Beacon Dispatch

DIA:Beacon Hits the San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jon Carroll took a trip up to Beacon last week and visited our little museum on the Hudson. Wish he would have stopped by for a cup of coffee... I would loved to have talked with him about Herb Caen.

You can read Jon's Column here.

Sometimes I miss being a San Francisco boy...

Beacon Muralist Rick Price Gives the Library a New Face

First Person

by Rick Price

This project began when I first moved to Beacon from San Francisco, in the early fall of 2004. I’d heard about all the artists and creative types who’d moved to Beacon and I’d read the articles about Beacon being part of an art renaissance in the Hudson Valley. Despite this, I didn’t see any public art in town with the exception of a lone, incomplete mural on Main St.

Bannerman by Train

Press Release

As part of Beacon's upcoming Windows on Main St. exhibition in August, The Bannerman Commuter Project is seeking Photographs of Bannerman Island taken from Metro North and Amtrak trains. The rail line running along New York's Hudson River Valley boasts numerous natural and manmade wonders, none of which are more intriguing than the ruins of Bannerman's Castle, set on an island located just south of Beacon. 

The former armory, was built to simulate a Scottish castle and recalls creates a romantic scene of another place and time.  The island and castle represents a form of magical realism that has become part of the more routine daily commute for thousands of people. 

We want to see how you see Bannerman's Castle.

This project is made possible (in part) through a grant from the Dutchess County Arts Council, administor of public funds through NYSCA's Decentralization Program.

Submission Guidelines:

• Email images to: [email protected]
• Submission Deadline:  Wednesday, August 2, 2006
• Anyone is welcome to submit images.
• Send us digital jpeg images captured with your camera, or camera phone. 
• Please limit resolution to the equivalent of a 5"x7" at 300 dpi.
• We will accept up to 3 images per person, although we may not be able to use all 3.
• Images received will be incorporated into an installation in the window of the Bannerman Island Gallery at 150 Main St in Beacon.
• All contributors will retain the rights to the images and receive photo credit.

for more information, please contact us at [email protected]

A link to information on the Windows on Main St exhibit can be found at www.maykr.com

The "Actor-vist" Gets An Obie

Edwin Lee Gibson Recieves Award for his Role in The Seven

Take a look at the cover of the latest Village Voice and what you'll see is the visage of Beacon's own Edwin Lee Gibson. Gibson, who we featured as a Beacon Voice a few months ago, received a great review in the NY Times and has how received an Obie for his performance in Will Power's The Seven. The Obies are awards that honor performances in Off-Broadway productions.

Congratulations Edwin! You've done us proud.

Read the VV article and see Edwin receiving the award here.

Notes from the Spire

“The Usual Suspects” opening at Spire Studios.

A Visual Diary

Words and pictures by Will Walker

Saturday night’s opening at Spire Studios brought the usual mix of artists, curators and the like to the informal studio/gallery in droves. New faces made their debut (artist Alexis Elton ran a bar from her lovely corner studio while showing a collection of made and readymade sculptures) while Spire’s veterans were invited to place their work in the informal central gallery.

The theme of the show, “The Usual Suspects”, gave alumni from the waterfront studio the chance to come together and display the diversity of their processes and ideas. A quick glance around the room indicated that Spire is a painter’s studio, reflecting the history of the Hudson Valley as a refuge for painters from the city. Curiously, most of the work present seemed to eschew the traditional subject of the area, the landscape, in favor of abstracted figuration or pure paint pushing.

However, an opening is no place to seriously view art. What makes Spire’s opening’s so special is the way that they segue seamlessly from gallery opening to party, featuring bands and late night dancing. For the stream of fresh New York emigrants arriving from the city, Spire provides the attraction of a late night party scene, with hardcore dancers often hanging out until 3 in the morning. Below, check out some moments from the party.

Brooklyn’s M. Shanghai String Band rocks the crowd through two sets.

Local photographers to shoot 'Beacon One Day'

About 20 photographers came to the chThonic Clash coffee house this afternoon in response to John Fasulo's idea for the 'Beacon One Day' photo project. The shoot will take place in May, and will give area photographers the task of capturing a 'day in the life' of the city. Both professional and amatuer photographers were represented at the meeting, and their interests are as diverse as their backgrounds. But all share an interest in telling the story of Beacon through a camera lens.

Mayor Gould attended the meeting and is an enthusiastic supporter of the project.

Our first group shot.

Area photographers to discuss work

Press Release

On Thursday, February 24 at 7pm, the chThonic Clash Coffee House is hosting a presentation by four area photographers:

• Cali Gourevic, a sculptor and fine art photographer who works in black and white
• Dmitri Kasterine, a commercial photographer and portraitist who began his career at age eleven by photographing birds and cows in the field
• Mark Mackinnon, a minimalist landscape photographer who works in a panoramic format
• Angelika Rinnhofer, who incorporates the ambiance of Renaissance paintings in her contemporary portraits

Admission is free. For more information, contact Chthonic Clash Coffeehouse at 831-0359 or visit www.chthonicclash.com.

Beacon author to celebrate book release tonight

Tonight World's End Books is hosting a release party for Beacon author Kazim Ali's new novel, "Quinn's Passage." You can find the shop in its new location next to the Little Pie Shop, at 474 Main St. Beverages will be served.

Kazim Ali lives in Beacon and teaches at The Culinary Institute of America. His first book of poems "The Far Mosque" will be published by Alice James Books in 2005.

beacon artist's union Opens Shop On Main Street

Six artists who currently have studio space in Beacon will be opening the beacon artist's union (bau) in a storefront at 161 Main Street on the City's west end. According to the group bau expects to, "...create an extension of their studios, providing a platform for further exploration in creating and exhibiting work."

The group will be hosting an opening event on Saturday, January 8th starting at 6:00 pm.

Open studio an intimate look inside the mind of the artist

Saturday night some of the quality and diversity of the Beacon art scene was on display at Spire Studios. For anyone even slightly interested in art and the artistic process, the open studio idea is an fascinating look inside the minds of the artists. Every room I walked into had something worth lingering over. And it wasn't just the artwork, which ranged from multimedia to oil paintings -- some finished, others in progress. Music was playing throughout the space, so every room I walked into had its own rhythm.

One of the rooms I kept coming back to all night included an unfinished piece using dirt, roots, and oil paint. Another piece resembled a Tibetan prayer flag. And all the materials were right there, as if the artist had just stopped working moments earlier. The bookshelves said even more, with a baseball glove, iPod charger, case of CDs (including Venom and Red Hot Chili Peppers), and dozens of books, including Runescape, a multi-payer adventure game.

It was an incredibly positive, energetic show, with the laid back, conversational atmosphere being the most welcome surprise. Friends visiting from NYC were blown away by the labyrinthian space, and were happy to get a real sense of what's going on in Beacon. The open studio is an idea long overdue, giving everyone a chance to experience first-hand the passion and personality of the artistic  process.