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Vinny DePonto: Mind Reader
august 8 24
The patio of Kanwit’s studio has many of his remaining works in progress.
“He always sculpted what was in his heart,” says DeBey. “He built the house and created this whole life so we could be here and he could devote himself to his work. “
Photo by Winona Ballentine-Barton
THE HOUSE, PAGE 21
DEPARTMENTS
6 On the Cover: Niki Haynes
The Troy-based artist has spent the last 15 years creating work that explore our culture of consumption in swirling, hypnotic collages.
10 Esteemed Reader
Jason Stern on steps out into the morning dew
13 Editor’s Note
Brian K. Mahoney hears a distant frequency.
FOOD & DRINK
14 La Sorella Mercato: Unfussy in Fishkill
From the owner of Fishkill favorites Il Barilotto and Il Figlio Enoteca, comes the cafe and provisions shop La Sorella Mercato, which serves Italian-inspired elevated casual bites to eat in and take to go, plus simple cocktails and good wine.
17 Sips and Bites
Recent openings include Matilda in Hensonville, Shelter Woodstock, Via Cassia in Hudson, Underground Ales in New Paltz, and El Jaguar in Kingston.
THE HOUSE
21 Love, Written in Stone
Even though he died last fall, Roy Kanwit’s passions still vibrate throughout the three-story stone house he handbuilt for his family in Columbia County.
HEALTH & WELLNESS
30 Transformative Retreats
Retreat centers in the region are seeing increased demand for self-development workshops post-pandemic, offering programs in sound healing, mindfulness, Buddhism, and more to meet participants’ evolving needs.
34 Destination Yoga
Yoga getaways offer transformative experiences, combining deep yoga practice with cultural immersion. Choosing the right retreat involves aligning personal intentions with the retreat’s goals for a fulfilling experience.
COMMUNITY PAGES
36 Woodstock: From Hippies to Hipsters
Woodstock evolved from hosting 1970s pilgrims into a cultural mecca, establishing the Family of Woodstock hotline, nurturing the arts, and fostering community spirit with initiatives like the Awakening Festival and local advocacy, including this year’s Pride parade, a first.
45 Woodstock Portraits by David McIntyre
RURAL INTELLIGENCE
55 First Family of American Folk
“Arlo Guthrie: Native Son,” at the Guthrie Center in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, is the center’s first step in creating a permanent installation of memorabilia celebrating the first family of American folk.
A student training on the pole at the Lineman Institute of the Northeast in Woodstock, located in the former Zena Elementary school.
Photo by David McIntyre
WOODSTOCK, PAGE 36
ARTS
56 Music
Seth Rogovoy reviews Karma Clear by Blueberry. Tristan Geary reviews Laugh Lines by Grampfather. Morgan Y. Evans reviews Spiritual Dreams Above Empty Promises by Walking Bombs. Plus listening recommendations from Jessica Clark, owner of Everything Nice in Ellenville.
57 Books
Susan Yung reviews The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America by Sara B. Franklin, about the storied editor of Julia Child, John Updike, and Anne Tyler, among many others. Plus short reviews of Creative Exposure: Portraits of Hudson by Chad Weckler; Rough Beast by Greg Olear; The Friday Afternoon Club by Griffin Dunne; Ambiguity is the Answer by Kyle Crawford; and The Marriage Manual by Linda McCauley Freeman.
58 Poetry
Poems by Carlene Doyle, Don Ferber, Bob Grawi, ViVi Hlavsa, Conall Mannion, Richard L. Matta, Raphael Moser, Emily Murnane, Ze’ev Willy Neumann, Noelle Sermeno, Eileen Sikora, Alan Silverman, Claire Scott, J. R. Solonche, and Lori White. Edited by Phillip X Levine.
GUIDE
60 Hudson-based artist Tschabalala Self is among a generation of women redefining Black beauty and aesthetics.
63 An all-star tribute concert for composer Peter Schickele will be held at Maverick Concert Hall in Woodstock August 10.
65 “Constellations” at the Ancram Center for the Arts August 16-25, explores the quantum implications of a chance meeting.
66 Short List: Poughkeepsie PorchFest, Kingston Artists Soapbox Derby, Hudson Film Fest, and more.
69 Live Music: Guided by Voices, Nicole Atkins, and more.
71 Listings of museum and gallery shows across the region.
HOROSCOPES
76 Royal Reversals
Cory Nakasue reveals what the stars have in store for us.
PARTING SHOT
80 Deep in the Big Muddy
Photographer Nancy Donskoj trekked through the mud at Winston Farm in Saugerties to document Woodstock ‘94. august 8 24
A Murmuration of Color
The Collages of Niki Haynes
Troy-based collage artist Niki Haynes’s latest piece, Parts Per Million, invokes an automotive cloud with the hypnotic, swirling movement of a flock of starlings, called a murmuration.
Parts Per Million belongs to her “Culture Consumed” series, which is the culmination of a body of work spanning 15 years. Haynes aims for each piece to stand alone but ultimately resonate together to identify and acknowledge our collective consumption and all it entails, encouraging us to stand back and absorb the big picture, adjust, and reapproach.
It also makes a visual representation or “semantic code” for the scientific term of parts per million (PPM) used to measure contaminants in the environment, generally invisible to the eye and easily ignored. “Even though that ‘64 Chevy may not be on the road anymore, the molecules of its exhaust, tire particles, and deteriorating parts are still all around us, polluting our air, water, and ground,” Haynes says.
The concept of the series began to form for Haynes in the spring of 2020 when fewer cars on the road resulted in noticeably cleaner air.
Using a completely analog process, Haynes gleans imagery from materials such as magazines, newspapers, and books. She organizes, files, and cuts out images with scissors or an X-Acto knife. To reach a final version, she uses a chromatic wheel to ease the eye into accepting an otherwise overwhelming amount of visual information.
“As I work, I subtract some images and add others whose qualities and dynamism are needed to achieve the murmurating effect and to make it ‘sing’—the positive and negative spaces have become harmonic so this means the piece is finished,” Haynes says.
“You have to work backwards, upside down, and inside out, which can feel like a dyslexic nightmare. All of the puzzle pieces need to return to their proper place for it to hum again,” she adds.
Inspired by her mother, Ellen Haynes, and her
Pratt Institute mates Nancy Grossman and Anita Siegel, whose prolific collage work was featured in the New York Times during the 1960s and ‘70s, Haynes also takes cues from Warhol’s ‘60s Pop Art.
But it’s the swirling hum of the murmuration concept that she finds herself returning to most. “I make work that deals with sometimes heavy subject matter. I hope to engage the viewer to see human behavior and culture in a light they hadn’t considered before or may want to ignore,” Haynes says. “I attempt to touch on the elusive and strive to create work that may be simultaneously delightful, potent, jarring, beautiful, intriguing, and hopefully relevant.”
“If the work succeeds on any of those levels, I am happy, but if its appeal is as a pretty picture, or a hit of nostalgia, that’s okay too. I’m confident the deeper meanings will still register somewhere in the viewer’s psyche,” Haynes says.
Portfolio: Nikihaynes.com
—Mike Cobb
Parts Per Million, Niki Haynes, cotton rag Nori glued to plywood, 58” x 48” x 4”, 2024
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Brian K. Mahoney brian.mahoney@chronogram.com
CREATIVE DIRECTOR David C. Perry david.perry@chronogram.com
DIGITAL EDITOR Marie Doyon marie.doyon@chronogram.com
ARTS EDITOR Peter Aaron music@chronogram.com
HOME EDITOR Mary Angeles Armstrong home@chronogram.com
POETRY EDITOR Phillip X Levine poetry@chronogram.com
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Anne Pyburn Craig apcraig@chronogram.com
contributors
Jane Anderson, Winona Barton-Ballentine, Mike Cobb, Melissa Dempsey, Tristan Geary, Ryan Keegan, David McIntyre, Cory Nakasue, Seth Rogovoy, Jeremy Schwartz, Sparrow, Albert Stern, Taliesin Thomas, Susan Yung
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esteemed reader by
Jason Stern
This summer has been particularly delicious for me. An unknown impulse has coalesced a ritual of going outside around sunrise. I listen to the panoply of birdsong and cicadas and distant traffic, feel the dewy grass under my bare feet, and let the morning sunlight and verdant green of trees touch my eyes.
I see that my body relaxes as I stand in the grass, so much so that I can bear the curious ants crawling up the skin and hairs of my legs. My body finds its balance, leaning neither forward nor back, with an easy verticality atop the attractive horizontal plane of earth. I sense that the soil below my feet is alive, teeming with fungus, plants, and insects.
Something in my nature seeks and awakens with this contact. It becomes active and allows thoughts, worries, and tensions to relax. The contact completes a circuit with the sensation of my own nature as part of a large body of nature. The force of this quiet, powerful essence grows, and the veneer of conditioning is allowed to relax.
I see that to say “my nature” is a contradiction—for it is not my nature but the acquired appurtenance of personality that claims things. I observe that the personality (which comes from the Latin word for mask) is an invention. The truer seat of individuality is in my nature, and it doesn’t claim anything. It just is. Nevertheless, language requires that I use the acquisitive form to convey the sense of distinction between the nature that is expressed in my particular being and nature that is part of the larger body of the biosphere and beyond.
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I watch with amusement as the personality attempts to claim experience for its own. It makes a genuine sense of unity into a product that can be transferred, communicated (ironically, even as this missive is doing right now). So I sit with this contradiction and try to experience both together. I stay in contact with my nature through attention to the sensation of my body. I notice tension in my back and allow it to relax. I notice my mind thinking about the plane I have to catch later today, and let it relax. In this I see the spasmodic movements of the personality provide useful fodder and foil for returning to contact with my essential nature.
From this fleeting, silent connection with my own nature, I see that beings of every kind—plants, animals, humans—are healthiest when they live the inherent design of their nature. Each needs the right conditions, food, breath, impressions. When these are available the individual being will benefit, and related beings in the ecosystem will also benefit.
Each being needs a particular kind of work or striving to be healthy. A tree needs to reach toward the sun, be whipped by wind, and shoot roots into the soil. A chick needs to peck its way out of its shell and be born. Each being strives according to its nature, and by its striving not only becomes more strongly itself, but also becomes a greater contributor to the ecosystem of which it is a part.
Every being expresses its ingenious and beautiful design as part of a vast tapestry of intelligent life which clearly extends beyond the surface of the planet. Common sense dictates that the whole cosmos is alive, at a scale we cannot fathom from the perspective of our limited scale of existence.
A step for humanity in general is to relax enough to behold the incalculable intelligence and integral beauty that is transmitted through nature. The Gnostics called the harmonic intelligence which operates through every form of life Sophia, a living wisdom expressed in infinite forms. The harmonious pattern and logic of Sophia is not learned. Rather I can perceive the harmony with awe when, as William Blake wrote, “the doors of perception are cleansed.”
What is the inherent contribution of a human being within the body of nature? And what is my purpose in particular? This question is a koan or Zen riddle, in the sense that it is unanswerable as an explanation. It can only be answered as a natural result of striving to live according to one’s nature. All the genuine spiritual traditions had the aim of assisting in realizing this answer through practice appropriate to the time and place of their arising.
Author Jason Stern will open a new inner work group in the Fourth Way tradition of G. I. Gurdjieff. Join the introductory group meeting, 21st Century Seekers: A Practical Work for Being, Thursday, September 19, 7pm, 64 Plains Road, New Paltz. Harmoniousdevelopment.org.
by Brian K. Mahoney
Radio Daze
Running errands on a recent Sunday afternoon, I had the radio tuned to the local NPR station, WAMC. Normally I’d be listening to one of the dozens of podcasts I subscribe to—like everyone else, I imagine, an idiosyncratic mix of my interests: film, soccer, longform journalism, food, history, comedy, books, tech, politics—but it was a quick trip and I was suffering from decision paralysis. (Sometimes having other people decide what’s in your media diet can be a refreshing abnegation of authority. In fact, I’m old enough to remember a time pre-YouTube, prestreaming services, pre-podcasts, when one’s media choices were quite limited. We went outside more— and played charades quite a bit.)
The regular program was then preempted in the classic manner. An excited-yet-somber voice declared: “We interrupt this broadcast to bring you a special news bulletin.” There had been an attempted assassination of one of the presidential candidates at a rally in Pennsylvania. (Somewhere, an unseen hand forwarded the Doomsday Clock one minute closer to midnight.)
Not much more was known at the time. Some bystanders claimed to have seen blood on the candidate’s shirt. Others said that as he was led off by Secret Service agents he pumped a fist in the air. The facts were unclear. As NPR cautiously reported the events of the day—thank you NPR for your journalistic restraint, maddening as it was to wait—I pulled into the driveway.
Bursting through the door, I ran out to the deck, where Lee Anne, oblivious to the news, was sitting in an Adirondack chair doing the crossword. Clancy, also ignorant of the worldshaking events unfolding, was dead asleep on the couch. “A presidential candidate has been shot at a rally in Pennsylvania,” I breathlessly shouted, startling Clancy awake. “I’m going to turn on the radio.”
Clancy got up to lick my knees. He does that. His capacity for moral outrage is narrow but his tongue is as wide as a farmer’s tie.
“Oh no,” said Lee Anne. “But we don’t have a radio.”
This was true. We had a clock radio in our
bedroom for many years, the same one I had on my childhood nightstand when I would lie in bed and scan the dial for odd frequencies to keep a scared-of-the-dark kid company through the night. Sometimes, I’d hit on a real doozy, like Dr. Demento, the DJ who helped launched the career of national treasure Weird Al. Dr. Ruth’s “Sexually Speaking” show, which was broadcast after midnight on Sundays. I didn’t understand the half of it—clitoris, erectile dysfunction—but it certainly stirred the imagination of a curious boy.
was killed shielding his family. Several others were wounded. While I was (and continue to be) no fan of the presidential candidate, political violence will only beget more violence, which the candidate’s followers already proved themselves capable of on January 6. The death of the candidate might fulfill the darkest dreams of some of his political opponents (and some of my closest friends), but this shooting was no red-letter day for those of us rooting for the survival of the republic.
As the day dragged on and it seemed that night
But with the advent of cell phones, we didn’t need the alarm clock anymore, and Lee Anne and I didn’t listen to the radio in bed. So up into the attic went the clock radio. (I wonder if I might possibly tune in 1981 if I turned it back on.)
In addition, a couple of years ago I packed up all our analog stereo components—tuner, CD player, dual cassette deck, turntable—and brought them to my office, where I naively thought I might listen to all the vinyl I own. (A man can picture himself in moments of repose that never materialize.) The stereo now sits in a disconnected heap on the special credenza I bought for it.
“And by turn on the radio,” I said, “I mean download the WAMC app and stream it through our Bluetooth speaker.” I did that.
We sat on the deck, listening to the story gather focus in the chaotic aftermath of the latest eruption of murderous rage. A 50-year-old man
might never fall, a feeling of such utter wretchedness settled over us that we ordered Domino’s pizza: an “ExtravaganZZa” (pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage, beef, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, and black olives), plus Philly cheesesteak-loaded tots to amp up the culinary degradation. A pizza so overloaded with toppings it was limp in my hand. The tots, well, the less said about the tots the better. Let the meal match the hour.
Coda
A week later, again on Sunday afternoon (can we please have one day of the week without tsuris?), we found out that the other presidential candidate decided to bow out of the race. We learned this the new-fashioned way—via multiple group text threads bombarding us with hastily written articles. There wasn’t event time to turn on the radio, not that we had one.
Unfussy in Fishkill
LA SORELLA MERCATO
By Jane Anderson
Iam a glutton for punishment,” says restaurateur Scott Rosenberg. After running Il Barilotto in Fishkill for 19 years and then answering local foodies’ requests for Italian fine dining by opening Il Figlio Enoteca in the town in 2021, Rosenberg isn’t resting on his laurels— instead, he’s opened La Sorella Mercato, a self-described “elevated casual” venue next door to his successful Il Figlio.
In Italian, La Sorella Mercato translates as “sister market,” a nod to its neighbor and its double function of cafe and retail. In the bright, airy space, patrons can buy a pound of La Sorella coffee while sipping the same hot, grab a package of imported pasta to fix for dinner, and pick up fresh flowers to dress up the dinner table. “The retail goods are things that I would love to have in my own kitchen and home,” Rosenberg says.
The menu isn’t complicated, but it’s lovely: Breakfast options include smoked salmon toast ($15) and quiche ($10) for those who want to linger, and egg sandwiches ($8.50) and pastries ($3 to $7.50) for customers who are on the go. Soups, salads, and sandwiches range from creamy tomato soup ($8) to salade nicoise ($18) and mortadella
with pistachio pesto and burrata on focaccia ($15).
“La Sorella is a love letter to food I like to eat; it’s hard to put a title on it,” Rosenberg says. “It definitely has an Italian overtone, but grabs influences from all over.”
Take a Break
Rosenberg intended his new spot to be a refreshing stop during a busy day. “La Sorella also is bringing something new to Fishkill,” he says. “I love that people can come here, relax for an hour, take a break from the stresses of life, and enjoy a meal without breaking the bank.”
Guests order at the counter, and “the rest is left in our hands,” Rosenberg continues. “Waiters deliver your beverages and food and check in to make sure you are enjoying or need anything else. Although there are no servers technically waiting on the tables, the whole experience feels welcoming and fun.”
Sitting down and taking a break is important during the day, and La Sorella is a pleasant place to do just that—and enjoy a drink while you do it. “One of my favorite things to do when in Italy is get a pressed sandwich at a local bar and a
Restarateur Scott Rosenberg, owner of beloved Fishkill Italianrestaurants Il Barilotto and Il Figlio Enoteca, has opened an “elevated casual” cafe/market on Main Street.
“La Sorella is a love letter to food I like to eat; it’s hard to put a title on it,” Rosenberg says. “It definitely has an Italian overtone, but grabs influences from all over.”
simple cocktail,” Rosenberg says. “There was no need for a full bar here. Come and have an Aperol spritz, a glass of white wine, or a negroni. When you go sit down at a restaurant in Italy and order wine, it’s never as complicated as it is here in the United States. Have a glass of red and relax. It’s going to be delicious. Not everything needs to be fussed over.”
Guidance and Expertise
The interior, too, is a breath of fresh air. Like he did for Il Figlio Enoteca, Rosenberg brought in designer Ford Skoglund, who soaked the space in light that defies its location in the busy Main Street Plaza strip mall. Banquette seating lines the walls and runs down the center, lit by clean white pendants and elegant hanging lamps and table lamps atop the banquettes, interspersed with ficus trees. “Even on the cloudiest days, the inside of La Sorella is cheery and tranquil,” Rosenberg says. “The space transports you away from daily life and is rather soothing.” Rosenberg learned of Skoglund from a contractor while planning Il Figlio. Skoglund ended up designing Il Figio’s refined, two-story space, and Rosenberg wasted no time
in hiring him to do the same for La Sorella. “Accidentally meeting Ford Skoglund was one of the best things that ever happened to me,” Rosenberg says. “His guidance and expertise not only in design, but in the restaurant business in general, has really helped me become successful. We wanted La Sorella to have its own identity and be strikingly different from Il Figlio.”
Mini-City
When scouting for a second location, Rosenberg took mileage into consideration—and serendipity responded when a former yoga studio vacated its storefront in the plaza. “When the space next door became available, it suddenly hit me that this was it!” Rosenberg says. “I wanted to make sure I developed something that didn’t compete with Il Figlio, but complemented it.”
Besides the convenience of shepherding side-by-side businesses, there’s a secret benefit as well that Rosenberg reveals: “The two restaurants are separate entities in the front but are connected in the kitchen, which makes a mini-city back there.”
Homegrown & local fruits & vegetables picked everyday!
Featuring:
• Our famous sweet corn!
• 20+ varieties of heirloom & traditional tomatoes
• Sweet & hot peppers
• Melons
• Strawberries
Homegrown flower bouquets
Beautiful greenhouse filled with garden & house plants
If that mini-city had a mayor, it would be Gerber Hernandez, the chef that oversees both Il Figlio and La Sorella. “He works carefully with me every day to help create specials and run both kitchens,” Rosenberg explains. “Gerber is a classic example of someone living the American dream. He began as a dishwasher at Il Barilotto many years ago. Through hard work, he has earned the title of executive chef. I count my blessings every day to have such a great person to work beside.”
In the warm weather, customers can enjoy outside seating, which, like the inside perimeter of the restaurant, is equipped with charging stations for people needing to work through their lunch break. La Sorella also serves as a private event space, offering sit-down dinners for up to 80 guests and cocktail receptions for up to 120 guests.
So, after a couple decades of running restaurants, is rest finally in Rosenberg’s crystal ball? “I love working hard and seeing how happy people are when they come to La Sorella. My future plans are to eventually get some sleep,” he jokes. “Running two businesses is no easy task, but this is the bed I made. I secretly love it.”
La Sorella, located at 992 Main Street in Fishkill, is open Tuesday through Saturday, 8am to 4pm and Sunday 8am to 2pm. Closed Monday. Lasorellafishkill.com
At La Sorella, patrons can buy a pound of coffee while sipping the same hot, grab a package of imported pasta to fix for dinner, and pick up fresh flowers to dress up the dinner table.
sips & bites
April ramps and May asparagus may be well in the rearview, but the harvest season is just hitting its stride in the Hudson Valley. Corn, peppers, tomatoes, gourds, every aromatic and leafy green you could ever want are currently available—and that’s not even getting into the profusion of fruit. This cornucopia of upcoming events, both thematic and microseasonal, celebrates the many fertile facets of the local food and beverage economy.
Scenic Sips Fest
August 3
Columbia County celebrates its diverse craft beverage industry with this mini-festival of over 15 local producers offering samples of beer, wine, spirits, and hard cider. There will also be a variety of local food trucks as well as live folk and country music. Facebook.com/scenicsipsfest
Tin Barn Brewing’s Block Party
August 10
This new craft beer festival, put on by the iconic Finger Lakes brewery Tin Barn, takes over the Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center with more than 70 brewers from across the US. Kickin’ Nash and DJ Skyhook will keep the beats flowing while the vendors keep your cup and plate full. Tickets range from $25 for designated drivers to $125 for VIP. Tinbarn.com
35th Annual Blueberry Festival
August 10
The blueberries of the Shawangunk Ridge are a thing of legend. Once upon a time, solo pickers and families alike crossed state lines in droves to harvest from the craggy slopes. For over three decades, this Ellenville street fest has celebrated that history with blueberry goodies, contests, crafts, and fun for kids and adults. Ewcoc.com/blueberry-festival
Farm2ChefsTable Events
August 10 through October 19
Chef Nichoas Leiss created his roving project Farm2ChefsTable to celebrate the bounty of local growers and food purveyors through farm-to-table feasts. One of the most highly anticipated traveling farm dinner events organized by Farm2ChefsTable is the Oscine pop-up series, a test run for Leiss’s in-progress, dual-concept tavern/ restaurant. Oscine will be at the historic Bull Farm 1856 on August 10, September 14, and October 19 ($215), and at Goshen Green Farm August 3, 24, 31 and a half-dozen other dates through November ($135). Oscine events consist of a menu of locally sourced, progressive Hudson Valley cuisine. Farm2chefstable.com
Wild & Foraged
August 13, October 9
Farm dinners at Glynwood offer an intimate experience among the acres of historic pastures and bucolic farmland. The August 13 event, Wild & Foraged, features local wild-grown foods and a conversation with the Outside Institute founder Laura Chavez Silverman. On October 9, Toast the Season celebrates the rich flavor of New York’s vast craft beverage industry. Tickets start at $200 for each. Glynwood.org
Hot Sauce Hullabaloo
August 25
If you’re big on putting a little spice in your life, this new hot sauce festival at Goshen regenerative farm All One One All (AOOA) is for you. You can submit your own homemade hot sauce for judging or participate as a tester in the people’s choice awards. All revenue goes directly to AOOA’s food bank program, Fresh Food for All. Alloneoneall.com
Taliaferro Farms Farm to Table
August 31, September 14 & 28, October 26
Events
Set at the foot of the Shawangunk Ridge, this second-generation, family-run, organic farm in New Paltz offers a series of on-site dinners prepared by CIA-trained chef David Cruz. Each three-course meal incorporates locally grown ingredients and regional craft beverages, plus live music and farm tours. Dinners run $125. Taliaferrofarms.com
— Marie Doyon
Dining Guide
It’s no secret that dining in the Hudson Valley, Catskills, and Berkshires is one of our favorite pursuits—and yours, too! With so many new establishments opening all the time it can be easy to make a full editorial meal of the latest and greatest, but we know that there are plenty of well-loved spots that deserve notice, too. Our new monthly dining guide provides a space for the voices of our diverse restaurant community, from the red sauce joint that’s been in the same family for generations to the top-notch sushi spot that opened last year.
If you want to know what’s happening in the region’s dining scene every week, make sure you sign up for the Eat edition of our email newsletter. Every Friday, we deliver the latest updates and in-depth stories on food and craft beverage that you’ve been craving.
Located in a historic steamboat repair shop in Kingston’s Rondout district, Ole Savannah offers up a heaping helping of Southern hospitality with a distinctive Hudson Valley twist.
Think classics like fall-off-the-bone barbecue, chicken and waffles, and fried green tomatoes, as well as globally inspired dishes like misomarinated salmon filet and pho. Add to that a fan-favorite Sunday buffet brunch spread, a diverse menu of hand-crafted cocktails, and some of the best waterfront views of any restaurant around, and there’s a reason Ole Savannah has been a Kingston go-to since restaurateur Dave Amato opened its doors in 2015.
With its exposed beams and high-vaulted ceilings that evoke the Rondout’s storied shipbuilding era, Ole Savannah has also become a favorite venue for intimate weddings, anniversary parties, bridal showers, and just about every other kind of shindig imaginable.
Brickmen
Kitchen + Bar
47 N Front Street, Kingston (845) 882-7425 Brickmenkingston.com
In 2023, Amato and Jessica Mino opened Brickmen Kitchen + Bar in Kingston’s Uptown district as a love letter to the city’s rich history. The name Brickmen was inspired by its prominent 19th- and early 20thcentury brickmaking industry and Amato’s grandfather Joe, who worked in the brickyards before becoming a restaurateur himself.
The globetrotting menu at Brickmen, designed by consulting chef Certified Master Chef Dale Miller, is comforting yet refined. Mini mac Kobe sliders, lobster spaghetti al limone, bricked jerk roasted half chicken, Korean BBQ ribs, and a seafood and sushi bar are tailor-made for pairing with craft cocktails that borrow ingredients from an equally diverse international pantry. Sunday brunch is also a can’t miss affair at Brickmen, especially when enjoyed on the outdoor deck with quaint views of the neighborhood below.
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On a hill by Roy Kanwit and Mary DeBey’s home in Spencertown, a collection of Kanwit’s sculpture overlooks the Catskills. One of his most iconic pieces, Gaia, is visible from the Taconic Parkway. “It took him two summers to make,” says DeBey of the cement and steel sculpture. Gaia is hollow, with a ladder leading to a lookout over the statue’s crown.
Roy Kanwit sculpted a home—and a life— according to his passions. Even though he died last fall, those passions still vibrate throughout the three-story stone house he handbuilt for his family from the Columbia County landscape. “Roy built the house so we could live the life and lifestyle that we wished to live,” says his widow, Mary DeBey.
Like a tiny castle from an ancient story, the house Kanwit built is an intricate patchwork of carefully placed stones, carved balconies, and even a turret, all overlooking his myth-inspired sculpture garden. Creating the home, the garden, and the life, “ was no small feat,” explains DeBey.
Kanwit ’s handprints are everywhere. The tools, chisels and blocks he used to carve his massive stone sculptures sit along his first-floor workbench, as if he set them down the day before. Inside the family home, a first-floor bedroom and former study is overflowing with his books on mythology and travel. The thirdfloor bedroom he once shared with his wife has a full view of his 17 acre sculpture garden—40 years in the making—along with the grove of trees he and DeBey planted. “ The inside of the house reflects the outside,” says DeBey. “ The house and the sculptures are related to the beauty of the land. “
Love, Written in Stone
Roy Kanwit’s stone house and sculpture park in Spencertown
By Mary Angeles Armstrong
Photos by Winona Barton-Ballentine
Ancient History
Kanwit ’s passion for mythology emerged early while he was growing up in Washington, DC. “ When he was in fifth grade, teachers would have him lecture the seventh and eighth grade because he could make ancient history interesting,” says DeBey. “He just had an extraordinary knowledge about it. “That love of Greek mythology was a core part of his identity and creative expression.”
His interest in sculpture, however, didn’t emerge until his early adulthood. “During the Vietnam War he was drafted. He wasn’t against saving people and would have fought in World War II, but he was against the Vietnam War,” says DeBey. “He just couldn’t do it. So he went to jail.” He fled across country to San Francisco, where he was eventually arrested. “In jail, he preferred solitary confinement because it was safer,” says DeBey. That ’s when, to entertain himself, Kanwit sharpened the edge of a toothbrush on the cell wall and began carving his bar of Ivory soap. “ That ’s really where it all began,” says DeBey. “He realized the only thing he wanted to do in life was sculpt.”
Heart of Corn
Kanwit eventually made his way back to Vermont, where he worked a series of odd jobs delivering newspapers and cleaning factories at night. They allowed him time to focus on his sculpture during the day. “He always sculpted what was in his heart,” says DeBey. “ There was a price for doing that, but he was willing to pay it by working night hours and living frugally.” What was in his heart were the Greek and Roman stories and histories he loved as a child, as well as his own personal mythology. One of his earliest marble carvings was inspired by a dream he had as a child. “It was a dream he had when he was 12, with girls passing his heart around,” says DeBey. “ When it came back to him his heart was an ear of corn.”
That early sculpture proved prophetic: Kanwit soon met DeBey, an early childhood education specialist who hailed from Iowa corn country. “I found it on my door one day after we first began dating,” says DeBey. “After I told him my father was a corn farmer.” The two realized they were made for each other and began to plan their life together. “He
Kanwit and DeBey bought their bare property in 1983 with a vison of creating a home and sculpture garden. Kanwit then built the home himself, harvesting stones from nearby rock walls and farmers’ fields. “He placed every stone himself by hand,” says DeBey. “Even the ones on the third floor—he climbed up with a ladder. We were just young and dumb then.”
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Hours: Monday–Saturday, 8am–5pm and Sunday, 10am–4pm
& Van Kleecks Lane, Kingston, NY (845) 338-4936 AugustineNursery.com Spring Hours: Monday–Saturday, 8am–5pm and Sunday, 10am–4pm
wanted to have a sculpture garden and I wanted to get my doctorate,” she says. They had their daughter, Ariana Kanwit, and began considering ways they could build a house, searching for the right piece of land to manifest Kanwit ’s vision. (That statue now sits under a tree in front of their house.)
Stone by Stone
They came across their sunny hillside in Spencertown one Thanksgiving while driving down the Taconic towards New York City. “ There was nothing on it at the time,” says DeBey. “ There weren’t any structures and not even a tree. You could drive right up it from the parkway. We thought what about this? We liked Columbia County and it seemed like the right place to begin building.” So they bought the 17 acre property in 1983 and, even though Kanwit hadn’t really built anything before, he began designing their home.
The original idea was to create a small two story guest house,” says DeBey. With the help of his close friend Kevin Todd, who was a Vermont builder, Kanwit built the original two story wooden structure with a kitchen on the first floor and a living room and bedroom above. That was the first year.
In year two, Kanwit began to add the structure’s stone walls by hand, using local stone from the property or nearby farms. “He collected rocks from the stone row walls farmers built years before,” says DeBey. “Or he’d go help them excavate rocks from their fields. Then he lifted every rock himself and mixed cement in a wheelbarrow.” That included the rocks for the eventual third story primary bedroom he added by carrying them one by one up a ladder.
As the years went on and the family evolved Kanwit continued to add to the structure, expanding the first floor to include a larger living room and octagonal dining area. When DeBey was writing her dissertation, Kanwit built her an office space at the back of the house, which they eventually modified into a bedroom with exterior access to accommodate visiting family.
At the same time Kanwit was fulfilling his dream of a sculpture garden—using the surrounding rolling hillside as a huge canvas to create large works. Built into the hillside, a basement-level studio has a separate entrance under the home’s front deck. Warmed with a
Mary DeBey in the living room. As the family grew, Kanwit added onto the home, building an expansive living room area, adding a woodstove and a wall of windows to capture a view of the sculpture garden and nearby mountains.
Bottom: The home’s original structure included the firstfloor kitchen with steps to a living area and bedroom above. “It’s really a wooden house with stone all around,” says DeBey. “Everyone called it the crazy house.” Kanwit picked out the door with stained glass cut-out (reflected in the mirror) complementing the home’s ornate design.
Top:
Kanwit designed the home’s garage to look like a castle with a carved Egyptian style relief on the doors. “He absolutely loved cars, any kind, but he was known for the large truck he used to move his statues,” says DeBey.
Below: Originally a study, the home’s first-floor bedroom was converted for family members to come and stay. Kanwit’s last carving, a sort of self-portrait, sits in the corner. It depicts the face of DeBey looking down on Kanwit, who is lying down at the bottom of the carving. “I think it meant that it was my job to look out and care for things now,” says DeBey.
Kanwit’s sculptures were heavily influenced by his love of mythology, especially the stories from Ancient Greece. The Greek influence can be seen throughout the property in both house and sculpture. Later in life he was able to travel quite a bit, visiting ancient lands including an extended trip to Greece.
wood stove in winter the studio has access to an adjacent patio in the summer months through large double doors.
“He created the smaller sculptures inside, but the larger ones were all created out on the patio,” says DeBey. “ The opening of the doors in the spring was like Easter or some high holy day—that ’s when Roy pulled out the pieces he had worked on in the winter, finished them on the patio and then placed them around the garden with his flatbed truck. “
Often starting with a smaller model of what he wanted to create, Kanwit chiseled smaller works from slabs of green, white or black marble usually sourced from Vermont. The larger pieces—such as the giant hollow head he called Gaea—were cast in cement with steel reinforcement. “ That one took him two summers to complete,” says DeBey, of the statue that is visible from the Taconic Parkway. Over 40 years, Kanwit filled the garden with mythic characters that
emerged from his imagination. The face of Dionysus, female figures seated regally or transforming into creatures, carved suns and spirals, an eye, and even Pi dot the garden canvas he created.
In a 2021 Rural Intelligence interview, Kanwit described his inspiration. “ I have always been drawn to the connection between earth and sky,” he explained. “ I like working with stone because it ’s part of the Earth and this is how people have been making sculptures about the topics since the beginning.”
While his sculpture garden has been temporarily closed since his death in October of 2023, DeBey and her daughter Ariana Kanwit plan to open it to the public again soon, as well as put into place a plan for sharing Kanwit ’s art in perpetuity. “ The one thing that is not negotiable for either of us is getting rid of this place,” says DeBey. “ This is home.”
Transformative Retreats
Wellness Centers Evolve to Meet Changing Needs
By Ryan Keegan
As the world continues to evolve, so too do the offerings at retreat centers. Since the pandemic, self-development workshops have seen a significant rise in popularity, with people seeking ways to relax, manage stress, and improve their overall well-being in an increasingly turbulent world. This shift is particularly evident in the Hudson Valley, where prominent centers like Omega, Menla, Mt. View Studio, and Kripalu have seen a surge in demand for specific types of programming. These centers are responding to the evolving needs of their participants with offerings that range from sound healing and Buddhist practices to mindfulness and outdoor activities.
At Mountain View Studio in Woodstock, there’s been a notable shift toward more passive workshops such as sound healing. The studio has come to offer a range of sound therapy sessions, including oneon-one sound healings led by Tibetan Tones sound practitioner Jennifer Muir. Using instruments like Himalayan bowls, tuning forks, and crystal chimes, Muir’s sessions are designed to soothe the nervous system, clear energetic blockages, and harmonize the body’s vibrations.
“One of the things [about sound healing] is that people can indulge themselves in a relaxing situation where they aren’t responsible for anything in particular,” says owner Tom Pignone. “They can just tune into their own feelings and what’s going on with them at the time. It can be quite revealing. In the wild, crazy world we live in, people seem to enjoy that kind of practice.”
Still, Mountain View continues to offer active activities such as African dance, Tai Chi, and Qi Gong, often bringing in outside experts for these experiences.
Situated in Phoenicia, the Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa has observed a growing interest in Buddhism and Shamanism, with retreats and workshops that cater to these spiritual practices. “Buddhism is practiced for daily life,” says managing director Lynn Schauwecker. “Even though there are a range of teachings, from basic to advanced, it’s about how to meet life and be in the here and now.”
Specifically, dark retreats—where participants meditate in complete darkness—and vajrayoga— an advanced form of yoga involving esoteric practices and meditations—are on the upswing. “People are flocking for answers,” says Schauwecker. “And I think anything that can calm the mind and nervous system is definitely of interest.”
Omega Institute in Rhinebeck has also seen a significant increase in interest in mindfulness and meditation, particularly in the postpandemic years. “With increased levels of stress and anxiety in the culture at large, people are turning to retreat centers like Omega to get back to basics, be in nature, eat healthy food, and slow down,” says Chrissa Santoro, Omega’s senior director of communications. This surge in interest has led Omega to expand its Rest and Rejuvenation offerings.
Additionally, there’s been a rise in online and virtual workshops. “People are now much more comfortable with technology like Zoom, so the willingness to participate in online offerings has really grown,” says Santoro. Omega now often livestreams events that take place on campus to an online audience. They also create workshops that are entirely online, including self-paced courses
and live events.
For example, the Wild Awakenings workshop (October 4-6), featuring bestselling author of Wild, Cheryl Strayed, will be offered both inperson and online. Similarly, the Meditation Party (October 11-13) will be available in-person and online. This popular event, led by Dan Harris, Jeff Warren, and Sebene Selassie from the Ten Percent Happier app, is returning for a second time this year and aims to make meditation both fun and accessible.
Located in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health attracts many visitors from the Hudson Valley—anyone who lives within a 45-mile radius can access a discounted day pass for $75 any Wednesday or Thursday. At Kripalu, along with offerings related to managing stress and anxiety, there has been a rise in programs focused on supporting relationships, including programming around grief and conscious communication.
Kripalu plans its programs well in advance, considering factors like astrology and politics. “Around the November election, we’ll have extra meditations at lunchtime because we know people will have heightened states of stress,” says CEO Robert Mulhall. “We’re starting to teach more programs about how to have real dialogues; a lot of people are struggling to have conversations with people they don’t agree with. We’re not talking to each other anymore and just separating.”
Kripalu also emphasizes outdoor programming, offering activities such as hiking, kayaking, yoga, and archery to help participants connect with nature and slow down.
A workshop at Retreat Week at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck.
would be thrilled to have you as part of our community. Come train with us.
The Hair Science Revolution
RHINEBECK'S ENCORE HAIR CENTER PIONEERS NEW TECHNOLOGIES
For men and women alike, hair loss is an alltoo-common issue that no one wants to talk too much about. AnneMichelle Radcliffe, a nationally renowned hair specialist, certified trichologist, and Emmy-winning stylist based in Rhinebeck, is on a mission to help people love their hair again and realize that hair loss is never a fate they have to accept in silence. “So many people don’t tell anyone else that they’re suffering with hair loss,” Radcliffe says. “They stop going out, they stop connecting with friends, and they feel intense isolation and stress, which actually stimulates a release of hormones that causes—you guessed it—more hair loss.”
After Radcliffe left showbiz to pursue the field of trichology (the study of scalp and hair issues), she founded her Rhinebeck business, Encore Hair Center. Her dedication to ongoing education and passion for the latest practices have put her at the forefront of the field, with only a few other specialists in the nation able to provide such a comprehensive approach to hair loss and restoration. “10 or 20 years ago there was hardly anything available for those looking for transformative hair loss solutions,” says Radcliffe. “The field has gained so much traction, but there are still probably only 500 certified trichologists worldwide.”
Encore offers a holistic approach to hair loss through nonsurgical hair restoration,
regenerative therapies, and comprehensive scalp and hair wellness.
Clients begin their journey at the center with a one-on-one consultation that Radcliffe calls “the hour to empower.” During this initial visit, clients will walk through their goals for restoration, their health and hair loss history, and other factors such as wellness, family, lifestyle, diet, and hair care. “Everybody’s hair loss is so unique to who they are, how they live their life, and their genetic makeup,” says Radcliffe. “Most men have male pattern hair loss by the time they’re in their 40s. Women’s hair loss issues are so complex, ranging from hormonal and menopausal changes, high stress, and maybe multiple types of hair loss at the same time.”
At the end of the consultation, each client receives a personalized treatment plan that combines an innovative spectrum of restorative and regenerative solutions, as well as preventive care and maintenance. For clients who want to go even deeper into the causes of their hair loss, Encore offers the TricoTest, an innovative assessment that provides a close-up look at the scalp and hair follicles as well as polarized light microscopy, a state-of-the-art tool that reveals damage, moisture levels, and the overall condition of a client’s hair.
The center is the only one in the area offering the state-of-the-art Alma TED, the latest technological advancement in nonsurgical hair restoration. The ultrasound therapy is quick,
painless, and effective without surgery or needles, working to regenerate hair and improve its appearance. “In as short an amount of time as two weeks, I’ve seen regrowth with the Alma TED machine,” says Radcliffe. “For hair regrowth that is an incredibly short amount of time. When clients come back for another session in a month, the results we see can be pretty amazing. Of course, individual results may vary.”
In addition to nonsurgical regenerative therapies, the center’s other industry-leading solutions include 3-D-printed custom hair systems that are undetectable and stay put even when swimming and showering, 3-D hair extensions, scalp micropigmentation, traditional wigs, and specially formulated trichological products that support healthy hair and scalp.
The center also offers ScalpSpa Therapy, which combines ozone steam therapy, pneumatic scalp massage, low-level laser therapy, and topicals to soothe and restore the scalp and enhance the overall health of hair—a wellness treatment Radcliffe says that anyone can benefit from.
“My goal is to take the fear out of hair loss by sharing my expertise and instilling hope and optimism,” Radcliffe says. “It is so rewarding to see clients’ confidence and self-esteem bounce back when they see results and love their hair again.”
Encorehaircenter.com
STONE WAVE
2694 US 44 55, Gardiner
2 LaGrange Avenue, Suite 206-207, Poughkeepsie (845) 419-5219 Stonewaveyoga.com
In the seven years since Stone Wave’s founding, the Gardiner and Poughkeepsie-based yoga and wellness collective has evolved into the Hudson Valley’s premier destination for comprehensive yoga education. “At Stone Wave we provide loving yoga instruction for all. We offer comprehensive teacher training programs, quality workshops, and retreats to help foster a deeper connection with yoga,” says Liz Glover Wilson, Stone Wave’s founder.
“Our instructors have diverse body types and backgrounds, and are dedicated to creating a space that is comforting, restorative, and accepting,” she says. As a result of the passion for education that Glover Wilson and her instructors bring, Stone Wave’s yoga teacher certifications have become the magnetic center of the studio’s offerings, with over 220 graduates of its programs from New York and surrounding states.
The certifications range from 200- and 300-hour yoga teacher training programs to deep dives on meditation and yogic self-cultivation, as well as yin, restorative, prenatal, and hot yoga. Training is offered both in-person at the Gardiner and Poughkeepsie locations as well as virtually. There’s even a studio apartment available for visitors to rent with scenic views of the Shawangunk ridge.
“I had the privilege of completing a 300-hour yoga teacher training at Stone Wave,” says yoga instructor Kelli Gilmore. “The experience was truly transformative, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to study there. Both studios are beautiful and the community Stone Wave serves is genuine and supportive.”
In addition to certification programs and daily yoga and meditation classes, Stone Wave also hosts international yoga retreats, and workshops and intensives on a variety of wellness topics, such as ayurveda, dance, writing, and more. Next spring, Stone Wave will be offering its India Yatra retreat March 8-22. Named in honor of the Sanskrit word for journey, the retreat will travel to three cities to provide a deep immersion in the cultural, spiritual, and restorative contexts of yoga in its birthplace.
comfort, dignity, and control, empowering patients and their loved ones to cherish each moment and make choices aligned with their own values.
Produced by Chronogram Media Branded Content Studio.
Photo by Lara Held Photography
Stone Wave founder Liz Glover Wilson (left) with Yoga Instructor Elitza Dempsey (right).
Destination Yoga
How to Choose the Perfect Getaway
By Mary Angeles Armstrong
Traveling to a yoga retreat can be a transformative experience. Not only is it a wonderful way to deepen yoga practice by forgoing everyday routines and completely committing to the retreat ’s daily rhythms, yoga can also be a great complement to travel. “It ’ s a way to have your cake and yoga too,” explains Linda Winnick, the owner of Shakti Yoga in Woodstock. Winnick, who has led retreats all over the world for 20 years, is returning with students to Tuscany this fall. “Participants wake up in the morning and do yoga in beautiful, exotic locations and end their day doing the same, but in-between there are often excursions, food and wine, or some other way to invite the setting in. It ’s a great way to immerse yourself in a new culture. “
However, yoga retreats vary widely in their offerings and structure. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes to pull the whole event off and keep participants healthy, safe, and happy. Knowing what to look for can help participants make a choice that suits their needs and get the most from the transformative experience. “ When a retreat is well executed there’s a feeling of being held in place with all your needs being cared for,” says Maggie Heinzel-Neel of Vitality Yoga in New Paltz. “It ’s a way you can dive fully into the philosophy of yoga and absorb the effects of the practice on the body, mind, and spirit.” HeinzelNeel is leading a workshop in 2025 to Costa Rica and believes the investment of traveling, time spent choosing the right retreat and financial costs can be worth it. “ There’s a transformative effect that often happens on a yoga retreat,” she says.
Connect with the Teacher
Knowing who is leading a retreat and ensuring that you mesh with their teaching style is paramount to a successful experience. “ The biggest factor in any retreat is the teacher,” says Heinzel-Neel. “ You can go to an incredible place with top-notch everything, but if the teacher ’s style is annoying or you don’t connect with them it will ruin the retreat.” It’s best to take a class with the retreat leader before you go, but if that ’s not possible, research as much as possible online and get recommendations before you commit.
Research the Organizers
“Retreats have to be planned with much attention to detail, quality of lodging, food, location, safety, excursions, weather and even language,” says Winnick, who works with an experienced organizer on the ground to ensure all travel details go smoothly. Those organizers should be experienced with the specific retreat location to help deal with inevitable surprises. Once their organizational bona fides are established, ensure what ’s included is clear before signing up. Which meals are included, transfers from transportation hubs, excursions, and other expectations should all be explicit. “ You should also find out who will be dealing with issues that arise when there, for example a concierge service,” says Winnick.
Clear Intentions
Liz Glover-Wilson, founder of Stone Wave Yoga in Gardiner, suggests that students examine
their own intentions for going on a retreat.
“Are you going for a contemplative feel? Is location important? What needs to happen to make the cost worth it for you?” asks GloverWilson. “ There can be plenty of surprises if your expectations are not clear. It ’s important to understand what ’s essential to you.” GloverWilson, who is leading a yoga retreat in India in March of 2025, suggests students make sure potential retreat leaders ask for participant intentions and make sure those intentions match the retreat intentions. “ Leaders should take the time to meet you, ask questions, and learn,” she says. “ If they don’t make time for you then perhaps it ’s not a fit. “
Go with the Flow
It ’s essential to open up to the retreat experience and plan to let go of outside distractions while there. “ Have an open mind and don’t have to work while there,” says Heinzel-Neel. Instead, make time to connect with the practice, place, and the fellow students. “Going on a yoga retreat means connecting with people and yourself in a way you don’t often (or ever) have the opportunity to,” says Glover-Wilson. Winnick agrees. “A retreat is a great way to experience both yoga and travel with likeminded people,” she says. And when things go wrong, as is inevitable while traveling, go with the flow. “ It ’s a great reminder that we ’ re not always in control of everything,” explains Winnick. “ Dealing with that reality is one reason we do yoga. “
Vitality Yoga retreat at Playa Grande, Guancaste, Costa Rica in 2019.
Mountain View Studio was built in 1987 by David Bagoon and was managed as a dance and martial school by Marilyn St. John until it was purchased in 2001 by Tom Pignone. For the last 23 years, the studio has continued the founders’ goal to provide Woodstock with a healthy and inspiring atmosphere through programming that enhances individual life within the community.
“We are here to support the health and welfare of the community with sound physical classes as well as healing art forms,” says Pignone.
With an emphasis on physical movement, the studio’s diverse calendar of weekly classes pull from a variety of global traditions. Students can drop in for sessions on African dance and drumming, American-style boxing, fitness, hip hop, Kung Fu, T’ai Chi, Yoga, Chi Gung, as well as a variety of other special workshops and events such as Edie’s Fairytale Theatre for kids. A newly built therapy studio, Yutori (the Japanese concept of intentionally slowing down to simply be, breathe, listen and appreciate the beauty of nature and life), is now home to the studio’s healing classes, including massage therapy, sound therapy, reiki, and is also available for any holistic wellness practitioner to rent.
Centrally located in a serene setting in the heart of the village, the 1,500-square-foot, light-filled central studio is also a favorite spot for residents to rent for classes and private events of their own. Over the years, the space has been upgraded with green energy updates, as well as a high-end theater projector, large-format screen, and overhead theater lighting that can be used for everything from film screenings to community performances, family events, kids’ parties, and more.
From Hippies to Hipsters
By Anne Pyburn Craig Photos by David McIntyre
Village
Opposite, top: Woodstock resident Anthony Bonan on the Village Green on July 13. “I’ve never done anything like this before,” he says. “I woke up and thought I have to do something. My family helped me paint the sign.”
Opposite, bottom: A swimming hole near Woodstock. We're not allowed to tell you exactly where it is.
In 1970, a steady stream of pilgrims with little more than the clothes on their backs kept arriving in this town 60 miles northeast of the festival site, wondering where the party was, straining the patience of some in what was, in its own right, already a cultural mecca of sorts. “The town was inundated with young people looking for Bob Dylan and the Woodstock Nation,” remembers Michael Berg, executive director of the social services organization Family of Woodstock. “It was pretty strange, actually. It went on for several years.”
Some places would have responded with handcuffs. Not Woodstock, which has been hosting artists since the earliest days of the 20th century. “There was a very conservative element, but there were a lot of people who were all about peace and love, energetic, and committed to greeting people differently,” says Berg, who was 25 at the time and had moved from New York City to help his sculptor brother found a factory. “We didn’t want a police response.”
Local resident Gail Varsi put her own peace on the line during a town meeting. “She said, ‘If there’s a problem in town, just call me—679-2485,’” Berg recalls. “When she had to go out, she’d call a friend to come over and cover the phone.” Thus was born what, as far as anyone can tell, is the oldest existing emergency hotline in the United States. To this day, one can call that number 24 hours a day and reach a friendly voice eager to help solve whatever the problem might be. What happened next was cobbled together from good will and the art of the possible, but the guiding philosophy is as unchanged as the phone number. “We decided we wanted to create a safe space where people could find help, so we talked about what that would look like,” Berg recalls. “We adopted three principles: greet everyone with respect, don’t tell them what to do, and don’t burden them with our judgment. Services were rudimentary. We were taking people into our homes. Then in 1973, the government stepped in and told us that was illegal. We called the churches, we
Woodstock
The
Green is at the intersection of all that happens in town.
called everyone we could think of—we had no resources, but we knew we were going to help those people.” That shared impulse would become Family of Woodstock, offering a comprehensive array of services to thousands of people a year.
Social Sculpture
Fifty-five years later, the question still arises: “What visitors want to know—well, some of them still want directions to the festival site,” says Rachel Marco-Havens, whose father, Richie Havens, kicked off that famous gathering with a soul-tingling rendition of “Freedom.”
“But then they want to know, where do I find the arts, the creatives? Where’s the music?,” she says.
It’s no accident that Marco-Havens is fielding these questions; she and lifelong friend Shala LangMoll, daughter of festival creator Michael Lang, are copresidents of the re-envisioned Woodstock Chamber of Commerce and Arts. And it’s not as though she doesn’t have answers to offer. There were answers even before 1969, with the Byrdcliffe Colony and Maverick Arts Colony—scandalous in their own right at the beginning—already over half a century old.
“So the festival was the center point of a 110-year arc for this arts colony we live in,” says Marco-Havens. “I love this town; I was born here three days after the festival and raised here by incredible women, and I’m sorry to say it, but this town is becoming a shell of itself.” Looking for space to host a collective arts shop, MarcoHavens and Lang-Moll were provided a building and asked to take the Chamber’s reins; they’re striving to build an organization that will work for all.
With a median home listing price of $750,000 and retail space leasing for $32 a square foot, Woodstock is not a place where young strugglers find an easy foothold. Musician Paul McMahon, founder of the Woodstock Mothership, which he likes to describe as a “spiritual social sculpture in progress,” says iconic poet/ comic Mikhail Horowitz came up with “Welcome to Woodstock: Old Age Home for the New Age” in the late 1990s. Regardless, there are still plenty of people trying to keep the vibe strong, reaching back—as Marco-Havens does—to the still-electric current of Eastern, indigenous, and psychedelic spiritual traditions that sparked the hippie movement before the festival was ever imagined.
Nicole Goldberg, executive director of the Woodstock Artists Association and Museum in the gallery on Tinker Street.
Eric Squindo performing at Colony's backyard stage during a Woody Guthrie tribute show.
Miguel and Isabel Alarcon recently opened Allison Restaurant in the former Joshua's space on Tinker Street.
Opposite, top: Family of Woodstock hotline staff and volunteers.
Opposite, bottom: Inside the Woodstock Playhouse: Diane Stein, president, is flanked by executive directors Douglas Farrell (left) and Randi Conti (right) and performers, musicians, board members, and front-of-house and technical staff.
WEDDINGS
ANATOLIA
RUGS
In Jogger John's Footsteps
The Woodstock Mothership is one of several locations that will be hosting the town’s second annual Awakening Festival from August 7-9; organizers Sam Truitt and Michael Raphael of the Center for Awakening hope to offer something open-hearted and accessible. Poet and artist (and longtime Chronogram contributor) Sparrow will occupy the Village Green for the bulk of the weekend, “holding the anchor,” Truitt says, to welcome festival guests and offer information as needed, although the idea of having him stay there for 72 straight hours has proven impractical. Plans include ceremonies, workshops, talks, and readings; there will be dawn and dusk meditation sessions and a gathering at the Bearsville Theater compound on Saturday, with a healing garden market, Thich Nhat Hanh-inspired “walking meditations,” awareness activities for kids, and six hours of music, followed by a Books and Poetry Garden Party at Shivastan Poetry Ashram, next door to the Mothership.
The festival will welcome some big names such as Tibet House cofounder Robert Thurman and
musician Krishna Das, but its core inspiration is local legend “Jogger John” Synan, famed for tidying the town’s streets and for his warmhearted, unconventional wisdom, who died in 2022. “He was carrying the moral and aspirational jewels of the community, and his passing left a big void,” says Truitt. “We aspire to fill that void and expand it with pan-spiritual celebrations, serving the community and making awareness techniques more accessible to those who might not have $30 to drop on a yoga class.”
Change of Direction
Over at the Bearsville Theater, reimagined since the pandemic by owner Lizzie Van and managed by Bowery Ballroom veteran Frank Bango, musicians enjoy a state-of-the-art experience designed with their comfort in mind, true to the original vision of originator and legendary producer Albert Grossman. “There’s a particular flavor associated with Woodstock and we’re happy to support that, but we want it to be a place where younger musicians can come and help define their futures and the future of music,” says Bango.
“There’s a whole world of working-class players; we want to give them all the tools, the world-class sound and lighting, to perform at their absolute best.” Recent shows that indicate a change of artistic direction include performances by Billy Bragg, the Mountain Goats, and a comedy showcase featuring Chris Gethard and Eddie Pepitone.
Melissa Gibson grew up snowboarding at Belleayre Mountain and moved north from Long Island with her family in 2010. “This area is exactly what we wanted: natural resources, splendid people, and business opportunities,” she says. “As an entrepreneur I’ve always focused on localism and sustainability.” In 2014, when Graves’ Disease showed up alongside her preexisting Lyme, celiac, and menopausal concerns, she turned to CBD and resolved all of it. In 2016, she founded Hemp & Humanity and since then has been educating and advocating for cannabis. In 2020, she opened a brick-and-mortar outpost at 17 Tinker Street, stocking hemp products from over 40 womenowned makers. “We wanted to offer the chance for smaller businesses to get their products in front of the tourist market here,” she says. “Everything
DayGlo Presents recently took over management of the Bearsville Theater. The new team is helmed by Frank Bango, Max Siegel, and Mike Campbell.
A street scene in downtown Woodstock.
A pedicab driver seeking a fare on Tinker Street.
is highly curated. I’ve worked with thousands of folks to help them find the right formula and protocol for their needs, operating in the space between medical and adult-use recreational, and we’ve become the go-to resource for people wanting to learn about the plant.”
In June, she received the news that the state had licensed her to open Woodstock’s first adult-use dispensary—and then found out that town supervisor Bill McKenna had an issue with that happening at her Tinker Street location, which is within 200 feet of a church.
“Our current location meets every New York State requirement, but we’ve agreed to work with the town and find a solution that satisfies everyone,” she says. “We’ll honor the spirit of the town and lift up other local businesses and artists, at the very least, we’ll create an appetite for local munchies.”
Town Supervisor Bill McKenna says he welcomes Gibson’s endeavors but had thought that state regulations covered proximity to a house of worship, and says he’s working with her to help adjust her state license to a new location that should satisfy everyone. (The Woodstock Reformed Church is neutral on the matter.)
Meanwhile, McKenna’s wrestling with the ongoing issue of housing affordability. “We need places for our artists and young people, for servers and caregivers, to live,” he says. “We’re working on zoning amendments, on a possible tax on home sales over the median cost, and on facilitating the creation of accessory-dwelling units.”
He’s proud of having worked with housing nonprofit RUPCO to create an affordable complex that opened in 2013 and now serves as a model of what can be done, despite much local opposition at the time. “One year of my support of that project cost me an election. Two years later I was re-elected and helped see it through,” he says. “This is a town full of smart people with strong opinions, and that always leads to spirited discussion.”
Double Rainbow
At the 104-year-old Woodstock Artists Association and Museum, executive director Nicole Goldberg works to extend the nonprofit’s commitment to underserved communities; opening its galleries and services to reach a 50-mile radius and partnering with Mi’kmaq descendant and professor Evan Pritchard for a 2022 exhibit, “Restoring Indigenous Voices: Landscapes from the Permanent Collection,” which juxtaposed landscapes with narratives explaining the indigenous history of each location. “It was eye-opening and mesmerizing,” she says. “I think we’re developing a balanced institution here, and that’s crucial. This is an arts town, and I don’t think that will ever change.”
Woodstock’s first officially sanctioned Pride march happened on June 9, with several hundred people participating. As the parade was about to step off, the library—which had hosted
a successful drag queen story hour the day before—received an emailed bomb threat with the subject line “We will kill you.” Marchers waited under cloudy skies as the police swept the building and found nothing, then set off from the Comeau property.
“Just as we turned the corner onto Tinker Street, the sun came out,” recalls co-organizer Meghan Ghiroli, “as if the heavens were with us, and we were greeted by a sea of faces cheering us on. The energy, the joy—it was unforgettable.”
Later that day, as thousands of folks—including honorees with memories of the original Stonewall
Riot—mingled at an exuberant afterparty at Colony, a vivid double rainbow graced the skies.
“None of us are trying to get up on a pedestal,” says Marco-Havens. “We just want Black and brown people to feel safer. We want artists and creatives to know they have a place in this community and a voice. Well, they do now—the Chamber’s here, and we’re organized to advocate.”
“Somebody told me indigenous folks saw this as a place to come do rituals, not a place to live,” says McMahon. “The thinking, supposedly, was that people who actually lived here would go crazy. The jury may still be out on that.”
The newly reconstituted board of the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce: Front row: Teressa DelCampo, Copresident Shala Lang-Moll, Noel Christjohn Benson, Bianca Gallagher, and Poppy Jones.
Back row: Pieta Williams, LuAnn Bielawa, Tamika Dunkley, Copresident Rachel MarcoHavens, Crystle Malliet, and Anita Otey.
Woodstock
Pop-Up Portraits by
David McIntyre
Our pop-up portrait shoot on the Village Green in Woodstock on July 1 featured our biggest turnout to date. Woodstock, we love your eccentric and magical inhabitants! Thanks to Supervisor Bill McKenna for making the arrangements for setting up on the Village Green.
Join us for the August issue launch party on August 1 at Colony, 22 Rock City Road in Woodstock, from 5:30 to 7:30pm.
Opposite, top row: Avinash Jeff Barnes, Woodstock Center of Awakening; Colleen Shee, retired; Andrew and Somer Bromwell, Woodstockers; Alex Irving, fitness trainer and Jillian Holen, Americorps service member; Britt St. John, board member for Woodstock Appreciates its Volunteers; Anita Otey, Woodstock Mid-Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union.
Bottom row: Harmony Limoggio, musician and bartender; Ashley Hughes, executive director at Woodstock Day
School; Caitlin Hoban and Kevin Haines, Town of Woodstock Police Department; Andy Animal, owner of Tinker Street Cinema; Amanda Shea, consultant, with Neve and Lily Shea; Anula Courtis, Woodstock Town Board.
This page, top row: Janine and John Mower, Mowers Flea Market; Jax Denise, massage therapist; Jeff Place, advisory board member, Historical Society of Woodstock; Joan Apter, owner of Apter Aromatherapy; Karen Whitman, owner of Woodstockwhimsicals.com, with
Rick Pantell, artist and songwriter; Kate Mitchell, executive director at Opus 40.
Middle row: Keisha Hoerrner, communication and outreach manager for Woodstock Land Conservancy; Ken Wenger, president of the Woodstock Symphony Orchestra board; Woodstock Pride organizers Erica Bliss, Aileen Morgan, and Megan Ghiroli; Kimber Truitt, yoga instructor; Kris Garnier, owner of Go Flower Go and Chris Andersen, owner of Nevessa Production Woodstock; Corinne Gervai, founder of Euphoria
Yoga Woodstock and real estate agent at Coldwell Banker Realty.
Bottom row: Laura Wood, Dancing Lady Laura; The Great Brits Realty Team at Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty: Laura Warren and Vicki Stent; Linda Winnick, yoga teacher at Shakti Yoga; Lisa Samuels, owner of Wisdomeye Clothing; Linda Diamond, artistic director and choreographer at Woodstock Diamond Sokolow Dance Theater; Henry T. Ford, Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty and Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild.
occupational
Lydia Stover, manager at
Spa and Linda Dubilier, owner of Woodstock Spa; Michael Esposito, musician-artistarchitect; Magdalena Kozak, accountant and Kalina Kozak, e-commerce account manager; Urana Kinlen, volunteer and media manager.
row: Raymond Morris, free; Meira Blaustein, executive director of the Woodstock Film Festival; Maverick Concerts crew: Elizabeth Ann Cline, web and graphic designer, Alexander Platt, music director, and LuAnn Bielawa, director of operations; Yitan/Nigel Xie, Bard College student; Mindy Fradkin aka Princess Wow, comedy performer.
Top row: Denise Loheac,
therapist, with Sumalee Lacassagne; Majic Juan, bartender;
Woodstock
Middle
Bottom row: Adam Dorrian, marketing at Sunflower Market; Violet Glez, volunteer; Kieran Bell, teacher; Peter Koch, retired; Zoe Melissa Hirsch, real estate broker at Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty.
Top row:
Phillip Levine, poetry editor at Chronogram; Seth Schiesel, communications; Nina Doyle, executive director at Woodstock School of Art; Paul McMahon, Festival of Awakening and Mothership; Cris Morgan, stylist; Sparrow, Woodstock Center for Awakening; Siobhan Scanlan, real estate agent.
Middle row: Michael Mulvey, musician; Mike Dubois, Happylife Productions; Mary Ann Place; Michael Raphael, Woodstock Festival of Awakening; Nicole Friedman, GlampStar; Tom Zatar Kay, vegan artist; Rennie Cantine, Woodstock Sculpture Exhibition;
Bottom row: Sam Truitt, Woodstock Center for Awakening; Michaela Weitzer, events and education manager at Murray’s Cheese; Tom Pignone and Cathy McNamara of Mountainview Studio.
Top row: Denise Parent, musician; Craig Mawhirt, archivist; David Tolchin, lawyer; Sasha Zinshtein and Sylvana Kiss, Casa Ziki owners, with Misha Zinshtein; Dorothea Marcus, artist and realtor; Doug Milford, writer and photographer; Holly Scanlan, Happylife Productions.
Middle row: Evan Glenn Adams, sound healing practitioner at Holistic Life Navigation; Golden Notebook Bookstore crew: Luis Rueda, James Conrad, Gaela Pearson, Jackie Kellachan, and Gretchen Primack; Tania Faulkner, Marc Baumslag, and Kim Rice Bickel of Woodstock Infusions; Maria Isabel Peraza of Alison’s Restaurant with Allison Alarcon and Sophia Peraza; Ellen Eder, Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty.
Bottom row: Erin Moran, town volunteer, with Jackson; Howard Cohen, Woodstock Complete Streets Committee; Historical Society of Woodstock crew: Janine Mower, Lewis Arlt, Deborah Heppner, Richard Heppner, Olivia Twine, Kathy Crost, Rachel Jackson; Brad Will, architect and principal, Ashokan Architecture & Planning.
Route 28 Road Trip
The southernmost leg of Route 28 winds through northwest Ulster and southeast Delaware counties, offering travelers sweeping views of the Catskills’ highest peaks and easy stops along a string of historic communities defined by their intrepid mountain spirit.
Overlooking the Esopus Creek and one of the region’s most magnificent peaks, Mount Tremper, the Emerson Resort & Spa provides a memorable respite from the demands of the outside world, providing guests with comfort, relaxation, and reconnection with nature and each other. The resort brings the Catskills inside with stunning views, open spaces, and an earthy color palate. Featuring spacious accommodations in the contemporary Inn and Adirondack-style Lodge, Emerson guests also enjoy the fullservice, nature-inspired Emerson Spa, The Shops at Emerson, and the World’s Largest Kaleidoscope. Seasonal activities are plentiful and include cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, and biking. Urban pursuits are satisfied by exploring the nearby towns of Woodstock, Phoenicia, and Saugerties. On-property guided nature walks and nature-themed workshops reflect a deep connection and appreciation for the history and stewardship of the Catskills. Find contemporary cuisine, with unforgettable flavors that hone in on the local spirit, at the Emerson’s signature restaurant, the Catamount. Beloved for its rustic elegance and striking views of the Esopus Creek, enjoy unique dishes, family favorites, and signature cocktails. No need for an overnight reservation–the Emerson is a welcoming day guest stop for travelers exploring Route 28, the famed Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway. Come in for shopping, a bite to eat, or for an electric vehicle charge. Dogs are welcome and will enjoy a run in the Emerson Dog Park, a 60-foot-wide by 100-foot-long fenced-in haven for furry best friends.
Menla is a hidden oasis set in a secluded valley beside an enchanting stream in the heart of the Catskill Mountains. It features spiritual and wellness retreats as well as exclusive getaways. Visitors can immerse themselves in the magic of pristine mountain forests, explore hiking trails, encounter wildlife, and discover a rich tapestry of wellness experiences and activities.
Dewa, Menla’s world-class healing spa, offers 8,000+ square feet of bliss. It provides a wide range of Eastern and Western spa treatments, including the Tibetan KuNye massage, personalized well-being massages, Ayurveda, acupuncture, herbal baths, energy healing, customized facials, sound therapy, IV therapy treatments, and cuttingedge oxygen wellness treatments. Enjoy saunas and steam rooms to stimulate and detoxify the system.
Whether visiting for a few hours, a day, or a weekend getaway, Dewa’s selection of treatments and packages leave guests feeling renewed, relaxed, and recharged. Choose from group packages, signature packages that include lunch or dinner, day passes, or design a completely custom experience.
Peekamoose Restaurant & Tap Room
8373 State Route 28, Big Indian (845) 254-6500 Peekamooserestaurant.com
Pioneers of the farm-to-table movement, The Peekamoose Restaurant’s menu changes daily with the seasonal bounty, reflecting the close relationships that the Mills have established with local farmers. Chef Devin Mills grew up in the Catskills and spent his formative years working for some of the top eateries in Manhattan. Nightly bonfires, imaginative cocktails, and locally sourced farmhouse cuisine make this spot a must-visit. Peekamoose is celebrating their 20th year of being a Catskills destination.
1053 Gallery
1053 Main Street, Fleischmanns (845) 254-3461 1053gallery.com
1053 Gallery joined the contemporary Upstate New York art scene in 2021, representing the multidisciplinary work of emerging and midcareer artists. Owners and local residents, Mark and Maritza Birman, opened the little and airy space with the intention of bridging the gap between the rural and the cosmopolitan. In addition to its exhibitions, the gallery also invites regular community engagement and internationa appeal through live events and performances.
Directed by artist Monte Wilson and co-curated with writer Lindsay Comstock, the gallery has shown work by artists including Michael McGrath and Ken Hiratsuka (on view August 10 through September 22), Dave Ortiz, Loie Hollowell, Dan Colen, Sharon Horvath, Susie Bellamy, Kate Quarfordt, Lisbeth Firmin, Christie Scheele, Amy Masters, Deborah Freedman, Janice La Motta, Caroll Taveras, and Jessica Eaton, among others, with guest curations by Ryan Steadman, Haley Mellin, Javier Magri, and Carol McCranie, and appearances by acts including The Resistance Revival Chorus.
Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce
and Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway
Centralcatskills.com
Located less than two hours North of New York City, the 52-mile Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway primarily follows New York State Route 28. The Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway connects the hamlets of Phoenicia, Shokan, and Pine Hill, the villages of Fleischmanns and Margaretville, and the towns of Olive, Shandaken, Middletown, and Andes all within Ulster and Delaware Counties. Wind through the Catskill Mountains on the Scenic Byway, embarking on a journey through historical, scenic, and charming hamlets and villages—each unique with something special to offer. Get ready to discover why the Catskills always feel like home!
Local Goods
Beer
+ Grocer
3998 Route 28, Boiceville
Localgoodcatskills.com
A community craft beer store and grocer showcasing the best local beer, cider, bread, milk, cheese, and other tasty provisions from the Catskills and Hudson Valley. Check out their Instagram (@localgoodscatskills) for monthly beer tastings hosted by local breweries and pop-up events. Open Thursday through Sunday, 10am to 6pm.
Phoenicia
Farmers Market
Phoeniciafarmersmarket.com
Local farms, artisanal producers, live music, freshly prepared foods, picnic areas, free activities, and a hiking trail. Sundays, year-round in Shandaken. Outdoors at Phoenicia’s Parish Field (May–October). Indoors at Pine Hill Community Center (November–April). Visit the website for weekly details and vendor information.
The Leeway
5191 NY-28, Mount Tremper (845) 420-3600 The-leeway.com
Much of the allure of a Catskill Mountain getaway is the ability to take advantage of the region’s rugged landscape to the fullest. Conveniently located on scenic Route 28 in Mount Tremper, The Leeway offers wanderlusting travelers the best of the Catskills’ wild majesty in a cozy, village-style setting with amenities that make an upstate vacation achievable for practically anyone.
The Graham & Co.
80 Route 214 Phoenicia (845) 688-7871
Thegrahamandco.com
A modern take on the classic weekend getaway, inspired by the heritage of the Catskills. With unpretentious but thoughtful details, they offer over three acres of activities including a swimming pool, hammocks, a badminton court, multiple fire pits, picnic areas, bikes to explore on, and plenty of places to relax. The perfect place to stay through all four seasons.
The Leeway’s nine rooms are stylishly furnished with elegant minimalist future, rustic accents, and natural textiles that recall the Catskills’ mid-century tourism heyday. The outdoor environs are equally impressive, with guests likely to catch glimpses of bald eagles soaring or black bears sauntering by.
Seven of the property’s rooms also offer full kitchens, making it even easier to hide away while spending days enjoying the property’s breathtaking mountain views and private swimming and fishing access to the storied Esopus Creek. Guests can try their hand at reeling in a trout, then grill up the freshest dinner around on the property’s barbecues.
Craving a day of hiking or shopping, or a meal away? The Leeway is minutes from a variety of local trails, as well as the charming villages of Phoenicia and Woodstock, where quirky independent shops and farm-totable dining reign supreme.
Catskill
Mountain Club
Catskillmountainclub.org
CMC is dedicated to preserving and enhancing the natural wonders of this magnificent region while providing unforgettable experiences for all who visit. Discover familyfriendly trails, take one of their hiking challenges, see the listing of events, and mark the calendar for the Lark in the Park, October 5-14.
Produced by Chronogram Media Branded Content Studio. Photos by OMFGCO.
May
I Am a Part of Art”
rural intelligence
Iremember a few years back sitting down at a dinner party and telling the gathered that I’d just been lucky enough to meet the quintessential Berkshires celebrity. “You met Arlo!,” several folks excitedly chimed in. I told them that no, it wasn’t Arlo. I was then asked if I’d met James Taylor. “Um, no,” I confessed. “Not James Taylor.”
Blank looks all around.
“Yo-Yo Ma,” I said. “I just met Yo-Yo Ma at Guido’s. Nice guy!”
Oh well, the chorus chimed in, nice guy Yo-Yo might be, but Arlo Guthrie is the quintessential Berkshires celebrity.
Chastened at the time for my misapprehension of the Berkshire celebrity pantheon, I nevertheless was recently delighted to be definitively corrected by “Arlo Guthrie: Native Son,” now on view at the Guthrie Center in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, through May 2025. Curated by Arlo’s daughter Annie Guthrie, the exhibit is actually the first step in her vision to create a more extensive installation of memorabilia celebrating generations of the Guthries’ achievements as the first family of American folk music. Annie (herself a songwriter and performer) was Arlo’s road manager for decades, handling booking, travel arrangements, and other sundry and complex touring logistics. But with her father’s performing career now at an end, Annie has started to explore and catalogue the Arlo Guthrie Family Archive, now stored among three houses and a storage unit.
“I didn’t mean to become an expert on my father,” says Annie, “but I guess I’ve become
one.” She grew up on the road with her three siblings and as the young Guthries matured, they became part of the act. The charm of “Native Son” is the warm family feeling it evokes—and when you visit, it’s not impossible that you’ll encounter family members working to refurbish the building, the same former church where the two Thanksgiving dinners that couldn’t be beat immortalized in the song “Alice’s Restaurant” were served. There is also some cool memorabilia—props and stills of Arlo and Officer Obie—from the film version on view.
Certainly, there are artifacts that will give a charge to music fans—such as Arlo’s T-shirt and a bandmate’s ticket from the 1969 Woodstock festival. And anyone whose Thanksgiving would not be complete without listening to “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” will be thrilled to see not only an officer’s uniform donated by the Stockbridge Police Department, but also one of the 8x10 glossy pictures of the actual garbage Arlo and his pal tossed to the bottom of the 15-foot cliff.
But what moved me the most were the intimate family treasures Annie Guthrie has shared. Her grandfather Woody was described in a 2019 NPR interview with Arlo’s sister Nora as “a deeply curious wanderer, who would go out for a pack of cigarettes and not come home for a week or two”—a characterization that does not exactly scream out “family man.” But in the “Native Son” exhibit, you can see an art booklet with a sweet notice hand-drawn by Woody announcing a birth on July 10, 1947. Next to it is a heartbreaking
First Family of Folk
“Arlo Guthrie: Native Son” at the Guthrie Center
By Albert Stern
1954 note from Arlo to his father, who was already hospitalized with Huntington’s Disease. “Dear Woody,” it says, in part. “How are you. I can not come in the word [sic] with you. Love and kisses, Arlo.” Next to his message is Arlo’s selfportrait of himself in tears.
“Native Son” also offers glimpses of a certain Guthrie family moxie that also seems to have endured over time. On view is a bar mitzvah message to Arlo from his maternal grandmother, the noted Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt— number five on the list instructs the young man to “do whatever possible today. You don’t know what tomorrow will bring.”
Overall, “Native Son” is a charming exhibit, whether or not you’re a folky or an Arlophile. But I actually did get the chance to meet Arlo a few years back. He and I were standing together in a long line waiting for our prescriptions to be filled at the Walgreen’s on Elm Street in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, an experience that feels like nothing so much as sitting on the Group W bench at the draft board building down on Whitehall Street in New York City. We talked about Thanksgiving and how I also make it a point to listen to his fall-of-the-Berlin Wallthemed “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” story, and how, yes, the Metric system remains a scourge the world has yet to fully overcome (check out his 1987 performance of Pete Seeger’s “The Garden Song” if you don’t know what I’m talking about—you won’t be sorry).
What can I tell you? The quintessential Berkshire celebrity—nice guy!
Arlo Guthrie, quintessential Berkshires celebrity
Blueberry Karma Clear (Independent)
Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Gwen Snyder formed the music collective Blueberry in 1999 as a vehicle to present her original songs. Along the way, she lent backup vocals to the likes of Soul Asylum’s Dave Pirner, jazz great Don Byron, 1980s new wavers Tears for Fears, Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, Brand New Heavies singer N’Dea Davenport, and David Bowie bassist Gail Ann Dorsey, among others. Now firmly ensconced in the Hudson Valley in the town of Saugerties, where she lives with her husband, coproducer Kenny Siegal, who recorded the album at his Old Soul Studios in Catskill, Snyder channels all those influences and more into her highly personal style of psychedelic soul.
Her floating, echoey, intimate vocals, sometimes multi-tracked and subtly electronically manipulated, lend an ethereal effect to Blueberry’s jazz-fusion vamps on keyboards, wind instruments, horns, and stinging guitars, all propelled along by a heavy rhythm section that emphasizes the funk. Snyder calls her music “faerie funk,” and Blueberry’s arrangements emphasize her voice, not only to provide meaning but as the lead instrument in the multitextured ensemble. The result sometimes sounds like Laura Nyro fronting the legendary Hudson Valley-born group Steely Dan. “Lover’s Etiquette” opens with a groove and guitar riff that recalls Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” As heard on Karma Clear, none of the musical lines and phrases are filler—everything sounds well thought out and arranged for maximum emotional impact.
Seth Rogovoy
Grampfather Laugh Lines (Independent)
The seventh album from Kingston-based band Grampfather is as literary as it is thrashing. Maybe it’s lead singer James Kwapisz’s elevated verse, but the way Laugh Lines unfolds makes you feel like you’re tuning into an epic poem, plumbing the darkness of doubt, and facing off against a defiant optimism. The opener, “Rot in Bliss,” despite its gory title, is as tenderhearted as it is headbang-able. For all its spiky guitar, the sound of the band is rounded and warm. The instrumentality is hard driving yet elegant, marrying indie rock with a psychedelic grunginess, replete with arranged melodies and syncopations that connect satisfyingly with Kwapisz’s lilting singing. The album revs the throttle on “Dredging,” a churning, moshable number that is all things sludge in title, sound, and metaphor. “Someday, When It’s Over, You’ll Fly Every Morning,” introduces a synth-wave sway, but still finds space for searing guitar solos. Don’t get too comfortable in the title track’s dreamy, bedroom-y sounds, because its weighty lyrics are delivered with a confrontational intensity that will disarm you.
The prolific Morgan Y. Evans (and friends) are back with another eclectic entry to an already expansive Walking Bombs catalogue. A fixture of the Hudson Valley alternative music scene over several decades, Evans (an occasional Chronogram contributor) is currently based in California. This album was recorded in Rhinebeck at collaborator and multi-instrumentalist Ash Umhey’s Orange Sound studio. The project’s aesthetic is a melange of styles, encompassing punk, classic rock, noise, and psychedelic textures, while the songs themes deftly mix the political and personal; inner spiritual resilience prevailing over the slings and arrows of an often-callous world. The title track is a searing protest song, intimately detailing the collateral damage of a society gone off the rails. A talented roster of collaborators assisted in the studio and remotely from across the globe. These heartfelt and musically ambitious tracks are a musical ballast to the unsettling zeitgeist that is 2024.
—Jeremy Schwartz
SOUND CHECK | Jess Clark
Each month we visit with a member of the community to find out what music they’ve been digging.
Reyna Tropical’s Malegría is one of my favorite records of 2024, on the great Psychic Hotline label. Released in March, it’s a fresh mix of traditional Latin American and African rhythms that helped me out of my winter thaw, guided me into the welcoming of spring, and is now one of my favorite summer jams. Reyna Tropical started as a duo between guitarist Fabiola Reyna (who is also the founder and editor-in-chief of She Shreds Media) and Nectali Diazin in 2016. After the tragic passing of Diazin in 2022, Reyna kept the project going, and this album features moments of voice messages between the two, working out their musical collaborations and just being best friends. So while it often feels and sounds like a celebratory record, at times it’s also bittersweet remembrance
of love and an honest processing of grief. I’ve also been listening to a lot of Arthur Russell over the last many months. I’ve been DJing more lately, and I consistently find myself reaching for his records. And the book club I’m in is reading Richard King’s new biography, Travels Over Feeling: Arthur Russell, A Life, so I’ve been going back through it all and falling in love all over again. He’s just a really special musician whose work remained incredible and poignant across so many genres: pop, disco, folk, electronic, classical, experimental, avant-garde, ambient—as you dig deeply into his life and his catalog, one is reminded that he devoted his life’s work to musical discovery. Calling Out of Context, a compilation album released in 2004, is a great place to start for new listeners.
Jess Clark is the proprietor of Everything Nice record shop in Ellenville.
Photo by Alanah Allen
Creative Exposure: Portraits of Hudson, New York
Chad Weckler
VICTORYPIX LLC, 2024, $50
Hudson is a resilient river city with a vivid and adventurous history, its 2.2 square miles rich in quirk and nifty architecture. Devoted resident Weckler has captured 107 portraits of its creative and wildly varied residents across a 70-year-age range using a four-by-five film view camera and asked each to write a brief biography as an accompaniment. Each tile in the mosaic offers insight into the individual’s life and distinct relationship to the community; the whole emerges as a kaleidoscopic portrait of the community itself.
Rough Beast: Who Donald Trump Really Is, What He’ll Do If Re-Elected, and Why Democracy Must
Prevail
Greg Olear
FOUR STICKS PRESS, 2024, $14.99
With a blizzard of superficial sound bites flying in all directions (“Russiagate was a total hoax!”) we’re lucky to have this lively tome from New Paltz resident Olear, whose research skills and writing voice are both top notch. His opinion of Trump is right there on the cover, but in an age when opinionated rants are a dime a dozen he dives deep, swims against that current, and brings us the receipts. If you know anyone who thinks Trump is unjustly maligned, dare them to read this.
The Friday Afternoon Club
Griffin Dunne PENGUIN, 2024, $30
Longtime Hudson Valley resident Dunne could have gotten away with publishing something gossipy and superficial; the son of Dominick Dunne, his childhood was spent rubbing elbows with eminently recognizable names: Sean Connery rescued him from drowning at age eight, he shared an apartment with Carrie Fisher while she filmed Star Wars, and that’s just the tip of the glittering iceberg. Much to his credit, he’s a truthteller who infuses the stardust with insight, creating a family chronicle with merit even for those who don’t give a tinker’s damn for fame.
Ambiguity Is the Answer: Timeless Strategy for Creating Change
Kyle Crawford FALLOW PRESS, 2024, $25
Kerhonkson resident Crawford, a strategy, performance, and innovation manager in the community healthcare space, has taken a deep dive into why it feels so next to impossible to create genuine, lasting change in the systems that surround us. Drawing lessons from the lives and thoughts of a long, diverse list of deep thinkers and change agents, he’s crafted something both profound and readable, an updated Art of War that’s hopeful medicine for those who seek to lead impactful lives and bend the arc toward justice.
The Marriage Manual
Linda McCauley Freeman
BACKROOM WINDOW PRESS, 2024, $15
This is the second book-length collection from Marlboro resident, dance teacher, and poet Freeman, a regular contributor to Chronogram—and we’d love the book even if we’d never heard of her. These 56 poems turn a magnifying glass on the hidden depths of mundane daily details, emerging with provocative, wonderfully crafted gems that put the making and breaking of intimate connections into fresh perspective. Her voice is tender, deft, and deceptively simple: “inside hollow like / chocolate bunny / outside still smiling,” to offer just one resonant example.
—Anne Pyburn Craig
The Editor: How Publishing Legend
Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America
Sara B. Franklin ATRIA BOOKS, 2024, $29.99
As I read The Editor, it dawned on me that I’d been living with its subject, Judith Jones, for decades—in the form of tattered and stained cookbooks by Marcella Hazan and Julia Child, which Jones had edited. I’d also been cooking and eating her writers’ recipes for my whole life, as my mother had consulted copies of cookbooks by James Beard, Craig Claiborne, and other chefs in Jones’s stable of chef/authors at Knopf. In fact, as I finished the biography by Kingston resident Sara B. Franklin, I planned on following Hazan’s recipe for pesto to make from the high summer crop of basil from our garden, which was superb.
Such is the role of an editor like Jones (1924-2017)—integral to authors’ texts by invisibly shaping, trimming, and clarifying their vision so readers can readily access it. Before that, much groundwork is required by editors in order to identify an author’s potential in terms of their talent, vision, the publisher’s mission, and public appetite. Franklin’s biography of Jones lucidly, and in captivating detail, traces the editor’s impressive life and output.
The Editor reads more like a novel than biography. This helps to unspool Jones’ story in an even more cinematic manner than it actually was, which isn’t to say it was quotidian. Jones was raised in New York City, went to Bennington, and worked at Doubleday during and after college. She fell in love with poet Theodore Roethke, a professor at Bennington, whose prose she would edit after their on-again, off-again relationship finally ended.
After burning out at Doubleday, Jones spent time living in Paris, where she learned about French cuisine. To make money, she and a friend ran a clandestine dinner club in the fancy apartment of her partner’s vacationing relative, who happened to be a princess. After the royal discovered the ruse and shut it down, Jones worked as a secretary at The Weekend (a glossy published by the US military) where she met her eventual husband, the editor Dick Jones. After The Weekend folded, she was hired to run the new Paris office of her previous employer Doubleday, where she rescued The Diary of Anne Frank from the slush pile. Eventually, 30 million copies would be printed. Jones received little recognition for her coup, and was perpetually undervalued for early achievements.
After a spell in New Hampshire, Jones was hired by Blanche Knopf as a “lady editor” at Knopf, a rarity in the male-dominated field. With her keen eye and intellect, Jones edited authors such as Elizabeth Bowen, Langston Hughes, Anne Tyler, and John Updike. She was passed an unwieldy 750page cookbook manuscript by Louisette Bertholle, Simone Beck, and Julia Child. Jones’s personal experience in Paris, shopping and cooking with great pleasure, provided her insight with which to evaluate the recipes. She rewrote many for clarity and ease of use. The multiyear project, after much tinkering, became Mastering the Art of French Cooking, published in 1961. Childs’s TV appearances promoting the book would be parlayed into her legendary series, “The French Chef.”
She and Dick took on the sudden responsibility of raising her late cousin’s two teens after their father had a stroke. Jones was working with young poet Sylvia Plath, editing the American publication of The Colossus, poems already released abroad. Plath completed her novel The Bell Jar, which Knopf rejected at Jones’s recommendation. It was a rare missed opportunity, as Jones went on to edit an illustrious roster of fiction, poetry, and cookbook authors. The latter included Edna Lewis (Southern), Madhur Jaffrey (Indian), Irene Kuo (Chinese), and Lidia Bastianich (Italian).
Together in Vermont, the Joneses wrote The Book of Bread, and after Dick’s death, Judith penned a memoir, The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food while continuing a regimen of yoga and swimming. She was honored with a James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. But there is no higher accolade than the quiet presence of her life’s work on every household’s bookshelf. Franklin, in flowing, legible prose, provides a poetic tribute to Jones’ legacy. —Susan Yung
Living
I woke up missing your mother. The waning moon shone through the bathroom window, casting streaks of light onto the slate floor. My phone said it was going to snow before sunrise, but it didn’t seem likely. My body was still so tired, but I couldn’t go back to sleep. I look at haircut photos that I could show to Amanda today, but won’t. I’ll just ask her to prune away the excess. The funeral home said my father’s body would be cremated in three weeks and his ashes placed in a black plastic urn.
A modest receptacle, like Donny in The Big Lebowski Today is the 29th of February, and I thought of asking you to marry me, but I don’t think I have the courage, what with everything going on.
I listened to “Kyoto” on repeat driving to and from work yesterday, and it’s still in my head. I think I’m okay, vertical and speaking in complete sentences, and then I’m not. Then I’m not.
Listening to “Kyoto” on repeat probably doesn’t help.
Or maybe it does.
The light’s too bright, everything’s too loud, and I’m hungry but have no appetite. I stare at shadows on the ceiling, am comforted by the whoosh of cars on the thruway. Your breathing is so quiet, I’m so relieved when you move— so thankful you’re alive
—Lori White
One Tanka moon bridge… the long silence as he turns his wheels the veteran hands of a homeless man
—Richard L. Matta
Again
At the brink of winter light
Like the rutted pond
You bend and twist in the hollows
Of my quiet
I follow these footsteps
On any given day
And I am not surprised to find My hands set to claim you
My tongue an argument of pleasure
Harnessing the meridians
Drawn grunt and sighs
Locked in defiance
As we raise the stakes of deliverance
We circle each other In and out of character Your eyes
Mischievous semaphores Corridors
I rappel with the hunger Of thieves in a parking lot
Blades sharp I take you again
—Raphael Moser
Ibidem (In the Same Place)
They will bury me here, But the grave is not yet.
Now is the hour of clean hands And bicycle bells, Of Tree Streets and millsong; My reflection in the creek Is made of these.
The rest of me is learning lonely
On a half-remembered cliffside, Humming, alone, along. They will bury me here, But the hour is slow.
Morning has yet A thousand doomed charges To make on this valley, And I am owed one dance at Beaconcrest ‘Fore the tarnished dawn And the winter of my bones.
—Emily Murnane
i remember and i remember and i remember. and then i forget and can only remember remembering.
—p
Keeping Score
The score 983 to 735 he’s quite a bit ahead (as you can see)
46 points for washing my car 52 for buying me flowers minus 10 because slightly wilted I lost 66 points when I called him fuck face after he watched four hours of women’s beach volleyball, focused on barely-there bikinis and 358 when I dropped our tax return in the toilet but wait, just in 579 points for fixing his phlegmatic computer saving us a small fortune I gloat and glee around the room eternally grateful to YouTube the god of Fixing All Things I love this game but the score suddenly shifts I lose 937 points for flouncing & swaggering I collapse on the sofa & swig straight gin (lose 88 more points) who cares stupid ledger stupid game
—Claire Scott
Your Absence Hisses Like Steam
you are as a winter’s day kissed by the sun’s warm rays, a blank canvas lacking clouds. for what am I to do? the days beauty subdues. my eyes tell a tale that lies but you my love are true, have you seen the way sun shines through barren veins? shining shining. I see it on your face shimmering. streaks of golden beams blossom on the road. for although they have lost their leaves outside, inside they are whole. I wait by a hissing steampipe like the frog who has come out early in loving embrace of the warm feeling of family. this day will fade but for you it will never dissipate.
—Conall
Mannion
Full submission guidelines: Chronogram.com/submissions
A Poem For LJ
Exhilarating—
Weighted with summer and the effort of trying to absorb another person. Eyes like cinnamon, melted toffee pooling in your irises. Watching smoke pour from your lips, I want an innate understanding of you, your chemical makeup. A commitment of trying to see the world through someone else and hope you get the pre-existing conclusions.
Holding onto each other while we crash into swaying walls of subway cars, laughing out of breath, gasping for stale plastic air.
I am synthetically drawn to you— The way your hands move to match your eyes.
—Carlene Doyle
River Birch
My neighbor has a river birch in his yard. It is old and fully grown, twenty feet or more, but still has the tag from the nursery tied to the trunk. I looked at it out of curiosity. Among other advice, like lots of sun and ample watering, it says to plant two at a time. I see no evidence of a companion tree. He may have planted two. One may have died, so he may have cut it down. And maybe the grass over grew that spot. But I tend to believe he never planted two to begin with. As I say, it’s alive, but it’s such a sad looking thing, lonely and sad, so I’m thinking I’ll go buy a young healthy river birch, sneak into his yard in the dark of night, dig a hole, and plant it next to the old one. Then I’ll say a prayer that it’s not too late. It’s the least I can do for the sad lonely old river birch in my neighbor’s yard. I hate sadness. I hate loneliness. I hate them.
—J.R. Solonche
The X-man
He likes frayed edges, Incompletion, dangling participles, Strange juxtapositions...
Me, I like pure insight, Seeing something unusualwhole for the very first time.
Once in a while, (unaccountably)
We’ll sync-up...
(unfortunately)
He’s got my goat. ((don’t you just love parenthesis))
—Bob Grawi
Mind Searches
In the vitality of death, the surrender to being larger than life, every movement reminds me of the bones, the flesh, I had forgot when my body functioned like a fork for food. Exchanging glances with wooden knots, I see private scars, singular, dense, triumphant. After reading my poems and letters, an old friend writes, “But I still don’t know you.” Melodramatic as she is, she is right. Nor do I know myself, although I search in poem after poem. When I walk or work, the radio’s off. All those years of music, of news, dead as the singer and the singer’s strain, All you need is love. Listening for the news, the music, within, I know less of the new as I know more of the old, and with a mind finely tuned to the performing self (the way my body once was) it gets more difficult to think on what I am. Instead I find myself by musing on old folks, the farts, fingering their private scars as they gather before the fires of their comforting wandering pains.
—ViVi Hlavsa
A Breeze from Heaven
My love is modest
Wearing a shapeless dress
But when a breeze passes through, You can catch a glimpse of Its slightest curve
—Noelle Sermeno
Life / Sack of Stories
The bottom is too hard to reach ‘faded memories’ the middle is full of foolishness, ‘refuse to remember’ the top is still malleable, ‘you can still change your mind’ The sack is open the longer you live the fuller it’ll be stuffed the contents can’t be taken out
Even with your permission
—Ze’ev Willy Neumann
Harvest Time
In this season, we bear the fruit of our decisions. When flower fades and fruit is set, there is no going back to seed. The limbs of time are bowed with produce Ripened by desire and fear.
When we pick what’s fallen or pluck what hasn’t Does what looks luscious hide a core of regret? Should we taste our fate in cautious nibbles Or swallow whole with brave thanksgiving?
—Eileen Sikora
Was Willie Mays the last great Negro League Player?
What a massive piece of history like an iceberg breaking off from ice flow breaks away from now, dissolved into then Papa Bell and Satchel whose sliders slid without outfielders to watch grass grow. Goodbye Willie, goodbye Hank, goodbye Ted and Joe, Goodbye from then to now wherever we now go.
—Alan Silverman
Language
Language is a clever disguise
To get us through the guarded gates. It is a birth doula
A rabble rouser
And a keeper of the peace.
—Don Ferber
Patchwork Narratives
TSCHABALALA SELF ON HER ARTISTIC VISION AND PROCESS
By Taliesin Thomas
Tschabalala Self (born 1990, Harlem) is among a generation of powerhouse women redefining Black beauty and Black aesthetics for a contemporary audience. Her bright, bold artworks are figurative and comprised of colorful textile fragments. To build these distinctive sewn assemblage-paintings, Self engages with collaged fabrics and recycled textiles to create intricate layers of patchwork that also reflect complex psychological moods and cultural references, including the practice of West African Batik. Also working in sculpture and printmaking methods, her self-styled blend of painting with collage is an empowered reimagining of female archetypes and the Black body. Self is a graduate of Bard College and the Yale School of Art, and she currently lives and works in the Hudson Valley.
Taliesin Thomas: It is an honor to speak with you, thank you for taking the time! Are you in your studio right now?
Tschabalala Self: I am in my home in Hudson. I live in Hudson but my studio is in Catskill.
Was Hudson the first move upstate for you?
I had been upstate before, I went to Bard College. After graduating I went back home to Harlem for one year before going to graduate school in New Haven. I lived and worked in New Haven for 10 years after graduating from the Yale School of Art. My partner is from Hudson, so he reintroduced me to the area when we started dating. I moved to Hudson first. I am happy to be back in New York state and happy to be in the Hudson Valley.
Please share with our readers a little peek into your studio life.
My studio life is great. I am thankful for peaceful space off of Main Street in Catskill. I can see the creek from the top floor, which is nice. I have a lot more space than I had previously. It’s really simple and I love being in the village of Catskill, it’s a beautiful town and a perfect place for my studio. There are places to get late-night pizza and coffee in the morning, it’s pretty idyllic. That’s what I really need at my studio, to be able to get pizza at 10pm and coffee at 10am.
When I was putting together my notes for this interview a few months ago it was incredible to encounter all your activities: You were shortlisted for the next commissions to grace the Fourth Plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square, you were about to have a conversation with Judy Chicago at the New Museum, and you were featured as a “Spotlight” artist presented in conversation with Faith Ringgold at the Flag Foundation, in addition to other projects and exhibitions. Wow, how are you feeling?
Right now, I am feeling thankful to be working and to be able to share my work with new audiences. I am excited for all the projects on the horizon and proud of the projects completed these far. The primary feeling is always gratitude.
How did that conversation go with Judy Chicago? The conversation was interesting and was primarily about feminism and different generational perspectives on feminism. I think the curator who organized the talk was hoping to have the panelists engage a conversation about intersectionality within feminism, but I am not sure this goal was accomplished—I tried to the best of my ability to explain the importance of the point but the topic was not successfully engaged. Camille Henrot, who I very much enjoyed speaking with, was also on the panel and spoke a lot about motherhood in regard to feminism. It was an enlightening experience discussing how race, gender, and age, which I think is underestimated with regards to intersectionality, shape various women’s approach to and understanding of feminism. Ultimately, I left the conversation feeling the idea that feminism means many different things to many different people, and it’s really based on one’s own lived experiences. Not all feminists have the same goals, therefore it may not be possible to truly grasp what all is meant by the declaration outside of the general idea of female liberation.
These are loaded topics, and I am curious about this notion of gender with respect to your work and thinking about feminism(s) and this idea about “female agency” in the work that you do. For me, it’s about liberation first because I think that you cannot have agency unless you are liberated, so that’s the primary function of my practice: to create autonomy for the female figures, for them not to be tethered to reductive expectations or projections placed upon them.
My figures seek to liberate themselves from antiquated ideas and expectations, liberating themselves from constraints. That is the main objective of my work. If you can liberate women, if you can educate women, if you can heal women then you can free, teach and heal all people. Is this feminism? I don’t know—I am not sure; but, this is my personal belief which is pro-woman. I do not think any ideology that seeks to liberate a marginalized community should be exclusionary or too rigid in its tenets because it prevents all who can benefit from the philosophy from participating.
I think is important to decenter men in the conversation surrounding female agency. I think it is possible to speak about womanhood outside of its relationship to men and I believe there should be more conversations about feminism outside of the paradigm of patriarchy.
I appreciate your comments about healing the female.
I think that should be the goal, because I think that all women, regardless of their identity politics, have experienced trauma as a result of their gender. I think that the objective in all conversations surrounding woman and femininity should be to center womanhood, all women and all women’s experiences. I think this approach is more productive for everyone, more truthful, more interesting to most.
We are in a new era of how we “biography” ourselves and how we “bio” others, and all of this that you are describing, the very complex, deep, and raw conversation about these meta concepts: feminism, Black identities, female identities. Thank you for bringing your heart and soul to this conversation.
Switching to another topic, your artworks embody your distinct working methods and your use of old paintings, paint, and fabrics to create unconventional collage works. What is the driving force behind the start of a new work: Your engagement with the materials or your desire to express psychological aspect of the human experience?
The materials I use in my work are meant to bolster the conceptual concerns in the painting and works in other mediums. For the paintings in particular, the formal aspects of each work—the materials used and the way in which they are used, speak to my personal philosophy in regard to identity and identity building. One of the main concepts in my practice is that one’s identity is a reflection of many aspects and formed through a host of
varying experience. Some aspects are inherent, while other aspects are experience based. I try to articulate this idea by using various materials from various sources.
That is such a noticeably welcoming aspect of the work, which is that everyone can relate to it because every person is a collage. And your work is both fierce and joyful. Switching gears, how are you feeling about the commercial side of things?
People do a lot of funny things with art, maybe they use it to speculate, they use it as an investment—that happens. People do all kinds of things, you know? I think people sensationalize the commercial aspect of the art world to some degree. I think it’s a way to disparage the industry which is coded with a lot of wealth and power disparities.
The materiality of art and the ideas of art, indeed a constant source of stimulation.
It is what it is, money is involved, unfortunately—and money muddies things. At the end of the day people are making objects, and objects are tangible things. And with tangible things, you have to produce them, you have to make them, you have to store them, so there is a financial aspect to that.
Your art is now included in the permanent collections of many outstanding institutions, including the Art Institute of Chicago, Brooklyn Museum, Whitney Museum, and Hirshhorn Museum, among others. Please share with us which museum was the most meaningful for you with respect to your art being represented in that collection?
I would say that all of the museums that my work has been permanently acquired by have a special and meaningful importance to me. All of them are meaningful for different reasons, as these acquisitions took place over several years and all mark a different milestone in my practice. Not one collection is more valuable to me than the other. I am always thankful to be in public collections and private collections that are shared with the public. Institutional support is extremely valuable to an artist and the community that grows around their practice.
What is your current focus?
Currently I am focusing on developing a few new bodies of work. I have a show at the Espoo Museum of Modern Art in Helsinki, “Around the Way,” which will be open until May 2025. All in all, I am just working, producing, settling into Catskill and gaining new ideas for new projects
Below: 12pm on 145th, jean fabric, digitally printed T-shirt, velvet, lace, tulle, painted canvas, dyed canvas, acrylic and flashe on canvas; three parts, 96" x 228", 2019-2022
Opposite: Morning, fabric, acrylic, hand-printed canvas, painted canvas, and thread on canvas, 84" x 72", 2022
Tschabalala Self Photo by Christian DeFonte
Other Beings
Bill Arning Exhibitions
A Little Light Music
“AFTER SPRING SUNSET: A TRIBUTE TO PETER SCHICKELE” AND “ELIZABETH MITCHELL PLAYS SONGS OF PETER SCHICKELE” AT MAVERICK CONCERTS IN WOODSTOCK
August 10
Maverickconcerts.org
Due largely to the trappings that often surround its presentation, classical music has been unfairly saddled with the stigma of being stuffy and stiff, especially to listeners who came up in the hip-shaking years of Elvis Presley and the Rolling Stones. But luckily there was the great composer, musical educator, and humorist Peter Schickele (1935-2024) to tear those trappings down yet keeping the sense of reverence and wonder that the music deserves fully intact—while making a whole lot of infectious fun along the way. Schickele, a longtime Bearsville resident who died in January, will be saluted with two memorial concerts, “After Spring Sunset: A Tribute to Peter Schickele” and “Elizabeth Mitchell Plays Songs of Peter Schickele,” at Maverick Concerts on August 10.
“My dad’s love of music wasn’t just something that he shared on stage or in the studio, it was part of his essence,” says Karla Schickele, the composer’s daughter. “When I was little, he would babysit me and my brother and DJ for us with his enormous record collection. He’d play us all kinds of music and talk about the connections [between the styles].”
Schickele is widely remembered for being the mischievous genius behind P.D.Q. Bach, a fictional composer, said to be the youngest child of Johann Sebastian Bach, whose lost works were “discovered” by Schickele and performed across a series of bestselling musical comedy albums that begin with 1965’s Peter Schickele Presents an Evening with P. D. Q. Bach (1807–1742)?. Full of slapstick gag instrumentation and arrangements and intricately conceived, sidesplitting, dubious biographical monologues, the P.D.Q. Bach LPs poke fun at conservatory pretensions via pieces with titles like “Concerto for Horn and Hardart,” “The ShortTempered Clavier,” and “Perventimento for Bagpipes, Bicycle, and Balloons.”
Familiar to listeners as the genial host of NPR’s long-running “Schickele Mix,” Schickele was born in Ames, Iowa, and raised in Washington, DC, and Fargo, North Dakota. After starting his musical career as a bassoonist—the only one in Fargo at the time, he claimed—Schickele wrote everything from chamber music to rock ’n’ roll songs in high school and went on to earn a music degree from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania.
He next studied under Roy Harris and Darius Milhaud at Julliard, where he soon became a teacher himself, and began arranging music for Joan Baez, Buffy SainteMarie, and other folksingers and creating scores for television and film (1972’s Silent Running and a 1988 animated adaptation of the children’s book Where the Wild Things Are that he narrated as well). As the P.D.Q. Bach phenomenon continued to take off, he headlined halls and appeared on popular TV programs like “The
Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” and “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.”
Frequently performing on self-invented instruments like the dill piccolo (which played only “sour” notes), the left-handed sewer flute, and the tromboon (“a cross between a trombone and a bassoon, having all the disadvantages of both”), he often saw the “serious” music that he wrote overshadowed by his P.D.Q. Bach compositions. Such is the life of a successful parodist, it would seem. But the world is certainly all the better for it.
“He was passionate about all kinds of music and so against snobbery, he never liked the term ‘serious music’,” says Karla, a musician herself who performs with Mitchell’s band Ida, and was in 1990s indie trio Beekeeper with her brother Matt Schickele. “The music he wrote was really eclectic, and the pieces we chose for the concerts really shows that.”
“Elizabeth Mitchell Plays Songs of Peter Schickele” will have the Ida singer and others performing some of Schickele’s children’s music, while “After Spring Sunset” will feature the Callisto String Quartet, the M Shanghai String Band, Hai-Ting Chinn , Michele Eaton, Wesley Chinn, Greg Purnhagen, Marc Black, and other friends and family members playing selections from Schickele’s oeuvre.
On August 10, Maverick Concerts in Woodstock will present “Elizabeth Mitchell Plays Songs of Peter Schickele” at 11 am. Admission is free. “After Spring Sunset: A Tribute to Peter Schickele” will take place at 6pm. Tickets are $27.50-$60. (General admission/lawn $25; students $10.)
—Peter Aaron
Peter Schickele at Maverick Concert Hall in 2008.
Photo by John Kleinhans
Tea at Clermont Gardens
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
12 - 2 P.M.
CLERMONT STATE HISTORIC SITE adjacent to Walled Garden 1 Clermont Avenue • Germantown
Enjoy tea, finger foods, our beautiful formal gardens, an online auction, live music, and more.
For information and tickets, visit friendsofclermont.org/post/tea2024 or scan the QR code.
The Physics of Romance
“CONSTELLATIONS” AT THE ANCRAM CENTER FOR THE ARTS
August 16-25
Ancramcenter.org
What happens when a beekeeper meets a nuclear physicist? Well, according to English playwright Nick Payne, they enter the quantum universe, in which every outcome is equally possible. (Incidentally, the nuclear physicist is a woman.) Payne’s play “Constellations” details an array of these possibilities. You can see it at the Ancram Center for the Arts from August 16-25. “Constellations” stars Andrus Nichols and Drew Ledbetter, who are married in real life. “Drew and I have never acted together before, which is unusual for a couple who are both actors,” Nichols remarked. Not only that, but they’re the only characters in the drama, and are both onstage the entire time. (This sort of play is technically a “two-hander.”)
Also, their lives strangely parallel the play’s plot. “When we finally met, we realized like that there were so many moments in our lives when our paths almost crossed, and didn’t,” Nichols explained. “Drew and I have
the same manager, who has a tiny, tiny roster—I think at the time he represented 40 actors. I had just moved to New York City from San Francisco, where I was doing theater out there, and as you can imagine, the theater community in any city actually feels a lot like a small town. Everybody knows everybody else.”
Yet the two never met, though Ledbetter’s best friend was Horatio alongside Nichols’ Hamlet in a San Francisco production. (Her future husband was in another play, so he couldn’t see that “Hamlet.”) After a series of near-misses, the couple met at Theatre Row in Manhattan in 2016.
Andrus and Drew are the first couple I’ve spoken to who have both played Hamlet. “And we both played it when we were 33,” Ledbetter pointed out. “Our Jesus year,” Nichols added. For Nichols, it was her first professional acting job. “Were you early in the history of female Hamlets?” I asked. “No, Sarah Bernhardt was early in the history of female Hamlets,” she replied. (Bernhardt played the role in 1899—which you can see on film!)
Though they’ve never performed together, they did codirect “Our Town” at the Sharon Playhouse in Sharon, Connecticut—the town in which they live. How will the two prepare for their roles in “Constellations”? Nichols will study string theory online;
he’ll spend a day in an apiary. As of July 3, when I spoke to them, they were already rehearsing lines around the dinner table. They’ll go to a dialect coach, to help with their English accents. But it’s a mistake to over prepare. “This is a really nimble play,” Nichols remarked. “You don’t want to go into the rehearsal process having made too many big decisions.”
She hasn’t been onstage since the fall of 2019, before the pandemic. Since then she’s mostly worked in television—shows like “Rise,” “The Blacklist,” “FBI: Most Wanted,” “Law & Order: SVU”—which is quite different from stage acting. “Television is a graphic medium,” she explained. “Where you are in the frame, what the camera picks up, is so much a part of the storytelling. When an audience is in a theater, and there’s two people on stage, they’re hearing the play. Their eyes may go wherever their eyes go. They’re not being told what to look at in the same way.
“Theater is a full-body experience. And I think that’s true of both watching it, absorbing it as an audience member, but also performing it, as an actor.”
“Constellations” premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 2012. The play transferred to the West End, then moved to Broadway in 2015, where it starred Ruth Wilson and Jake Gyllenhaal.
—Sparrow
Andrus Nichols and Drew Ledbetter star in "Constellations" at the Ancram Center for Arts.
Phoenicia Festival of the Arts
August 1-31 at various locations in Phoenicia Christine Varga, owner of Varga gallery, began the Phoenicia Festival of the Arts last year to highlight various artistic talents. Expanding from last year’s three-day festival, this year’s event will unfold across different galleries and venues all month long. Featuring art exhibits in VARGA Gallery’s Zebra Room, artist talks, poetry readings, and musical performances, the festival will be an extensive showcase of creativity and community. Free.
Matsiko World Orphan Choir
August 8 at Arts Society of Kingston Matsiko—the Ugandan word for hope—is a fitting descriptor for the Matsiko World Orphan Choir’s work. Since 2008, they’ve recruited vulnerable orphaned children across the world to raise their voices and sing, uplifting audiences and themselves. The children’s performances are full of energy, with powerful songs and lively choreography. While the event is free, the organization’s goal is to recruit sponsors for their goal of empowerment through education. Every choir member is gifted a full tuition scholarship to college in their home country as well as tutoring while on tour. 7pm. Free.
“Griswold”
August 8-11, 15-18 at Bridge Street Theater in Catskill “Griswold” stages the story of the 65-year-old woman who challenged the law by arranging her own arrest on the eve of the sexual revolution, sparking the events that led to the first US Supreme Court decision to recognize a right to sexual privacy in Griswold v. Connecticut in 1965. This decision laid the foundation for other guarantees of liberty such as the right of same-sex couples to marry. Directed by M. Burke Walker with set and lights by John Sowle, this show by Angela J. Davis received the A is For Playwriting Award and the Playhouse Creatures Emerging Playwrights Celebration Award. 7:30-9pm. $15-30.
Woodstock Community Festival of Awakening
August 9-11 at Andy Lee Field and Bearsville Park
In a search for connection, peace, love, and community, the second annual Woodstock Community Festival of Awakening is set to take place. This year’s festival kicks off on Friday with the Community Awakening Opening at
Andy Lee Field featuring blessings, meditation, music, and a Wishing Bell ceremony followed by a communal meal. On Saturday, the world-renowned Krishna Das will perform in concert at Bearsville Park. Ecstatic dance, fireside jams, Kundalini yoga, and gong meditation will occur throughout the weekend. $5-10 suggested donation for meal, $35.05 for Saturday’s performances.
Hudson Film Fest
August 9-11 in Hudson
We express our love in different ways: food, companionship, dance, art. With movies focused on such expressions like The Supremes At Earl’s All-YouCan-Eat, Sundance double award-winning documentary Daughters, and the Cannes Film Festival-award-winning The Taste of Things, Hudson Film Fest is professing its own love for film locally and globally. With a mission of boosting diverse, local artists, the festival will feature independent films like My First Film by local Zia Anger, a semi-autobiographical story about a young, pregnant filmmaker who leaves home. Now in its second year, the festival’s showings will once again take place at different venues within the town. $80.
Hunter Stone Carving Seminar
August 12-24 at Bluestones Park in Tannersville Coming for its 17th season, the Hunter Stone Carving Seminar is hosting its temporary stone carving studio in the park, offering free lessons to anyone interested in learning the art of carving. Master Sculptor Kevin VanHentenryck (whose Rip VanWinkle sculpture is seen at the summit of Hunter Mountain) will lead the sessions. The park features 21 blocks of stone varying in weight from a few hundred pounds to a whopping 12 tons. Over 300 petroglyphs are carved into the grand displays by the student sculptors of HSCS. Held daily except on Sundays. 10am-5pm. Free.
Kingston Artists Soapbox Derby
August 18 in Kingston
From trash cans to flying saucers to gigantic clocks, contestants in the Kingston Artists Soapbox Derby find no limit to what can be put on wheels. For the 29th year running, crowds will gather to witness a parade of non-motorized kinetic sculptures capable of rolling down lower Broadway in Kingston. The event will include vendors and live music, and will conclude with an award ceremony where onlookers can witness their favorite sculptures receive artist-designed trophies. 1pm. Free.
Kinetic sculpture rolling down Lower Broadway at the Kingston Artists Soapbox Derby in 2023.
Princess Lockeroo and the Fabulous Waack Dancers
August 24 at Jacob’s Pillow in Becket, Massachusetts Rhythmic, mesmerizing arm movements were seen all throughout the disco dance floor at the Californian gay clubs of the ‘70s. Unlike the ballroom competition roots of East-coast style vogueing, the waacking dance style originated solely as a way for gay men of color to express themselves, with influences from striking Hollywood film actresses like Marilyn Monroe. Princess Lockeroo and the Fabulous Waack dancers are keeping the cultural phenomenon alive today with “The Big Show,” a celebration of queer culture and a genrejumping performance featuring dance, comedy, and drag. 6pm. Suggested donation $25.
Poughkeepsie PorchFest
August 25 at Academy Street and Garfield Place Historic District
Take a stroll through Poughkeepsie’s Academy Street and Garfield Place Historic District neighborhood to witness musical performances on over twenty porches at the fifth annual Poughkeepsie PorchFest. The community celebration will feature both new performers and seasoned professionals with set lists including jazz, spoken word, pop, country, and rock. This rain-or-shine, family-friendly event offers the chance to explore the historic streets of Poughkeepsie. Children’s activities and food vendors will be available, as well as shaded spots along the tree-lined streets to watch performances. 12-6:30pm. Free. Poughkeepsie.
Spencertown Academy
Festival of Books
August 30-September 2 at Spencertown Academy Arts Center
Now in its 19th year, this is one of the biggest book sales in the region, with 15,000 titles available. On the festival’s mainstage, acclaimed writers such as Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon, bestselling author Ruth Reichl, and veteran journalist Martin Baron will be discussing their latest works. For the kids, the widely loved insect and titular character of The Very Hungry Caterpillar is coming to life for a meet and greet and reading of the book. Member preview 3-8pm Friday; 10am-5pm Saturday, 10am-4pm Sunday; 10am-2pm Monday. Free.
“Seeds Under Nuclear Winter: An Earth Opera”
August 31-September 1 at the Widow Jane Mine in Rosendale
Since its premiere at Widow Jane Mine in August 2022, Elizabeth Clark’s “Earth Opera” has enchanted audiences with the otherworldly sounds of choral voices echoing off the mine’s walls. The experimental piece tells stories of connection and rebirth within a postapocalyptic world, this year with an ensemble of nearly 35 Hudson Valley performers. It features a plethora of instruments and creative disciplines; including music from the Indonesian gamelan and experiments with light. Clark’s work has continued to evolve since its creation, now in its final form with a brass section, bagpipes, and a Carynx—a six-foot-tall ancient Celtic war horn resembling a dragon. 3pm. $20-30.
—Devon Jane Schweizer and Mikayla Stock
Gurdjieffkingstonny.org
INNER WORK IN THE TRADITION OF GURDJIEFF AND THE FOURTH WAY
• Morning Exercises + Sittings
• Gurdjieff Movements
• Themes for Study of Head, Heart + Body
Introductory Talk 21st Century Seekers: A Practical Work for Being September 19 @ 7pm 64 Plains Road, New Paltz
Meetings are free of charge, and are ongoing Thursdays @7pm
www.harmoniousdevelopment.org
A practical study of the ideas brought to the West by G.I. Gurdjieff. The practice includes meetings, movements and meditation.
Gurdjieff Society of Kingston
Martha Redbone: “Conversations”
August 4 at the Ancram Center for the Arts
Martha Redbone spent her early childhood in the Appalachian Mountain region of Kentucky, where she absorbed the area’s deep folk and mountain blues and the traditions of her AfroIndigenous grandparents. As a young teen she moved to pre-gentrified Brooklyn, soaking up her father’s powerful gospel singing style. She was also mentored by Junie Morrison (Ohio Players, Parliament Funkadelic), who helped her hone her skills as a songwriter and producer. “Conversations” is a musical theater project utilizing interviews with multigenerational Native American people. 4pm. $20.
Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew
August 4 at Tarrytown Music Hall
It’s not quite the Talking Heads reunion that’s been, well, talked about lately. But it’s close. Part of an eight-date tour, this night finds members Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew bringing an 11-piece band to perform the group’s landmark 1980 album Remain in Light in full, along with other classic songs from the Heads catalog and Harrison and Belew’s solo careers. The backing ensemble features ex-members of Boston ethno-psych band Turkuaz, who also play in opening act Cool Cool Cool. (Toad the Wet Sprocket hops by August 8; Dweezil Zappa zaps August 29.) 7pm. $56-$205.
Guided by Voices
August 10 at the Bearsville Theater
Indie icons Guided by Voices make their indoor Ulster County debut with this sure-to-be-packed appearance. Formed by frontman and songwriter Bob Pollard in 1983, GBV has steadily gone from basement obscurity to existing as one of modern rock’s most influential acts, inspiring legions of faithful followers with their idiosyncratic, arty-but-melodic power pop style. This tour stop celebrates the recent release of Strut of Kings, the group’s 40th (!) album. Winged Wheel, starring Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley, opens. (Psychedelic Party, featuring Nels Cline and Marco Benevento, jam August 16; Fred Armisen visits August 18.) 7pm. $40-$69.
Nicole Atkins
August 10 at Rad Studio Space in Hudson
“Blurring the lines between art, culture, movement, food, and community,” Rad Studio Space is a new multi-arts venue founded by writer Laura Lane and artist Nic Rad. In addition to biweekly yoga classes, the historic brick space is hosting its Summer Dinner Series with package programming that features cocktails, a specially prepared dinner menu, and a live performance in the intimate spot—like this one by torchy, acclaimed Nashville singer-songwriter Nicole Atkins. Atkins’s mix of lush 1950s and ’60s pop and modern indie styles has won her such tour mates, fans, and collaborators as Elvis Costello, Regina Spektor, Stevie Nicks, and David Byrne. 6pm. $125.
Summer Hoot
August 23-25 at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge Back again to bring live roots music, dancing, food, crafts, intergenerational community building, and revitalizing time in nature is the beloved Summer Hoot. The soiree of bonhomie begins, as always, with resident duo Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, and then moves forward with performances by Tuba Skinny, Naiika Sings, Jeffrey Broussard and the Creole Cowboys, the Gaslight Tinkers, the City Stompers, Seth Bernard and Jordan Hamilton, Bridget Kearny, the Mammals, the Big Takeover, Laurel Masse and Vinnie Martucci, Arm-of-the-Sea Theater, and more. Camping and other accommodations are available. See website for schedule and ticket prices.
DromFest ’24
August 30-September 1 at the Avalon Lounge in Catskill Seminal indie imprint Dromedary Records’ 30th anniversary festival last year at the Avalon was such a blast that label chief Al Crisafulli decided to do it again. The three-day blowout boasts reunions by Scrawl, Cell, Poem Rocket, Tuscadero, Moviola, and King Missile (Dog Fly Religion) and 2023 vets Antietam and Sleepyhead, as well as the Figgs, the Thalia Zedek Band, the Chris Brokaw Rock Band, Dew Claw, the Royal Arctic Institute, and others, plus readings by Karen Schoemer, John S. Hall, and Bela Koe-Krompecher and a screening of the Silkworm documentary Couldn’t You Wait. See website for schedule and ticket prices.
—Peter Aaron
Guided by Voices play Bearsville Theater August 10.
HARVEST HARMONIES
FARM BENEFIT MUSIC FESTIVAL FEATURES FRUIT BATS, BLONDE REDHEAD, DEER TICK, AND MORE
In the tradition of the Farm Aid benefit concerts established by Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, and Neil Young, the Meadowlark Festival was founded to bring farmers and musicians together as collaborators in celebration of the musical and agricultural heritage of the Hudson Valley. Internationally renowned musical acts, farm-totable fare, and the spirit of shared community will take over historic Stone Ridge Orchard when Meadowlark, now in its third iteration, returns under the shade of the orchard’s centuries’-old mother oak tree this September 13-15.
Saturday and Sunday will feature indie rock icons Blonde Redhead; the “forward-thinking music…bright, observant…sweet, jangly rock” (NPR Music) of Fruit Bats; “Artist to Watch” (WXPN) Slaughter Beach, Dog; Newport Folk Fest favorites Deer Tick; NPR Tiny Desk concert alum and Hudson Valley artist Laura Stevenson; “one of NYC’s musical treasures” (Brooklyn Vegan) Jeffrey Lewis; Joan Shelley; Daddy Long Legs; Lulu Lewis; Kidbess and the Magic Ring; Ryan Lee Crosby; and Honeycrush.
On Friday evening, three to-be-announced solo artists will warm up the intimate indoor Cider House stage with “Meadowlark in the Round” in collaboration with Keepsake House, a New York City-based, women-owned artist collective known for roundtable shows where emerging artists share the stage and create community. On Saturday and Sunday afternoon, the Cider House Stage will host the Writers’ Room, showcasing local indie artists playing acoustic.
(For those who want a taste of what’s to come, there will be a Meadowlark Preview show at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock on Saturday, August 17. The lineup includes Fruit Bats, performing solo, Ryan Lee Crosby, and Lulu Lewis.)
“The Hudson Valley has an incredibly rich and diverse musical heritage and an equally rich and diverse agricultural heritage,” says organizer Dan Leslie. “Our goal is to bring the music-loving, food-loving public into a shared experience that celebrates that heritage through our curated program of Americana/roots and independent music.”
The site of Meadowlark, Stone Ridge Orchard, is a 200-yearold orchard that was purchased and rescued from development by farmer-activist and award-winning cidermaker Elizabeth Ryan in the early 2000s. Aside from producing some of the finest artisanal cider around, Ryan loves hosting a good gathering for the tribe. July through November, the orchard’s cider bar offers tastings of its bottle-conditioned Hudson Valley Farmhouse Ciders, in addition to a wood-fired pizza oven and live music performances. “We feel that this farm is a gift and it’s a gift that we want to share with other people,” she says. “You know, we’re lucky enough to be in this place. We want you to really enjoy it.”
During Meadowlark, Stone Ridge Orchard will be serving up its finest Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider varieties, including single varietal specialties like Northern Spy, along with other locally sourced beer, wine, and cocktails that are sure to pair well with the wood-fired pizza and baked goods on offer. Throughout the festival, attendees can also peruse and purchase locally produced goods from a variety of artisans and makers.
Tickets for Meadowlark range from $100 for one-day general admission (with early bird pricing currently at $70) to a VIP all-access weekend pass for $320 (currently $240 with early bird pricing). A portion of ticket proceeds will be donated to farm advocacy organizations including the Rondout Valley Growers Association; the Hudson Valley Center for Food, Culture, and Agriculture; and to Farm Aid.
“We’re hoping our lineup, which features some truly outstanding roster of indie and roots music, will draw in some people who might not have spent much time at the Hudson Valley’s orchards or farms,” says Leslie. “Everybody needs to pull together around our farmers if we want to thrive.”
Meadowlarkfest.org
Top: The Tree Stage is a converted 1940s trailer nicknamed Ramblin’ Rose. Bottom: Fruit Bats will be performing as a full band at Meadowlark Fest and solo at Levon Helm Studios on August 17. Produced by the Chronogram Media Branded Content Studio.
Wondrous Planet, Hans Frank, oil on canvas with collage, circa 1987. Part of "Hans Frank: Cosmic Art" at Hudson Hall from August 3-September 22.
510 WARREN ST GALLERY
510 WARREN STREET, HUDSON.
“East West Dialogues.” Photography by John Lanterman. August 2-September 1.
1053 GALLERY
1053 MAIN STREET, FLEISCHMANNS
“A Song to Follow.” Work by Ken Hiratsuka and Michael McGrath. August 10-September 22.
AL HELD FOUNDATION
26 BEECHFORD DRIVE, BOICEVILLE
“On the Grounds 2024.” Work by Natalia Arbelaez, Nicole Cherubini, Re Jin Lee, and Katy Schimert. Through October 13.
THE ALDRICH CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM
258 MAIN STREET RIDGEFIELD, CT.
“Eminem Buddhism, Volume 3,.” Work by Elizabeth Englander. Through October 20.
“Layo Bright: Dawn and Dusk.” Work by Layo Bright. Through October 20.
ANN STREET GALLERY
104 ANN STREET, NEWBURGH
“Back and Forth, Between Names.” Group show. Through August 25.
ART OMI
1405 COUNTY ROUTE 22, GHENT
“Tune It Or Die!” Scores and a set of reimagined flags by Nathan Young, inspired by the iconography of the Native American Church. Through September 3.
ART ON MAIN GALLERY
38 MAIN STREET, WEST STOCKBRIDGE, MA
“Glory Days.” Paintings by Karen Carmean and sculptures by Natalie Tyler. August 1-11.
“Real, Surreal, Mannequins & More.” Work by Julie Wosk and Richard Lerman. August 15-25.
ARTPORT KINGSTON
108 EAST STRAND STREET, KINGSTON
“Game On: A Fusion of Art and Interactivity Unveiled.” Group show. Through August 31.
ATHENS CULTURAL CENTER
24 SECOND STREET, ATHENS
“Twenty/20.” Group show celebrating the 20th anniversary of the ACC. Through September 8.
AVAILABLE ITEMS
64 BROADWAY, TIVOLI
“Do Not Decorate.” Works on paper by Nicholaus Jamieson. Through August 11.
BANNERMAN ISLAND GALLERY
150 MAIN STREET, BEACON
“The Photography of Alec Halstead.” Plus work by Virginia Donovan and Mary Ann Glass. Through August 31.
BARK GALLERY
3010 COUNTY HIGHWAY 6, BOVINA
“Vinyl Drypoint Print Show.” Work by Lee Ranaldo. Through September 22.
BAU GALLERY
506 MAIN STREET, BEACON
“The Shape of Things.” Group show curated by Mikiko Ino of KinoSaito Art Center. August 10-September 8.
BENNINGTON MUSEUM
75 MAIN STREET, BENNINGTON, VT
“Vermont Rocks!” Geologic troves of the Green Mountain state. Through November 10.
BERKSHIRE MUSEUM
39 SOUTH STREET, PITTSFIELD, MA
“Black Woman as Muse.” Work by Jerry Taliaferro. Through September 8.
BILL ARNING EXHIBITIONS/HUDSON VALLEY
17 BROAD STREET, KINDERHOOK
“Other Beings.” Work by Hannah Barrett, Richard Butler, Jim Esber, and Cruz Ortiz. August 17-October 13.
CALICO PRESENTS AT SMALL TALK 1 TINKER STREET, WOODSTOCK
“Spirit Animals.” Work by Scott Ackerman, Steph Becker, Rich Cali, and Janel Schultz. Through September 12.
THE CAMPUS
341 NY-217, HUDSON
“Inaugural Exhibition.” Group show of 80 artists including Jenny Holzer and Rachel Harrison. Through September 30.
CARRIE HADDAD GALLERY
622 WARREN STREET, HUDSON
“The Summer Show.” Work by Shawn Dulaney, Joseph Maresca, Bruce Murphy, Bill Sullivan, and Stephen Walling, and Dora Somosi. Through August 11.
CATSKILL ART SPACE
48 MAIN STREET, LIVINGSTON MANOR Mary Lucier.” Video art and photography. Through August 30.
CENTER FOR PHOTOGRAPHY AT WOODSTOCK
25 DEDERICK STREET, KINGSTON
“Pride and Protest: Photographs by Fred W. McDarrah.” Traces the history of gay and lesbian visibility and civil rights protests in New York City from 1959 to 1993. Through September 1.
CHESTERWOOD
4 WILLIAMSVILLE ROAD, STOCKBRIDGE, MA
“Birth of a Shadow.” Work by Peter Barrett, Peter Dellert, DeWitt Godfrey, Wendy Klemperer, Michael Thomas, Natalie Tyler, and Joe Wheaton. Curated by Lauren Clark. Through October 21.
CLARK ART INSTITUTE
225 SOUTH STREET, WILLIAMSTOWN, MA
“Edgar Degas: Multimedia Artist in the Age of Impressionism.” Through October 14.
“Guillaume Lethiere.” 80 works by Guillaume Lethiere (1760–1832). Through October 15.
“Invisible Empires.” Work by Kathia St. Hilaire. Through September 22.
“Fragile Beauty: Treasures From the Corning Museum of Glass.” Selected glass objects from antiquity to the present day. July 4-October 27.
CONVEY/ER/OR GALLERY
299 MAIN ST, POUGHKEEPSIE.
“HEART @ BAYOU.” Photographs by Bibiana Huang Matheis. Through August 15.
Cat, Valerie Hammond, ink and watercolor on handmade indigo paper, 2024. From the exhibition "Dreamers Awake" at Pamela Salisbury Gallery in Hudson through August 24.
D’ARCY SIMPSON ART WORKS
409 WARREN STREET, HUDSON
“Habitual Soothing.” New work by Emily Ritz. Through August 25.
DIA BEACON
3 BEEKMAN STREET, BEACON.
“Bass.” Installation by Steve McQueen comprising 60 ceiling-mounted lightboxes that journey through the complete spectrum of visible light in concert with a sonic component. Through December 31.
DISTORTION SOCIETY
155 MAIN STREET, BEACON
“Memor.” Work by Frances Segismundo. August 10-September 6.
ECKERT FINE ART
10 TITUS ROAD, WASHINGTON DEPOT, CT
“Perambulate.” Work by Eric Forstmann. Saturday, August 10- September 1.
ELENA ZANG GALLERY
3671 ROUTE 212, SHADY
“What If..” Work by Mary Frank. August 3-September 4.
FENIMORE ART MUSEUM
5798 LAKE ROAD, COOPERSTOWN
“Banksy: The Haight Street Rat.” Work by the street artist. Through September 8.
“Bob Dylan Remastered: Drawings from the
Road.” Drawings by the musician. Through September 15.
“Marc Hom: Reframed.” Photographs. Through September 2.
FRONT ROOM GALLERY
205 WARREN STREET, HUDSON
“Symbolic Convergence.” Work by Ken Butler, Linda Ganjian, and Melissa Murray. Through September 1.
GALLERY 40
40 CANNON STREET, POUGHKEEPSIE
“Beyond the Curves.” Group exhibition juried by Nansi Lent. Through September 7.
GARRISON ART CENTER
23 GARRISON’S LANDING, GARRISON
“Looking Back: Portraits by Joseph Radoccia.” August 24-September 15.
“Natural Selection.” Work by Jackie Skrzynski. August 24-September 15.
GEARY CONTEMPORARY
34 MAIN STREET, MILLERTON
“Alan Prazniak. Paintings.” August 3-October 6.
GRIT WORKS | GRIT GALLERY
115 BROADWAY, NEWBURGH
“The Power of Parchment.” Group show. August 3-September 15.
HEADSTONE GALLERY
28 HURLEY AVENUE, KINGSTON
“Rabbit Bouquet.” Work by Michael Royce. Through September 21.
HESSEL MUSEUM OF ART/CCS BARD BARD COLLEGE, ANNANDALE
“Carrie Mae Weems: Remember to Dream.” Revisits the range and breadth of Carrie Mae Weems’ prolific career through rarely exhibited and lesser-known works. Through December 1.
HOLOCENTER
518 BROADWAY, KINGSTON
“The Art of Holography: Past and Present.” Group show of holographic art. Through September 1.
HUDSON HALL
327 WARREN STREET, HUDSON
“Hans Frank: Cosmic Art.” Paintings. August 3-September 22.
HUDSON RIVER MUSEUM
511 WARBURTON AVENUE, YONKERS
“Rivers / Flow: Artists Connect.” Group show. Through September 1.
HUDSON VALLEY MOCA
1701 MAIN STREET, PEEKSKILL
“Rise.” Art made by and curated by Peekskill High School students. Through August 31.
JACK SHAINMAN: THE SCHOOL
25 BROAD STREET, KINDERHOOK
“Lie Doggo.” Work by Nina Chanel Abney. Through October 5.
KAATSBAAN CULTURAL PARK
120 BROADWAY, TIVOLI
“2024 Visual Arts Exhibition.” Works by Emil Alzamora, Sequoyah Aono, Arthur Gibbons, Kenichi Hiratsuka, Ashley Lyon, Ian McMahon, Mollie McKinley, and John Sanders. Through September 30.
LABSPACE
2642 NY ROUTE 23, HILLSDALE.
“Pauline Decarmo: ins and outs and ups and downs.” Through August 11.
“Christina Tenaglia and Adrian Meraz: Elevation.” August 17-September 29.
LEHMAN LOEB ART CENTER
124 RAYMOND AVENUE, POUGHKEEPSIE
“Ubuhle Women: Beadwork and the Art of Independence.” Through September 8.
“Photography as Data.” Group show. Through September 15.
LICHTENSTEIN CENTER FOR THE ARTS
28 RENNE AVENUE, PITTSFIELD, MA
“I Am Part of Art.” Group show of CATA artists. Through August 20.
LIVE 4 ART GALLERY
20 CHARLES COLMAN BOULEVARD, PAWLING
“Sculpture IV.” Fourth annual all sculpture show. August 2–September 1.
MAD ROSE GALLERY
5916 NORTH ELM AVENUE, MILLERTON
“Kerry Madigan: New Works.” Photographs. August 1-29.
MAGAZZINO ITALIAN ART
2700 ROUTE 9, COLD SPRING
“Germinal.” Paintings by Mario Schifano (19341998). Through August 9.
MANITOGA / THE RUSSEL WRIGHT DESIGN CENTER
584 NEW YORK 9D, PHILIPSTOWN
“The Source of Everything.” Curated by Kate Orne of Upstate Diary
MARK GRUBER GALLERY
13 NEW PALTZ PLAZA, NEW PALTZ
“The Shawangunks.” Group show. Through September 7.
MARY MACGILL
212 MAIN STREET, GERMANTOWN
“Annual Layers.” Sculpture by Jonathan Kline. Through August 19.
MASS MOCA
1040 MASS MOCA WAY, NORTH ADAMS, MA
“Like Magic.” Simone Bailey, Raven Chacon, Grace Clark, Johanna Hedva, Gelare Khoshgozaran, Cate O’Connell-Richards, Rose Salane, Petra Szilagyi, Tourmaline, and Nate Young. Through August 31.
MOTHER-IN-LAW’S
140 CHURCH AVENUE, GERMANTOWN
“A Dyke Cabin of One’s Own.” Installation by Danielle Klebes curated by Elijah Wheat Showroom. Through September 21.
THE MOUNT
2 PLUNKETT STREET, LENOX, MA
“Sculpture at the Mount.” Juried group sculpture show. Through October 20.
THE MUSE
1 MADELINE LANE, ROSENDALE
“Sub-Merged.” Underwater photography by Barbara Leon. Through August 11.
NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM
9 ROUTE 183, STOCKBRIDGE, MA
“What, Me Worry? The Art and Humor of MAD.” This landmark exhibition explores the unforgettable art and satire of MAD, the first magazine to brilliantly and outrageously poke holes in all aspects of American life. Through October 27.
OLANA STATE HISTORIC SITE
5720 ROUTE 9G, HUDSON
“Afterglow: Frederic Church and the Landscape of Memory.” At the heart of this exhibition are Frederic Church’s rarely seen memorial landscape paintings. Through October 27.
OLIVE FREE LIBRARY
4033 ROUTE 28A, WEST SHOKAN.
“Monochromatic.” Group show juried by Melinda Stickney-Gibson. Through September 7.
OPUS 40
356 GEORGE SICKLE ROAD, SAUGERTIES
“Bound Rocks and Functional Women: New Work from Jared Handelsman and Portia Munson.” Through August 12.
“Photos of Woodstock ’94.” Work by Cheryl Dunn, Danny Clinch, and Albert Watson. August 16-September 16.
PAMELA SALISBURY GALLERY
362 1/2 WARREN STREET, HUDSON
“Dreamers Awake.” Work by Valerie Hammond. Through August 24.
“Panegyrics.” Work by Geoffrey Young. Through August 24.
“Salad Days.” Work by Holly Hughes. Through August 24.
“Tight Quarters.” Work by Kathy Osborn. Through August 24.
PINKWATER STUDIO
239 FAIR STREET 3RD FLOOR, KINGSTON
“The Karen Barth Archive.” Retrospective of abstract painter Karen Barth. Through September 3.
PRIVATE PUBLIC
530 COLUMBIA STREET, HUDSON
“Summer Disaster 2.” Group show. August 3-September 8.
REHER CENTER FOR IMMIGRANT CULTURE AND HISTORY
101 BROADWAY, KINGSTON
“Taking Root: Immigrant Stories of the Hudson Valley.” Through December 1.
SEPTEMBER
4 HUDSON STREET, KINDERHOOK.
“Taylor Davis: Until the Sun Goes Dark.” Through September 15.
STORM KING ART CENTER
1 MUSEUM ROAD, NEW WINDSOR
“Arlene Shechet: Girl Group.” Six large-scale outdoor sculptures. Through November 10.
SUPER SECRET PROJECTS
484 MAIN STREET, BEACON
“Solastagia.” Work by Kohar Minassian. August 10-September 8.
SUSAN ELEY FINE ART
433 WARREN STREET, HUDSON
“Simple Gifts.” Monotypes by Rachel Burgess. Through August 18.
“Eighteen.” Abstract paintings by Ted Dixon inspired by The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story. August 22-October 13.
‘T’ SPACE
120 ROUND LAKE ROAD, RHINEBECK
“James Casabere.” Large-scale wooden geometric sculptures. Through October 13.
THE LACE MILL GALLERIES
165 CORNELL STREET, KINGSTON
“Sculptors and Painters.” Group show. Through August 9.
THE RED LION INN
30 MAIN STREET, STOCKBRIDGE, MA
“Foreign Substances.” Work by Charlotte Rose and Billy Zane. Through August 15.
THE WASSAIC PROJECT
37 FURNACE BANK ROAD, WASSAIC
“Tall Shadows in Short Order.” Thirty artists with large, site-specific installations. Through September 14.
THOMAS COLE HISTORIC SITE
218 SPRING STREET, CATSKILL
“Alan Michelson: Prophetstown.” Site-responsive solo exhibition. Through December 1. “Native Prospects: Indigeneity and Landscape.” 19th-century paintings by Thomas Cole featuring Native figures in context with Indigenous works of historic and cultural value, and artworks by contemporary Indigenous artists. Through October 27.
TURLEY GALLERY
98 GREEN STREET, SUITE 2, HUDSON
Edward Merritt: The Long Season.” Paintings. Through September 1.
Survival: The breakdown comes when you..., Jenny Holzer, black, silver, and red enamel on heavy gauge kraft paper, circa 1983. Part of "Inaugural Exhibition" at the Campus in Claverack through September 30. Photo by David McIntyre
TURN PARK ART SPACE
2 MOSCOW ROAD, STOCKBRIDGE, MA
“Finding Form.” Work by Roberley Bell. Through August 24.
WALLKILL RIVER CENTER FOR THE ARTS
232 WARD STREET, MONTGOMERY
“Lens On New York.” Group exhibit of photographs of New York City juried by Allison Colby. Through September 1.
WIRED GALLERY
11 MOHONK ROAD, HIGH FALLS
“Divine Femininity: The Art of Harriet Forman Barrett.” Paintings and sculpture. Through August 18.
WOMENSWORK.ART
12 VASSAR STREET, POUGHKEEPSIE
“The Remnants of Summer.” New photoworks by Nikki Hung. Through August 31.
WOODSTOCK ARTISTS ASSOCIATION AND MUSEUM (WAAM)
28 TINKER STREET, WOODSTOCK
“Bloom: Symbols of Resiliency.” Documentation of art and poetry made by students. Facilitated by Dakota Lane. Through August 11.
“Far & Wide National.” National group exhibition juried by Jane Eckert. Through August 11.
“Kathy Greenwood: Catch, Cover, Carry.” Paintings and multimedia sculptures. Through August 11.
“Purely Aesthetic: Non-functional Ceramics from the Permanent Collection.” Group show. August 16-October 6.
“Spirit of Woodstock.” Group show. August 16-October 6.
“Sydney Cash: Being Seeing.” FLUTEX Sculptures. August 16-October 6.
RADIO WOODSTOCK
100.1 PRESENTS PRESENTS
Horoscopes
By Cory Nakasue
Royal Reversals
Uranus and an extremely loud Mercury retrograde period combine to upend everything we know about leadership and social organization. The heart of Leo season, with its trademark consistency, skips multiple beats as a new pattern desperately wants to emerge. And, as the inner planets move through the last degrees of Leo, they will all come into a tense aspect with disruptive Uranus in Taurus. When Venus does so, on August 2, watch for unexpected changes of heart with respect to allegiances, tastes, and desires. The status quo will no longer cut it!
Mercury stations retrograde on August 5, one day after a new Moon in Leo on the 4th. Venus will also enter uncompromising Virgo on the same day. Perhaps the most dramatic time for reversals will occur at the full Moon in Aquarius on August 19. Both the Sun and Moon will receive a Uranian jolt, just as a retrograde Mercury conjoins the Sun to form what astrologers call cazimi (meaning ‘in the heart”). We have a chance at startling clarity at this full Moon, but won’t escape the need for change.
The Sun enters Virgo on August 22. Cue the cleaning crews, editors, and organizers to initiate practical next steps for finding our way amongst the debris of recent disturbances. Mercury comes to a standstill on the 28th in preparation for its movement forward through Leo. When Mercury returns to its direct motion, we are not yet finished with all of the topics presented during the retrograde. Like a pendulum, it takes time for Mercury to resume its usual speed and move past the degrees it retrograded through. Venus has game-changing encounters with all of the outer planets before moving into its home sign of Libra on the 29th. Expect relationship volatility for a few days before achieving equilibrium.
Head to Chronogram.com to learn about this Mercury’s retrograde journey.
ARIES
(March 20–April 19)
One of the few things we can control in life is what we reveal and what we hide. Sometimes we hide bits of information or parts of ourselves from others to protect our privacy. Sometimes we hide things in order to control what others feel about us. When we hide things from others to manipulate an outcome, we rob our friends of consent, but we also rob ourselves of being truly known. You’re being challenged this month to authentically express your thoughts and feelings, and let the chips fall where they may. Love yourself enough to cede control.
TAURUS
(April 19–May 20)
When I look at your chart for this month, an image of the Incredible Hulk comes to mind, and his clothes—or lack thereof. It’s as if the casing around your body or your presence can’t contain you anymore. Your movement is limited. When a key piece of insight drops into your consciousness around the full Moon, it creates enough pressure to help you bust out of roles and structures that are too confining. You can’t control when or where this will happen, but you can start stitching together a new outfit that gives you more space.
Cory Nakasue is an astrology counselor, writer, and teacher. Her talk show, “The Cosmic Dispatch,” is broadcast on Radio Kingston (1490AM/107.9FM) Sundays from 4-5pm and available on streaming platforms. AstrologybyCory.com
GEMINI
(May 20–June 21)
You’re in quite a disembodied state at the moment. This could be a wonderful opportunity to imagine your way out of stories and habits that have become rote, or have lost their meaning. Challenge the idea that you are the source of all the questions and answers. Focus on being the conduit instead. Entertain the idea that there is something larger than you that acts as a change agent. Take note of synchronicities, signs, and gut feelings, but don’t analyze them too much. If the lack of control feels overwhelming, choose a designated time and space to dream without judgment.
CANCER
(June 21–July 22)
An unforeseen change in alliances or social groups has a profound effect on your material stability and sense of personal security. We can’t control or micromanage other people without doing disservice to ourselves. This could present an opportunity for you to seek out allies who are more willing to support you. This period of time could also find you wanting to break out of a social rut or craving deeper connection with people who have similar values as yours. Authentic and aligned relationships with others need not be transactional to be mutually beneficial. Caring for others is self-care.
LEO (July 22–August 23)
Do-overs and repeats are on your mind lately, especially when it comes to relationships. There seems to be a need to not only review the past, but clearly identify who you were, in relation to who you are now. New people who enter your life at this time might have a better perspective about the person you’re becoming. Whereas the gaze of older friends might make you feel uncomfortably encased in amber. Give in to the restlessness of wanting to be seen in a different light. Don’t be afraid to shock people and, maybe, turn your life upside down.
VIRGO
(August 23–September 23)
The need to control chaos might be overwhelming this month, but I’d suggest you don’t bother. Chaos is an unavoidable and necessary part of change. Any attempts to wrangle, organize, or impose your will on your environment will be thwarted, and you’ll be left frustrated and tired. The world needs Virgo at its best right now, so better to put your efforts toward observing and learning the language of the uncontrollable. You will be left with a completely new and workable paradigm with which to operate in. You will have to sacrifice all old expectations.
LIBRA
(September 23–October 23)
Whether you’re trying to build an audience of five or five million, your students, colleagues, and/or fans seem to want something different. Luckily, what they’re craving is more of you—they want your secrets, your unadulterated opinions, and your vulnerability. It’s time to take a risk and get more intimate with the masses. Mix business and pleasure, and talk politics in the bedroom. It’s often said that the most personal things about us turn out to be the most universal. Risk losing some tepid consumers of your offerings for a more intense bond with your true allies.
SCORPIO (October 23–November 22)
Unexpected shifts in relationships may prompt changes on the home and work front. It’s also important that you don’t try to control what your partners do, even if their behavior seems rash. In your chart, there appears to be a domino effect regarding swift change and the need to restructure personal and public life. For instance, a partner’s new job might require a change of residence, which then requires you to make an occupational change. Instead of resisting, allow any surprises that come up to inform you. When the building blocks of life tumble, explore the new paths that open up.
SAGITTARIUS
(November 22–December 22)
No one needs to force you to shake up your routine, which is good, because your local environment demands it. It’s important to greet upsets within your household, friend groups, and neighborhood with a sense of excitement. As you reexamine your philosophies and life experiences, you may get a strong urge to refine your messaging. This may express itself in something as large as a book or other creative offering, and it could be as intimate as the lessons you teach your children. Radical new ways to restructure your work schedule, your diet, or volunteer service activities are supported!
CAPRICORN (December 22–January 20)
You don’t need health insurance.
A creative or romantic breakthrough could have you apprehensive about next steps. What might have looked like playful experimentation or a bit of fun, could turn into something of much importance that will require deeper commitment. This may be triggered by unfinished business with a former collaborator or lover that needs to be renegotiated. If children are a part of your life, their sudden need for freedom, or a new passion may demand more support from you. This could force some creative reshuffling of time, money, and responsibility. You are up to the task of finding new ways to support joy.
AQUARIUS (January 20–February 19)
To say that you have “itchy feet” would be an understatement. Before you flip the table of your life by impulsively relocating, initiating a break-up, or altering your appearance in a permanent way, ask yourself what needs changing on a deeper level. Sometimes, when we feel like we “just can’t take it anymore,” the “it” has more to do with the limits we impose on ourselves. The drastic change we desire is freedom from all the stories we’ve told ourselves about who we are. Give yourself permission to go against your internal or ancestral grain before indulging in extreme upheaval.
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PISCES
(February 20–March 19)
An intractable problem might solve itself on its own, so don’t exhaust yourself. The epiphanies will come if you can step outside of your expectations. Working harder isn’t the answer either, and you don’t have to prove how smart you are. Just wait. Trust. Get very quiet and pay attention. The only work you should do this month is preparation. Make room for the information to come to you, and create an attractive receptacle. Do your best impersonation of a gorgeous, succulent flower, and the butterflies will land on you. You don’t have to chase them.
Ad Index
1053
Deep in the Big Muddy
On the weekend of August 12-14, 1994, 350,000 gathered at Winston Farm in Saugerties to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival—and catch more than 50 musical acts on two stages, including Green Day, Bob Dylan, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Aerosmith, and a handful of unsigned local bands like Futu Futu and Lunch Meat. The concert went off without a hitch—and then the weather moved in on Saturday and the 850-acre field became a sea of mud and trash by Sunday afternoon.
Nancy Donskoj was there. “I missed the original Woodstock music festival, so I was very excited to have the opportunity to go to Woodstock ’94 and document the event,” says the Kingston-based photographer. I arrived early on Sunday, the festival’s last day, and stayed until the end. The day before, rain had turned Winston Farm into a sea of mud, and because of that service vehicles could not enter the site, causing the garbage to overflow. I found discarded food containers, plastic bottles, and pizza boxes scattered everywhere. But the amazing thing was no one seemed to mind and they appeared to embrace it. I walked for hours, with my shoes encrusted in mud, taking pictures, meeting people, and listening to the music.”
Donskoj’s photos are part of a summer-long celebration of Woodstock ’94 being held at locations across Saugerties, including numerous concerts, screenings of concert footage, and discussions with musicians and journalists. Donskoj’s photos will be exhibited at Sketchbook Gallery at Jane Street Art Center, August 3-31. For more information about the events, visit Woodstock94celebration.com.
—Brian K. Mahoney
Above, untitled photographs from the Woodstock ‘94 concert at Winston Farm in Saugerties by Nancy Donskoj.
