Second Saturday Art Gallery hop in Beacon
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For years, Beacon has had hoppin' Second Saturdays with gallery openings and art happenings. But art refuses to be confined to a hashtagged event schedule. That's why we've expanded this Guide to showcase as many art openings as we can within Beacon's city limits. Artistic endeavors are going up on walls (and sidewalks, and lawns) all the time around town, so keep your eyes glued to this space and refresh often to stay in the loop. We try to update the bulk of this Guide on the Monday before Second Saturday, or as venues list their happenings. But we're constantly updating the Guide as we hear about new events and openings.
Are you planning for the fourth Thursday of the month? Or maybe you're already a seasoned #2Sat pro? Skip the Second Saturday 101 below if you'd like, and head straight for the listings, starting with Dia: Beacon.
Do you have an art opening coming up? Tell us about it: Drop a line to editorial@alittlebeaconblog.com with the who/what/when/where, and include a representative photo, to be considered for inclusion in this Guide.
Second Saturday 101
Second Saturday is a lively day into night in Beacon, and is a celebration of Beacon's galleries, restaurants and other businesses on the second Saturday of every month. Dan Rigney, former president of BeaconArts (the organization who encouraged this movement to happen over a decade ago and heavily promotes the events) says: "Back then, Beacon was one of the last places people outside of town thought to go on a Saturday night. Now Second Saturday has become a part of the fabric of Beacon. It's such a part of it, many galleries have their opening events on other Saturdays, so that they get two big crowds each month." Second Saturday provides a great reason to walk Main Street and beyond, and explore the events going on around town. It's always a pleasure to dine your way through Beacon, so turn to our Restaurant Guide to help you puzzle out where to eat and drink as you explore special exhibits and happenings.
What to Know About This Guide:
- This Guide includes gallery and art showings that may be hosted in the gallery or in a shop or restaurant.
- Many of these shows run through the current month, so check back often if you are on an art hunt.
- Closing times posted here are for Second Saturdays only, and may not reflect regular Saturdays. Always call an establishment directly for current hours, offerings, or any other questions.
- Parking can be found on side streets, on Main Street, and in municipal lots. Click here for A Little Beacon Blog's Free Public Parking Guide, with pictures and cross streets!
- Share your way through Second Saturday by using #2SAT, the hashtag created by BeaconArts, and tack on #beaconny or #SecondSaturday if you have room in your tweets or Instagram postings.
- If you are a gallery and have something special to add, please email editorial@alittlebeaconblog.com.
Late-Night (After 9pm) Spots to Eat and Drink:
After you walk the galleries, you'll be hungry and need (another) drink! See our full list of restaurants who are open prior to 9 pm in our Restaurant Guide.
- Bank Square 129 Main St.
- Chill Wine Bar 173 Main St.
- Meyer's Olde Dutch 184 Main St.
- Max's On Main 246 Main St.
- Baja 328 328 Main St.
- Quinn's 330 Main St.
- The Towne Crier (bar only) 379 Main St.
- Oak Vino Wine Bar 389 Main St. (Call first to see if cheese plates and dessert are still being served!)
- Draught Industries 394 Main St.
- The Beacon Hotel Restaurant 424 Main St.
- The Vault 446 Main St.
- Joe's Irish Pub 455 Main St.
- Roundhouse 2 East Main St.
- Dogwood 47 East Main St.
Leave all our Guides open on your phone because they include addresses and phone numbers. Tap on a phone number to call anyone!
Second Saturday, August 11: Happy Second Saturday, Beacon! It may be stormy, but it's still the dog days of summer. Consider this a friendly reminder that leisure time is fleeting, and we should make the most of long days while we have them. And enjoy the various animal-related shows around town: At Hudson Beach Glass, you'll find Chris Sanders' four- and eight-legged friends, and at bau, Eileen Sackman's endangered critters. This is the second-to-last weekend to see Zoology at Matteawan Gallery - don't miss the incredible diversity of art that rivals the diversity of the animal kingdom itself!
Are you enjoying Second Saturday so much that you want to keep the fun going through the wee hours? If the rain lets up and skies clear, find a blanket, find a yard, find some bug spray, then kick back to watch the Perseid meteor showers, and thank our lucky stars for summer. (If, however, skies do not clear up, try again on the next clear night, or the next. The meteor showers run through the end of the month.)
What else is going on around town? Check out our Event Guide to fill you in on the rest of the happenings - if you're out and about in Beacon and see something that you think we shouldn't miss, tag us on Twitter or in your photos on Instagram (we're @alittlebeacon on both). Now, let's get to July art openings and events.
NEAR THE TRAIN, BEFORE MAIN STREET
Dia:Beacon
3 Beekman St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 440-0100
One of the preeminent modern art museums in the world, Dia:Beacon opened in 2003 in a former Nabisco box-printing factory on the shore of the Hudson River. Many people point to the museum's arrival as a turning point for Beacon's arts-intensive revival. Take a closer look at Dia:Beacon's giant shapes, piles of glass, grayscale geometry, neon tubes and so. much. more. Dia:Beacon offers complimentary admission with identification to all residents of Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties on the last Sunday of every month. Dia:Beacon is free for residents of Beacon, Fishkill, Chelsea, and Glenham every Saturday and Sunday, year-round. (Thanks, Pete Seeger.)
Dia's Second Saturdays: Bookend a trip to Main Street with a guided tour at 12:30 or 2 pm of the museum, including François Morellet's light art incorporating 61 neon tubes, Michelle Stuart's revelation of New Jersey's natural hues, Anne Truitt's sculptural abstractions, and the museum's permanent collection of works by Louise Bourgeois, Robert Morris, On Kawara and many more. Recent additions include exhibitions of works by Dorothea Rockburne - working at the intersection of painting, dance, mathematics theory, and "non-art materials" in the late 1960s and early '70s - and Mary Corse, one of few women associated with the Southern California, 1960s, Light and Space art movement. Reservations aren't necessary, but may be made at the admissions desk.
Dia hours: Thursday to Monday, 11 am to 6 pm
Mother Gallery
18 West Main St. #7
Beacon, NY
Through Saturday, August 18: Good Vibrations, with tension-torqued fiber arts from Paolo Arao, Angela Heisch's luminous, meticulous squares, and the almost-maybe-functional? freestanding sculptures of Ryan Reggiani. (Here's an interview with Arao in Chronogram.)
Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, noon to 5 pm
Beacon Popmart
45 Beekman St.
Beacon, NY
Weekends through December: Ron English is kind of a big deal, and he's cool enough to base himself in Beacon. Once in a while, we get a glimpse of the greatness among us. Witness: Beacon Popmart. Colorful creatures and whimsical ideas surround you, in a cheer-inducing, maybe challenging way. Mermaid milk, anyone? Find it at the Popmart.
Hours: Friday to Sunday, noon to 6 pm
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church
15 South Ave.
Beacon, NY
(845) 831-1369
The church frequently hosts Art in the Sanctuary events on Second Saturday. Past art celebrations have included organ concerts, photography openings, popular music performed in a choral style, knitting sprees, and contemporary, contemplative labyrinth walking. The church is wheelchair accessible. There is ample parking in the rear of the church; enter on Beacon Street.
Hours: Call for details
THE WEST END
(Close to the train station)
ReMADE
133 Main St.
Beacon, NY
We've seen a lot of changes over the years in the space that is now home to ReMADE. The shop started a Second Saturday tradition of spotlighting a single artist, no practical function necessary for their work. ReMADE fills an entire wall with the work of a single artist.
Hours: 11 am to 6 pm
Catalyst Gallery
137 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 204-3844
The intention of this artist-run space is to create an opportunity for individual artists or groups to show and sell work in a vibrant community that supports the arts.
Special for Second Saturday: Like so many artists in the Hudson Valley (or everywhere, really) Carin Jean White works in many fields. She writes and directs for theaters across the country. She is also a visual and theater artist who teaches in Columbia University's University Writing Program. Carin returns to Catalyst, showing paintings in her (by our count) third show there. (Could this be an August tradition in the making?) Don't miss her icy blue waves and fiery scenes. Through Monday, September 3.
Hours: Sunday to Thursday, noon to 6 pm; Friday and Saturday, 1 to 9 pm; Second Saturday opening reception, 6 to 9 pm
TheoGanz Studio
149 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(917) 318-2239
As of May 2018, TheoGanz Studio is leaving this location. According to Eleni Smolen, the gallery - in a different, yet-to-be-determined form, will still be a local source to represent original sculpture and graphics of Inuit artists from Cape Dorset, Nunavut, Canada. TheoGanz Studio, the little gallery with the big windows in Beacon's west end, was founded by artist Eleni Smolen as a venue for contemporary artists working in all media.
Hours: Call for appointment
Bannerman Island Gallery
150 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 416-8342
This gallery is devoted to showcasing the beauty of Bannerman Island Castle and the Hudson Highlands that surround the former arsenal. Works in the gallery are available for purchase, benefiting the Bannerman Castle Trust's preservation efforts.
Hours: Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 5 pm or by appointment
The Inn & Spa at Beacon
151 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 205-2900
Beacon's newest West End destination is ready for the viewing public. (Read our scoop here!) The lobby of The Inn & Spa at Beacon features evocative still-life paintings, etchings, and art jewelry by the acclaimed Anamario Hernández.
Anamario Hernández's paintings blend contemporary and classical techniques and subject matter. Read more about Anamario in our article about the painter.
Ongoing: Anamario Hernández's paintings blend contemporary and classical techniques and subject matter. Read more about Anamario in our article about the painter.
Hours: Call for hours
Marion Royael Gallery
159 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(727) 244-5535
Ongoing: Candelabra: Things That Carry the Light of the World, featuring "finely executed visual perspectives" in various mediums by more than a dozen artists. What carries the light of the world to you? How do you carry light? Don't hide it under a bushel. Bring it to Main Street and the MR Gallery.
In the MR Yard outside, don't miss The Bird's Nest, a site-specific installation.
Hours: Noon to 7 pm (sometimes later)
Hudson Beach Glass / Fovea
162 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 440-0068
This glass studio has been casting functional and sculptural objects for over 20 years - a truly special establishment to have in Beacon. Stop in to find blown-glass objects of all kinds, from lights to bowls to wind chimes. Sometimes on Second Saturday, you can watch them blow glass.
Special for Second Saturday: What would it mean to cross P.T. Barnum, circus impresario, with legendary naturalist David Attenborough? See for yourself, in Chris Sanders' Step Right Up. In paintings and "comic narrative interactive" sculpture, Chris muses on the premise of "so little of what might happen, does." Through Sunday, September 2.
Hours: Monday to Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm; Sunday, 11 am to 6 pm; Second Saturday opening reception, 6 to 9pm
Clutter Magazine Gallery
163 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(212) 255-2505
The Clutter Gallery is a branch of the Clutter Media Group family, and is focused on showing quality work by both established and emerging artists in the fields of toy design and customization, as well as modern pop and lowbrow art. Clutter Gallery's exhibitions are open to the public and free of charge.
Special for Second Saturday: As they so often do, Clutter opens not one, but two fabulous shows this month. First up, the group show. ConstrucTOYvism is inspired by Russian Constructivism, and the two dozen participating artists are limited to a black/white/red color palette. Participating artists include 2Petalrose, Andrea Kang, Art of Jeaa, Cat Atomic, Czee, Dolly Oblong, Double Parlour, El Hooligan, Eric Alverez, FER MG, Fluke, HX Studio, Jenn & Tony Bot, Johnny Draco, Jon-Paul Kaiser, Klav, Kyle Kirwan, Mr.Mitote, Nugglife, Tokyo Jesus, Wetworks and more!
For the solo show, artist/animator Colus Havenga presents Deadweight. He'll be in attendance, visiting all the way from San Diego! The opening will include free beer provided by Lagunitas and Mike's Hard Lemonade, as well as gluten-free treats from North Brooklyn Eats!
Hours: Monday to Friday, 10 am to 6 pm; Saturdays, noon to 5 pm; Second Saturday opening reception, 6 to 9 pm
RiverWinds Gallery
172 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 838-2880
RiverWinds Gallery features Hudson Valley artists. Work includes fine art paintings and photography, plus contemporary crafts including ceramics, jewelry, fiber arts and more.
Special for Second Saturday: Making art out of collected finds, "everything from rusty springs to dragonfly wings," mixed-media artist Canace brings From the Corners of My Mind to RiverWinds. The steampunk-inflected layers on layers mix photography, vintage images, textural paintings, and collage. Through Monday, September 3.
Hours: Sunday and Monday, noon to 5 pm; Wednesday, noon to 4 pm; Thursday, noon to 5 pm; Friday and Saturday, noon to 6 pm; Second Saturday opening reception, 5 to 8 pm
Dream in Plastic
177 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 632-3383
Dream in Plastic frequently celebrates Second Saturday, adorning the walls of their sweet retail shop with amazing artwork from their friends. Exhibits have included photography, painting, and illustrations from like-minded whimsical geniuses. In the past, DiP has been known to offer cupcakes and coffee at openings!
Hours: 11 am to 7 pm; opening receptions are usually 6 to 9 pm
Beacon Institute for Rivers & Estuaries
199 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 838-1600
This historic brick storefront houses a variety of Institute programs: the WOW! gallery, the Hudson River bookstore and gift shop, its administrative headquarters, and a new venture, Sensor Place. Events feature talks by artists and regional Hudson Valley authors.
Special for Second Saturday: Betsy Jacaruso, a name familiar to Beacon art fans, brings the watercolors of Luminous Waterways to the Beacon Institute. The exhibition celebrates the vibrancy of seasons changing along the Hudson River and in the valley around it. Through summer 2018.
Hours: Monday, 1 to 5 pm; Second Saturday, 3 to 9 pm; Sunday, 10 am to 2 pm
THE MIDDLE & MARKET SQUARE
Beahive
291 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 418-3731
A pioneering co-working space in Beacon, and A Little Beacon Blog's neighbor in the historic Telephone Building, Beahive sometimes hosts art openings.
Hours: Call for hours and Second Saturday happenings.
Howland Public Library
313 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 831-1134
Special for Second Saturday: Last call! It's the last day to contribute your piece to the installation of Post-it Notes, the Howland Library's contribution to the annual Windows on Main Street exhibition.
In longer-term art, in the library's Community room, the Beacon Thursday Painters share Memories, autobiographical works inspired by significant memories and personal photographs. (Read more about the Beacon Thursday Painters in our 2016 article.) Memories runs through Sunday, September 2.
Hours: The Community Room is open during regular library hours; Second Saturday opening reception, 5 to 7 pm
Oak Vino Wine Bar
389 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 765-2400
Not just a place to kick back with a glass and unwind, Oak Vino is also a great spot to see art. Owner Rinny Patel often has work from local painters on the walls, and occasionally hosts Second Saturday shindigs.
Special for Second Saturday: Join Oak Vino, BeaconArts members, artists, and art enthusiasts for the Windows on Main Street kickoff party! Windows on Main Street is an annual monthlong exhibit that pairs local artists with businesses in Beacon, New York. The monthlong event bridges the gap between art and commerce, as Main Street becomes a gallery space more than a mile long! The opening party will feature the Tiny Windows Exhibit, live drawing/auction by Donna Mikkelsen, DJ, and free food.
Hours: 3 to 11 pm; Second Saturday opening reception, 6 to 9 pm
Compass Arts
395 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(917) 648-4454
Compass Arts Enrichment Center, in the heart of Beacon right by the Yankee Clipper diner, is a home for creative pursuits for young and old alike. Classes are taught by professionals in a variety of arts fields.
Hours: Call for hours and Second Saturday happenings.
THE EAST END & BEYOND
(Closer to the mountain)
Howling at the Edge of Chaos
428 Main St.
Beacon, NY
Tucked into a sliver of a Main Street storefront is this new shop, run by an artist who shines a spotlight on other artists. Mixed-media artist Valerie J. Mitchell showcases art and goods made by women around the world.
Hours: Wednesday, 12:30 to 5 pm; Thursday to Saturday, 11 am to 6 pm; Sunday, 12:30 to 5 pm
Matteawan Gallery
436 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 440-7901
Matteawan Gallery specializes in contemporary art with an emphasis on works on paper by emerging and mid-career artists.
Special for Second Saturday: Zoology, a group show with works from eight artists - Deborah Davidovits, Scott Daniel Ellison, Theresa Gooby, Jan Harrison, Kirsten Kucer, Chantelle Norton, Melissa Schlobohm, and Maude White - with close ties to the Hudson Valley. As gallery owner Karlyn Benson writes, "The eight artists in Zoology feature animals prominently in their work. Animals are one of the oldest inspirations for artists, as evidenced by the first cave paintings thousands of years ago, and they continue to inspire us today. The work in Zoology falls into two broad categories: work that captures the likeness of familiar animals we see in our environment, such as birds, cats, and rabbits, and work that includes hybrid or imaginary animals in dreamlike settings." So - which speaks to you? Through Sunday, August 19.
Hours: Friday to Sunday, noon to 5 pm; Second Saturday, open until 9 pm
Morphicism
444 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 440-3092
Moveable art in frames - art you must see and experience. Jay Palefsky taught art in New York high schools for more than two decades, then packed his bags to pursue life as an artrepreneur, with a steadfast commitment to doing things differently.
Hours: Call for hours and events
Center for Creative Education
464 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 338-7664
According to their website, the mission of the Center for Creative Education (CCE) is to enrich the social and cultural awareness of our youth and community through arts, wellness and education.
Special for Second Saturday: CCE frequently holds art workshops in addition to dance, music, theater, and fitness events.
Hours: Call for event information and hours.
No.3 Reading Room & Photo Book Works
469 Main St.
Beacon, NY
Right next to the Beacon Theatre, No.3 Reading Room & Photo Book Works is an artist-run venue, featuring select artist’s books, artist photobookworks, photography books, work on paper and poetry from small and independent presses. Contact Paulette Myers-Rich at photobookworks@gmail.com for additional information.
Special for Second Saturday: Last call! August 11 is the closing day for this exhibit. Celebrate Dikko Faust and Esther K. Smith, who joined formidable forces 40 years ago, and since have created paper, type, books - all kinds of amazing paper-letter-design-driven objects. Celebrate them, and learn more about the craft of what they create at Purgatory Pie Press, 40+ Years and Counting, at Photo Book Works. A note of discretion from Photo Book Works: "Due to the rarity of this artwork and mature content of many works on view, this exhibit is intended for adult viewers. Works on display may not be handled by visitors, but may be shown by the gallery attendant by request."
Hours: Saturday and Sunday, noon to 6 pm; Second Saturday closing reception, noon to 8 pm
TERRESON:BEACON
475 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(914) 772-6570
Jeffrey Terreson's paintings are in the collections of various Fortune 500 companies, as well as the United Nations. His work is inspired by 20th-century post-war masters such as Julian Schnabel, Jasper Johns, Mark Rothko and Joan Snyder.
Hours: Second Saturday, 10 am to 10 pm; opening reception, 5 to 10 pm
Howland Cultural Center
477 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 831-4988
Beacon's Howland Cultural Center is not just another arts organization. Its beautiful home is a Victorian building, a library for a long time, that was born specifically to serve the community as a cultural resource.
Special for Second Saturday: Artists affiliated with LongReach Arts Center bring their works in various media to the historic Howland Cultural Center. Participants include Arlene Becker, Deborah Bein, Diane Christi, David Curtis, Carolyn Edlund, Staats Fasoldt, Stacie Flint, Jose Gomez,Claudia Gorman, Rob Greene, Trina Greene, Carol Loizides, Ellen Metzger O’Shea, Carol Pepper-Cooper, Nancy Scott, Elayne Seaman, Michelle Squires, Marlene Wiedenbaum and Carole Wolf. The various mediums include oil and watercolor paintings, pastel, photography and fiber art, reflecting a strong variety of styles infused with energy of the Hudson Valley. Through Sunday, August 26.
Hours: Friday to Monday, 1 to 5 pm; closing reception Sunday, August 26, 4:30 to 6:30 pm
Maria Lago Studio 502
502 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 765-8421
Maria Lago's super-textural paintings come to life with her larger-than-life sculptures. Her gallery is filled with the looming, evocative figures.
Special for Second Saturday: Her Wanderers have moved on to nearby pastures, making way for new visitors to Studio 502. Come meet Women Warriors, Maria Lago's latest painted additions to her family of haunting, elongated beings.
Hours: Call for hours
bau Gallery
506 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 440-7584
bau (Beacon Artist Union) is a platform for members and artists to grow, present and market their work and collaborative curatorial projects, while hosting events of related disciplines: performances, talks, film and music. bau builds a vital link between artists' activities and rest of the community.
Special for Second Saturday: In the Main Gallery: Have you ever looked at a rhino sculpture and felt like it was asking you, "Hey, how you doin'?" No? Well, me neither, but now's your chance. In Cognizance, Eileen Sackman's ceramics draw attention to the cruelty of animal poaching by subverting the usual cutesy anthropomorphizing of endangered creatures. Be challenged to look at these animals in a new way.
In the Beacon Room, drawings and watercolor painting from Dan Sabau.
Sticking around for a bit after opening last month, Bau's Gallery 2 features selections from Melissa Schlobohm and Rick Price. Schlobohm, whose exquisite linocuts and woodcuts of animals and botanicals grace the walls of Drink More Good and other fine establishments, shares I Love You, But... You know Rick Price from the big Hudson River goddess mural on the side of the RiverWinds Gallery buildings. Hidden in the back room of bau, see a new side of Rick's work, in vivid, layered portraits.
Hours: Saturday and Sunday, noon to 6 pm; Second Saturday opening reception, 6 to 9 pm
Russell Cusick Gallery
530 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 202-7787
Way down to the East End, right across from the Roundhouse, you'll find Russell Cusick's gallery. He has transmuted photography and painted Hudson Valley vistas, rendering the familiar scenes into hypervivid dreamscapes. But he's also known for turning manhole covers into art. (Yes, really. See for yourself!)
Hours: Call for hours and Second Saturday happenings.
BEACON near Route 52
Ethan Cohen Kunsthalle Beacon (KuBe)
192 Verplanck Ave.
(The old Beacon High School)
Beacon, NY
(845) 765-8270
Kunsthalle Beacon is the official name for what many people refer to as "the artist studios in the old high school." Since 2010, the corridors and classrooms have housed dozens of studios and gallery spaces. Maybe you've visited before, maybe for a Beacon Open Studios jaunt. If you haven't yet checked it out, now's the time!
Special for Second Saturday:
"Yu Han Yu: Force of Nature: The Power of the Brush"
There are several parts to Saturday's opening of Force of Nature: The Power of the Brush, which explores the poetry, precision, and power of Chinese artist Yu Han Yu in his first major American gallery show. His work showcases the harsh, fierce beauty of Tibet and the Himalayan region. Through Sunday, September 2.
Hours: Monday, by appointment; Tuesday to Saturday, 11 am to 6 pm
The Lofts at Beacon Gallery
18 Front St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 202-7211
The Lofts at Beacon brought back to life a 19th-century brick mill that once made textiles in the Hudson Valley, located by the Fishkill Creek and situated near the Hudson River in the artists' haven town of Beacon. The Lofts have been completely remodeled into beautiful spaces, providing excellent loft rental units for the working artist.
Through Tuesday, August 21: In Pieces & Bits by Patricia Di Bella-Kreger, the improvisational nature of collage merges with the control of painting, featuring a cast of cut-up, constructed, faceted characters.
Hours: Call for hours
Do check out A Little Beacon Blog's constantly updated Pop-Up Shop Guide and the Shopping Guide to help you shop and take advantage of special opportunities and events offered by shops during this exciting day.