Art happenings in Beacon, NY

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 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 the 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 Guides open on your phone because they include addresses and phone numbers. Tap on a phone number to call anyone!

Second Saturday, December 9: C'mon, sing it with us: "It's the most wonderful time of the year!" This month's Second Saturday is cheery and festive and sparkly, all the holiday clichés. Let the warmth of community (and maybe a cup of hot cocoa) distract you from the frosty air. Stop into gallery openings, of course, but also find time to see the plethora of pop-ups and the magical sixth annual bike tree lighting. Our Event Guide will fill you in on the rest of the happenings, then let us know which ones you opt for! Now, let's get to December's 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. Don't forget: Beacon residents get in free every weekend! 
Special for Second Saturday: All good things must come to an end, and we've reached the last month for the exhibition of sculptor Walter De Maria's smaller works. Come experience the stepping stones he built upon to create his later, larger works. Bookend a trip to Main Street with a guided tour at 12:30 or 2 pm of the museum's permanent collection, including works by Louise Bourgeois, Robert Smithson, Agnes Martin and many more. Reservations aren't necessary, but may be made at the admissions desk. 
Hours: 11 am to 4 pm

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church
15 South Ave.
Beacon, NY
(845) 831-1369
Special for Second Saturday: For many people, this time of year is tied to traditions. Start your own - or continue! - by heading from the sixth annual tree lighting down to St. Andrew's third annual holiday concert. Brother Josép Martínez-Cubero, a member of an Episcopal monastic order in Ulster County, will share his inspired music. Before joining the order in 2014, Martínez-Cubero founded a children's theater company in New York City, then started one for adults, too. Join the church's festive singalong of traditional, folk, global, and classic songs of the advent season. Refreshments will be served!
Hours: Concert, 5 pm

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: Another beloved annual event: Catalyst Gallery's Small Works Show! Over 125 works by more than 50 artists, in all sorts of media. Need to pick up a gift for a friend? Peruse the vast, usually budget-friendly, selection here. Through January 7.
Hours: Noon to 6 pm; opening reception, 6 to 9 pm

Colorant
145 Main St.
Beacon, NY
Special for Second Saturday: Colorant has moved across the street! Head to the former home of Miss Vickie's Music, next door to Mountain Tops, to check out their new digs, and for natural-fiber dying workshops with NY Textile Lab. From 3 to 7 on Second Saturday, bring your own cotton, wool or silk pieces for indigo-dyeing workshops (sign up here). 
Hours: 3 to 9 pm

Theo Ganz Studio
149 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(917) 318-2239
Theo Ganz 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. Recognizing the importance of exhibitions in an artist's career, Smolen concentrates on presenting actively engaged emerging and mid-career professionals in either solo or group exhibitions.
Special for Second Saturday: Dog Days, recent oil paintings, drawings, and giclées by Chantelle Norton, reflects on the companion relationships we have with our pets. Anyone who has shared a home with canines will recognize the vignettes of sprawled legs. Norton was born in Ireland, then split time between there and the United States as she grew up. The practice continued as she studied in Chicago, Rhode Island School of Design, and Parsons as well as the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, but these days she's settled in Kent, New York, with her partner, chickens, and a cat. On her mind: adding a dog, and maybe goats. If we're lucky, Norton will do chicken/cat/goat paintings, too. For now, don't miss the pups. Through January 28.
Hours: Noon to 5 pm

Bannerman Island Gallery
150 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 831-6346
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.
Special for Second Saturday: More than 20 artists are bringing their wares to Bannerman Island Gallery for your viewing pleasure. Their Holiday Exhibition features paintings, photography, drawings, printmaking and mixed media works, as well as 3-D objects of glass, ceramics and sculpture. Subject matter is open, but there will definitely be works featuring Hudson Valley points of interest and Bannerman’s Island and Castle. Most of the art work will be for sale. Through January 28.
Hours: Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 5 pm; Second Saturday opening reception, 4 to 7 pm

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.
Special for Second Saturday: 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
Special for Second Saturday: The gallery's latest Directed Migrating Installation, The Human Nest, brings together the visual perspectives of dozens of artists to reflect on "the nature of human dwellings." Artists include Kathleen Erin Lee, Paul Tillinghast, Alexander Percy, Joe Zarra, Mary Giehl, Barbara AG Riddle, Steven Paul Riddle, Jens O Bille, Dave Dziemian, Rick Hutchinson, Steve Pomerantz, Ivan Suchman, Ed Benavente, Billy Lillyhan, Steven Kenny, Barney Hodes, Francis Hodes, Brian Wohrman. 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: The group show Kite opens, featuring interpretations of winged flight creations, from land to sky. As kite authority, artist, and author Tal Streeter once noted, "The sky begins at your feet." How high can you fly? Through January 8.
Also at Hudson Beach Glass: Ornament-blowing is in full swing! Stop by to see the glassblowers in action, or sign up to make your own. 
Hours: 10 am to 6 pm

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: Another fantastic returning event: Clutter's annual Gift-Wrapped Holiday Show! Unlike many of their designer toy-focused gallery openings, this one is cash and carry. which means buyers will be able to take their newfound treasures home on the same day. More than 100 artists are bringing their cute/scary/squishy/collectible wares, and pieces will have a maximum retail price of $200. Catch a sneak peek at #giftwrapped2017!
Hours: Noon to 5 pm; 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: RiverWinds' annual Holiday Gift Show continues! Hudson Valley artists and artisans get the spotlight at this yearly celebration. Gift ideas abound: Paintings, photography, ceramics, and jewelry join glass ornaments and other holiday décor like this glass table centerpiece (above). You will find a unique, handmade gift to please anyone on Santa's "nice" list this year (including yourself, obvs). Through December 31.
Hours: Noon to 9 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: BeaconArts takes over the Beacon Institute Gallery for a retrospective of the group's work in town over the past 15 years. Remember when the art supply store was still over toward the dummy light and the city closed the street so artists could paint and we could mingle with them (I can smell the fumes like it was yesterday) and within a few hours we saw the works get hoisted onto the side of the electric blanket building? Then remember how a ton of rain just about ruined everything but Electric Projected roared back to life the next year? Yeah, that was cool. Revisit Electric Windows and Electric Projected with a special screening at the Beacon Institute at 7 pm.
Hours: 5 to 9 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
Continuing this Second Saturday: Images of cornucopias are inescapable this time of year. See the harvest up close and personal at the Beacon Photography Group's sixth show, focusing on food and drink. Celebrate the variety of ways we enjoy comestibles, in photos from local residents. Through December 30.
Hours: Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm

Progression Art Studio
320 Main St.
Beacon, NY
Special for Second Saturday: Stop by to see what's new!

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. 
Hours: 3 to 11 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.
Special for Second Saturday: Learn about collagraph printmaking in a workshop with Romina Robinson, then make your own print plates. Bring your own fabric to make prints with red and black ink! The workshop is great for parent-kid teams, but adult duos are also welcome.
Hours: 1 to 3 pm

THE EAST END & BEYOND
(Closer to the mountain)

The Beacon Hotel Gallery
424 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 765-2208
Hours: Call for hours and Second Saturday happenings.

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. 
Special for Second Saturday: Illustrator Amber Vittoria brings vibrant original works and prints to Howling at the Edge of Chaos. Her pieces focus on femininity and the female form, leveraging physical traits such as body hair, overtly extended limbs, and rounded features. Vittoria has worked with such wide-ranging commercial clients as The New York Times, UnderArmour, and Interscope Records, but she's no slouch with the critics, too: She's been recognized by Print Magazine as a young visual artist to keep your eye on! Shop, buy, enjoy wine and cheese!
Hours: 11 am to 6 pm; opening reception 6 to 8 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: Thomas Huber returns for his second solo show at Matteawan Gallery; his work also was the focus of an exhibition at Theo Ganz Studio in 2014. In the newest show, After Some Time, Huber's paintings and mixed-media works showcase the way he builds up layers and texture, combining lists, doodles, and diagrams to challenge perspective. Also on display will be The Gift, a dynamic, sort-of jam session of a piece, which Huber created with fiber artist Orly Cogan. Huber will speak about his work, and Edwin Torres will give a poetry reading. Through December 17. 
Hours: Noon to 5; artist talk and poetry reading at 5; reception, 6 to 9 pm

Morphicism
444 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 440-3092
Moveable art in frames - art you must see and experience.
Hours: Call first

3B Gallery
458 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 440-6782
This gallery tucked into Beacon Bath & Bubble often showcases talent from within Beacon, including student art.
Hours: Call for hours and Second Saturday happenings.

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
Please welcome Beacon's newest arts-inclined business, 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. Please contact Paulette Myers-Rich at photobookworks@gmail.com for additional information.
Special for Second Saturday: Month No.3, opening No.3 for the gallery. In Winter River, Black Ice, proprietor Paulette Myers-Rich captures swirling patterns on ice created by the confluence of frigid and steamy energies in the Upper Mississippi River. Drawing from her deep background and personal history with the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Myers-Rich will share back editions of the center's handmade Winter Book annuals with visitors to the Reading Room. "Visitors are welcome to browse, read the books on view and enjoy the Reading Room on a December day while we wait for our first snow," Myers-Rich says. Do stop in and see the books, and hold art in your hands! Through January 28.
Hours: Friday to Sunday, 1 to 7 pm, and by appointment

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. 
Special for Second Saturday: Jeffrey Terreson recently marked the one-year anniversary of his gallery's opening in Beacon. Coming on the heels of a big show in Bedford, Terreson has a whole slew of new work, including Unveiled (above), oils on a canvas of gauze mounted on wood.  
Hours: Call for hours

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 that was born specifically to serve the community as a cultural resource.
Special for Second Saturday: Twenty artists working in all kinds of media - including chocolate, seriously - join forces for the Howland Cultural Center's annual Holiday Fine Arts and Craft Small Gifts show. 
Hours: Tuesday, December 5 to Saturday, December 23, 1 to 5 pm, except Second Saturday (12/9) when the show will be closed.

Maria Lago Studio 502
502 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 765-8421
Maria Lago's super-textural paintings come to life with her haunting, larger-than-life sculptures. Her gallery is filled with the looming, evocative figures.
Hours: Call for hours and Second Saturday happenings.

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: Sail away - or at least be inspired - to visit warmer climes, with Herman Roggeman's Flotilla. His boat studies explore "the spirit that celebrates man’s work life and escapist pleasures at sea and on river."
In bau's Beacon Room: Hudson Valley native Laianna Ferruggia uses paintings to transport herself and viewers to places "where we feel safe to recognize that we are worthy of loving and valuing ourselves for who we are."
Hours: 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

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.
Hours: Call for hours and Second Saturday happenings.

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.

Past Second Saturday Guides

• December 2017
• November 2017
• October 2017
• September 2017
• August 2017
• July 2017
• June 2017
• May 2017
• April 2017
• March 2017
• February 2017
• January 2017
• December 2016
• September 2016
• August 2016
• July 2016