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.

Our Second Saturday Art Gallery Guide is sponsored by No. 3 Reading Room and Photo Book Works, at 469 Main Street, down toward the east end of Main Street near the Story Screen Beacon Theater. At the reading room, you’ll find not just rotating exhibits, but cool collections of handmade books that the public is encouraged to peruse.

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 who still 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.

• Melzingah Tap House 554 Main St.

Leave all of our Guides open on your phone, because they include addresses and phone numbers. Tap on a phone number to call anyone!

Second Saturday, May 11: Happy Second Saturday, Beacon! 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 March’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. 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.)
Special for Second Saturday: Saturday Studio! At 10:30 am, visitors can join practicing artists for a free workshop of family-friendly art-making and play in the Learning Lab. Saturday Studio begins at 10:30 am; sign-up begins in the admissions area at 10 am. Reservations are recommended, but Dia keeps a few first-come, first-serve spots open! All families participating in Saturday Studio receive free admission to Dia:Beacon for the day. Once the Learning Lab wraps up, check out a guided tour of the museum at 12:30 or 2 pm. Reservations for the tour aren't necessary, but may be made at the admissions desk.
Hours: Thursday to Monday, 11 am to 6 pm (April-October hours)

Mother Gallery
1154 North Ave.
Beacon, NY
(near the train station in the complex with Brett’s Hardware, 2 Way Brewing and Beacon Pilates)
Mother Gallery is a co-creative, artist run, exhibition space located in Beacon, NY. Conceived and stewarded by Kirsten Deirup and Paola Oxoa to foster collaboration, community, and open dialogue amongst all people in the Hudson Valley and beyond.
Special for Second Saturday: Mother’s been on the move! The gallery has found a new space up the hill. The big brick space is right on Route 9D, near Giannetta Salon & Spa. Mother will re-open on Saturday, May 11, with Tools, Totems, Traps, a group exhibition with work by Jessica Gaddis, Alessandro Keegan, Caitlin MacQueen, Joshua Marsh, Yuri Masnyj, and Carter Spurrier. Mother’s partners/neighbors in the building are Parts & Labor, who’ll also have gallery space. Through Sunday, June 16.
Hours: Friday to Sunday, noon to 5; Second Saturday opening reception, 6 to 9 pm

THE WEST END
(Close to the train station)

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: Susan Keiser returns to Beacon, and Catalyst Gallery, with Time in Wavering Water Lies. As in her other recent work, she gives the sense that these vintage dolls are stumbled across in an environment, relics of a recent past. Through Wednesday, May 15.
Coming up: Scott Lerman, Time After Time. Opens Thursday, May 16; opening reception Saturday, May 18, 6 to 8 pm; through Sunday, May 26.
On the horizon: Thursday, May 30, toSunday, June 2, there’s a Super Studio Sale! Catalyst owner Erica Hauser will have “new work and older paintings released from the archives, prints and more, all at special studio pricing.”
Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 1 to 6 pm; Second Saturday reception, 6 to 9 pm; or contact the artist - susankeiser (at) hotmail (dot) com - to schedule an appointment

Bannerman Island Gallery
150 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 416-8342
This gallery is devoted to showcasing the beauty of Bannerman Island Castle, as well as the Hudson Highlands that surround the former arsenal. Works in the gallery are available for purchase, benefiting the Bannerman Castle Trust's preservation efforts.
Through Sunday, May 26: It’s your last Second Saturday chance to see The all-women show! Bannerman’s contemporary art exhibition features representational landscape paintings by artists Daniela Cooney, Tarryl Gabel, Laura Garramone, Judith Hraniotis and Susan Miiller. Through Sunday, May 26.
Hours: Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 5 pm or weekdays by appointment

Beacon Fine Art Gallery at The Inn & Spa at Beacon
151 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 205-2900
Through Sunday, May 15: The lobby of The Inn & Spa at Beacon has been rededicated as the Beacon Fine Art Gallery! Stop by to see the representational landscape and still-life paintings of Keith Gunderson, through Sunday, May 15, 2019. Glass works from Barbara Galazzo also will be on view, as well as paintings by Anamario Hernandez.
Hours: Daily, 11 am to 5 pm

Marion Royael Gallery
159 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(727) 244-5535
Special for Second Saturday: How sweet it is! A new batch of treats is ready to be revealed behind the gallery, in MR Yard. This cozy space packs in a lot of art. (We wrote about the gallery and yard a couple years ago, here.) Take a peek, take your time, look around.
Ongoing: Inside the gallery, see 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: Meghan Spiro’s Bella Monnezza came to life via the “beautiful garbage” she witnessed everyday, transforming in her kitchen compost. The rich but muted tones colors on a dark background call to mind the Dutch masters, but with a Mother Earth focus. “Our compost is our offering,” Meghan writes, ”letting our spoils be the fuel that nourishes the next harvest season.” Through Sunday, June 2.
Hours: Monday to Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm; Sunday, 11 am to 6 pm; Second Saturday opening reception, 6 to 9 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: Clutter opens a powerful double bill this month. First, they’re hosting Destroy All Monsters, the first solo show in the United States for sofubi master Kazumitsu Akamatsu. In the biggest collection of his work ever shown, he will present more than 100 different figures, from one-off paints to small edition runs. For this show, he has unearthed some classic molds, including long discontinued figures and even some that were never released. If the work of one master wasn’t enough, Clutter is also showing Peter Van Flores’ Face Value ≠ Street Value. Flores grew up in New York City making graffiti, and his unique style has evolved to combine vintage collages and street art.
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: Waxing Eloquent: Mitchell Visoky’s Encaustics. Visoky combines techniques for wax, charcoal, transfers, hand-printed paper, and oil stick to make layers of colors and textures. If you don't know what encaustic is, stop by Saturday evening and ask him! Through Sunday, June 2.
Hours: Monday, noon to 4 pm; Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, noon to 5 pm; Saturday, noon to 6 pm; Second Saturday opening reception, 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: Local luminary Pete Seeger would have turned 100 years old recently. He fought tooth and nail for the health of the Hudson River, so in reflecting on his legacy, consider doing a little homework on local ecology. John Sabraw’s Anthrotopographies invites viewers through landscapes equally sublime and terrifying, unearthing the beauty and brutality of topographies (the surface of the landscape) affected by extraction of natural resources. Discover how Sabraw translates raw materials and pollutants like toxic acid mine drainage (AMD) into pigments, and uses advanced tools to burn and excavate his pieces, echoing extractive practices in his work. Through October 2019.
Coming up: An Art+Science Café event at the BIRE will bring artist John Sabraw to discuss Anthrotopographies next month. In this in-depth look at his show, John Sabraw will explore the artistic and scientific process behind the creation of his pieces, and the unique environmental restoration and sustainable business model he is developing alongside his breathtaking and inspirational art works. Thursday, June 27, 6:30 to 8:30 pm.
Hours: Friday, 1 to 5 pm; Saturday, 3 to 7 pm; Sunday, 1 to 5 pm; Second Saturday opening reception, 3 to 7 pm

THE MIDDLE & MARKET SQUARE

Howland Public Library
313 Main St.
Beacon, NY
(845) 831-1134
Third weekend in May - Beacon Open Studios! Artists will be showing and sharing their work in studios all over town. Stop by the library’s Community Room to see an actual, real live person behind the art. Friday to Sunday, May 17-19.
Hours: The Community Room is open during regular library hours

Big Mouth Coffee Roasters
387 Main St.
Beacon, NY
Special for Second Saturday: Alluvial, an “immersive audio-visual installation” from composer, producer, and “observer of tiny moments” Martin D. Fowler. I (Catherine, the Second Saturday roundup compiler) don’t know the first thing about the creative process nor how composers work, but this interview with Martin is fascinating and talks about how Alluvial came to be.
Hours: Second Saturday reception, 7 pm

THE EAST END & BEYOND
(Closer to the mountain)

Howling at the Edge of Chaos
428 Main St.
Beacon, NY
As of December 2018, Howling at the Edge of Chaos has closed after owner Valerie J. Mitchell was diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer. Read more in our article about the store closing. Then keep in mind, as Valerie posted on Instagram, “What is important to you? Stop saying you don’t have time and start saying I made time for this ____. See where that takes you.”

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

No. 3 Reading Room & Photo Book Works
469 Main St. 
Beacon, NY
Two doors west of the Howland Center, No. 3 Reading Room & Photo Book Works is an artist-run venue, featuring select artists’ 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: Come visit the Reading Room and peruse recent publications in poetry and photography by small and independent presses. Of particular interest are the books How We See; Photobooks by Women and Publishing Manifestos; An International Anthology from Artists and Writers. Also on display and available for purchase are books by Hudson Valley artists and poets. As always, they’ll also have The Rain Taxi Review of Books and Upstate Diary. 
Hours: Saturday, noon to 7 pm; Sunday, noon to 6 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: By appointment; Second Saturday, usually 10 am 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: “Oh, my gosh!” That trademark phrase evokes the spirit of Pete Seeger, as Beacon celebrates the centennial of his birth. In this exhibition at the Howland Cultural Center, almost 40 artists have shared work and memories about this local legend. Through Monday, May 27.
Hours: Friday to Monday, 1 to 5 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. 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) 440-8089
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: The artist-members of Beacon Artist Union are getting an early start on next weekend’s Beacon Open Studios. The Main Gallery will be filled with pieces from the dozen individual artists, displaying the vast variety of their work. Artists include Carla Goldberg, Russell Ritell, Samantha Beste, Joan Phares, Pamela Zaremba, Melissa Schlobohm, Eileen Sackman, Jebah Baum, Elizabeth Arnold, Ilse Schreiber-Noll, Andrew Rust Barger, and Faith Adams. During Beacon Open Studios weekend, some of the artists will be hanging out at bau, making art. The group show runs through Sunday, June 2.
In the Beacon Room: In Nitin Mukul’s Ghosts in the Machine, a densely layered picture surface results, where the figurative and the abstract converge. The resulting compositions have a tension that walks a fine line between balance and collapse – mirroring the fragile state of our world today.
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!
Opening Saturday, May 18: Curated by Raúl Zamudio and Ethan Cohen, Orphans of Painting is a continuation of the 2017 exhibition at Ethan Cohen Gallery. More than 40 artists will use the imagery of painting as a jumping off for their own more personal works … which may or may not be in paint. Opening Saturday, May 18, in conjunction with Beacon Open Studios.
Hours: Thursday to Sunday, noon to 7 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.
Opening Saturday, May 18: The Lofts will be hosting a Beacon Open Studios spot! This eastern outpost of the event is so worth going off the beaten Beacon path. Participating artists at this stop include Laurel Shute, Tadashi Hashimoto, Robin Rice, Gustav Lee, Lev Pinkus, Melissa Cooper, Ronnie Farley, Rob Penner, Charles Zuppardi and Robert Paschal.
Hours: Saturday and Sunday, May 18-19, noon to 6 pm