weather which resulted in what felt like one of the more bustling, well attended installments of the monthly event.

I wasn't able to make it around to many places during the day, but here are a few images of things I did see - primarily a few spaces at the Beacon Studios, and the opening at the Ann Street Gallery in Newburgh. I will be posting more images later this weekend on the maykr flickr page. Angelika posted images on her blog of some of the gallery goers attending the opening reception at the Ann Street Gallery. Stacey Ward Kelly's website has images from the installation of Rick Price's mural at the Howland Public Library, and other studios.

Suspended pieces in Will Walker's studio at Beacon Studios.

Elia Gurna's Studio at Beacon Studios.

Flying Swine's reading of "Inventing Van Gogh"

Kirsten Kucer's installation at Beacon Studios

Peter Iannarelli installation in his space at Beacon Studios.

Richard Bruce's studio at Beacon Studios.

Opening Reception at Ann Street Gallery in Newburgh.


Eleanor White at Ann Street Gallery.

Installation of Bo Gehring's 60' long sculpture in the gym at Beacon Studios.

Carol March and Shannon Murphy's shared space at Beacon Studios.

Art Historical Eye Candy

For your Friday viewing pleasure, this comes via Lisa Hunter's blog, The Intrepid Art Collector.

TnA critique group meets tonight

The monthly critique group that was born out of the TnA (Tuesday night Affair)a year or more back has been reinvigorated over the last several months, and will be meeting tonight at 7:30 pm at Go North. I'll be talking about my work in the current show, and getting feedback from the group.

The critique group meets on a monthly basis, although Spire Studios has long been the default home of the group, it most certainly travels to other locations, gallery and studio alike, to share and discuss artists' work.

If you are interested in participating in the group in the future, either to share your work or simply share your ideas, send me an email at info@maykr.com, and i'll make sure you get on the email list for future events.

Super Happy Colossal Second Saturday Fun Time

There is much much going on tomorrow for Second Saturday.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Flying Swine will be giving a reading of "Inventing Van Gogh" 7:30pm at 458 Main St.

BAS's open studio map.
Artists throughout the city will be opening their studios for visitors as part of the Open Studio event organized by the Beacon Art Salon . The Open Studio will run from 1-5pm.

The largest concentration of open studios is at the newly renamed Beacon Studios at 211 Fishkill Ave. This weekend's edition of POJO's Enjoy section covers the open studios.

As for galleries, bau's new exhibit is bau 30: Fresh Ink, a printmaking event. A group show of various printmakers. The reception is 6-9pm, bau is located at 161 Main St.

Bannerman Island Gallery at 150 Main St. is hosting a reception from 4-6pm for "CANACADEA" Landscapes in Resin by Carla Goldberg.

RiverWinds at 172 Main St is opening an retrospective exhibit of plein air painter Peter Billman. Reception is from 5-8pm.

Freshman Fine Art at 4 S Chestnut new exhibit is Denise MastrosimoneSmith: "Plantscapes - Transforming Images - Large Scale Color Drawings." Reception from 4-7pm.

Van Brunt Gallery will be opening a group show called No East No West featuring Lori Field, Reiko Fujinami, Elisa Pritzker, Hu Ren Yi, Kathleen Sweeney, Carl Van Brunt and Catherine Welshman. Reception from 6-9.

There is an art auction and reception happening at the Tallix facility located at 310 Fishkill Ave at 5pm. I had to go to Peekskill to learn about this event, and all I know is that it is going on. The event is sponsored by Hudson River HealthCare, The Preservation Company and Entergy. I can't tell what organization the auction is benefiting, but if you'd like event and ticket info, click here.

I'm sure there's other stuff going on, and of course, other galleries will be open late.....of course stop by Go North, I'll be there earlier in the day, and I'm sure a bit at night.

Plus, don't forget "In the Mix" at Ann Street Gallery in Newburgh, (see previous post)

If you happen to be in Peekskill on June 9 or 10, that city's annual open studio event will be happening.
Also in Peekskill on Sat., HVCCA will be hosting an opening reception for Size Matters XS, and exhibit of small painting.

That's all I've got to give on this subject.

In The Mix at Ann Street Gallery, Newburgh, opening June 9th

Karlos Carcamo and Eleanor White are among the artists participating in In the Mix, a group exhibition at the Ann Street Gallery in Newburgh.
The gallery is located at 104 Ann Street in Newburgh, and is recently opened. The website seems to not yet be operational, but the address is www.annstreetgallery.org

Peter Cody, Alejandro Dron, Nancy Hull Kearing, John Lesikin, D.Dominick Lombardi, Franc Palaia, TODT, John Toth, and Michael Zansky are also participating in the show.

There's an opening reception from 6 to 9 pm on Sat., June 9. The exhibit runs through July 21.

Flying Swine: Inventing Van Gogh June 9, 16

Flying Swine will be presenting #3 in its series of Porcine Previews; Inventing Van Gogh by Steven Dietz.
The free readings will be, once again, held in Beacon and Garrison.

In Beacon: June 9 @ 7:30 at 458 Main St. (next door to Van Brunt Gallery.) A "Porcine Postlude at the Piggy Bank will follow.
In Garrison: June 16 at 7:30 Philipstown Depot Theatre, Lower Station Rd. 845.424.3900
In Beacon June 9 (Sat) at 7:30 458 Main Street, by van brunt gallery Porcine Postlude at The Piggy Bank
In Garrison June 16 (Sat) at 7:30 Philipstown Depot Theatre, Lower Station Road 845.424.3900
Free to the public, donations gladly accepted
Reservations, call the swineline 845.230.7010 flyingswine@earthlink.net
A special exhibit of local artist self-portraits will be on exhibit at each location.

Hatboxes on the block - Final Day!

Today is the final day to bid in the Beacon Hat Parade Hatbox silent auction. Hatboxes created by many of your favorite Beacon artists have been up for grabs, and on display in the windows of Van Brunt Gallery. Visit BACA's website for more information.

In an unrelated story, The Onion Radio News Service continues to provide reporting that is particularly timely.

Art's economic impact on NY state

The Alliance for the Arts has released a report on the economic impact that the "Arts" industry has in NY state. The total impact of the various components that make up the Arts Industry is $25.7 billion. Of the 5 slices that make up the entire arts pie, the motion picture/television activities in the state account for the largest contributing segment, followed closely by the chunk represented by the "Non profit culture" which covers museums, performing and visual art entities, historical societies and all sorts other non profit activities. The third larges component is the "Arts motivated visitor," tourists coming in from elsewhere to experience the arts. Commercial theater and art galleries/ auction houses comprise the 2 smallest slices.

The numbers seem huge for certain, and the report seems to be rather thorough in regard to the data culled from the source surveys, but I think that it would be useful to place these findings in a very basic relation to the entire volume of NY's economic pie. $25 billion sounds huge, but how does that compare to other statewide industries? They couldn't fit just one additional pie chart into the report? Yes, I know I'm lazy...perhaps I'll indulge my own curiosity and look in to it.

A little later....

Ok, so Wikipedia says that NY's state gross state product from 2005 was $963.5billion. In 2006, NY produced $3.6billion in agricultural product, and NY is the second largest producer of cabbage in the US.
See how a little context can go along way. It's quite clear to me now that art is way, way more important than food.
Of course this simply an apple to art comparison. The calculated impact of the arts industry in the report seems to take into account not only the value of any product produced, but also the total expenditure made by the industry to create the product, or experience that it is pedalling, as well as the amount of tax revenue that's generated by the activity. There is a distinction among the slices of pie that constitute this total impact as well. Of the five sectors, four relate to the economic impact on the production side. The Arts-Motivated Visitor category is the only segment that fully encompasses the consumer side of this equation which equals 22%. So it seems that 78% of the total impact is in the mayking of the goods. Now, the report does state that NY is a cultural exporter, but 80% expenditure versus 20% income.....yeah that sounds about right. So, perhaps NY state is simply filled with hordes of compulsively creative people shoveling their hard earned money into doing things that, feed their compulsions, but not necessarily their pockets.

I am so not an economist, but it seems to me that as detailed a picture of the arts industry as these numbers create, it's simply floating in a vacuum without placing it in the big picture.

Finally, It also seems a stretch to me to continually pair the movie/tele industry so closely with the arts. It's beneficial for the smaller, non profit cultural activities to lash its dingy to the Film tug. Maybe the title of the report should be renamed The Economic Impact of Non-athletic Recreational and or Entertainment Diversion on New York State, or more accurately, The Nature and Scope of the Economic Components that Constitute the Non-athletic Recreational and or Entertainment/Diversion Industry in New York State, the Impact of which on the State Economy Exists, but we Chose not to Quantify the Nature of that Impact in Relation to the Entirety of the State Economy.

Skin Trade at Go North, Opening June 2

The next exhibit at Go North is called Skin Trade, and it consists of a recent group of small paintings that I have been working on. There will be an opening reception on June 2 from 6-9 pm.

(A few installation shots.)

The press release:

For Immediate
Release:
Christopher Albert: Skin Trade
June 2nd – July 1st, 2007
Opening Reception: Saturday, June 2nd, 6 – 9pm.
GO NORTH is pleased to present the opening of Christopher Albert’s exhibition “Skin Trade”. The work will be on exhibit from June 2nd through July 1st, 2007. A reception for the artist will be held on Saturday, June 2nd, from 6 - 9 pm.
Christopher Albert’s new paintings use images from pornographic magazines as the underlying structure for the formal elements of his paintings. Painting on top of the images, he transforms the graphic sexual images into a sensual blend of colors, forms textures, and lines. Leaving behind small traces of the original source material and the text associated with the sexual act. Literally and metaphorically “trading” the visual
pleasures associated with porn for the visual gratifications of painting.

Founded in September of 2006 by artists Gregory Slick and Karlos
Cárcamo, Go North’s mission is to support, exhibit, and promote art by
local, national, and international artists. Our focus is contemporary art
that is dedicated to exploring cutting edge cultural and artistic issues by
pushing the boundaries of traditional media. Staging monthly exhibitions on
a rotating basis gives artists the opportunity to expand and explore new
dimensions in their work. Enabling us to keep our exhibitions fresh and
updated, while providing a place in the Hudson Valley for contemplation,
dialog and exchange of ideas.

GO NORTH - A Space for Contemporary Art
469 Main St.,
Beacon,
NY 12508
gonorthgallery@hotmail.com
www.gonorthgallery.blogspot.com
Gallery hours: 12 - 6 pm, Friday - Sunday

Richard Bruce at LTMH Gallery

Richard Bruce's work will be included in a group show at Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery located at 22 E. 72 St. in NYC (212.249.7695.) There will be an opening reception on May 30 from 6-8pm. The exhibit will continue through July.

Bulldog Studios is now Beacon Studios

The workspace formerly known as Bulldog Studios is now, rather generically, being called Beacon Studios. The space has a new website that lists all of the tenants of the building. The building will be having an open studio on June 9 from 1-5pm.

Beacon Art Salon Meeting, May 22 6pm

The Beacon Art Salon will hold its second meeting at Chthonic Clash, 453 Main St. on Tuesday, May 22 from 6-7:30pm.

Organizer Stacey Ward Kelley said that the first meeting attracted about a dozen folks. The city wide open studio event scheduled for June 9 is being organized under the auspices of the Art Salon.

By way of describing the BAS and how it came about, Stacey wrote the following:

A dozen artists and art enthusiasts met at Chthonic Clash
coffeehouse last month for its first meeting. Many of our initial members
have moved to the Beacon area within the last six months and are excited to
become part of a group that promotes art and community. Stacey Ward Kelly,
president and director of the group, explained that her original idea for the
Salon came from a meeting with a friend and fellow artist, Eric Van Bean,
(www.beanworkshops.com) with whom she's shown her work alongside for a number of years. "Eric and I began meeting once a week on Monday mornings to discuss and support one another's art process. A few months later, we had our first show, entitled
"Monday Morning Coffee" and have since produced a number of projects and art
shows in the Boston area. I wanted to bring that same idea here, to my hometown of Beacon, New York. Since I moved back here two years ago, I've noticed a number of small art groups existing side by side but with very few interactions and community-wide projects. Many artists are associated with only the galleries that show their work. I began the Beacon Art Salon to be a place where every artist and art enthusiast
could come together, once a month, to discuss, create, support and connect. Our first meeting was a great success and we had more than enough ideas to get started on. Our first event, will be an open studios, where participating artists will open their studio space and get their contact info on a city-wide map that will be distributed to the public on June 9, 2007 from 1-5pm. We will be doing this event in conjunction with the Beacon Studios open studios held at the old high school building. Other ideas that were mentioned at this first meeting include public art projects, a city-wide art
festival, visual art workshops, and creative writing opportunities."

All artists (visual, literary, musical etc.) and art enthusiasts are encouraged to attend our second meeting to be held on Tuesday, May 22nd from 6-7:30 pm at the Chthonic Clash Coffeehouse located at 453 Main Street in Beacon, NY. Membership to the group is free. Attendees for the next meeting are encouraged to bring a sample of their artwork to share with the group and one question (to ask to the group) or resource (ie: some art related information that might be of interest to others). Also, the registration deadline for the open studios event is May 22nd and registration forms will be available at the meeting.

For more information about the Beacon Art Salon please visit www.giraffeandturtle.com

May's Second Saturday in images

May's Second Saturday events brought out all sorts last week.

Homespun's anniversary picnic.

We Started the evening at Homespun's Foods first anniversary celebration where artist Gary O'Connor's band Chicken Bone Beach played.

Christopher Staples' opening at bau.

Fovea Exhibitions Beacon Gallery

From bau, I met up with A. at Fovea Exhibition Beacon Gallery for the inaugural opening there. We then crossed the street to get some ice cream at the Beacon Creamery. While munching on our cones on the street, we met Laura Mott as she was installing a mailbox outside of the Creamery. Mott's graduate thesis exhibit at the Center Curatorial Studies at Bard College "Come on Pilgrim: A 110 Mile Exhibition" is comprised of various site specific, and many experiential pieces located between Tivoli and Brooklyn. The mailbox Mott installed outside of the Creamery is part of a story based piece by Marcy Freedman. One may pick up a copy of the story can be removed from the box and read as one walks to Quinn's Luncheonette (please return the story to the box after having your experience.) I imagine the piece will be available to experience through May 27.

The "mailbox" outside of the Beacon Creamery as part of the 110 Mile Exhibition.

Kathy Feighery with visitors in her studio.

We then headed down to Spire for the open studios, and exhibition by gallery attendants at Dia:Beacon. The crowd for this gathering filled with many new faces was skewed decidedly younger than the usual cast of old artfarts that inhabit Beacon's scene.

The hallway at Spire.

Installation by Chris Gay in his studio.

We cut out relatively early - being the crochety old farts that we are - so we missed out on the revelry that was to commence later that night at Spire and the Piggy Bank.

Flying Swine reading at Philipstown Depot Theater tomorrow

It's been a challenge keeping up with events lately. I missed last Saturday's reading by Flying Swine of McNally's "Dusk" and Shanley's"Kissing Christina" at the Howland Center.

The group will be at the Philipstown Depot Theater on Lower Station Rd. (845.424.3900) in Garrison on Friday, May 18 at 7:30pm.

Reservations, call the swineline 845.230.7010

Free to the public, donations gladly accepted.

The Swines will be putting on another of their Porcine Preview Readings in early June. Details will be posted shortly.

Call for artists, Beacon Open Studios, June 9

The newly formed Beacon Art Salon is organizing a city-wide open studio event scheduled for June 9th.
If you are an artist interested in participating, you can go to http://www.giraffeandturtle.com/BASOSREG.html to retrieve a registration form. A $10 registration fee will cover the printing of a map of participating artists' studios.

Deadline for artist registration is May 22, 2007.

For more information, visit our website at www.giraffeandturtle/BAS or contact Stacey Ward Kelly at 845-401-8798.

Van Brunt reviewed at Culture Catch.com

Van Brunt Gallery's April exhibit featuring work by Stanford Kay, Steven Nicholls and D.Dominick Lombardi is the subject of a review by Elizabeth Stevens published last week at CultureCatch.com.

HVCCA reception and talk, May 12

In the last several posts, I've listed some of the things that will be happening in Beacon on this upcoming Second Saturday.
But if you happen to be down in Peekskill on Saturday afternoon, the HVCCA will be hosting a closing reception for the First Look II exhibit from 4-6pm. Newly appointed Director, Paul Brewer will be moderating a discussion with exhibition artists Justin Allen, Michael Brown, Melissa Skluzack and Bryan Zanisnik.

Beacon Dance Revolution, May 12

Beacon will be a veritable South Beach on the Hudson with deuling DJ dance parties. Spire's open studio will have Keithe Zarriello of the Shivers performing at 10pm and DJ Jeff Caramegna spinning discs late into the night. Meanwhile, over the Piggy Bank, 448 Main St., will kick off its own shakedown session with DJ Jeff Ashey at 9:30.

I'm telling you now that I won't be able to make it everywhere, so if anyone has photos of any of Saturday's events, please let me know.

Premiere Opening: Fovea Exhibitions Beacon Gallery

I just received an email regarding the premiere exhibit of Fovea Editions Beacon Gallery at 143 Main St. The nonprofit organization is focused on photography and will feature Lori Grinker's "After war: Veteran's from a World in Conflict." Grinker's exhibit opens on May 12 and runs through July 8. Saturday's opening reception will run from 4-8pm.

A panel discussion and book signing accompanying the exhibit will soon be scheduled. For information, call 845.765.2199.

Open Studios @ Spire Studios, May 12

It's been over a year, but there will be another open studio and exhibit opening at Spire Studios this Saturday.

The exhibit "What We Do" is a selection of work created by artists that work as gallery attendants at Dia:Beacon.

It seems that after a month's run at Spire, the exhibit will move over to the Muddy Cup where art exhibits are organized by bau, but I haven't found any details on this other than the dates listed in the jpg above.

I'm wrapping up a month away and will be rolling back into Beacon on Saturday, so I plan to perpetuate the delusion that this open studio was fortuitously scheduled as a welcome home party for me.

Other openings happening on Sat., as far a I know.

Hedina Cristiner's works on paper will be opening at the Rear Views Gallery located in The Paper Presence stationary store located at 296 Main St. The reception hours are 6-8pm.

I believe Christopher Staples is having an opening at bau along with a guest artist.

My recollections are a bit fuzzy, and I can't find any current info on either bau's or BACA's website, so that'll have to suffice for now.

Call For Entries: Uncanny Hudson Valley at the Samuel Dorsky Museum

This opportunity comes by way of Sara Pasti:

The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art is pleased to invite
emerging and mid-career artists living in Ulster, Dutchess, Orange, Sullivan,
Columbia, and Greene Counties to submit artwork documentation for this summer's
Hudson Valley Artists 2007: The Uncanny Valley, opening Saturday, June 23 with a
reception from 6 - 8:00 p.m. The exhibition will continue through September
9, 2007.

This year's exhibition takes as its theme the "uncanny” that
sense of unease brought on by contact with an image or thing at once familiar
and strange. Museum curator Brian Wallace will review all work submitted in
response to this call and organize an exhibition of recent artwork from diverse
viewpoints and including a wide range of media that explores psychological,
perceptual, historical, and literary aspects of the uncanny. Wallace
notes, "As I've familiarized myself with work by artists identified with the
region ranging from the anonymous (to us) early residents of the area to
19th-century painter Ralph Albert Blakelock to former resident Gary Hill to
contemporary photographer and Catskill resident Susan Wides (whose work was on
view at the SDMA last fall), I've come to realize that there's something both
strange and strangely familiar about this part of the world and about much of
the artwork made here, whether or not it responds directly to the physical
landscape. I hope my curiosity about this sense of the uncanny resonates with
emerging and established artists in this area: I look forward to the chance to
review documentation of art in all media (photography, painting, video, sound,
installation, sculpture, etc.) submitted in response to this call for
work." Artists are invited to submit documentation of up to six (6)
works created within the past five years: all media painting, photography,
sculpture, installation, printmaking as well as audio, video, digital, film,
etc. The Uncanny Valley is open to professional artists who have not yet had a
major one-person museum show and are not currently represented by a commercial
gallery. Students and employees of SUNY New Paltz are not eligible.
Submission guidelines are in the pdf. documents below or
can be downloaded from the museum's web site at www.newpaltz.edu/museum under
Exhibitions/Future.
The completed application and other materials are due
Tuesday, May 15. Notifications of acceptance will be mailed to artists Friday,
May 25.
For additional information call (845)
257-3844.

May 5th gallery openings at Go North and Van Brunt

Go North Gallery and Van Brunt Gallery will be hosting opening receptions for their new exhibits this coming saturday.
Go North is featuring the work of Monica D. Church.

Van Brunt will be showing the work of Grace Knowlton, Stephen Spacarelli and John Allen.
Both openings will be happening from 6-9pm.

1 Degree of Simon Draper

Late last year, Simon Draper mentioned that he had a friend that was about to open an art materials store in Denver. This past Saturday, As I was leaving the Denver Art Museum, I was given a card by a man promoting a new art supply store that was holding a grand opening over the weekend. I continued on my way, but then I returned to the man, and asked if the owner of the store might be from NY. He said, not directly and that she moved to Denver from Steamboat(Springs, CO.) I told him that I now live in NY state, and blah blah blah. He asked whereabouts in NY. “Beacon”, said I. He said “Oh, do you know Simon Draper?” And I was like, “Tchyah!”

Tony Moore talks tomorrow in Brooklyn

"In The Age of The Innocents" photo by Tony Moore

Tony Moore will be giving an artist's talk tomorrow, April 28 at 4pm at Galeria Janet Kurnatowski to coincide with his exhibit there through May 5. The gallery is located at 205 Norman Ave in Brooklyn.

There is a review of Tony's exhibit by D. Dominick Lombardi at culturecatch.com.

"For Artists Only" at The Aldrich, April 28

The Aldrich Art Museum in Ridgefield, CT will be hosting its For Artists Only event Saturday April 28 from 6:30 to 8:30. The open house mixer for artists is the kick off for the 10th annual program of Radius: Emerging Artists from Connecticut and Southeastern New York.
Peter Iannarelli, Elia Gurna, Angelika, I and soccer mom Curry Mendes piled into Curry's Mom's minivan and headed over to last year's For Artist's Only event. We had an excellent time - we didn't mix with as many folks as we should have, but it was a chance to get to the museum, which we don't do enough. Last year's event was very well attended, and there is an opportunity to show your portfolio, and see the portfolios of many regional artists.

Beacon Art Salon's first meeting tonight

Chthonic Clash Coffeehouse at 418 Main St. will host the first meeting of the Beacon Artist's Salon tonight from 6-7:30pm. The Salon will be a monthly opportunity for artists to get together, discuss their work and connect with other artists. For more information on the salon, contact Stacey Ward Kelly at 845-401-8798.

I am in the middle of a month long stint out in Denver currently, so if anyone is able to attend the salon tonight and wants to report back on it, I would welcome that very much.

The same holds true for the events of the April Second Saturday. If anyone has images of openings or events, like the Cafe Chronogram held at the Muddy Cup, or Keisendahl and Calhoun's return to Beacon with an exhibit at the Next Level Gallery at Hudson Beach Glass, let me know.

Encore Performance of "Rounding Third" by TrueNorth Theater Project

The TrueNorth Theater Project has announced an encore performance of Rounding Third by Richard Dresser, on Saturday April 28 at 7:30 at the Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries at 199 Main St.

Gallery Talk at Dia:Beacon this Saturday at 1pm

Photo: Louise Bourgeois, Spider, 1997. Collection of the artist. Photo: Michael Govan.

This month's Gallery Talk at Dia:Beacon on April 28th will feature Clair Barliant speaking on Louise Bourgeois.

Claire Barliant is an associate editor of Modern Painters. Her writing has appeared in a number of publications including Artforum, Art on Paper, ArtNews, and Food & Wine. A 2004 graduate of the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College, she has curated exhibitions at CCS, the Glassell School of Art in Houston, and, most recently, Dorsky Gallery Curatorial Programs in New York ("The Fact, Abstract," April 23-June 30). From 2004 to 2005 she was a critic-in-residence at the Core Program of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Current hours at Dia:Beacon are 11 am to 6 pm, Thursday through Monday (closed Tuesday, and Wednesday). Admission to the museum is $10 general, $7 for students and seniors, and free for Dia members and children under 12. The museum is easily reachable via Metro-North Railroad (the MTA's Hudson Line station in Beacon is within walking distance of the museum). On Saturdays, the 10:51 am train from Grand Central arrives in Beacon at 12:17. Full schedules are available on the MTA's website at http://mta.info. The museum is also reachable by major roadways. Driving directions are available on Dia's website at http://www.diaart.org/dia/visitor/index.html.

This series is made possible through the generosity of The Dyson Foundation, The Karan-Weiss Foundation, Jane W. Nuhn Charitable Trust, and the New York State Council on the Arts.

NYTimes reviews Sol Lewitt's Wall Drawings at Dia:Beacon

In today's NYTimes, art critic Roberta Smith has penned a rightly enthusiastic review of the selection of 14 of Sol Lewitt's wall drawings on view through Sept. 10 at Dia:Beacon.

On a different Sol Lewitt tangent, it's been several months since the artist's cinderblock forms were deinstalled from the lawn of Max Protetch Gallery's 'Sculpture Beacon' location. Some time back, I inquired via email whether the gallery planned any future installations, but I received no reply. The webpage dedicated to the Beacon outpost on the gallery's website no longer exists, although there is a mention of the 2003 creation of the site on the gallery's history page

Images: Karlos Carcamo at Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning

Karlos sent in some image of his work included in the "It's a Jamaica Thing..." show at the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning.
I'll see if Karlos will send me the titles and such for the work.

Images from Momento Mori Opening at Go North

Dakin Roy and Karlos Carcamo sent in these images from the opening reception on April 7 of Dakin's exhibit with his wife Sonia

Karlos Carcamo in Jamaica Queens

Karlos Carcamo is participating in a group show at the Jamaica Center for Arts Learning.
The exhibit, "A Jamaica Queens Thing: Rap and the Crack Era in South Jamaica, Queens" is curated by Herb Tam, Associate Curator at the Queens Museum.
The show runs from April 14-June 2. There will be a reception this Saturday from 4-7pm, and an artists and curator talk will take place on June 2 from 4-7pm.
Other participating artists are: Corey D'Augustine, Jocelin Donahue, Joshua Abram Howard, Daragh Reeves, Greg Santos, Sol'Sax, Xavier Simmons, Nick Stillman.

Tony Moore at Galerie Janet Kurnatowski in Brooklyn

Tony Moore's installation "In the Age of Innocents" will be on exhibit beginning tomorrow through May 5 at the Galerie Janet Kurnatowski.

“Tony Moore: Sculpture, In the Age of the Innocents” at Galeria Janet
Kurnatowski from Friday April 13 to Saturday May 5, 2007.

The
opening reception is Friday April 13 from 7 – 9pm. There will be an
Artist’s Talk on Saturday April 28 at 4pm. The public is invited and
admission is free.
Gallery hours are Thu/Sat 1 – 7 and by
appointment.
Galeria Janet Kurnatowski is located at 205 Norman Ave. Brooklyn, NY
11222.
Directions: G Train to Nassau Ave. Walk to Norman Ave. and SW corner
of Humboldt St. Gallery on lower level. For information contact
Janet Kurnatowski at (718) 383 9380 or GaleriaJanet@gmail.com

Cremaster Film screening at Vassar College

Tonight is the first of a series of screenings of Matthew Barney's Cremaster film cycle. Tonight's screening feature Cremaster 1 and 2.

If your interested, Cremaster 3 will be screened tomorrow, thursday the 12th at 7pm.
Cremaster 4 and 5 will be shown on Sunday, the 15th starting at 7pm.
Screenings will be held at the Blodgett Auditorium on campus.

I don't know where Blodgett Auditorium is - I couldn't find any location info on Vassar's website, but I'm sure it's not hard to find.

Peter Iannarelli exhibit at Albany Center Gallery, Albany

Peter Iannarelli's most recent work is currently on exhibit in the three person show, "Mohawk Hudson Regional Invitational 2007" at the Albany Center Gallery in Albany. The exhibit opened April 3 and will run through May 12. There will be an opening reception at 6-8pm on Friday April 13.

TrueNorth Theatre Project's staged readings in April

The TrueNorth Theatre Project will be holding two staged readings of Rounding Third by Richard Dresser. The readings will be presented on Friday April 20th and Saturday April 21 at 7:30pm on both evenings at the Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries at 199 Main St.

The story of two mismatched "Little League Dads" with opposing philosophies
toward competition and success, Rounding Third is a comedy about parenthood and
America's cultural values.

Playwright Richard Dresser began writing Rounding Third when his son's Little
League coach suggested that a slower player fake an injury as part of the team's
strategy for winning. "I was horrified," Dresser wrote in an Introduction to the
play. "Is this how our children are being trained to deal with competition? How
many future Enrons are brewing on our Little League fields and in our school
gyms under the watchful eyes of over-zealous coaches? What about building
character and encouraging fair play? Or are such notions laughable in this
country at this point in history? At that moment I knew that I had to write
Rounding Third."

TrueNorth Theatre Project was founded in February of 2005 by professional
actors, writers and designers who wanted to bring theatre to their own
backyard. The co-founders are Brad Bellamy and Suzanna Hay of Beacon, Lynn
Hawley and Michael Heintzman of Cold Spring, Kurt Rhoads and Nance Williamson of Garrison and resident designer David Birn of Cold Spring. The company has
been performing staged readings at various venues in and around Beacon and
Garrison. They will be producing an original festival of short plays this
Fall with their 1st Annual River Play Festival. All plays will embrace the
theme “river.” The contest attracted works from 76 playwrights from around
the country with three being chosen as winners. The other four plays were
commissioned by TrueNorth and were written by celebrated playwrights, John
Pielmeier (Agnes of God), Irene O’Garden (Women on Fire), Quincy Long (Lively
Lad, Joy of Going Somewhere Definite) and resident playwright Michael Heintzman.

For more details on the readings, please email True North at info@truenorththeatre.org

Van Brunt Gallery opening on April 7, from 6-9 pm.

"First Saturdays" in Beacon have become a mini cross-curb "Second Saturday" of recent months, as Van Brunt Gallery and Go North have, as of late, been holding simultaneous openings on those evenings, thereby smashing to bits the notion that there's only enough cultural life in Beacon to fill one evening a month. It's now clear to see that we can easily sustain two solid nights of going out per month.

Van Brunt Gallery's next exhibit will be opening this coming Saturday, and include shows by Stanford Kay, D. Dominick Lombardi and Stephen Niccolls. The opening reception runs from 6-9pm.

Opening April 7: Sonia Roy and Dakin Roy at Go North

Sonia Roy

Dakin Roy

Memento Mori
Sonia Roy - Works on paper
Dakin Roy - Photographs
April 7 – April 29, 2007 Opening Reception: Saturday,
April 7th, 6 – 9pm.

GO NORTH is pleased to announce the upcoming exhibition of
Sonia and Dakin Roy’s show “Memento Mori”. The exhibition runs from April 7th
through April 29th, 2007. A reception for the artist will be held on Saturday,
April 7th, 6 - 9 pm. In Memento Mori, Sonia and Dakin Roy explore issues of
mortality and the way various people from different backgrounds, ethnicities,
religions, and demographics deal with death. Through photographs and works on
paper, the Roy’s have taken pieces of the past and combined them with the
present. Creating new memories and homage’s out of the remnants of those who
have come before us. To re-examine, and re-define what it is to be alive and how
we choose to remember those that are gone. Sonia and Dakin Roy live and work in
Beacon, NY.

Sonia Roy

Dakin Roy

Founded in September of 2006 by artists Gregory Slick and
Karlos Cárcamo, Go North’s mission is to support, exhibit, and promote art by
local, national, and international artists. Our focus is contemporary art that
is dedicated to exploring cutting edge cultural and artistic issues by pushing
the boundaries of traditional media. Staging monthly exhibitions on a rotating
basis gives artists the opportunity to expand and explore new dimensions in
their work. Enabling us to keep our exhibitions fresh and updated, while
providing a place in the Hudson Valley for contemplation, dialog and exchange of
ideas.

GO NORTH - A Space for Contemporary Art 469 Main St.,
Beacon, NY 12508

gonorthgallery@hotmail.com

www.gonorthgallery.blogspot.com
Gallery hours: 12 - 6 pm, Friday - Sunday

Images: Simon Draper at Van Brunt Gallery

Here's a sampling of images sent in by Simon Draper from his exhibition that just finished it's run at Van Brunt Gallery this weekend.