Look Up! New Lamppost Streetside Art Exhibit In Wappingers Falls

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Look up! A new streetside art exhibit has popped up in Wappingers Falls. The artwork of several artists from around the Hudson Valley has been printed onto banners, and mounted onto lampposts.

With a theme highlighting the artist themselves, individuals were asked to submit a piece that best reflects their work, style and aesthetic.

“The Hudson Valley is filled with an abundance of talent and the goal of the Community Streetside Artist Exhibit is to showcase the creative diversity of these artists throughout the Village of Wappingers Falls via lamp post banners” say the organizers, Courtney Kolb of Wappingers Rises, and the artist Sarah Davida of Nixie Sparrow.

On Thursday, April 13, 2023 Wappingers Rises will be holding a reception to highlight artists and their artwork at River Valley Arts Center from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (9 S Mesier Ave, Wappingers Falls). There will be a champagne toast sponsored by Coupe Champagne at 6:30 PM.

This event will be open to the public, free of charge with food and drink available for purchase by local restaurants.

Sponsors of this outdoor art include:

Graceland Tattoo, Keely Sheehan Design, Wappingers Falls Business and Professional Association, Inc., Coupe Champagne, Garay-Michaud Team, River Valley Arts Center, Sam’s Realty, Helen Piteo Interiors, Treybich Law, Orsi + Co, Wappingers Falls Hydroelectric, Center for Physical Therapy and The UPS Store of Wappingers Space, Place, Storage, UHAUL, Falls Woodsmith and Sarah Davida.

Artists In This Streetside Exhibit Include:

Adam Lauricella
Alexa Spaddy
Alex Grey
Allison Frost
Allison Lahikainen
Allyson Grey
Alyssa Follansbee
Andrew Cook
Anna West
Brad Parsons
Brian C. Zickafoose
C-MOR
Cerise Kacensky
Chris Ams
Christina Kokiasmenos Cindy LaColla Corrinne Sternberg CoSM
Destiny Arianna
Elizabeth Castagna
Erica Hauser
Gerardo Castro
Hilary Astrid
Jane Wu
Jessica Nash
John Breiner
Keely Sheehan
Kim Dei Dolori
Lala Montoya Heredia Laura Golben
Laura Holmes McCarthy Lindsay Loforte
Margot Kingon
Marieken Cochius
Mark Darnobid
Nicole Morris
Nigel Clair
Pamela Herbst
Paola Bari
Paul Caicedo
Sarah Davida
Sean McCarthy
Taylor McLeod

BeaconArt's Piano Themed "Keys To The City" Needs Volunteers for Fall 2023

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It’s been since 2018 since piano notes twinkled from alleyways, gardens and front lawns during BeaconArts’ city-wide installation, “Keys To The City,” a fiscally sponsored project of BeaconArts. The interactive installation is going to happen again in the Fall of 2023, and they need volunteers to help make it happen.

To refresh our memories, “Keys to To The City” is a collection of decorated pianos placed in outdoor spaces throughout the city. People can sit and play at them whenever the mood inspires them.

Writer Izdihar Dabashi captured the mood in the fall of 2018. The last time the pianos were played, she wrote: “Auburn leaves danced in the wind, wisps of hair and tangles of scarves flit about in the cool weather. Softly, Adele’s voice weaves into the moment creating an ambiance that is undoubtedly autumn in New York. As if singing ‘Hello’ to myself isn’t dramatic enough, the universe seems to encourage my bout of melodrama, as evidenced by the several pianos adorning Main Street. I was tempted to ignore the peculiar sights and continue to sonder, but the tinkling sounds of the pianos rang through the air and lured me to their sights.” Read her full article here, and see pictures of the pianos past.

BeaconArts has put out the call for volunteers. They are looking for volunteers to help with project management and piano logistics. People who are interested are instructed to contact Ian Murdoch here.

People with a variety of skills who want to install and monitor pianos during their weeks on display are encouraged to inquire. Even if you are not super technically handy, there might be something you can do, if this is a volunteer opportunity that matches your desires.

New Art Gallery Opens In Beacon "Super Secret Projects" Through The Hallway Of Hyperbole - Open 7 Days

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A new art gallery called Super Secret Projects has opened down the hallway behind the boutique Hyperbole at 484 Main Street on the east end of Main Street near the mountain. Says Carolyn Baccaro, co-owner of the space: “We did a small renovation, and now you can walk right through the shop. We're also open 11am-6pm daily, so this is a full-time art gallery in Beacon, yay!!”

The creator of Super Secret Projects, Diana Vidal, likens the space to a speakeasy since one accesses it by walking through the boutique and down a hallway to get to the gallery, she told the Highlands Current. The co-owners of Hyperbole, Carolyn Baccaro and Andrea Podab are known for their collaboration with business and artistic projects, which have involved a pop-up shop at A Little Beacon Blog’s former space before they opened their own shops Artifact Beacon and Wares (which merged into Hyperbole), and a partnership with Beacon Mercantile who later opened a storefront on Main Street until she needed to move out to help a family member with their health.

About “Duality”

The 100% artist-run and curated space will host a public reception for their first group show, “Duality,” on Saturday, January 14th, from 7pm to 10pm at 484 Main Street. The exhibition, which runs through February 4th, will feature the work of local artists Alyssa Follansbee, Darya Golubina, Allegra Jordan, Yunmee Kyong, Elin Lundman, Evan Samuelson, and Diana Vidal.

According to the press release: “Conventionally, duality is defined as an instance of opposition or contrast between two aspects of something. Within this exhibition, we will endeavor to creatively explore the multitude of ways that the conceptual ideas of duality identify themselves within our existential outlook, history, and approach to the world. Like two sides of a coin, or interchangeable roles, a dichotomy of reality exists within us all. The work shown here is our reconciliation.”

About Super Secret Projects

Super Secret Projects is an artist-run initiative created to foster community and facilitate opportunities for emerging and mid-career artists to collaborate, experiment, and share their work. Visitors can peruse fresh and exciting local art 7 days a week from 11am to 6pm with new exhibits every month.

Follow @HyperboleNY and @SuperSecretProjects on Instagram for more details.

To apply for membership, apply to the Open Call for artists, or sign up for a workshop course, visit www.SuperSecretProjects.com.

Wait, What Is That Bonfire In Beacon? Exploring The First Beacon Bonfire Festival

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Co-Organizer Tim Parsaca sets up the bonfire area at Veterans Place, in preparation for the live music and performances playing there on Saturday, November 5, 2022.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth

Warm November wind swirled crunchy leaves between parked cars on Main Street as the sun came out through the morning fog once again in Beacon, NY, creating the perfect Saturday scene for the first Beacon Bonfire Festival. Starting Friday and erupting Saturday (November 4 and 5) is a schedule of 100 live performers and artists in 14 venues and galleries.

All of Main Street was open, while Veterans Place (side street between Post Office and Towne Crier and across from Masjid Ar-Rashid Islamic Teaching Center) was closed so that people could enjoy dancing, sitting in patio couches around a fire pit, and watching performances. The casual setting, however, made it feel like Main Street was closed as people slowed down to walk, watch and listen.

This big concept idea is being described as an “immersive music and arts exploration” by its organizers, who include a collection of performers, including Kelly Ellenwood, who is behind some of Beacon’s longest lasting initiatives, including Wee Play, the Beacon Free Loop, and busy time served for BeaconArts.

An aerialist performs during the first Beacon Bonfire as the first band at the Veterans Place stage starts.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth

Starting from the embers of bonfires made during the height of the COVID pandemic, when everyone was separated and could not gather indoors, a group of Beaconites gathered outside around a bonfire in locations that were sometimes not announced until the day of the bonfire. Co-organizers Christian and America Olivo Campbell told the Highlands Current that they started the bonfires as a way to make it through the pandemic. The first one had 20 people, and it grew from there as more dates were put into the calendar spread via group texts. Jeremy Schonfeld came on board to organize the music from his connections in the Beacon music scene, and Kelly’s husband Tim Parsaca, who worked for Madison Square Garden for decades building or “unbuilding” sets, as Christian puts it.

Venues Participating In The Beacon Bonfire

Venues for this festival include the main stage at Veterans Place, which has patio couches set up around fire pits, Reserva Wine Bar, Bank Square, Lotus Works Gallery, Dennings Point Distillery, Quinn’s, Found Space 364, B House, Towne Crier, the Beacon Building, Silica Studio, Masonic Lodge, KuBe Art Center (aka The Old Beacon High School), Howland Cultural Center, Maria Lago Studio, and Dogwood.

Performers Performing During The Beacon Bonfire

Beaconites will recognize several names, and see a few new ones including of the spoken word. Lena Rizkallah who ALBB’s sister company Tin Shingle has written about and is normally associated with financial advice and education, will be storytelling with Bridget O’Neill’s group at the Masonic Lodge. You can find Nina Day and Friends, the Wynotte Sisters, the Whispering Tree, Toybox with Rinde Eckert and Friends, The Costellos, Tara O’Grady, Stephen Clair Band, Spilled Milk, and many others.

Find the full schedule and map here.

“Wait, What Is That?” Podcast Interviews

Brandon Lillard and Katie Hellmuth were able to interview two of the performers before the Saturday got rolling: The Costellos and Beacon Performing Arts Center. The Costellos shared two songs with the podcast, that was live streamed on A Little Beacon Blog’s Instagram. The first song gave serious beach vibes, and the second was a dreamy love note between the two, written during a seven week stint that they were away from each other.

Listen to the full interview at Wait What Is That? when it gets published next week.

SOON IS NOW Is Back For A Second Season At Scenic Hudson's Long Dock Park

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SOON IS NOW is back for a second season at Scenic Hudson's Long Dock Park on Saturday, September, 24th from 2pm-5pm.

This will be a beautiful afternoon of climate theater, art and activism held in a spot that was transformed from a hazardous dumping site into a gorgeous sustainable park by Reed-Hilderbrand landscape architects and Scenic Hudson.

There is a great slate of participants programmed for the day: Jaanika Peerna with Coco Karol performing Glacier Elegy; Twinkle Burke and Stephanie Anuwe performing "how to hold water: a spell for adaptive living" by Erika Dickerson-Despenza; Edwin Torres conducting a poet's orchestra of 6 performers titled "Water's Way: A Poet's Choir for The Hudson River" with: Latasha Diggs, Jayden Featherstone, E.J. McAdams, Urayoán Noel, Kristin Prevallet and Tamalyn Miller; Elise Knudson, Randy Burd and Ava Heller performing a new dance piece on George Trakas's Beacon Point; Connie Hall performing The Penguin by Nicholas Billon, cellist Alex Waterman performing an original composition, Tom King and Katiana Rangel performing "Ode to Extinct Birds"; and FRUIT&ROT, an imprint that designs and publishes printed matter on the intersection of art and ecology, will have items for sale. Local environmental groups will be at the event providing actions, info and workshops.

Come see Fareground, Beacon Conservation Advisory Committee, New Yorkers for Clean Power, Sustainable Hudson Valley, Outdoor Promise, Climate Reality Hudson Valley and Catskills, Sunrise Movement Westchester and Hudson River Sloop Clearwater and take action on climate!

Environmental group presentations & actions start at 2pm and sign ups for the 3 performance tours open at 2pm and start at 3pm and run every 20 minutes (first come first served). A 4th tour will be added if needed. There is something here for everyone! This event is part of Hudson Valley Climate Solutions Week.

Contact evemorgenstern@gmail.com or go to this link for more details. Free and open to the public but the project appreciates contributions to help pay the artists. You can make a tax deductible pledge here at SOON IS NOW and thank you! We encourage using public transportation, carpooling and walking because parking is limited at Long Dock Park. Overflow parking is available a short walk away at the Beacon Metro North train station where parking is free on the weekends.

This project was supported, in part, by a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant.

Beacon Open Studios Is Back! This Weekend! July 22-24th - Events All Weekend

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If you're new to town, you may not have experienced Beacon Open Studios, an always evolving interactive art experience that happens once a year. It is the one time that you get to wander around Beacon to find yourself inside of an artist's studio. You get to see their tools, smell their mixtures, and maybe see some artists in action.

Beacon Open Studios took quite a blow during the shutdown of the pandemic. As with all things wonderful in Beacon, this is a volunteer effort, where leadership can change from time to time. New energy came in this year to produce this event for you, led by artist  Darya Golubina.

Her preferred medium is oil paint or graphite but some of you may know her as “the hand," handling tiny little masterpieces in the photos she takes for Beacon’s Tiniest Gallery. The miniature gallery is a project she helped start with her friends when the isolation of the pandemic took over and they craved connection to their community. When she’s not painting or documenting the gallery’s newest acquisition, she photographs life-size humans at a studio she manages in NYC. Born in the Ukraine; raised in Brooklyn; graduated from SVA. Darya says Beacon, "feels like home."

Bringing back Beacon Open Studios certainly helps Beacon feel like home to all who live here.

HOW TO EXPERIENCE BEACON OPEN STUDIOS
From July 22, 2022 - July 24, 2022, you can join Beacon Open Studios for an exciting self-guided tour of Beacon’s artists studios. Including 60+ artists, multiple group shows and their music artists showcase.

7.23 - 7.24 - Artist Open Studios (see here for locations) from 12-6pm. Go visit over 60 artists.

7.22 - Opening Reception at The Landmark from 6-9pm

7.23 Music Artist Showcase at Reserva Wine Bar from 4-7pm

7.9-8.7 Beacon Open Studios Artist Group Show (month long exhibit) at Hudson Beach Glass Gallery from 12-6pm

A Little Beacon Blog is a happy and proud media sponsor of Beacon Open Studios.

A Sampling Of Artists You Can Visit During Beacon Open Studios

A few artists are displayed below of who you can go visit their studios. But don’t miss out on all 60 of the artists you can visit.

Staff at Dia Announce They Want To Unionize: Want Higher Pay and More Job Security

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On Monday, a representative from the union UAW Local 2210, which is a union for technical, office, and professional workers, announced that the staff at Dia Foundation for the Arts are the latest group of arts and culture workers to unionize. Local 2110 UAW also represents workers at the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MASS MoCA, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, Columbia University, Film Forum, Teachers College, ACLU, Center for Reproductive Rights, The New Press, and many more.

Staff unionization would be for professional and non-professional staff of Dia Art Foundation. The unit includes approximately 135 full and part-time staff located in New York City, Beacon, NY, Long Island and New Mexico. According to the press release, staff members cite low pay, job insecurity, and lack of recognition as reasons for unionizing.

"Until this month, gallery attendants at Dia Beacon site were paid a maximum of $15.30 per hour, even for those of us who have been here for over a year,” said Joel Olzak, a Gallery Attendant at Dia Beacon stated in the press release. “We just got a one dollar raise, but it still leaves us below a livable wage for a single person in Dutchess county. According to MIT data from this year, we need to be earning over twenty dollars an hour."

Alex Vargo, who has worked in Dia’s Learning and Engagement Department for seven years, said in the press release: “I work in art education because I believe that museums can be sites for transformative learning opportunities. All workers at Dia contribute to making art accessible to the public, and unionizing recognizes the importance of our contributions and gives staff a greater collective voice in shaping Dia's future."

According to UAW Local 2110, the last few years have seen thousands of workers in cultural institutions decide to unionize. Employees at the Jewish Museum, the Guggenheim Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Hispanic Society of America, Film Forum, Anthology Film Archives, MASS MoCA, Film at Lincoln Center, Studio in a School, the Portland Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston voted to unionize with Local 2110 since November 2020. Many reference similar issues of low pay, and lack of job security or opportunity.

“How can Dia, with its prestigious Board and reputation, justify paying us so much less than a livable wage,” Olzak added in the press release. “Dia’s development in Beacon has actually driven up the cost of housing here. Most of us can’t afford to live in the area, not on Dia wages.”

Vernon Byron who has worked at Dia for eleven years, adds. “I am unionizing to ensure that my colleagues and I have more opportunities for development in addition to achieving a living wage and more sensible working conditions.”

Dia Art Foundation is a contemporary arts organization with a major collection site in Beacon, NY, an exhibition and programming space in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, and several site-specific installations across Manhattan, Long Island, New Mexico and Utah.

On Friday, July 15, Technical, Office, and Professional Union Local 2110 UAW petitioned the National Labor Relations Board for a union election of professional and non-professional staff of Dia Art Foundation. The unit includes approximately 135 full and part-time staff located in New York City, Beacon, NY, Long Island and New Mexico. The union has a reputation for its successful organizing and bargaining.

Kids Classes Guide Updated - Tons Of Opportunities For Summer Classes And Activities

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Beacon is filled with opportunities for kids and families to attend a variety of classes, from Mommy and Me, to drop-off art classes, to various vacation Camps, reading camps, gaming camps, and so much more! This inspired ALBB to create a Kids Classes Guide; for people who attend classes in town as well as anyone who drives to neighboring areas for popular programs. We highlight Guide Updates on the blog in different articles and keep this list updated throughout the year.

We recently updated our Kids Classes Guide with a bunch of classes for toddlers, kids, and teens. Classes from writing, reading, and gaming to babysitting classes, arts & crafts classes, music classes, and outdoor classes. You can check it all out here > but if you want a quick sneak peek, keep scrolling down!

Let's Ride! Car Engineering
Day: Monday, July 11, 2022
Time: 3pm
For children 4 years old - 5th Grade. Join us to put together a simple car kit! Supplies are limited. Registration is required. Paid for in part by Dutchess County. Register by using our online registration form.
Register here >

Introduction to Babysitting
Day: Monday, July 11, 2022
Time: 10:30am
Interested in babysitting? Join us for this 3-hour course where you will learn interviewing tips, communication skills and the basics of childcare. Topics will include ages and stages of young babies and toddlers, safety and first aid tips, feeding and caring for children, including diaper changing. Certificates of completion will be distributed to those who complete the course. Paid for in part by Dutchess County. Registration is required. Register by using our online registration from.
Register here >

Tiny Tots
Days: Fridays in July of 2022
Time: 10:30am
Starting July 8, 2022. For ages 6 months to 4 years old. Join Miss Stephanie in the Community Room for 15 minutes of songs, finger plays and stories, plus some play time for you to share with your child. Meet other parents and caregivers. Register for a reminder email by using out online registration form.
Register here >

Summer Stories
Day: Tuesdays from July 5th - August 9th, 2022
Time: 3pm
For children in PreK-2nd grade. Join Miss Stephanie in the Children's Room for this weekly family storytime! Stories are geared toward children who are in PreK-2nd grade, but all ages welcome. Register for a reminder email by using our online registration form.
Register here >

The classes listed above are a quick preview. Check out all of the classes added to the Kids Classes Guide here! A Little Beacon Blog on all updates, be sure you are subscribed to our free newsletter!

Is your amazing class or business not on this list? If you have a class or workshop you'd like to submit for consideration, please submit it to editorial@alittlebeaconblog.com. To enhance your listing with pictures and to get it featured in our weekend newsletter, click here for details.

New Photography Course For Ages 11-14 Available In Beacon - Teaching Actual Camera Basics!

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Summer Snaps! is a new photography camp in Beacon for kids ages 11-14 offered through Compass Arts. The days will be a mix of playful and practical as campers explore the language of images, observe light, and learn to create visual stories, while also learning the basics of photography (like f-stops, shutter speeds, ISO, and working with photo equipment). The camp will take place at the Beacon Music Factory building, outdoors as much as possible.

Summer Snaps! is taught by local photo artists Flynn Larsen (@flynnlarsen), Lesly Deschler Canossi (@deschlercanossi), and Eve Morgenstern (@evephotographer).

July 25-29
9:00 -3:00

Sliding scale and some scholarships available

You can sign up here >

For this and more camps, please visit A Little Beacon Blog’s Summer Camp Guide.

Mask Comes Down From The Face With The Hat Mural On Building On Main Street - People Remember The Mask In Photos

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The person in the hat, a mural in Beacon at 314 Main Street. Days or weeks prior to this photo, the artist had installed a mask on the face. The mask is gone now. Below, find people’s photos of when the mask was up, taken in homage to helping Beaconties stay safe. Today, COVID-19 case counts are down, and vaccination rates are up. Hopefully they stay that way.

Back in 2015, which is 7 years ago, A Little Beacon Blog ran a contest for people to identify where a tiny corner of a photo was around town. It was called the “Where Is This?” Contest. It was a favorite activity for our readers, and it’s time to bring it back! At the time, a tiny snapshot of this photo was the clue, and a Beaconite named Michelle Rivas, who is currently a librarian at the Beacon Public Library, identified it first.

Since then, the mural of the person in the bowler hat at 314 Main Street (intersection of N. Chestnut) has become iconic. Not for it’s photogenic draw as a selfie-stopper for anyone visiting Beacon to get their photo taken in front of this mural, but for what was added to the mural: the mask. After COVID-19 was declared, and face coverings were mandated for public spaces, the artist installed a powder blue lattice mask on this face, trimmed in sunflowers. The move was made during a time of growing frustration with having to wear a mask as a safety measure to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

And just like that…the mask has been discarded. Sunflowers from the mask installation on the person in the hat mural on the building at 314 Main Street and N. Chestnut Street.

Little by little, more and more selfies emerged on Instagram of people with the masked version of the mural. By the end of February 2022, face mask mandates started coming down. While walking on Main Street one morning, the trimming of sunflowers was spotted sitting by trash cans. No one knew what that meant in that moment, but the entire lattice-based installation of the mask was also gone. A sign? A statement from the artist that they too are removing their mask policy, as restaurants and schools are, now that they are given the choice instead of being mandated by federal or local government? Local shops, eateries and gyms are all reviewing their policies, emailing their customers, and moving forward into what hopes to be a safe situation for what was once normal.

More importantly, now that COIVID-19 case counts have plummeted, vaccination rates are increasing (still room to increase! Kids need their doses, and everyone needs their boosters (talk to your doctor for your own needs if you have concerns).

A Little Beacon Blog has asked the world (jk, the community of residents and visitors to Beacon) to send in their selfies with the masked version of this mural. Or not the selfies - the scene could look different on different days. We will provide photo credit to each photo submitted and published. Email yours to editorial@alittlebeaconblog.com.

And this doesn’t means it’s over. The mask might come back. Get vaccinated! People can wear a mask if they are comfortable doing so.

Beacon Trivia: The stores currently in this building are Last Outpost Store (a great boutique with mens and womens apparel, home collectibles and house-designed jewelry) and Yanarella (a great inclusive dance studio for kids and adults). Prior to Last Outpost Store was The Dance Bag. Memories!

Photo Credit: Maureen, taken September 2021

Photo Credit: Anvin Alexander @anvinalexander

Photo Credit: Anonymous

Photo Credit: Ginny Moore “Hope this helps!”

Photo Credit: Megan Meister: “Summer 2020 while enjoying a wonderful weekend in Beacon.
Love your blog by the way!”

Photo Credit: Maura Simeone

The Artists Behind The "Greetings From Beacon" Mural At Beacon Bread Company

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Many people in Beacon double as something else. The owner of Beacon Bread Company, Kamel Jamal, happens to be an extremely creative person, both visually and with phrases. He not only doubles the number of restaurants he creates, but enables others to share their talent as well.

It was no surprise when he commissioned one of his Beacon Bread staff, Shannon J. Ramos, to cover the side of the building he leases with an inviting and celebratory “Greetings From Beacon!” mural. Shannon is a muralist and tattoo artist from Poughkeepsie, who developed this design with her boyfriend and fellow artist, Sean who is from Wappingers Falls.

“We met through art,” said Sean. “She’d go to my art shows, and I’d go to her art shows. I love her art. I was in a grumpy mood this morning, but this changed me today. Being able to paint with her is so much fun.”

After 2 months of working for Beacon Bread as a server, Shannon and Sean began researching the design, and after looking at tons of postcards, went with this rainbow connection that “brings happiness,” Shannon said. Painting on the brick wasn’t so much of a challenge, she felt. Shannon used house paint for the hand/detail work, and Sean’s medium is spray painting.

“Murals are a lot of work” Shannon explained. “So it’s fun to have someone to balance off and bring different aspects of art to it. He’s good at spray paint. I’m good at hand-paint. It’s fun to play off each other.” Sean points out that they enjoy the interactive process of having passer-byers walk past to watch them paint. The flowers were left un-colored so that BEACON could stand out. The entire mural took about one day to complete.

Shannon is a full time restaurant server and artist. She has remained at Beacon Bread after starting there in the Spring of 2021, and was surprised to experience the creatively supportive vibe she got from the management. “I got the job, and then…you know…you want to be as available as possible for hours, but then I could only work certain days, and they were totally cool with that and wanted to make it work. It’s cool about them, as they are cool about flexible schedules, and having me do this mural and highlighting what I like to do.”

Follow Shannon at her Instagram.

The Barns Art Center to Host Harvest Festival

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Hopewell Junction, New York – The newly opened Barns Art Center is pleased to announce Harvest Festival. Held from October 9-10, the convening will feature the premiere of LOST ARTS, a three-screen film experience, the groundbreaking ceremony for a large-scale installation with artist collective Futurefarmers, and a local market.

LOST ARTS Film Premiere – screening times 11:00am-3:00pm
The Barns Art Center will premiere LOST ARTS, a three screen, immersive film experience that explores the art and culture of agriculture in the Hudson Valley. Beyond being a tool for education and a response to our current social and ecological climate, the film is a sensory celebration of the bounty of the Hudson Valley and the profound wisdom that has been unearthed and cultivated here for thousands of years. By looking to the past for forgotten methods, techniques, and philosophies, today’s farmers have found more innovative, sustainable, and equitable ways forward.

The ten featured farmers include: Jack Algiere, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture; Ben and Melany Dobson, Hudson Hemp; Ken Greene, Hudson Valley Seed Company; Anne Hall, Crespell; Don Lewis, Wild Hive Farm; John Michelotti, Catskill Fungi; Rick Osofsky, Ronnybrook Farm Dairy; David Rowe, Rowe’s Apiaries Jalal Sabur, Sweet Freedom Farm; Karen Washington, Garden of Happiness/La Familia Verde/Rise & Root. The film is produced with Kingston-based company Northguild.

In conjunction with the LOST ARTS premiere is a roster of farmer-led, daytime activities:

11:30am Sculpting with Flowers

Flower Arranging Workshop with Anne Hall, Crespell

12:30pm Looking Back – How did we get here?

A conversation with Don Lewis, Ken Greene, David Rowe, Rick Osofsky

1:30pm Spore Printing

Mushroom Walk and Printmaking Workshop with John Michelotti, Catskill Fungi

2:30pm Looking Forward – Farming for the Future – Where can we go?

A conversation with Jack Algiere, Ben and Melany Dobson, Jalal Sabur

BARNS ART CENTER | 736 SOUTH DRIVE, HOPEWELL JUNCTION, NY 12533 | BARNSARTCENTER.ORG

Futurefarmers Of Furrows & Lands in Harps Installation

Futurefarmers breaks ground on their first large-scale public artwork in the United

States. Drawing on the success of their 10-year project Flatbread Society for the city of

Oslo, Of Furrows & Lands in Harps will manifest as an extraordinary architectural

structure and a public program that unfolds over three-years time. The architectural

structure, designed by Belgian architect Lode Vranken, will feature three spaces: a

bakehouse, a meeting space and an extraordinary experimental instrument at the heart

of the work and building called Hum Stone. Hum Stone is made from a millstone and is

able to play other millstones. Drawing from the historical context of the site, once a farm,

then a microchip factory, now The Barns Art Center, this unique instrument points to the

past while invoking the future. Participating composers include Walter Kitundu,

Guillermo Galindo, Annea Lockwood.

A groundbreaking ceremony for Futurefarmers will be held from 3:00-6:00pm:

3:00 Place Stones with artist/choreographer, Elaine Buckholtz

A participatory action involving sound, movement, and the placing of three millstones.

4:00 Impressions from the Stone

A series of limited-edition prints made from rubbings of custom carved millstone by

Walter Kitundu.

Harvest Festival Market 11:00-3:00

The Festival Market will include River Valley Guild Artist and Artisan Market and a Cider

Week New York Tasting, including local food and beverage vendors such as Ronnybrook

Farm Dairy, Sloop Brewing Co., More Good, Fishkill Farms and Treasury Cider, and

more.

More about the The Barns Art Center

The Barns Art Center is a contemporary art initiative located up the Hudson River, 60 miles north of NYC, in East Fishkill at iPark 84. The Barns occupies a 3,200-square-foot museum quality gallery built adjacent a former IBM microchip plant. Aligning with the region’s rich agricultural tradition and history of environmental stewardship, The Barns champions art at the nexus of food, farming, ecology, and sustainability. Stimulating essential dialogue around innovation, conservation, and equity, we hope to cultivate new ways of thinking about the earth, the history we inherit, and the legacy we leave behind. Through its exhibition, education, and empowerment programs, The Barns Art Center strives to create community and catalyze creative expression. We are free, open to the public, and committed to fostering an accessible, interactive, and inclusive environment.

For additional information or materials regarding any of the above programs or events, contact: Tara Anne Dalbow, Gallery Director and Curator, tdalbow@barnsartcenter.org, c.970-376-8668

www.barnsartcenter.org / @barnsartcenter