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

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