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