The time has finally arrived for Beacon Open Studios, one of the best ways to explore all over Beacon because you have 44 different excuses of where you can go. That’s right. If you liked the City Wide Yard Sale, you will love Beacon Open Studios, which offers 44 different locations - some residential - for you to see inside the minds of artists you may never have heard of before.

All in all, there are 60 visual artists participating within the locations, for this 15th year of Beacon Open Studios. Film and music opportunities are also incorporated into this year’s festivities. Artist studios and group shows at local galleries will be open 12-6 pm Saturday, July 22, and Sunday, July 23. This is your only weekend to experience it, so get a plan.

The Opening Reception on Friday, July 21, 6-9pm is at 4 Hanna Lane, Beacon, NY, with live music by Aubrey Haddard at 8 pm. This event is free to the public.

As a ticketed event, there is a collection of screenings featuring short films and videos by local artists and filmmakers, which happens on Saturday and Sunday, featuring Story Screen and Beacon Film Society showcasing at the Yard and the KuBe Art Center. See schedule for Music and for Film for all the details. Have this map open on your phone for more artists and locations.

Map The Studios - Head Out

Find the artists on the map at BeaconOpenStudios.com. You can’t go everywhere, so this will involve tough choices in your limited time. Or, maybe if you plot it out right, you could hit everywhere!

If we had to make a priority based on time and what are the most rare locations you can get into, ALBB would make this our path. In no particular order. But we’d make the list and then see where our wheels or feet took us:

Ethan Cohen Gallery (aka Old Beacon High School)

211 Fishkill Avenue
Normally not open to the public, unless for art exhibits or those getting a barber cut from Lucky Longo. Featured in the Beacon Free Press this week was Allison Walker for her letterpress.

PopMart Beacon Art Center

45 Beekman Street (near the MTA train station)
This has a special vibe, where a few artists have their studios. You can feel the creations in here. Normally, this is an out-of-the-way-spot, so Beacon Open Studios is a good excuse to go down there.

Rick Rogers

15 East Main Street (behind Trax at 1 East Main - that’s a good combo)
This studio is located near the Fishkill Creek. Like, you’ll feel the vibrations of the rushing water. Requires stairs. Inside, you may see works in progress, or finished pieces. If you’ve walked over that bridge near The Roundhouse, then you have passed this studio many times. Now is a great chance to venture down the stairs to explore inside.

Paulette Myers-Rich at the No. 3 Reading Room & Photo Book Works

469 Main Street
Paulette and her partner converted this storefront into their live-work space. Letterpress lovers will enjoy this space. Whatever you find inside that is on display for Beacon Open Studios, will most likely be something rare.

Yangzi Huang

86 Old Glenham Road
Basically, we are recommending this studio because it is on Old Glenham Road. Going there will introduce you to the Glenham area of town, which is very far off the beaten path and requires a car. Exploring art this way definitely exposes you to different types of art you didn’t realize you were looking for.

There are so many more locations to see. Check out the map here, and plot your destinations.