The viewing takes place at the Donskoj & Company Gallery at 93 Broadway from 5 to 8 p.m. on May 2. Bids will be accepted online through May 16, with a closing party scheduled at the Gallery on that final Saturday evening. To view what's for sale and bid - as well as to build up what's anticipated for the August 23 event itself - visit www.artistsoapboxderby.com. For more on the other First Saturday openings and other events, visit www.askforarts.org.
Things that we love to look at
New galleries open in Rosendale, Rhinebeck & Newburgh
Just as it seemed that the region's once-burgeoning arts scene was devolving back into vanity venues and uncurated collectives, new evidence of new energy has started arriving - in terms of both gallery openings for contemporary and more traditional artists, as well as younger audiences and artists adding their two cents to everything. With regard to new galleries, we're particularly enthused by the arrival of Roos Arts in Rosendale, born out of the ashes of the late lamented No_Space.
Roos kicked into gear with a big-splash opening reception for its "Meet & Cake" inaugural exhibition last weekend, and will be highlighting works of enterprising artists from throughout the county in tightly curated shows geared toward visual discourse and creative inspiration for participating artists and audiences alike. The opening show, according to gallery director Heige Kim, is "a salon-style group show, which gathers friends who have influenced and inspired the founding artist of the space. The title references all the things that we love to discuss, look at, eat and share at a gathering of familiar and new faces."
Roos's upcoming schedule of exhibitions is ambitious and complementary to that of the region's best galleries, and includes upcoming creative writing readings on Fridays, May 8 and 23 - the latter featuring New York writer Ann Neumann. And the space itself, at 449 Main Street, is stunning.
Also new to the area - open for a month now, but set to cut its ribbons officially with a series of events kicking off Thursday, May 1 at 4 p.m. - is Gazen Gallery at 6423 Montgomery Street. It offers Rhinebeck a new showcase for local artists, as well as Gallery-owner Joel Weisbrod's photos and executive Jeff Roman's Abstract Expressionist works in various media. Among the better-known artists involved will be Minimalist color field painter Joanne Klein and black-and-white photographer Molly Ahearn.
"We are not limited to what we learn or are taught, but rather to what we create and how far the mind can stretch," the owners say of their new experiment, designed as much for its community effects as its artistic ambitions. The Gallery is located right in the center of Rhinebeck's business district, a few steps away from Upstate Films, Terrapin and other key destinations. For further information call them at (845) 876-4ART or visit www.gazengallery.com.
Finally, in terms of true youth energy and something new enough to the region to represent some real, much-needed shot-in-the-arm vitality, is the inauguration of the newly created "Hood Scrapers: Low Rose & High Fall" graffiti installation at the three-year-old Ann Street Gallery in Newburgh. This raucous event will also serve as the closing hoopla for the city's second annual Hip Hop Seasons festival being put on by Readnex Poetry Squad and other local institutions.
When we stopped in to take a gander at what could be expected in the Gallery's latest show, the five artists from Trust Your Struggle Artist Collective in San Francisco were preparing for their second stint of 24/7 creation in the windowless space that came together as part of that city's Safe Harbors housing and urban renewal project. Two local kids walked in and asked if they could show their own work. Not now, they were told; but they could come back for some upcoming hip-hop poetry classes and bring their drawings to show around at the upcoming opening from 6 to 11 p.m. on May 2, where deejay H2O would be performing, among others. "Cool," said the 14- and 11-year-olds. "We want to be artists now."
Gallery director Virginia Walsch said that she got to the Collective via the folks at Readnex, who had been charting and working with other arts groups moving around to work within the nation's "disenfranchised cities." The fit seemed perfect, and in keeping with Ann Street's penchant for community-oriented and inspiring work taking into account Newburgh's current mix of urban challenges and ethnic exuberance as a positive environment for new creativity.
Walsch welcomed news of a similar youth-oriented evening taking place as part of Vassar College's "Late Night at the Lehman Loeb" events this Thursday, April 30, when "Views from Within: Community Impressions through Teen Eyes," a multimedia presentation and conversation, would honor the yearlong partnership between the tony, world-class Art Center and young women from Mill Street Loft's PASWoRD (Program for Adolescent Student Women of Real Direction) program.
Ann Street Gallery is located around the corner from Washington's Headquarters in what is Newburgh's truly self-realizing new neighborhood, at 104 Ann Street. Call (845) 562-6940, extension 119, or visit www.safe-harbors.org for more information. There's also a schedule for the Hip Hop Festival, which can also be looked into by looking up Readnex's pages at MySpace and FaceBook. For more on Late Night at the Lehman Loeb's "Teen Eyes" event, visit www.millstreetloft.org.
@ Paul Smart
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