Accidental Discovery of Mega-Artist Tara McPherson at Dogwood Yields Bookmark For Cookbook

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Meal planning for Sunday dinner, placeholding with this art bookmark acquired at Dogwood during random Sunday night dinner in the kids section (aka the tables near the stage where the kids can dance, and we can only hope that no one else is in there yet). The artist is recent Beacon transplant Tara McPherson. Her art company is called Cotton Candy Machine, and the painting on the bookmark is called “Bloom.” The cookbook pictured here is Magnolia Table, purchased at Cracker Barrel on Route 9 during a pancake lunch post-doctor appointment. Beef for this bulgogi will be sourced from Barb’s Butchery on Sunday… Barb’s also has eggs for Sunday morning (or an upcoming snow/ice storm, so best stock up!).

WHoa - Tara McPherson!

And then Marilyn, A Little Beacon Blog’s Managing Editor - texted me to confirm: “Tara McPherson lives in Beacon!!?” So I took to scrambling into the artist’s website to learn more about her. OMG. This is why I love Beacon. You just never know who you’re going to meet! Tara has illustrated posters for Metallica, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, has collectible figures, and is just really fierce.

Here’s a few pictures of her art, and her process for setting up her studio since moving to Beacon:

A Little Beacon Blog Signs On As Sponsor For 2019 Beacon Open Studios

Beacon Open Studios was one of the first annual events I ever encountered in Beacon while out for a jog one day. It embodies one of the things that makes Beacon so easy to love - there is always something going on, and every day offers the chance to stumble across something magical.

That is why we are once again a proud sponsor of this year’s Beacon Open Studios. This is a chance for artists to open their homes or studios to the public, so that the public can see how the art gets made. In the past, this has been garages, sheds, apartments, offices, and other nontraditional venues of viewing art.

ARTISTS
Artists can register to participate by visiting the Beacon Open Studios website.

SPONSORS
Businesses and individuals can sponsor by clicking here and following the Donate button after you fill out the form. Just type in the sponsor dollar amount your are opting in for.

Sharon Lindenfeld - Copper Plate Printmaking at the Garrison Arts Center

Really enjoyed this read in the Highlands Current about the artist Sharon Lindenfeld’s process as a printmaker. She makes etchings on copper plates. Large ones. It’s very unusual for that medium to be so big, but according to the article, she “wanted people to feel surrounded by them.” She’ll sketch something into her notebook, and then do a process to enlarge it. She uses acetone to to transfer the lines onto the copper plate. There is more to the process when it comes to sending the copper plate through the press. Read all about it in Alison Rooney’s article. This was in last week’s newspaper, but the article is online now. Sharon is exhibiting now at the Garrison Arts Center.

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Free Community Event at A Little Beacon Space - Origami Peace Crane Project To Spread Peace, Love, and Equality

A Little Beacon Blog has partnered with Kim Beller, founder of The PEACE Project, an interactive art project to spread peace, equality, and love in the community and across the world.

“In December 2016 I began folding peace cranes with the community in Wilmington, NC, where I lived,” says Kim. “After completing the folding of 1,000 origami peace cranes, I strung the peace cranes and they were hosted by different businesses and restaurants in and around Wilmington to promote peace, love and equality. Previously, I organized the folding of 1,000 cranes with my daughter’s school, with a home for autistic children, and for my mom during her battle with cancer (her cranes hang in the Lower Cape Fear Hospice in Wilmington). This event in Beacon will be my fifth time folding 1,000 cranes for peace!”

One thousand peace cranes will be folded, and strung into strands of 100 each, and they will be hosted by different businesses and restaurants in the Hudson Valley to promote Peace - Equality - Love.

All are welcome to this free community event to fold origami peace cranes. No experience is needed - Kim will guide you through the folding process and provide origami paper. Please bring a friend!

The PEACE Project 2019
Day
: Sunday, February 10, 2019
Time: 12 to 2 pm
Location: A Little Beacon Space, 291 Main St., Beacon, NY
Information >

Keys to Beacon 2018: An Exploration Of The Outdoor Pianos That Played In Beacon

Photo Credits: Izdihar Dabashi

Photo Credits: Izdihar Dabashi

A boy crouches to play a tiny piano outside of Towne Crier. Photo Credit: Lisa Marie Martinez; Piano Artist: Miss Vickie

A boy crouches to play a tiny piano outside of Towne Crier.
Photo Credit: Lisa Marie Martinez; Piano Artist: Miss Vickie

Back before the peak fall foliage season of September, and before the first blizzard of the pre-winter season hit us, A Little Beacon Blog planned a big feature on the Keys to Beacon project from BeaconArts. This is the outdoor, interactive art installation, in which 11 pianos covered in some kind of artistic expression were placed at locations throughout the city.

We sent out an essayist to find and experience as many pianos as she could in real life. Please meet Izdihar Dabashi, a writer, poet and college student, and follow along on her discoveries, and read how the pianos touched her and those around her.

Keys To Beacon 2018 - An Exploration

by Izdihar Dabashi
All Photos by Izdihar Dabashi
Izdihar is studying Psychology. She is a writer, loves fiction novels and writing poetry. When she is not writing, she is reading a novel with a strong heroine and drinking tea in a faux fur coat.

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.

Piano at Bank Square at Polhill Park Photo Credit: Izdihar Dabashi

Piano at Bank Square at Polhill Park
Photo Credit: Izdihar Dabashi

Across the street from Bank Square at Polhill Park, a white-speckled black piano bathed in the autumn sun. Strikes of sheer gold paint the surface of the piano, balloon-like blobs of paint float amidst the spectacular design. A trio of city girls tinkered with the keys, flooding the afternoon light with airy chimes and tittering smiles. Leaves of maroon and honey weaved through the air pushing me forward to my next location, humming “Colors of the Wind” underneath my breath as the scenic fall weather emitted a Pocahontas-like movie moment from me.

Piano Artist: Donna Mickelson

I found myself outside of City Hall facing a grand piano. Blends of scarlet fade into citrus, bursting out smooth blues and shocks of violet; the sophisticated rainbow design contrasted beautifully against the sleek ebony body. I seated myself on the sturdy bench, stretched my dainty fingers, and summoned a tune so beautiful and strange all of Beacon peeked out from their windows, traffic stilled, even the birds turned their ambitious chirps into humble murmurs.

Kidding - it took about five minutes for my short stubby fingers to figure out how to gracefully lift the fall board. I could understand why BeaconArts placed this particular piano outside City Hall, because the glorious sight was enough to reinforce the visual legacy Beacon holds, an enticing city full of expression.

Piano at Beacon Historical Society on South Avenue Photo Credit: Izdihar Dabashi

Piano at Beacon Historical Society on South Avenue
Photo Credit: Izdihar Dabashi

Somehow, my suede camel boots clicked their wooden heels all the way to Beacon Historical Society. A tangerine piano with magenta circles brought me back to the days of Maggie and the Ferocious Beast , a popular children’s cartoon show. Childlike-wonder surrounded the theme of this piece and graced a smile on a little girl’s face. She happened to be the pianist of the hour, and a runaway from the birthday party hosted next door. Setting down her fairy wand and birthday party hat, she clambered to settle onto the orange bench. Her happiness was contagious and soon a small crowd formed, finding joy in her clumsy tune as she confidently bobbed her head. We should have exchanged autographs.

Making my way back to Main Street, immersing myself in the hustle and bustle of the weekend flow, I came across the next piano. Situated a few feet away from the Rick Price mural, a sky-blue piano covered in paintings of a garden and a chubby Garfield-like cat invited a young couple to playfully serenade one another. It was disgustingly cute, a scene straight out of a Rom-Com.

Piano at Key Food. Photo Credit: Izdihar Dabashi

Piano at Key Food.
Photo Credit: Izdihar Dabashi

Flickering flames mask the small black piano outside of Key Food. An adorable little boy dressed in black and red fit the aesthetic of the piano; the scene was too cute for me not to stop and take a photo of him.

Piano outside of Beacon Pantry. Photo Credit: Izdihar Dabashi

Piano outside of Beacon Pantry.
Photo Credit: Izdihar Dabashi

Outside of Beacon Pantry, a chalkboard piano waits for me to scribble my signature all over it. A bucket full of colorful chalk is screwed into the top of the piano, inviting people to temporarily leave their mark. I left my autograph then followed the scent of sharp cheese and fresh bread for a heavenly sandwich from Beacon Pantry.

Piano at Howland Cultural Center. Photo Credit: Izdihar Dabashi

Piano at Howland Cultural Center.
Photo Credit: Izdihar Dabashi

The piano next to the Howland Cultural Center is covered in sheet music and children’s handprints in an array of vivid colors. This piano seems to play on its own, simply needing the wind to tinker with the keys. Soft blue spikes decorate the surface of the bench hosting a young pianist. Her bright smile crinkled the corners of her cinnamon eyes, her joy as distinguishable as her vibrant magenta shirt. My inner babushka managed to resist pinching her cheeks.

Edging closer to Beacon Falls, an ivory piano blanketed with a crocheted burst of warm orange and yellow sits across from Loopy Mango, the chunky yarn store. I was in the middle of explaining to my parents how I wanted to take a photo of the piano when my mother whipped out her phone and took several photos of my father modeling. Le sigh.

Piano near Beacon Falls, along the Fishkill Creek. Piano created by the artist Lori Merhige. Photo Credit: Izdihar Dabashi

Piano near Beacon Falls, along the Fishkill Creek. Piano created by the artist Lori Merhige.
Photo Credit: Izdihar Dabashi

Crimson wings hide out under a cover of branches across from Beacon Falls. The massive red piano settled beneath the serenity of the clusters of trees attracted several city goers to an otherwise abandoned spot. I expected a magical dragon to appear and summon me to a quest, or perhaps the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland to lure me to another dizzying sight of magic. I stumbled across a family of three celebrating their father’s birthday, and another cluster of friends creating tunes out of thin air.

Locations For All Of The Pianos

BeaconArts volunteers (including local artists and musicians) provoked conversation and inspired feelings of awe by placing 11 pianos around Beacon. This year's locations have been City Hall, Beacon Historical Society, Polhill Park, the pop-up park at Cross and Main streets, Key Food, Howland Library, 380 Main St., Howland Cultural Center, Fishkill Falls Park, Memorial Clock (across from Loopy Mango), & Hudson Valley Brewery.

To follow the fate of the pianos as they were moved around the city, and to see other performances and activities around the pianos, visit the Keys to Beacon website.

To learn how to support the project with a donation, or to donate a piano, see their support page.

Warmth In Color For Winter: The Artist Stanley Lindwasser Exhibiting At Oak Vino

Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

November’s Second Saturday was as exciting as ever, with new works being hung around town and exhibitions opening in galleries and unusual places. This Second Saturday, I wrote in my calendar specifically (as opposed to falling into the serendipitous approach of going where the wind or free bus will take me) to go to Stanley Lindwasser’s opening of his 2018 collection of paintings at Oak Vino Wine Bar.

Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

This is a man who has painted almost every day, ever since his teacher told him he was good at finger-painting. Stanley is 71 years old now, and had a career as a painter. “But I never became famous,” Stanley told me at his show’s opening. Stanley’s mantra was family first, and with several children in his family, that can keep someone comfortably quiet in their production.

To pay the bills, he was a full-time teacher. Teaching took him to different environments including a homeless shelter for teenagers at Harlem Hospital, schools for emotionally disturbed children, and a psychiatric facility, according to Alison Rooney’s article in the Highlands Current this weekend. 

Stanley is mesmerized by color and texture and feelings. The physical act of painting seems to produce the synapses that inspire where his brush goes and how it explores, which was my impression after reading the Chronogram article that describes Stanley’s artistic style.

Currently, he is also inspired by the expansiveness he feels in his backyard overlooking the Hudson River. While speaking with me at his opening, I asked him if anything around him inspired him when he is away from painting. “The density,” he told me. Stanley lives along the Hudson River and gets to sit with the sunsets each afternoon into evening. “We are able to see so much more of the sky here than when we lived in Hoboken, N.J..” Stanley and his wife Helen moved to Beacon two years ago from their brownstone.

Stanley gets out to walk his little dogs - you might see him this winter with his big fur hat on. But he doesn’t get out to exhibit his work much. I’m now most curious about the other decades - decades! - of his work that he has rolled up in various storage facilities. You can see a few previous years of his paintings at his website. His paintings - select pieces from 2018 and not even all of them, will be hanging at Oak Vino through January and are for sale. 

Glad to have him rooted in Beacon, and hanging on these walls.


Editorial Disclosure: We have worked with Stanley and Helen to help them complete Stanley’s website, via our design agency and parent company Katie James, Inc., as well as through our sister company Tin Shingle in consulting with them in how to get the word out. This article is one we wanted to bring to you regardless of the client connection, as we have gotten to know Stanley and Helen over the years in Beacon.

Pianos Of "Keys To Beacon" Inspire Love Notes

Piano created by the artist Lori Merhige. Photo Credit: Jeff and Anita Cashman

Piano created by the artist Lori Merhige.
Photo Credit: Jeff and Anita Cashman

Just because you needed a little love note today, we wanted to pass along to you this email sent by a reader early this week. As you may have noticed, Beacon is decorated right now with pianos in seemingly random locations. You may occasionally hear the sound of Beacon from several street corners as people sit down to play whenever they feel the need. In fact, A Little Beacon Blog has published an essay by Izdihar (Izzy) Dabashi capturing the sounds and beauty of most of the pianos - read it here.

 

Dear A Little Beacon Blog,

Just wanted to share these photos of our winged bear with you.

We were New York City middle school teachers for 30 years...music and drama. About a month after 9/11, our school received a gift from J.C. Penney - hundreds of teddy bears arrived delivered in giant boxes - one for every student, teacher and employee in our school.

As you can imagine, the teddy bears provided great emotional comfort for all and we have kept our bear all these years.

When we saw the beautiful winged piano in Beacon, we just thought our bear was a perfect match.

Many thanks to all who bring us these beautiful pianos each year... we play each one and look forward to their return next year.

Thank you Little Beacon Blog,

Jeff and Anita Cashman

 

The organization behind the pianos in Beacon is BeaconArts, known for their public art projects that appear and disappear all over town, all year round.

We have a feature story coming out about this, so stay tuned because that’s where you’ll be able to learn more. In the meantime, enjoy the pianos while they are here. They will be rolled away soon and stored for next year.

Fairies Are Here...The Cutie Night Collection That Comes Out At Beacon Fine Jewelers

Love these little cuties every time they get put out at night in the storefront window of Beacon Fine Jewelers. They are part of the collection of miniature things that the son (of the father-son team) 🔥 fires up inside in the back of the store.

Not sure where this store is? 284 Main Street. Beacon Fine Jewelers are in the middle of Main Street, across the way from EnotecaAma. We profiled them last Holiday season, so check them out!

Really good gift ideas are in store for collectors in your life... or the real life fairies 🧚‍♀️ you find in your house... We’re just sayin’.

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Gallery Closing: Matteawan Gallery's Final Opening is September 2018 - Where to Find Karlyn Next

It's bittersweet that this month's opening at Matteawan Gallery reflects on the passage of time: Eleanor White's It's About Time will be Matteawan Gallery's final show. Karlyn Benson opened Matteawan Gallery in March 2013 in a small space further east on Main Street near the mountain.

It was a pretty common sight to see familiar faces packed into the gallery and congregating on the sidewalk outside, discussing everything from new puppies (hi, Jack!) to the featured artist who used math and dots to make really neat art that I couldn't wait to share with my math teacher-Renaissance man dad. I (I = Second Saturday writer Catherine, not bloggista extraordinaire Katie) am a total art newbie, and don't always "get" the fancy/important work, but Karlyn's gallery always had pieces by new (to me), interesting artists. Who remembers the baseball card guy

Matteawan will be missed, but keep your eyes peeled for Karlyn's name: "I plan to curate exhibitions under the name Matteawan Projects and to write about art in the Hudson Valley," she says. (Her first article is already up at Chronogram!) 

September's Opening: Eleanor White's It's About Time

Eleanor White returns to Matteawan Gallery with It's About Time. In her second solo show at the gallery, Eleanor explores the passing of time in sculpture and drawings. Natural materials, including hair, dandelion fluff, wood ash, and eggshells break out of their place in the daily background to figure prominently as materials, reminding viewers of fragility and the cyclic nature of ... nature. According to gallery owner Karlyn Benson, "White takes ordinary objects and makes them into something wonderful, captivating, and strange, thereby showing the potential of everything around us to change over time."

This exhibit runs through Sunday, October 7, 2018.

Windows on Main Street (WOMS) Returns for its 13th Year, Starting August 11, 2018

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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.

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“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: The Chocolate Studio, 494 Main Street Artist: Jan Dolan Photo Credit: Windows on Main

Window: The Chocolate Studio, 494 Main Street Artist: Jan Dolan Photo Credit: Windows on Main

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

Window: Vegetalien, 504 Main Street Artist: Kat Stoutenborough Photo Credit: Kat Stoutenborough

Window: Vegetalien, 504 Main Street Artist: Kat Stoutenborough Photo Credit: Kat Stoutenborough

Window: Meyer's Olde Dutch (MOD), 184 Main Street Artist: Erica Hauser Photo Credit: Windows on Main

Window: Meyer's Olde Dutch (MOD), 184 Main Street Artist: Erica Hauser Photo Credit: Windows on Main

Window: NFP (New Form Perspective), 504 Main Street Artist: Kristen J. Macauley Photo Credit: Windows on Main

Window: NFP (New Form Perspective), 504 Main Street Artist: Kristen J. Macauley Photo Credit: Windows on Main

Window: Oak Vino, 389 Main Street Artist: Donna Mikkelsen Photo Credit: BeaconArts

Window: Oak Vino, 389 Main Street Artist: Donna Mikkelsen Photo Credit: BeaconArts

Window: Ella's Bellas, 418 Main Street Artist: Judith Kepner Rose Photo Credit: Judith Kepner Rose Sculpture

Window: Ella's Bellas, 418 Main Street Artist: Judith Kepner Rose Photo Credit: Judith Kepner Rose Sculpture

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

Community Created Post-It Note Art at Library for Windows on Main - Needs You!

Photo Credit: Howland Public Library, used to give an idea of how the wall could look. Pictured is a Giant Robot Post-it Note Art Wall for illustration purposes.

Photo Credit: Howland Public Library, used to give an idea of how the wall could look. Pictured is a Giant Robot Post-it Note Art Wall for illustration purposes.

Do drop into the Howland Public Library most anytime, now through Saturday, August 11, to make your piece of Post-It Note Art for the library's Post-It Note Community Art Wall. The Community Art Wall is part of this year's Windows on Main Street public art installation, in which the Howland Public Library is participating. People of all ages are invited to create a Post-It Note sized creation for the Community Art Wall.

Windows on Main Street is an annual exhibition that pairs artists with storefronts along Beacon's Main Street. This year, 26 Main Street businesses are participating, and for the library's exhibit, you're invited to be one of the contributing artists. The exhibit will be up for one month.

A rainbow of sticky notes and a ton of art supplies will be available at the library to inspire you. This is a great impromptu summer activity as you're looking for free things to do in Beacon on Main Street. Please note, the Post-it Note art maker station may not be open during some programs at the library.

The library is located in the middle of Beacon's downtown at 313 Main St., near Glazed Over Donuts.

Local Filmmakers! A Night of New Paltz Shorts Seeking Submissions

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Are you a local filmmaker? Do you have a short film, documentary, or music video you want to premiere?

New Paltz Shorts is calling all short films that have either been made by a filmmaker who lives in New Paltz, or have been shot in New Paltz, for a night of screenings on Monday, August 20 at the Water Street Market. Come see local films projected on a 40-foot screen, and support the growing talent pool in the Hudson Valley.

There is NO FEE to enter and the deadline is Wednesday, August 1, 2018. You can learn more about this event on their Facebook event page.   

Special thanks to The Cinehub for passing along this information. To keep up with what is going on in the film industry within the Hudson Valley, sign up for their newsletter!

Found Some Red Dot Beacon Open Studios and Saw This

While out perusing the studios, we happened to find the original artwork used for the Beacon Open Studios brochure map this year! The artist, RoArt, was showing at Spire Studios, and we featured her last year as well! She works at a foundry, and after finishing some painting work on a sculpture, she laid the paintbrushes down in a circle. She was captivated by the fanned-out arrangement and colors, so she captured the brush scene, then painted them vibrantly.

The tools in the picture are from metalsmith Kit Burke-Smith. She brought her tools down from her upstairs studio to show and tell curious visitors what they do and how they were used to create different pieces of jewelry.

The next house was on Orchard, but we were too late to go inside. Lucky for us, plenty of work was on display in the window! Then we headed over to see Stanley Lindwasser’s house/studio, down Lafayette Avenue opposite Tompkins Terrace, but the sky grew so ominous that we vowed to return tomorrow.

Where did you hop? 

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Hunting for Beacon Open Studios! Follow the Red Dots

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Part of the thrill of experiencing Beacon Open Studios is finding each studio somewhere in Beacon. Similar to how we hunt for Christmas lights at night, we drive or jog around town looking for the red dot in yards and sidewalks, signaling that there is an artist inside waiting to show you their actual studio and finished (or unfinished) art. Step inside to see the studio in this picture, and you'll discover the metalsmith Kit Burke-Smith at 5 Orchard Place.

You can pick up an actual map in different shops around town, or here at our office at A Little Beacon Blog. Once again, we are a proud sponsor of this event, as it’s one of our favorites of the indoor/outdoor events that define Beacon. Or you can get the map on your phone, by going to the Beacon Open Studios website, for a really slick experience to help you hit the artists' studios you want. 

Ambling is encouraged! 

Windows On Main Street 2018 Seeking Submissions For Artists and Sponsors - Deadline June 1st

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Are you planning to take part in this year's Windows On Main Street here in Beacon? Get your submission ready, because the deadline to sign up as an artist or sponsr is Friday, June 1, 2018. The opening party will be held Saturday, August 11, 2018 at Oak Vino Wine Bar at 389 Main St.

A Little Beacon Blog is a proud sponsor of this event, and we look forward to seeing how it will turn out, and what kind of conversations it will start. Remember yarnbombing?

And the 2018 Theme Is...

There is no theme this year! Artists are encouraged to make this year's installation truly their own, with organizers' encouragement to share the best representation of the artist's work. Says Diana Currie, organizer of WOMS, "Our hope is that the freedom of having no theme this year will push participants to create some exceptional work."

Sponsorship packages  are open now and range from $25 to $250, which includes online and print advertisement options. Businesses who are interested in making their storefront windows available for the exhibition can email windowsonmainstreet@gmail.com. Participating artists can apply here. Artists must install their work at the partner business between Monday, August 6, and Friday, August 10.

Visit www.windowsonmainstreet.com or email windowsonmainstreet@gmail.com if you have questions or would like more information.