Business Tag

Here's a link to a picture of the Hudson Valley Art Owl's new business cards. I'll be leaving them around everyone I visit, so be sure to two up, one for you, one for a friend. Let me know what you think, and while you're at it, add the Hudson Valley Art Owl on Twitter for more recent updates.

New Paltz

Over the weekend I traveled to New Paltz to check out what was new there. A popular destination during my High School days, New Paltz has recently been a place often ignored by me, unless I want Taco Shack or P&G's.

So I took of on a rainy Saturday to check out the Water Street Market, which homes antique shops, restaurants, and galleries. My first stops were the antique shops. "Why antique shops?" you may ask, but if you look closely one can find lots of tools to use in art.

Old printing press blocks and old cameras. (Be warned, the cameras are as-is.)

These finds are located in the Antiques Barn, but there are tons of other antique shops around New Paltz. Some specialize in vintage clothing, some are super expensive, most are fairly priced.

Next on the Water Street Market was the G. Steve Jordan Gallery.

A great photography gallery, G. Steve Jordan captures the beautiful natural side of New Paltz. Destination spots such as Minnewaska and Mohonk Mountain House can be seen in his photographs. Prints of all his photographs are for sale at a reasonable price, matted or framed.

Further down Water Street Market a recently new gallery has opened. Transcendence gallery had moved, within the past 3-4 months, to a very creative spot for a gallery. Unable to get to find a good angle to take a photo of the gallery, one immediately walks into a small room and must walk up wooden spiral stairs to reach the main gallery space. Going on the stairs Chris Rainer's photographs are displayed as well as in the main gallery space. Chris Rainer, a leading documentary photographer who has worked for National Geographic, opened up the gallery to display his work. The current show, Ancient Marks, documents the sacred origins of tattoos and body marking.

A show of great talent and an innovative gallery space, I highly recommend checking this out.

Across the path from Transcendence gallery is the Unison Arts Gallery. Unison Arts, offers performances, art workshops, classes, and more. The small gallery is currently exhibiting the installation Holed Up by Travis Head. A highlight from the installation for me was Untitled (Booby Trap).

Immediately walking through the door, if you look up you'll be seeing a net full of 'rocks' waiting to drop on whoever walks through.

Going up Main Street (299) there are also tons of resources for artists. A quick list of those I was not able to capture are Manny's Art Supplies, the Rhinebeck Artist Shop, and the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, which was closed for spring break. Besides the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, SUNY New Paltz offers great performancesschedule that are worth checking out. There are coffee shops, like The Muddy Cup, that are often filled with budding musicians, and two solid record shops.

The Hudson Valley Art Owl's next stop: Poughkeepsie.

Hoot Hoot.

Hoot Hoot Whoooo Hears New Things On The Horizon?

Here are a couple new things regarding the Hudson Valley Art Owl:

• New layout and icon to come soon!
• More frequent post, (Mid-terms had put a damper on things, but do not fret, I will be exploring the Hudson Valley before you know it).
• A Twitter account! Add me and follow my tweets Hoots.
• Business cards to be left at the places I have visited.
• A new (to be purchased) camera that will allot for more photos.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, I'll be checking out New Paltz. Any ideas on where to go?

Hoot Hoot.

Artist Talk with Alon Levin

Today, from 4 till 6pm, Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, or HVCCA located in Peekskill NY, will be having an artist talk with Alon Levin. He'll be discussing his work along with his experience as an artist is residence at SUNY New Paltz. The talk is free with museum admission ($5 Adults, $2 Students). If you can't make it out today, I highly recommend watching for upcoming artist talks and events happening at HVCCA.

Falcon, Marlboro N.Y.

Unfortunately last week's snow along with this week's midterms have put a damper on the Hudson Valley Art Owl as well as many locals. Now, the sun is shinning, the weather is getting warmer every day, and HV Art Owl is back on track.

I had planned on attending the Anne Street Gallery's opening of Fahrenheit 180 last Saturday, but due to power loss the opening has been postponed to Saturday, April 10th.

Instead, I traveled to my hometown, Marlboro, NY, to check out a new venue that had opened, or rather relocated, on 9w. The Falcon is a music venue that offers a variety of extremely talented musicians, with live music every Friday and Saturday night at 7. The venue boast the works of living artists on the walls, many of the works for sale to support working artists. The atmosphere is warm and friendly, the music exciting, and the menu delicious. (Yes, the Falcon offers a great menu to enjoy with the live performances.) But I think my favorite thing about the Falcon is Tony Falco asked the crowd to do before Saturday's performance from the Aaron Parks Quartet, to "Support living artists," something I'm afraid that doesn't happen enough. Yet, the Falcon seems to be getting the point across in many ways. The venue request no cover charge, just donations from those who support. It also focuses on the working artists, be it musicians or fine artists. I might just also add, that if this venue existed during High School for me, I would have definite plans every Friday and Saturday night. It's a great addition to a town that offered little entertainment and a destination for anyone in the Hudson Valley.

Photos from the visit:

Check out the Falcon's website for their schedule of upcoming shows, current artists, and menu.

As for next week, we'll see where the weather takes me. Any recommendations?

Hoot Hoot.

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To be discovered another day....

The day I plan to explore Poughkeepsie and all it has to offer, it snows. Snowy streets, slushy sidewalks, and wind do not make for good adventuring days, so it will have to be postponed. But this doesn't mean that there will not be a post, oh no, the blog will continue, snow or shine.

A few things on the agenda for the weekend:

Friday, February 26th, along with every Friday and Saturday, is live music at Falcon in Marlboro, NY. Falcon also the art of Nadja Petrov and Hal Gaylor on exhibit, along with a permanent collection

Saturday, February 27th from 6 to 9 p.m. is the opening reception for Fahrenheit 180: A Group Encaustic Exhibition at the Ann Street Gallery in Newburgh NY.

Sunday, February 28th from 4 to 6 p.m. is the opening reception for in.flec.tion at the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art in Peekskill NY.

Hoot Hoot.

Newburgh

Ahh, Newburgh, New York, where Sal Paradise mistakenly thought it would further him West, and walked to it's waterfront before catching a bus back to NYC in Kerouac's On The Road.

Unlike Sal, I traveled to Newburgh purposely, for what it had to offer. I had heard whispers about an expanding arts scene, but never seemed to find where this was occurring or who could lead me there. To be quite honest, Newburgh had never been a real destination spot for me other than a few stores and movie theaters. Newburgh has this bad reputation of being impoverished, full of crime and things that go bump in the night and this facade prevents many people from visiting. Fortunately, I was able to experience quite the opposite during my day in Newburgh.

My first stop was Newburgh Art Supply, located on Liberty Street, across from the beautiful Washington's Headquarters. I walked into a small store packed to the brim with an array of environmentally-friendly art supplies, from oil paints to crayon rocks....yes, crayon rocks! I had spent some time talking to the owner, Michael, whom told me about the whispers I had been hearing about Newburgh. Passionate about Newburgh, Michael was eager to talk the arts in it, and gave me leads on where to visit next and some great arts destinations in Orange County (perhaps future post....). As I left Newburgh Art Supply, I wondered why I travel further to purchase art supplies from chain stores who care little about the environment they're located in.

I stopped at Caffe Macchiato for a quick lunch. A lovely cafe with a great roasted red pepper and eggplant panini, the walls are neatly arranged with paintings for sale.

I walked further down Liberty Street to check out the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum, located on the corner of Liberty and Broadway. The Museum, which use to be home to the Newburgh Savings Bank is a site within itself. It has beautiful high detailed ceilings and reminders of its original purpose, such as the vault located directly center against the back wall. And of course, the manuscript exhibit, which was The Literal Bible and the Gutenberg Bible on display until April 2010. Donald, the associate director and another passionate resident, gave me a brief tour, which also includes space for local artists, this time the works of F.T. Mitchell.

Diagonally across the street, Broadway, sits the Ritz Theater, who's doors were closed when I visited. Having never been inside, I do plan on attending one of their Guitar Series, which runs through April 2010.

Another closed venue that day was the Ann Street Gallery. I had heard some about it, but will have to wait until their next exhibit, Fahrenheit 180: A Group Encaustic Exhibition opens on February 27th.

Around this time I had been stopped by a man on the street who had seen me taking pictures and probably walking around a bit haphazardly, without a 'point B' to rush to. He had asked me, and I quote, "Why are you so interested in Newburgh? What's so great about it?" I felt a bit shocked and maybe disappointed that he didn't see what I was seeing. Perhaps, like myself prior to this visit, he had fallen victim to the malevolent rumors of Newburgh.

While I did not visit this particular day, I must add The Downing Film Center to this Newburgh post. Located in the Yellow Bird building down at the waterfront, The Downing Film Center is my favorite place to see a movie in the Hudson Valley. An inviting screening room-like environment, the Downing offers a great selection of classic, (like the Film Noir series they have going on now), independent, and foreign films. Recently voted best movie theater in the Hudson Valley, The Downing is ran by the dedication and passion like the many others I had met throughout the day.

As I left Newburgh, feeling like I had skipped many places and missed many scenes, I realized that my entire perception of the place had changed. No longer was Newburgh the place I quickly drove through, no it was much more than that. It was a place rich in history, culture, and destinations. Its inhabitants knew this all along. To end with Kerouac, and I hope they don't take this the wrong way, it inhabitants were "...mad, mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars..." Their passion for Newburgh's future burns, burns burns, like those roman candles, and despite the commonplace perception of Newburgh, they're mad to talk, inspire, create, and build a better place called home. I enjoyed meeting everyone of them, "because the only people for me are the mad ones."

Hoot Hoot.

Lets start at the beginning....

This blog started with the intention to learn more about the arts where I live in the Hudson Valley.

The Hudson Valley is a terrifically rich area in fine arts, music, film, and theater, so why was I making the trek elsewhere to find culture? Why was I paying $30 train tickets to the city when there is so much to experience here?

Now, with some research, lots of word of mouth, a full gas tank, and a camera, I'll explore where I've been calling home.

Our first stop: Newburgh.

Hoot Hoot.