Orange County Arts Council OCAC Announced $25k For Artists

Call For Artists and Community Arts Grants

Orange County NY Arts Council announces two locally-funded opportunities representing $25,000 of available grant awards to go directly to artists in Orange County. The 2023 Community Arts Grants and the Art Affair 2023 Call for Artists are both locally funded opportunities created specifically with the needs of the local arts community in mind. Individual artists and arts organizations are encouraged to apply for both opportunities. Applications can be found under “Grants” in the “Resources” tab found here or through OCAC’s links on social media platforms.

Since 2017, the Community Arts Grants have provided funding to local artists through a generous contribution of the Wesley-Kruger Family Foundation. Applications for $1,000 grants are now being accepted through June 15. All artists and arts organizations living in or serving Orange County, NY are encouraged to apply. This will be the last year of this program in its current form, as an updated Community Arts Program will be announced later this year.

The Orange County Arts Council fundraiser, the Art Affair, sold out the 2022 presentation which featured over 50 artists presenting and performing their work during the black-tie suggested, creative attire required, evening. The Art Affair is designed to showcase Orange County's art scene by creating an immersive event where guests can interact and experience art in many forms through installations and performances while enjoying curated food and themed beverages. Submissions for this year’s theme, Wonderland, are now being accepted and will be presented in November. Artists can receive up to $3,000 in funding for participation in this event by applying by June 15th.

Additional information:

Both applications will close June 15, 2023 at 11:59pm.

Community Arts Grants

• Applicants MUST read the guidelines prior to submitting. Guidelines linked here.

• Deadline:  June 15th 2023 11:59pm

• The Community Arts Grants will be administered by the Orange County Arts Council (the “Arts Council”) and funded through individual donations made to the Arts Council from donors and sponsors, including a generous gift from the Wesley-Krueger Family Foundation. The work of the Arts Council is made possible in part by generous support of Orange County, NY and the New York State Council on the Arts.

Art Affair 2023 Call for Artists

• Selected projects will be integrated into the evening's experience as designed by the OCAC Executive Director, the Gala Chair, and Gala Committee Members. Artists maintain all rights to their work and give Orange County Arts Council permission to use photo, audio, and video recordings of the work for promotional purposes.

• Projects will be presented at the Art Affair, Saturday, November 18th, 2023 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

• All applicants must reside in Orange County NY or show significant participation in the Orange County Arts Community outside this opportunity.

• The Art Affair serves as its major fundraiser and provides exposure to the general public to artists and their work throughout Orange County. The Gala strives to elevate and bring together art and business and public.

Submissions requested:

• Live Performance. Not to exceed 10 minutes in length. Dance, Theatre, Performance Art, Music, Readings, etc.

• Art displays and installations. Our venue is large and we wish to fill the space with art. Submissions may include: practical builds (stage, drink bar, check-in table), internal or external installations or displays, immersive experience moments, AV installations, etc.

About the Orange County Arts Council (OCAC):

The Orange County Arts Council is a private, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to meeting the growing need for local arts advocacy and serving as a county-wide arts resource. A diverse Board of Directors made up of community leaders, business leaders, arts enthusiasts, and professional artists oversees the Orange County Arts Council. Many of OCAC programs are designed and implemented by volunteers serving on various committees.

Orange County Arts Council supports and empowers artists, fosters diverse forms of expression and promotes access to the arts through educational programs, cultural events, public projects and participation that is integral to the economic development and collective well-being of our community. To learn more, click here or call 845-202-0140. 

Howland Public Library Announces March Exhibit In Honor Of Women’s History Month

To celebrate Women's History Month, The Howland Public Library presents Balance, a group show. The exhibit will be on view in The Community Room Exhibit Space from March 11th - April 1st, 2023. An Artists' Reception will be held on Saturday, March 11th, from 5pm - 7 pm.

The show is the seventh annual exhibit from the group CoMFY, a collective of women artists from the Beacon area. For this show the group chose the theme of Balance. The notion of balance was one of the founding principles when Kat Stoutenborough and Jennifer Blakeslee founded the women’s group back in 2011. Blakeslee recalls that the initial discussion focused on: “How do we, as women artists, balance everyday responsibilities (jobs, parenting, families, etc.) with being an artist? How can we create a space for ourselves where making art can exist alongside those other needs demanding our attention?”

The women came together to share strategies, bounce ideas, and encourage each other. Their one rule was that they could only talk about those other competing priorities in the context of how they impacted their artistic endeavors. “That focus made it possible for us not just to seek that balance, but find it and put it into practice.”

New members are always welcome to join this informal group. Stop by the exhibit to learn more. 

The Howland Public Library is located at 313 Main Street, Beacon NY 12508. The Community Room Exhibit Space is open during regular library hours. Please note the gallery may not be accessible during some library programs.

Jean Noack

COMFY stephanie fogarty

COMFY Jennifer Blakeslee

Donna Mikkelsen

Erica Hauser

COMFY Anna West

Accidental Discovery of Mega-Artist Tara McPherson at Dogwood Yields Bookmark For Cookbook

Meal planning for Sunday dinner, placeholding with this art bookmark acquired at Dogwood during random Sunday night dinner in the kids section (aka the tables near the stage where the kids can dance, and we can only hope that no one else is in there yet). The artist is recent Beacon transplant Tara McPherson. Her art company is called Cotton Candy Machine, and the painting on the bookmark is called “Bloom.” The cookbook pictured here is Magnolia Table, purchased at Cracker Barrel on Route 9 during a pancake lunch post-doctor appointment. Beef for this bulgogi will be sourced from Barb’s Butchery on Sunday… Barb’s also has eggs for Sunday morning (or an upcoming snow/ice storm, so best stock up!).

WHoa - Tara McPherson!

And then Marilyn, A Little Beacon Blog’s Managing Editor - texted me to confirm: “Tara McPherson lives in Beacon!!?” So I took to scrambling into the artist’s website to learn more about her. OMG. This is why I love Beacon. You just never know who you’re going to meet! Tara has illustrated posters for Metallica, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, has collectible figures, and is just really fierce.

Here’s a few pictures of her art, and her process for setting up her studio since moving to Beacon:

Windows on Main Street (WOMS) Returns for its 13th Year, Starting August 11, 2018

Artists and Businesses Merge to Make Main Street the Gallery

On Second Saturday, August 11, Beacon’s 1.5 mile long Main Street becomes a 24-hour, 7-day a week gallery space for the next month! Running through September 8, 2018, site-specific art installations are revealed in 26 Main Street storefront windows taking part in the public art exhibit, Windows on Main Street (WOMS). As you're walking around, do you notice that certain storefront windows are filled with something extra special?

“Artists are paired with local businesses, and together they create a site-specific work of art,” says WOMS 2018 director Diana Currie, who is also a participating artist with a window this year (you may remember her “yarn bombing” work of Beacon’s iconic Dummy Light in 2015, which triggered a public response to the yarn cozy knitted around the Dummy Light for days after the initial setup). Now in its 13th year, WOMS is a project of BeaconArts, the organization dedicated to organizing, promoting and nurturing the city’s multifaceted arts community.

“Windows on Main Street is a fantastic way for local artists - both newcomers and established - to really get more involved in our arts community, and in our community in general,” said Currie.

How to Find the Artists and Windows

A list of this year’s participants, locations, and artist statements can be found at www.windowsonmainstreet.com. Maps of the event are available around town at various locations, including Beacon’s Visitors Center, and participating businesses. You can read about each artist from the Windows on Main Street website when you click on their location. In fact, you should read about the installation "In Memory of Anthony Marra Jr." put on by his sister Catherine E. Marra at Mountain Tops.

The Windows on Main headquarters and “Tiny Windows” exhibit is located at Oak Vino Wine Bar, 389 Main St. Oak Vino and Windows on Main Street will host an opening celebration on August 11, starting at 6 pm. In addition to the “Tiny Windows" exhibit, there will be a live drawing/auction by artist Donna Mikkelsen, a DJ, and complimentary food. Windows on Main Street shirts and totes will also be available for purchase to benefit the project.

Funding Provided By...

This monthlong public art event is a project of BeaconArts, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to foster and encourage the advancement of the City of Beacon as a center for arts and culture. This means that Windows on Main is supported by BeaconArts' membership income, in addition to any fundraisers and sponsorships that the WOMS team organizes. BeaconArts' Ex-Officio and past president Kelly Ellenwood further explains: "It also means that BeaconArts will always support the event - both financially, and with deeper volunteer commitment."

Windows on Main Street 2018 was also made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a re-grant program of the New York State Council on the Arts (with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature) and administered by Arts Mid-Hudson. Sponsorships are also possible for businesses who want to directly sponsor the event. A Little Beacon Blog is a proud media sponsor!

Look for These Windows

Tag us in photos you see, and use the hashtag #WOMS2018 to light up Instagram with the art and add to that hashtag collection. Here's what we have found so far, courtesy of Instagrammers:

Window: The Chocolate Studio, 494 Main Street Artist: Jan Dolan Photo Credit: Windows on Main

Window: Big Mouth Coffee Roasters, 387 Main Street Artist: Sarah J. Berman Photo Credit: Windows on Main

Window: Vegetalien, 504 Main Street Artist: Kat Stoutenborough Photo Credit: Kat Stoutenborough

Window: Meyer's Olde Dutch (MOD), 184 Main Street Artist: Erica Hauser Photo Credit: Windows on Main

Window: NFP (New Form Perspective), 504 Main Street Artist: Kristen J. Macauley Photo Credit: Windows on Main

Window: Oak Vino, 389 Main Street Artist: Donna Mikkelsen Photo Credit: BeaconArts

Window: Ella's Bellas, 418 Main Street Artist: Judith Kepner Rose Photo Credit: Judith Kepner Rose Sculpture

View fullsize

View fullsize

Window: Artifact, 17 East Main Street (on way to Dogwood) Artist: Heather Delaney Photo Credit: Artifact Beacon

Hunting for Beacon Open Studios! Follow the Red Dots

Part of the thrill of experiencing Beacon Open Studios is finding each studio somewhere in Beacon. Similar to how we hunt for Christmas lights at night, we drive or jog around town looking for the red dot in yards and sidewalks, signaling that there is an artist inside waiting to show you their actual studio and finished (or unfinished) art. Step inside to see the studio in this picture, and you'll discover the metalsmith Kit Burke-Smith at 5 Orchard Place.

You can pick up an actual map in different shops around town, or here at our office at A Little Beacon Blog. Once again, we are a proud sponsor of this event, as it’s one of our favorites of the indoor/outdoor events that define Beacon. Or you can get the map on your phone, by going to the Beacon Open Studios website, for a really slick experience to help you hit the artists' studios you want. 

Ambling is encouraged! 

Beacon Open Studios Maps Are Here!

Our most favoritest artist holiday of the year! Beacon Open Studios is coming to artists' studios all over town, Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29! The kick-off party is the Friday night before, on April 27 at Oak Vino, from 6 to 9 pm, and you're invited! Get the event's brochure - with a map! - here at A Little Beacon Blog’s Office, at 291 Main Street, First Floor, First Door. A Little Beacon Blog is a proud sponsor of Beacon Open Studios!

We highly recommend participating in this weekend-only event. It only happens once a year. You get to see inside the home studios of artists you’ve never heard of, who produce incredible work. See our past articles on Beacon Open Studios, including views into a few of the studios. Some participating artists are professionals in other fields, who commute to other places during the week, and only show off their passionate works in their studios here in Beacon. You never know who you will discover as an artist, or why.  

Put this date in your calendar as a must-do. You can even check out the art while out walking, since the studios are all over Beacon. Planning studio visits is flexible and commitment-free! (Just make sure that you do in fact go.)