Julia Zardoya and Kevin Elliott tied the knot at Arrow Park in Monroe on in July 2021. In “Tux, Tulle, and Thrills” we examine how couples and photographers are redefining wedding photography for the 21st-century.
Photo by Jeff Tisman
WEDDINGS, PAGE 10
DEPARTMENTS
6 On the Cover: Phil Knoll
A modern take on Odysseus listening to the sirens from Great Barrington-based painter Phil Knoll.
8 Esteemed Reader
Jason Stern offers instructions on vehicle repair.
9 Editor’s Note
Brian K. Mahoney pays homage to John Cuneo.
WEDDINGS
10 Tux, Tulle, and Thrills
Couples and photographers are redefining wedding photography for the 21st-century.
FOOD & DRINK
18 Patron Saint of Prime Rib
Saint Florian, a steakhouse in Hudson’s historic H. W. Rogers Hose Co. firehouse, blends laid-back charm with culinary chops. Chef Robert Finn infuses classic dishes with global spices, reflecting his rigorous training and worldly experience. The two-story venue offers a cozy bar downstairs and an upscale dining room upstairs, honoring its firefighting roots.
20 Catskill Threshold
Threshold Korean Catskills Kitchen in Livingston Manor offers modern takes on Korean cuisine using locally sourced ingredients, combining Catskills charm with Seoul sophistication in its menu, decor, and atmosphere.
22 Sips and Bites
Recent openings include The Fed of Warwick, Pinkerton’s in Kingston, Alon’s Halal Grill in Highland, Banque in Hudson, and Lyonshare in Beacon.
HOME & GARDEN
24 A One-Story Skyscraper in Claverack
A couple built their Hudson Valley dream house, blending vision work, modular design, and nature-inspired elements into a transformative glass home.
HEALTH & WELLNESS
36 Ozempic Beyond the Scale
While GLP-1 therapies like Ozempic gain traction, personalized peptide therapies are supporting long-term health goals outside the mainstream.
COMMUNITY PAGES
40 Poughkeepsie: Main Street Momentum
Poughkeepsie’s revival is unfolding through communitydriven projects, addressing urban renewal scars while fostering hope and progress.
50 Poughkeepsie Portraits by David McIntyre
RURAL INTELLIGENCE
56 A New Look at Olana
The Frederic Church Center for Art and Landscape opens.
2 25
Comedian Natalie Cuomo performing at Laugh It Up Comedy Club at Mahoney’s in Poughkeepsie on January 10.
Photo by David McIntyre
COMMUNITY PAGES, PAGE 40
ARTS
58 Music
Peter Aaron reviews Hang in There with Me by Amy Rigby. Mike Cobb reviews Transmissions by Stephen Clair. Michael Eck reviews Vulcan by John Esposito and A Book of Five Rings. Plus listening recommendations from Damon Banks, a Beacon-based bassist, composer, producer, and educator currently on tour with the Arun Ramamurthy Trio.
59 Books
Susan Yung reviews Ordinary Devotion by Kristen HoltBrowning, a novel connecting the stories of a medieval anchoress and a present-day archival researcher.
Plus short reviews of First Love: Guiding Teens Through Relationships and Heartbreak by Lisa A. Phillips; Performance Anxiety by Jonathan Lerner; How the Web Was Won by Ken McCarthy; What Is Your BS? Exploring Belief Systems Through Hypnosis and NLP by Peter Blum; and The True Story of Murder Cafe by Frank Marquette.
60 Poetry
Poems by John Ackerman, Saima Afreen, Jeanne-Marie Fleming, Stephanie Gleeson, Patrick Hammer, Jr., J. J. Holden, Ryan Helm, Jennifer Howse, William J. Joel, Mayueroa, Cyrus Mulready, Judith Prest, J. R. Solonche, Mike Vashen, and Lori White. Edited by Phillip X Levine.
THE GUIDE
62 SUNY New Paltz art professor and artist Andrea Kantrowitz talks about her book Drawing Thought
65 A review of the Maria Lai retrospective at Magazzino.
66 “Landmines” opens at the Dorsky Museum on February 8.
68 MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes talks about his new book
The Siren’s Call prior to appearing at UPAC on February 15
69 Celebrated guitarist Marc Ribot brings his quartet to Hudson Hall.
70 Live Music: Amanda Palmer, Martin Sexton, and Real Estate.
71 Short List: John Fugelsang, MODFest, Todd Barry, and more.
72 Highlights of museum and gallery shows across the region.
HOROSCOPES
76 Nothing More Than Feelings
Cory Nakasue reveals what the stars have in store for us.
PARTING SHOT
80 How to Draw a Bunny
Andrew Moore’s documentary on art provocateur Ray Johnson screens this month at Time and Space Limited.
Sketching the Sirens
Phil Knoll’s Artistic Odyssey
By Mike Cobb
Great Barrington, Massachusetts-based artist Phil Knoll is as inspired by the TV animation of Looney Toons and “Mighty Mouse” as he is by classical painting. As a student at the University of Texas, Knoll recalls how his instructor Peter Saul’s colorful, cartoony works exploring the depths of American depravity opened his eyes and to what cartoon imagery can do.” Knoll also cites Alice Neel, Saul Steinberg, and Man Ray as influences.
“Admittedly, there is a cornucopia of divergent styles to be found in mon oeuvre. I challenge myself to imagine what might be a sane response to life on Earth,” says Knoll. “Then I choose the best vehicle to realize the vision, whether via realism, cartoon, or by stepping into the sneakers of other artists for brief raids on their genius. I put my heart into my work, because there is nothing I won’t do to body forth the wit in my pictures. Beauty is the supreme goal. There is also an obsession to focus on the small within the large. What is the universe if not for its details?”
This clash of old and new comes together in Odysseus Tempted by the Sirens Odysseus wears a golden earring, looking as much like an ancient pirate as a modern hipster. The blue ribbons going into his ears suggest the sweet things the sirens sing to Odysseus while he is lashed to the mast. These utterances include: “Beer! We have beer!,” “Obvious you never have to take the trash out here,” and “Odysseus you’re so hot!”
In Knoll’s depiction, Homer’s protagonist, eyes watering, grits his teeth in the face of seduction, albeit with a farcical, contemporary twist. It’s an updated statement on how flattery and temptation can derail mankind. “I’m
attempting to have fun with the stories while honoring their history. In general, I want my work to be entertaining and thought-provoking,” Knoll says.
Knoll’s knowledge and skill are evident in his rendering of Odysseus’s hair, a mess of pattern that on closer inspection reveals a deep understanding of ancient art and brings to mind the cursive, calligraphic inscriptions found in the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.
“I was trying to get the matted, kinked up feeling that I imagined a guy who fought 10 years in the battle of Troy and sailed around the Mediterranean Sea for seven odd years would have. While attempting to draw that mess I stumbled upon the twisting and turning design, which was influenced by archaic Celtic, Norse, and Muslim decorations,” Knoll says.
Odysseus Tempted by the Sirens is part of the exhibition “Wild Wonders” on display at Bernay Fine Art in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, through March 2. The exhibit also features the work of Stephanie Anderson, Alyssa Fanning, and Zohar Lazar. Knoll will give an artist talk on February 15 at 12pm.
“I believe I’m brave, and perhaps foolish to admit it, but I want my art to be fun. Fun to make. Fun to look at. Fun to think about. But that doesn’t mean my pictures aren’t serious. I attempt to confront important issues, focusing mainly on human arrogance,” says Knoll. “There is a great need to poke, prod, and expose the hubris of homo sapiens in my work. Sometimes the irreverence is obvious, other times it comes at you at a slant. But it is rarely lacking, if you look.”
Odysseus Tempted by the Sirens, Phil Knoll, watercolor and colored pencil on paper, 31” x 29”, 2020
Photo by Art Evans
EDITORIAL
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
Maggie Baribault, Winona Barton-Ballentine, Mike Cobb, Michael Eck, Melissa Esposito, Gabriella Gagliano, Richard Kreitner, Jamie Larson, David McIntyre, Cory Nakasue, Sparrow, Taliesin Thomas
PUBLISHING
FOUNDERS Jason Stern, Amara Projansky
PUBLISHER & CEO Amara Projansky amara.projansky@chronogram.com
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Jan Dewey jan.dewey@chronogram.com
BOARD CHAIR David Dell
sales manager
Andrea Fliakos andrea.fliakos@chronogram.com
media specialists
Kaitlyn LeLay kaitlyn.lelay@chronogram.com
Kelin Long-Gaye kelin.long-gaye@chronogram.com
Kris Schneider kris.schneider@chronogram.com
ad operations
Jared Winslow jared.winslow@chronogram.com
marketing
MARKETING & EVENTS MANAGER
Margot Isaacs margot.isaacs@chronogram.com
BRANDED CONTENT WRITER
Xenia Ellenbogen xenia.ellenbogen@chronogram.com
administration
FINANCE MANAGER
Nicole Clanahan accounting@chronogram.com
production
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
Kerry Tinger kerry.tinger@chronogram.com
PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Kate Brodowska kate.brodowska@chronogram.com
45 Pine Grove Avenue, Suite 303, Kingston, NY 12401 • (845) 334-8600 mission
esteemed reader by
Jason Stern
My son has been enjoying working on cars while he finishes high school. He currently owns two from the early `90s—a Volvo 240 and a little Ford pickup. He learns as he goes, completing myriad tasks including replacing the front end, brakes, shocks, exhaust systems. When connections are seized with rust or original parts are no longer available he has to find creative solutions and a will to solve problems.
“It’s a very different experience driving a car I’ve worked on. It’s a pleasure to feel all the parts that I know working together,” he commented after a long drive from Vermont.
The teenager’s matter-of-fact statement has come to mind when I sit in the morning to meditate and pause periodically during the day to renew the coherence of my inner life. I watch in wonder as the vehicle of my body transforms the food I eat into vitality and sensations, thoughts and insights, feelings of wonder and frustration, and awareness of all of these. I see that I really have no idea how this process unfolds, or of its purpose, and at the same time I wish to understand.
Biochemistry provides clues to how bodies transform food into life at one level, though I find its presumptions questionable. The underlying notion that theoretical, invisible compounds and chemical processes give rise to life and consciousness strikes me as upside down and bound to lead to ignorant conclusions. More importantly, the descriptions are neither observable nor practicable.
The medieval alchemists, the antecedents of modern chemists, seem to have possessed a greater degree of genuine understanding. In addition to earth, water, air, and fire, the alchemists recognized the reality of the ether, a very fine substance out of which all the other elements coalesce. This source substance pervades the universe and is the medium which holds the pattern of the cosmic design and conducts the energies that give rise to the other elements and to living bodies and systems. Incidentally, modern theorists now give this substance the enigmatic placeholder name of “dark matter” which, they conjecture, constitutes 85 percent of the universe.
A prime ignorance of the conventional worldview is the suggestion that the fundamental imperative underlying the impulses of living beings is survival. Of course, beings want to survive, but they want to survive in order to live, to be themselves, which is to say to joyfully contribute the function and emanation of their assigned form of a living being. A more apparent imperative is beauty, for any being that lives in its nature is beautiful.
The alchemists had one underlying principle handed down to them from a quasi-mythical figure called Hermes Trismagistus who was called Thoth in the ancient Egyptian pantheon. The principle is As Above, So Below. It suggests that the universe is composed of worlds of identical design nested one within the other. From the micro to the macro, each world is complete and independent and each is an integrated part of the next larger world. All participate in a sacred process of transformation.
On the micro level, we have the image of the red blood cell with its own life, fate, time, and purpose. By analogy we have a human being which is itself complete and independent and is itself a cell in the body of nature, which itself is an organ of the Earth. The Earth, in turn, is part of the body of the Sun (or solar system), which, in its turn, is part of the body of the galaxy, and beyond, which might be called the Body of God. Each has its own scale of life and its own time, but the same patterns and purpose of transformation of energies is present in each.
The beginning of a science that might successfully comprehend our own objective purpose begins with the understanding that the same laws and purpose apply to every scale of the cosmos. Each independent microcosmos has a duty within the greater whole. That duty is to be itself with the fullest vitality and according to its design assigned by nature.
In spite of the general theory of relativity, we have lost sight of the repetitive relativity of scale and time. With the flatland materialistic worldview we forget that we are part of a larger body that we can barely comprehend from the limited perspective of scale afforded by our senses and amplifying instruments of our invention. In fact, we have a duty to live in a way that serves the body of which we are a part. There is a responsibility we may joyfully fulfill in a reciprocal relationship with that higher being of which our lives are a part.
Before us is the invitation to come to know our own living alchemical instrument in the way a mechanic understands his pickup truck. With this knowledge comes the pleasure of driving the vehicle I have studied, repaired, and restored.
by Brian K. Mahoney
Muffin Crumbs & Coffee Stains
The first time we featured an illustration by John Cuneo on the cover of the magazine was the May 2018 issue. Amuse-bouche features a gardener on her knees blithely planting a sapling while dozens of woodland critters emerge from the trees, waiting to pounce on their next meal. It reflects the many hours Cuneo has spent contemplating the futility of gardening at his Woodstock home. “It is an eternally optimistic thing to try and make anything grow here with all the animals,” he told us in 2018. “I always think about it when I see homes with fortresses of chains, electricity, and barbed wire. But I am heartened by that kind of naive optimism—it’s endearing.”
When Cuneo approached us looking for a home for the piece, an orphaned New Yorker submission—we jumped at the chance. Look: We’re not proud. We’ll take sloppy seconds if we get to showcase work like this. The colorful sweetness of Amuse-bouche is a slight departure for Cuneo, whose illustrations are a masterclass in delightful discomfort—his scratchy, acerbic lines lay bare the absurdity of the human condition, equal parts tender and brutal. Whether skewering cultural norms or embracing the grotesque, his work is a Rorschach test for your tolerance of raw honesty. Just follow the illustrator on Instagram—@johncuneo3—and you’ll see the visceral cross-section of his mind on display there.
Cuneo is compulsive about drawing, so Instagram is a near-perfect vehicle for the illustrator’s noncommissioned work. “I’m the guy who walks around with a sketchpad or a card in his pocket in case he needs to draw something. I draw all the time,” he told us in 2023, and said of Instagram: “It’s a place to put all this stuff.” He posts almost every day, skewering male fantasies, domestic life, and the political scene with sketches that feature more penises than some porno films. “I get away with an alarming amount of genitalia for some reason,” he said. But all that libidinous energy is a double-edged pen. “I’ve drawn myself into a corner,” he said. “If I do a normal drawing, people ask, ‘Where’s the penis?’”
It was on Instagram in June of 2023 when I spotted his illustration The Messenger. In it, a
woman leans over a man drawing in a notebook in a coffee shop and soliloquizes on the death of the artist in the age of artificial intelligence: “Hell, my kid could do that. No really—he’s got an AI image generator. He can just text ‘prompt’ of your stupid drawing, and he can say he wants it in your style, and so the program will harvest and collate and absorb thousands of your copyrighted drawings, and then its neural networks will get busy. In seconds it’ll start spittin’ out endless variations and equivalents of your sad little sketch, only without the muffin crumbs and coffee stains. In other words, the party’s over, pen-boy.” (That last phrase—“the party’s over, pen-boy”—is devastating in its self-lacerating gallows humor. As Freud noted, laughter is just humanity’s way of coping with the unspeakable pain of everyday life.)
As you might recall, June of 2023 was just six months after the launch of ChatGPT, the first large language model AI available to the public. The Messenger is an incisive and hilarious
peek under the hood at artists’ anxieties facing the existential threat of AI and some people’s seeming willingness to consign human-made art to the dustbin of history and embrace our new artmaking robot overlords.
In short, it’s brilliant. But don’t take my word on it. The Messenger, which we featured on the cover of the July 2023 issue, was awarded a gold medal in the 67th Society of Illustrators Annual competition. The competition is open to artists worldwide, and thousands of entries are considered by a jury of 50 industry professionals, which include renowned illustrators, art directors, and designers. Cuneo has won multiple Society of Illustrators medals to date, and he’s in (ahem) illustrious company: recent winners include Steve Brodner, Mark Stamaty, Anna and Elana Balbusso, Marc Burckhardt, and Saugerties resident Chris Buzelli, whose Little Covid Prince appeared on the May 2020 cover of this magazine. Cuneo’s original illustration will be part of “Illustrators 67,” an exhibition at the Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrators in Manhattan from March 8 to April 12.
Kudos to John Cuneo for snagging gold, and thanks again to him and to other artists of all types who continue to make work centering human concerns. As author Joanna Maciejewska noted in a tweet that went viral last year: “I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes.” AI might pump out pretty pictures with algorithmic precision, but it will never replicate the frailty and fire of the human touch. Art is not just the finished image; it’s the coffee stains, the tortured drafts, the years spent wrestling with self-doubt, and the horrific struggle to establish a human self. Cuneo’s pen scratches at the truth, revealing raw, tender humanity in a way no neural network can. Sure, AI can mimic a style, but it can’t capture the soul behind the work. It lacks the sweat, the struggle, the humanity to imbue an image with our messy, unquantifiable essence. Art isn’t just about output—it’s a dialogue between creator and viewer, an unspoken contract of vulnerability and risk. Here’s to the risk takers.
John Cuneo’s illustration The Messenger, which appeared on the cover of the July 2023 issue, has been awarded a gold medal in the 67th Society of Illustrators Annual competition.
magine exchanging vows amidst rustic elegance, surrounded by nature’s beauty and the historic charm of Old Drovers Inn.
With our all-inclusive packages, every detail is tailored to your vision, ensuring your wedding is as unique as your love story. From the rehearsal dinner to the send-o brunch, we handle it all, allowing you to focus on what truly matters—celebrating with your loved ones. Contact us to learn more about our o erings and begin your journey to a perfect wedding weekend.
Tux, Tulle, &Thrills
REDEFINING WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
By Maggie Baribault
Amid the peak autumn hues of the Shawangunk Ridge outside New Paltz, Ben Weinstein and his fiancee Kymberly Kline ascended a towering rock face, their focus resolute. But this wasn’t just another day of climbing for the two New Paltz locals. Decked out in a black suit and repurposed prom dress, the pair were staging their wedding photos—mid-climb. For Weinstein and Kline, whose relationship blossomed on these cliffs, the shoot was a personal way to commemorate their union.
“We were both into rock climbing and had been hoping to find a climbing boyfriend or girlfriend,” Weinstein says. “We met on a Facebook page called Climb Now, Date Later, and after a few climbing dates, we had our first kiss on a cliff at the Gunks.” Choosing this location for their wedding photos felt like a natural tribute to their story before their backyard ceremony in July of last year.
Ben Weinstein and Kymberly Kline climbing the Shawangunk Ridge on the Mohonk Preserve outside New Paltz. The couple, both avid climbers, chose to have wedding photos while rock climbing. (The rope has been Photoshopped out.) They were married in July of last year.
Photo by Chris Vultaggio
Cheers TO Forever
Unforgettable Memories Begin at Our Distinctive Brewery Venue
Kevin DeMassio
KevinDeMassio
MeganPutney
Llama owners Maree and Sylvain at Owl’s Hoot Barn in Coxscakie, where they were married in November 2023.
Photo by Rebecca Turnquist
Laura Snyder and Pete Ayers on the carousel at the Bear Mountain Inn in Tomkins Cove, where the couple were married in October 2022.
Photo by Jeff Tisman
Cycle-crazy couple Yohsuke and Wendy rode bikes into their wedding reception at Diamond Mills in Saugerties in October 2017.
Photo by Cynthia Delconte
For their wedding photographs, Jeremy and Ginny Pugliese wanted to go around like it was a normal day. They are pictured at Mother Earth’s Storehouse in Saugerties. The couple were married in September 2017.
Photo by Jason Bover
Capturing Shared Passions
The couple contacted renowned climbing photographer Chris Vultaggio and recruited friends Greg van Inwegen and Chris Karcz to rig the ropes. Timing was critical, as the shoot needed to capture peak fall foliage and avoid the crowds drawn to the iconic Cascading Crystal Kaleidoscope climbing route. “The pressure was on,” Weinstein says. “There was one Thursday morning everyone was available, but we had a ton to figure out in just a few days.”
That included finding a dress. Kline’s cousin offered an old prom dress that fit the bill with a few alterations from a friend in Accord the day before the shoot. Kline also visited Goodfella’s Barbershop in New Paltz, where her stylist crafted an updo bulletproof against high winds. “A can of hairspray later, Kymberly slept miserably in curlers, though ironically, the next day we had dead winds,” Weinstein says.
The couple trekked to the top of the cliff, outfits in hand, and prepared for the shoot while their riggers secured the ropes. “As planned, we hid our harnesses under our outfits,” Weinstein says. “We carefully cut a hole in the prom dress so the rope could thread through it and the dress wouldn’t bunch up.” Then, they were slowly lowered and Vultaggio snapped away.
A Reflection of Who They Are
The resulting photos were breathtaking—and quintessentially them. “We didn’t really think about getting any kind of traditional photos because neither of us likes being the center of attention,” Weinstein says. “Taking a photo doing the activity that brought us together felt natural. We wanted an awesome wedding photo that we would have fun doing.”
Their story is part of a growing trend in wedding photography: couples opting for creative, deeply personal shoots that break away from tradition. From browsing small antique shops to spontaneous snapshots in a produce aisle, riding vintage carousels, and posing with llamas, couples are finding new ways to capture their everyday personalities in their wedding photos.
“People are no longer content with traditional, cookie-cutter wedding photos,” says Jeff Tisman, a Hudson Valley-based photographer. “Couples today are drawn to real, unscripted moments that reflect their personalities and relationships. There’s a strong desire to stand out and be authentic.”
Tisman recalls one of his most memorable shoots, where he asked a bridal party of 16 to pile into a bathtub. “It was a wild idea, but the resulting shot won several awards, and the wedding party loved it.” The venue now suggests the photo idea to every couple.
Memories that Last a Lifetime
Saugerties-based photographer Jason Bover emphasizes the importance of shared experiences in creating lasting memories. “Sharing special moments that only the couple experiences together leaves them with memories,” he says. “Of course, saying your vows in front of a hundred of your closest friends and family is a memory you won’t forget, but riding in go-carts or skydiving in your wedding dress creates a memory that’s burned into your core forever.”
For Weinstein and Kline, their unforgettable memories include a humorous moment when their photo shoot unexpectedly intersected with a group of climbers. “We had been shooting for about 15 minutes when suddenly there was a voice—in a thick German accent—‘Excuse me, how much longer?’”
Weinstein recalls. The climbers, eager to tackle the route, realized the scene was a photo shoot rather than an actual wedding, and decided to climb a different route and return later. Toward the end of the shoot, another climber on the nearby Moonlight route shouted up to the couple, revealing he was an ordained minister and offering to marry them on the spot. However, exhausted from their adventure, they chose to save the ceremony for a future celebration with friends and family.
A New Era of Wedding Photography
For Tisman, capturing a couple’s essence is key. “I strive to capture who they are, what matters most to them, and the love they share,” he says. Tisman believes couples will look back at these photos and be reminded of the emotions, connections, and personalities that made the day special. “These images stand the test of time because they tell a story that’s true to them,” he says.
Weinstein’s advice for couples considering their own offbeat photo shoots? “Don’t wait till the last minute to throw it together, and never agree to sleep in curlers in fear of high winds.”
Love Grows Here
Hudson Valley Farm Weddings
By Liam Drauf
There’s a certain magic to exchanging vows in the great outdoors, surrounded by the pastoral beauty of the Hudson Valley. Farm weddings offer a distinctive blend of rustic charm and timeless romance, where rolling fields, blooming flowers, and historic barns set the stage for unforgettable celebrations. These venues seamlessly combine natural beauty with modern conveniences, offering an idyllic backdrop for couples seeking an intimate, picturesque setting. From lovingly restored barns to working farms with sweeping views, the region is home to so many venues that cater to everything from cozy gatherings to grand celebrations, each with its own particular charm.
Crested Hen Farms
607 County Road 6, High Falls
Located on the backside of the Shawangunk Ridge, Crested Hen Farms is a meticulously restored 19th-century barn that exudes rustic elegance. Surrounded by lush greenery and mountain views, the property features a spacious barn with soaring ceilings, handcrafted wooden beams, and twinkling chandeliers. The grounds include manicured gardens, a serene pond, and plenty of space for an outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour. The venue’s flexible layout can accommodate intimate weddings or larger gatherings, while the attentive staff ensures every detail is taken care of. Crested Hen Farms perfectly balances vintage charm with modern amenities, making it a standout choice for farm weddings.
Crestedhenfarms.com
Foxtrot Farm
6852 Route 82, Stanfordville
Foxtrot Farm is a flower lover’s paradise. This working flower farm in Dutchess County doubles as an enchanting wedding venue, offering a picturesque setting surrounded by lush gardens and vibrant blooms. The farm’s charming event space includes a rustic barn and outdoor areas perfect for ceremonies and receptions. Seasonal flowers grown on-site can be incorporated into wedding decor, adding a personal and eco-friendly touch. With its serene ambiance, breathtaking views, and dedication to sustainable practices, Foxtrot Farm provides a stunning and environmentally conscious option for couples seeking a farm wedding experience. Foxtrotfarmflowers.com
Liberty View Farm
340 Crescent Avenue, Highland Liberty View Farm offers a blend of historic charm and bucolic beauty, located in the heart of the Hudson Valley apple country. Known for its orchards and sprawling fields, this working farm provides an idyllic setting for weddings. Couples can exchange vows beneath the apple trees or on the
farm’s expansive lawn with panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.
The venue’s intimate atmosphere is perfect for smaller gatherings, while the friendly and experienced team ensures a seamless experience.
Liberty View Farm’s commitment to sustainability and its picturesque landscape make it a memorable and meaningful choice for farm weddings.
Silver Maple Farm
1871 State Route 295, East Chatham Nestled in the foothills of the Berkshires, Silver Maple Farm offers a refined take on farm weddings. The property features a beautifully restored barn with elegant interiors and modern amenities, surrounded by pristine meadows and gardens. With its versatile indoor and outdoor spaces, Silver Maple Farm can host everything from sophisticated ceremonies to lively receptions. The venue also offers on-site accommodations for guests, providing convenience and comfort. With its blend of pastoral charm and upscale features, Silver Maple Farm offers a perfect setting for couples seeking a farm wedding with a touch of luxury.
Silvermaplefarm.com
Oz Farm
280 Malden Turnpike, Saugerties
Oz Farm is a hidden gem outside Saugerties, offering a whimsical and private setting for weddings. Surrounded by woods and open fields, the farm boasts a stunning barn with vaulted ceilings and vintage details, as well as outdoor spaces ideal for ceremonies under the sky. The property’s natural beauty and tranquil atmosphere create a serene escape from the everyday. With customizable packages and a focus on creating memorable experiences, Oz Farm provides couples with a flexible and picturesque venue to celebrate their special day. Its combination of charm and seclusion makes it an appealing choice for farm weddings.
Ozfarmny.com
Blooming Hill Farm
1251 Route 208, Monroe
Known for its farm-to-table ethos, Blooming Hill Farm combines culinary excellence with rustic charm. This working farm in Orange County offers a warm and inviting atmosphere for weddings, with options for both indoor and outdoor celebrations. The venue’s lush fields and charming farmhouse set the stage, while the on-site catering showcases seasonal ingredients sourced directly from the farm. Blooming Hill Farm’s focus on sustainability and gourmet cuisine ensures a wedding that is as memorable for its flavors as it is for its beauty. Couples seeking a farm wedding with a focus on exceptional food will find much to love here. Bloominghill.farm
Celebrate your special event at the historic Beattie-Powers Place, a Catskill Village treasure with an incomparable view!
FIND OUT MORE AT BEATTIEPOWERS.ORG OR EMAIL: EVENTS@BEATTIEPOWERS.ORG
Perched on the banks of the Hudson River, in the quaint village of Cold Spring, NY, this restored, historic chapel offers a breathtaking setting for your wedding.
chapelrestoration.org chapelweddingscs@gmail.com
Sweeten your big day with a one-of-a-kind treat—custom soft-serve ice cream and toppings served from our chic trailer. Make your celebration even more memorable with a fun twist.
Inquire about your event today! megan@supremesoftserve.com supremesoftserve.com
Patron Saint of Prime Rib
SAINT FLORIAN IN HUDSON
By Gabriella Gagliano
Nestled between a designer boutique and Swoon Kitchenbar on Warren Street in Hudson sits the former H. W. Rogers Hose Co. firehouse, whose near-150-year-old facade looks mostly unremarkable compared to its newly remodeled, upscale neighbors.
However, that is exactly what chef Robert Finn liked about it: laid back, low maintenance, and full of old-school charm. Since the kitchen had already been set up for dry-aging meats by the previous tenant, American Glory, he figured it would be the perfect place to open his throwback steakhouse, Saint Florian.
Highlighting the historic, exposed brick walls and original tin-tiled ceilings of the Gilded Age building, minimal decorations keep the barroom modest, nostalgic, and cozy. Sapele wood, high-back booths with soft sconces inspire intimate group conversations, while the bar that spans nearly the entire first-floor lounge invites newcomers to join in on whatever lively discussion is being had by Saint Florian’s handful of alreadyregular patrons. Open daily at 11am, it’s rapidly become a gathering place since debuting in mid-November. Upstairs, a more high-fashion
dining experience is served, with a zinc-top bar and a three-course menu available on Fridays and Saturdays from 5pm to 9pm.
“Hudson has some great coffee shops,” says Finn. “But I wasn’t finding a comfortable place to lounge around for the day and work, or just pound a few Bloody Mary’s at 11am without any judgement.”
Finn’s easygoing demeanor belies his rigorous training at the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan, which has graduated some of the most famous chefs in the world, including Bobby Flay, David Chang, and Milk Bar CEO Christina Tosi. While at FCI, he interned with Zak Pelaccio (formerly of Fish and Game in Hudson) at the storied Fatty Crab, best known for bringing Malaysian-inspired cuisine to downtown New York. It was there he learned how to elevate simple American dishes using subtle South Asian flavors and adopted Pelaccio’s tip-to-tail mentality, making sure to use and reuse products to minimize waste and maximize efficiency. After FCI, he spent some time in South America as a beverage director, expanding his palate and adding experience to his resume.
Starting at the Bottom
Finn’s very first job, however, was at a Burger King in his home state of New Jersey. His humble beginnings mixed with his premier culinary education are evident in his modest but meticulously prepared (and exotically seasoned) menu.
Saint Florian’s lounge menu, served on the ground floor, is classic steakhouse fare. There’s sharable, appetizer staples like cocktail shrimp with housemade sauce and lemon ($14). Other sides—thick-cut, house-smoked bacon ($19); a gem Caesar salad ($8/$15); and thick, creamy mac and cheese ($20)—are among some of the familiar dishes that can be commonly found at any steakhouse starter menus across the country ranging from Texas Roadhouse to Peter Luger.
But Saint Florian is not your typical American steakhouse, refusing to fit the stereotype, dancing with the devil in the details. What you won’t see detailed on the menu is that the bacon is cured with palm sugar, Indian coriander, and turmeric— cleverly pairing the heavy-fattiness with a lightsweetness and spiced undertones. Their Caesar uses Vietnamese nuoc cham in the peppercorn dressing. There’s also a Yemeni spice mix in their
Above: Saint Florian recently opened on Warren Street in the former H. W. Rogers Hose Co. firehouse. Classic steakhouse fare includes prime rib (on Monday nights), creamed spinach, mac and cheese, and a relish plate with fried Saltines.
Photos by Cristopher Tetani
buttermilk vinaigrette and blue cheese dressing, used to top their simple salad ($16) and the chopped wedge salad ($18), respectively.
Similarly, the beef stroganoff ($27) is cooked with a standard blend of thyme and rosemary, but finished with chopped mint, dill, and Thai basil, adding some sour notes and a dash of tropical, aromatic, herbaceous heat to a cold-weather dish.
Upstairs, larger parties can reserve a table and order off the dining room menu, which ranges from individual stuffed clams ($5/piece) to a full 22-ounce ribeye ($78) served with cream horseradish and thyme au jus. There’s also a petit, eight-ounce filet ($46) with a foie gras demi-glace and a 14-ounce strip steak with a peppercorn crust ($47). Classic sides include creamed spinach ($16), a relish tray ($15), and regional classic Utica greens ($15).
On Mondays, Saint Florian serves prime rib in the lounge with three different sizes available: Molly’s cut, 10 ounces sliced thin ($46); Sandie’s Cut, a 14-ounce slab ($54); and Donna’s cut, a 20-ounce, thick-cut slice ($72), all paired with a house salad dressed in a red wine vinaigrette. The rib is seasoned with peppercorns from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam, another nod to Pelaccio’s influence on Finn’s palette. (Saint Florian has sold out of prime rib every Monday since opening in mid-November.)
Where There’s Steak There’s Fire “There’s nothing I’ve come to groan more about than a menu that reads like the yellow pages,” says Finn. “My whole thing is like, ‘What is our lane and how do we stay in it?’ Our lane here is classical food, with a hint of Americana and a hint of vintage, but my French training will always lean back to that technical pool of utility.”
Much like their dishes, their cocktail and wine list is simple and short with colorful pops of foreign flavors. Saint Florian’s take on an old fashioned, Campfire ($15), mixes rye with mandarin orange, smoked cinnamon honey, and rhubarb. The Vespertine ($16), a martini made with gin and vodka, features muddled bergamot and Lillet to soften the bite of the spirits and complement the light, floral notes of the gin ($16).
Unlike their plates and cocktails, which both draw inspiration from global spices and flavors, Saint Florian’s wine list features European and West Coast makers. By the glass, a half-dozen wines are rotated frequently based on season and inventory. Currently, they are pouring Chateau de Grandchamp ($15), a red wine from Saint-Emilion ($15), as well as Heinrich “Naked” Orange, a natural orange wine from Austria ($14).
Saint Florian’s bottle list contains mostly minimal intervention wines, ranging from The Marigny’s Pinot Noir super deluxe ‘22 from Oregon ($65) and Meinklang’s Weisser Mulatschak ‘23, an Austrian natural wine with a mineral finish ($59), Domaine du Pelican’s Trousseau Beranger ‘22, a red wine from the France’s Jura region ($192), and Frank Cornellisen’s “Mujabel” Bianco ‘22, a white wine with undertones of lemon zest and black olives from Sicily ($109).
Decades before Finn and his business partner, Carmen Nero, broke ground on the firehouse in May, Nero, who grew up in Hudson, was a firefighter for H. W. Rogers Hose Co. in the 1970s. Firefighting is a family tradition for the Neros: Carmen’s grandfather and all six of his great uncles were firefighters at H. W. Rogers Hose Co. after they immigrated from Italy in the 1930s. Saint Florian, the patron saint of fire fighters, is also the patron saint of Finn’s ancestral hometown of Kolno, Poland.
“Everything has been kismet-y,” says Finn.
Saint Florian is open 11am to 11pm, seven days a week, which includes a brunch-style menu served from 11am to 3pm daily. 342 Warren Street, Hudson. Saint-florian.com
Above, right: Chef Robert Finn teamed up with retired firefighter Carmen Nero— who worked out of the firehouse in the `70s—to open Saint Florian.
Photo by Gabriella Gagliano
Threshold Korean Catskills Kitchen serves contemporary takes on traditional Korean dishes common to the mountainside regions surrounding Seoul through locally sourced ingredients.
Photos by Jerry Cohen courtesy of Sullivan Catskills Visitors Association
Photo by Dan Hayes
Our area offers a lot of tavern food and contemporary New American restaurants, so a new concept with a significantly different flavor profile has been particularly appealing to people here in Livingston Manor,” explains Cam Shaw, co-owner of Threshold Korean Catskills Kitchen, a restaurant that opened mid-November in Sullivan County. The new dining experience serves contemporary takes on traditional Korean dishes common to the mountainside regions surrounding Seoul through locally sourced ingredients.
“The Catskills are on the same latitude as Korea, so they share average temperatures and rainfall, and the terroir grows similar types of vegetables and plants—it felt fitting to create a place that connects Korean and Catskills agricultural communities, evoking a distinct sense of both places,” she says. “That’s how we developed our name; we kept playing with the idea of being a portal between the two regions— but it also works because we’re located at the edge of town, and the town is at the edge of the Catskill Park; the threshold.”
The concept originally developed between Shaw and chef/co-owner Thom Chun, a longtime friend with whom she worked in restaurants in New York City and Chicago for more than a decade. (Shaw’s husband, Pete Choo, is also an owner.) Prior to Threshold, Chun, who started as a line cook in college, was chef de cuisine at Oiji Mi, a Michelin-star Korean restaurant in the Flatiron District.
“Thom and I have always been in discussion about how we would run our own restaurant— what we would offer, how to treat people, the hospitality experience, food presentation, how to treat staff and build culture, and where we might find an opportunity,” Shaw explains. “When we
Catskills Threshold Modern Korean Dining in Livingston Manor
By Melissa Esposito
first talked about doing this here in Livingston Manor, we felt a little trepidation about making such traditional food in a place so rural, but the response from pop-ups was very encouraging, so we invested in the full restaurant.”
Seasonal by Tradition
The choice to create distinctive takes on traditional dishes stems from the heritage shared by Chun and Choo, who were both Americanborn to parents who emigrated from Korea. On the seasonally changing menu, you’ll find a short selection of radically affordable dishes featuring ingredients that are sourced as locally as possible while remaining authentic. Produce is procured from Somewhere In Time Farm in Parksville, who will also do some custom growing for hard-tofind Korean ingredients next year; trout and roe come from Livingston Manor’s Beaverkill Trout Hatchery; and whole chickens are obtained from Snowdance Farms, also in town.
Popular dishes include the tuna bite ($6) with chojane, sesame, and radish sprout; the half chicken ssam ($29) with mixed rice, sesame leaf, romaine, cashew ssamjang, kimchi, and braised potato; and the vegetable fritters with soy tofu dipping sauce ($11). Each iteration of the revolving menu will have vegan options.
Shaw also helms the beverage program which includes wine ($12 to $14 per glass) as well as beer and cider ($7) all from New York, plus cocktails on draft. But their selection of Korean sool is a highlight. “Sool is the general word for Korean alcohol, and we have a very cool importer run by the first South Korean master sommelier in the world,” Shaw explains. “He started importing very high-quality, small-production craft beverages to the US, so we’re able to offer drinks like makgeolli, cheongju, and soju created through
traditional brewing and distilling methods.” Makgeolli and cheongju are rice wines ($9 to $13 per glass) and soju is distilled from rice wine, often referred to as “Korean vodka” ($12 to $18).
Cozy Chic
Threshold’s nod to modernized tradition carries into their dining room decor, with a moody, old Hollywood vibe that’s better suited for date nights and apres-ski gatherings than for families with young children. “We were very conscious of avoiding the aesthetic of an American stereotype of Korean spaces; Seoul is a metropolitan city so its design is diverse,” Shaw explains. “We wanted to create a space that feels very cozy, but not like someone’s living room—something more transporting.”
Deep green custom booths with navy leather detailing crafted by MC Studios draw inspiration from both art deco design and the ginkgo motif of the restaurant’s branding. Walls are lined with original art created by Hanna Chun, chef Thom’s mother, who is an accomplished Korean traditional artist.
“It’s important to us that you feel comfortable here, whether you’re a tourist visiting for a day or a local looking for a place to regularly have a reasonable night out,” she says. “In the city, what bummed me out most was going to places that made you feel like you were lucky to be there. We want everyone to feel like they’re getting fresh, quality food whether it’s a girl’s night out for under $30 each or groups going all-out for a special occasion. All are welcome.”
Threshold is open from Wednesday through Saturday, 5pm until 10pm and Sunday from 5pm until 9pm. 430 Old Route 17, Livingston Manor. Thresholdcatskills.com.
FeedingThe Berkshires
Since 1979
sips
& bites
Pinkerton’s
8 Fair Street, Kingston
After a stint in the Bay Area, James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Angela Pinkerton has plunked down in the Hudson Valley, bringing her celebrated pies and other sweet treats to the old Cake Box location in Midtown Kingston, after years of gaining notoriety at celebrated establishments such as Eleven Madison Park and Che Fico. Morning favorites include pecan sticky buns, jalapeno monkey bread featuring aged cheddar and spicy peppers, and pain aux raisin with almond frangipane and a dark spiced rum glaze. For those seeking more substantial and savory fare, the breakfast sandwich, the quiches, and Pinkerton’s renowned chicken pot pie, topped with a scallion biscuit, are tasty options. An expanded lunch menu is planned for spring.
Pinkertonsbakery.com
Lyonshare
246 Main Street, Beacon
Shop our locally owned Family of Businesses:
BELLA FLORA
MAZZEO’S MEAT & SEAFOOD THE CHEF’S SHOP
Located along Route 7 Pittsfield & Great Barrington
Lyonshare Public House, occupying what was previoulsy Max’s on Main, was opened last October by Bud Schmeling (former manager of the iconic Peter Luger Steak House), is the culmination of his 35 years in hospitality. The menu features classic American bistro fare, with the gold window lettering proclaiming “Oysters, Spirits, Steak.” The elegant decor features bright marble, whitewashed brick walls, dark wooden furniture, and plenty of brass touches, including the vintage doorknobs. The nation-trotting menu spans fried chicken to matzo ball soup and golden tilefish, though given Schmeling’s pedigree carnivores will likely want to opt for the char-grilled New York Strip, served with a garlic confit, steak butter, and a classic savory sauce. Inspired by the roadside taverns of England, Schmeling envisions the spot as a community hangout with accommodations planned for upstairs in 2025.
Lyonsharebeacon.com
The Fed of Warwick
30 Main Street, Warwick
With the big windows and high ceilings that are hallmarks of yesterday’s banks, The Fed of Warwick has a spacious, breezy feel anchored by elegant, modern touches like leather banquettes, a barrel pyramid bar centerpiece, and brass sconces, and the old bank vault is a fun feature. The Greek-American menu spans from small bites like the deconstructed moussaka ($16); souvlakis ($19-28); and eight-hour octopus ($26) to hefty mains like braised lamb shank ($42); Santorini pasta with shrimp, feta, olives, and basil ($38); and a handful of gourmet burgers ($22-$24). The craft cocktail program is strong with over a dozen options, plus a Euro-centric wine list, and craft beers.
Thefedofwarwick.com
Alon’s Halal Grill
3650 Route 9W, Highland
Every few years, we have the pleasure of writing about a strip mall restaurant that exceeds all expectations. The latest is Alon’s Halal Grill, in the Bridgeview Plaza on Route 9W, which serves up authentic Uzbek eats. With big, shareable portions, dishes include classics like the lamb, chicken, or veggie shish kebabs, which you can order as a platter with sides; chebureki, a deep-fried meat turnover; or the large, juicy Uzbek dumplings called manti. Located in Central Asia at the heart of the Silk Road, and with more recent history as a Soviet satellite, Uzbekistan has a wide range of culinary influences, which you can see reflected on Alon’s menu with dishes like Ukrainian borscht and sambusak, a savory pastry that is cousin to the Indian samosa, plus falafel and dolma.
@alonshalalgrill
Banque
544 Warren Street, Hudson
Wine, gelato, chocolate, coffee, croissants—all life’s pleasures mingle at the newly opened Banque in Hudson. As you might guess, the space was formerly a bank and its large windows and high ceilings flood the elegant, reinvented space with light. Deep blue velvet banquette seating pair elegantly with pale blue marble bistro tables and a terrazzo floor. For food, croissants are the most popular choice, with a variety of flavors from classic plain and pain au chocolat to housemade pistachio praline filled with ganache. A short menu of breakfast and lunch items includes the essentials—egg sandwich, avocado toast—but made with French techniques. Evening menu options offer an a la carte selection of six modern European dishes, plus cocktails and wine. Banquenewyork.com
—Marie Doyon
The home sits on a former horse farm in the middle of an abandoned paddock. Working with Tivoli-based engineer Franz Safford, the couple incorporated skyscraper-grade glass as exterior walls. An interior steel mullion frame holds together the home without breaching the glass and maximizing the insulation.
Opposite, top: Charlie and Julie Moses Whittingham built their modern glass and aluminum house on a hilltop and carefully sited it to maximize the views. In the living room, a curved, north-facing wall blurs the line between the interior and the surrounding fields creating a decidedly nature-forward design. “When we created the interior, we took inspiration from the setting,” says Julie. “We wanted the interiors to reflect what was going on outside.” The wall panels were created by Robert Rauschenberg.
Opposite, bottom: The couple enjoy the view through the curved glass wall. Poured concrete over radiant heated floors stretch throughout the home. In the living room, 12-foot-high glass panels create an open, airy feel. “You’d think that with all of its steel, glass, and concrete the design would be cold,’” says Julie. “But we feel with nature as our canvas and the inspiration for our interior choices, we’ve created a very cozy home.”
Julie Moses Whittingham and Charlie Whittingham didn’t set out to build a glass house. In fact, they didn’t really set out to build anything at all. “ We wanted to live closer to nature in a more outdoor-oriented area,” explains Julie, a life coach and business consultant. “ We were tired of living right in New York City but we didn’t want to be isolated, like in New Hampshire or Vermont.” After years of city living, Julie, was ready to put down roots. “ I ’d lived in apartments forever and had always been a renter,” she says. “ But beyond that, neither of us had any particular idea of what our new home should look like.”
When Julie begins working with someone new, she always makes them write a list. “ Through a variety of exercises we identify the essential qualities they want in their lives, whether it’s in their careers, relationships, or personal growth,” she explains. “If you know what you want it ’s a lot easier to get there. You don’t have to know exactly what you want, you just have to define the essentials.” By creating this envelope of essential qualities, Julie has helped businesses grow and college grads set out on the path to purpose-filled lives. “ The idea allows you to focus on things that matter to you, and let possibility bring those qualities to you in a package that you may not have imagined.”
By Mary Angeles Armstrong
Photos by Winona Barton-Ballentine
In 2015, Julie practiced what she preached: She and Charlie sat down and created a list for their new home. What they came up with was less real estate description and more nature-forward vision board. “Our house journey began with a clear set of criteria,” she explains. “ We wanted abundant natural light, privacy, indoor-outdoor living spaces, and room to grow but we didn’t have a fixed image of what the house should look like.”
Following that vision—and letting it surprise them with a few twists and turns—led them to create a modern, 2,500-square-foot dwelling that melts into the Hudson Valley landscape. Even though the three-bedroom home stands only one story tall, it reaches far above their initial expectations for the home. “Building the house demonstrated that big dreams—even ones that seem impossible—can become reality when you combine clear vision with deliberate action.”
This Must Be the Place
After determining their basic criteria, the couple set out to find their new home. Their first stop was visiting friends in the Catskills where they realized that the Hudson Valley
offered their desired balance between country living and proximity to the city. They discovered Columbia County during another visit to a friend ’s bucolic property. After describing their vision to her, she suggested they investigate an adjacent property for sale. The two went right over, but were unimpressed. “ We looked at that property first and said, ‘No way,’” explains Julie. A former horse farm, the 33 acres were overrun with thorny invasive plants and featured one very dilapidated barn overtaken by wildlife. It didn’t seem like the right fit, so the couple continued searching.
This began a two-and-a-half-year odyssey across the Hudson Valley, looking for a home that would fit their criteria. “Every house we saw was either too close to the road, too dark, or needed so much repair it would cost as much as building something new,” she says. Coming up short, Julie relied on another trick from her coaching practice: The power of changing perspective. “I often find that clients need to shift their perspective to recognize opportunities aligned with their vision,” she explains. “Charlie and I needed fresh eyes to see new potential.”
The Columbia County farm property had remained at the back of their minds and they decided to revisit it.
At the heart of the home, the kitchen design draws from the mountain setting. Light oak cabinets contrast with black painted lower cabinets, balancing the modern aesthetic with natural tones. The locally inspired granite-topped island is not only stylish but practical.
“You can put hot things on it, spill red wine on it—no problem,” says Julie.
Julie paired the dining room table with a 1970s Italian Murano glass chandelier.
The couple found it in a local antique shop and she took two weeks to assemble it by hand. “It’s heavy and intricate,” Julie says of the project. “But it casts such a beautiful light.”
The painting is by Teresa Jade Jarzynski.
“ We realized we’d never even driven to the top of the hill,” says Charlie. They returned and trekked beyond the short driveway to what had once been open horse paddocks. “It was like a revelation,” he says. Views of the surrounding countryside, as well as the Catskills in the distance, greeted them. They also realized the hilltop location offered them the privacy they ’d been seeking and the wide-open paddocks were filled with light. That was half their boxes checked. In 2017 the couple bought the property and trusted the visualization process to help them with the rest.
Ahead of the Curve
Beyond the essential home qualities, the two weren’t attached to any particular architectural style. Their choice to remain open to possibilities proved to be serendipitous.
“ The most powerful aspect of vision work is how it creates a magnetic effect,” says Julie. “It draws in aligned opportunities and connections.” A close friend led them to Tivoli-based engineer Franz Safford, the founder of VS1 Home. Inspired by modern glass skyscrapers, Safford had built a home of glass panels for himself by shrinking the skyscraper ’s engineering principles for residential use. The home’s modular elements fit into place like a set of Legos.
The couple loved Safford ’s concept right away. “ We described our vision to him and then he drew it on a piece of paper,” says Charlie. “ We tweaked a few things but were impressed with his methodology, which allowed for flexibility and modular design.” They realized that the VS1 system would be the perfect envelope for the indooroutdoor design they ’d envisioned.
After visiting the building site, the three drew up plans for a home that maximized the open setting and fit their criteria. Built on a slab, the spacious footprint allowed for three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths with a kitchen and dining area at its heart. To capture more light in the west-facing living area and to bring the exterior inside, the couple included a curved wall with 13-foot-high ceilings. “ We oriented the home toward the view,” explains Charlie. “ Then came up with the curved wall idea, which really allowed the design to capture the setting.”
They began construction in 2019, building a road to the building site, installing electric, and drilling a well. They sourced double-paned, insulated, skyscraper-grade glass panels from Germany for the home’s exterior and steel beams for the home’s frame. Poured concrete radiant heat floors would keep the home warm throughout the year
The powder room showcases the couple’s throwback style. “We’re inspired by the fashion, feeling and style of the 60s and 70s,” says Julie. “But most of the interior choices—even the powder room wallpaper— were inspired by what we see around us.”
DESIGN SHOWROOMS: Hillsdale, Lakeville, and Hudson
The couple added partitions to the south-facing primary bedroom for privacy. A strategically sited glass door as well as pivot windows create a cross breeze in warmer months. “It cools down very quickly,” explains Julie. “As well as adds air.”
Golden Mistakes
The project continued for a year until history intervened. “ We had to stop for most of 2020,” explains Julie. “ It was a wrench in the journey, but when that happens I like to focus on ‘conscious pausing.’ That is stepping back to reassess when obstacles arise.” During the pandemic-imposed building break, the couple set their attention to the property ’s barn, deciding to try their hand at fixing it up themselves. “ We de-crittered the entire thing, evicting bats, pigeons, raccoons, rats, and groundhogs,” says Julie. “ It was like Noah’s ark with at least two of every creature.” The couple also replaced boards, added new windows with frames, and a loft to the space.
By 2021 they were able to resume work on the house but had to address another crack in their plans—this one literal. The poured concrete floor had cracked straight through the dining room area. “At first I was freaked out about it,” says Julie. “ But sometimes what seems
like an obstacle can lead to an even better outcome than originally envisioned.” In her quest to source the interior fixtures and materials for the home, Julie had come across kintsugi, the Japanese method of fixing broken ceramics with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. She decided to take the same approach with the floor crack and ended up delighted with the results. “ We love how it celebrates the mistake,” says Charlie. “ It gives the home a very old world feel. “
In 2022, the couple moved in. It ’s become a daily reminder of what can be possible both for the couple and for Julie ’s clients. “ The house stands as a daily reminder of what I teach: When you get clear about what you want, take inspired action, and stay open to possibilities. Life has a way of exceeding your expectations,” she says. “ The glass house we built isn’t just a home—it’s a physical manifestation of the transformative power of vision work, something I’m passionate about sharing to help others create lives they truly love.”
Summer Camps & Programs
Well before daffodils bloom in our gardens each spring, there’s already one item on parents’ minds: a summer camp or program that will help their little buds flourish, too. Luckily, the Hudson Valley is ripe with opportunities for exploration, imagination, and cultural enrichment for teens, tweens, and kids as young as age three. From nature-based programs to creative workshops for burgeoning artists, here are a few wonderful programs to spark the search.
Discover the magic of farm camp! Nestled in the picturesque Hudson Valley, Hawthorne Valley’s Farm Camp invites kids and teens ages 8-16 to an unplugged summer full of adventure, discovery, and connection. On a 900-acre working farm, campers dive into hands-on experiences—caring for animals, tending gardens, and harvesting fresh ingredients for farmto-table meals. Days are brimming with classic camp fun like arts and crafts, games, archery, swimming, and exploring nature. Campers grow lasting friendships while learning the interconnected wonders of humans, plants, and animals. Whether joining for day or overnight sessions, every camper leaves with unforgettable memories, new skills, and a deeper appreciation for the world around them. Spaces fill quickly—register now for an unforgettable summer adventure!
Berkshire South’s Action Adventures Day Camp
Great Barrington, MA (413) 528-2810 ext 34 Berkshiresouth.org/aadc
From superhero training and galactic adventures to messy science experiments and magical quests, every day is an opportunity to create, play, and make new friends. Campers also enjoy local field trips and BSRCC’s onsite amenities, including playgrounds, fields, trails, and pools. Camp runs from June 23-August 21, for ages 5-14.
Hudson River Maritime Museum
Kingston (845) 338-0071 Hrmm.org/youth-programs
Set sail on an unforgettable adventure with the Hudson River Maritime Museum’s Voyager Program! Perfect for ages 9-17, this hands-on, all-day summer camp blends sailing, boatbuilding, woodworking, and STEAM activities into one extraordinary experience. From July 7 to August 15, HRMM offers young Seafarers, ages 9-12, and Navigators, ages 1317, six action-packed weeks of learning from professional educators, woodworkers, and certified sailing instructors. Whether exploring the Hudson’s rich maritime history, crafting boats, or enjoying three hours of daily sailing, kids will build confidence, creativity, and lasting friendships. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind journey—register now for one week (or more!) for a summer of discovery and fun.
Horses for a Change
Esopus (845) 384-6424
Horsesforachange.org
Celebrate the magic that happens when humans and horses connect in a supportive, non-competitive atmosphere. This nonprofit offers summer riding weeks for kids, with riding for all ages and levels and lots of barn fun and horse care. “We emphasize empathy and understanding of our non-verbal, but very communicative companions,” says Director Amanda Haberthier.
Mountain Laurel Waldorf School
New Paltz (845) 255-0033 Mountainlaurel.org/summer
Conveniently located in the heart of New Paltz, this summer program offers an enriching and nurturing Waldorf-inspired environment for children ages 3-10. Both residents and summer visitors to the Hudson Valley are welcome. Mountain Laurel’s beloved and experienced lead instructors bring wonder and adventure through outdoor play, crafts, building projects using natural materials, song, games, storytelling, and water play. Rhythm and reverence will follow children throughout the day. There are eight one-week sessions from June 23 to August 15. Monday-Friday, from 9am to 3pm. One-week sessions are $450 (or $375 before March 1!) Sibling discounts are available. Space is limited, so registering early is encouraged.
High Meadow School
Stone Ridge (845) 687-4855
Highmeadowschool.org
One-week camp programs for ages 3.5-15 on a 10-acre, wooded campus including Wayfinder Experience, Little Animation Studio, Westchester Circus Arts, Mad Science, Robotics, and Culinary Arts, with recreational camps for younger children. Register online for summer 2025! Camps run from June 30 to August 1.
Hudson Valley Writing Project
New Paltz (845) 257-2836
Newpaltz.edu/hvwp
HVWP Young Writers Programs bring children and teens together to connect, share their ideas, and discover the joy of writing together. Experienced teachers create inspiring and supportive settings where writers explore many genres and follow their interests–art, nature, fantasy, comics, audio storytelling, and more! Tuition assistance is available.
This summer, Kildonan’s Camp Dunnabeck celebrates 70 years of empowering children with dyslexia or language-based learning differences. Nestled on the campus of Marvelwood School, this 86-acre mountaintop camp offers a life-changing experience for campers ages 8-16. At its heart is 1-to-1 Orton-Gillingham tutoring, paired with recreational activities that build self-confidence and independence. Campers thrive in a nurturing environment with modern dorms, 24/7 health care, and meals featuring locally sourced ingredients. Offering boarding, day, and half-day options, Camp Dunnabeck balances academics, personal growth, and fun. Join us June 28–August 9 for a transformative summer of learning and adventure!
Olana State Historic Site
Hudson (518) 567-2170 Olana.org/panorama
Dive into Frederic Church’s Olana this summer during PANORAMA: Summer Art + Nature Program. Back for its 16th annual season, The Olana Partnership will offer five weeks of hands-on exploration for children ages 6-11 from July to August. Experience art, science, architecture and nature through sketching, lake exploration, hiking, painting, play, and more, all while meeting new friends and learning from experts. The whole summer focuses on exploring art and nature with special guest visits and creative activities. Each week includes a visit to the historic house. Don’t miss this unforgettable summer adventure!
The Vanaver Caravan
New Paltz (845) 243-4927
Vanavercaravan.org
Experience the joy of dance this summer with The Vanaver Caravan. CaravanKids, for ages 4-8, held July 7-19, and SummerDance for ages 9-18, held July 28-August 8, offer movement, music, and cultural exploration in a supportive community. A hidden gem of the Hudson Valley, these programs nurture creativity, confidence, and a lifelong love of dance.
Seed Song Farm
Kingston (845) 383-1528
Seedsongfarm.org
Give children the gift of summer fun! Kids ages 4-16 connect with nature through farming, caring for animals, art, and outdoor adventures. Campers foster creativity, teamwork, and environmental stewardship in a supportive, hands-on environment. Flexible weekly registration.
Middle Way School
Saugerties (845) 246-5006
Middlewayschool.org/summer
Middle Way School Summer of Wonder welcomes children ages 4-11 for outdoor adventures and inward exploration. Five incredible weeks feature splashing in the sun, collaborative games, wilderness skills, arts and crafts, meditation, and more! Each week is infused with the Buddhist-based wisdom of awareness, self-centering, confidence, and community-building.
Wheelhouse Creative Education Center
Acra (518) 943-4649
Catskillwheelhouse.org
Camp at Wheelhouse Creative Education Center is all about curiosity, creativity, and quirkiness. Days are filled by exploring the land, then transforming these experiences into creative expression through visual art, performance, and conversation. Weekly themes serve as invitations to explore new topics, which evolve in myriad ways through children’s contributions.
Woodstock Day School
Saugerties (845) 246-3744
Woodstockdayschool.org/ summer-adventure
Summer Adventure 2025 is calling! Kids ages 3-11 can enjoy swimming, art, music, drumming, and nature in a full-day program. Specialty camps for ages 5-18 include Animation, Photography, Ceramics, Media Arts, Rock Jam and Theater. Week-long sessions available between June 30 and August 8.
Curious Jane Camp
Zena Democratic School
Kingston (347) 770-0420
Curiousjane.fun
For girls who like to make things, look no further! Programming is two weeks only during August 1115 and 18-22. Campers can enjoy project-packed themes like Fab Lab, Room Makeover, Craft Party, Carnival, and Toy Design. Choose a week, choose a theme! For girls entering K-1st, 2nd-3rd, and 4th-6th grades.
The Art Effect
Poughkeepsie (845) 471-7477
Thearteffect.org
The Art Effect’s summer art camps and classes allow young artists to explore fine art, digital media art, and performing arts while strengthening their self-confidence, creative thinking, and art-making techniques. Professional artists and experienced teachers lead youth ages 5-19 to imagine, discover, create, and have fun this summer. Register today!
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Connect with Nature in Delaware County SUMMER CAMP-STYLE GETAWAYS
For many adults, camp memories are a time capsule of the “good old days,” when the sole agenda was marshmallow-roasting and making friends. Long summer days are packed with canoeing, hiking to waterfalls, and telling campfire stories.
Though we’ve aged out of summer camp, adults can create new traditions, sans a yellow school bus and backache-inducing sleeping arrangements, but adding one-of-a-kind stays in idyllic locations. From cozy farmsteads to expansive forests, Delaware County brims with tucked-away gems to host these experiences and charming small towns nearby to roam.
Planning a sleepover camp getaway can shake up a birthday celebration or family retreat, or reinvent a nostalgic memory. To connect, unwind, and find a renewed sense of play, explore these four glamping and lodge-style stays.
Stony Creek Farmstead
1738 Freer Hollow Road, Walton
Sleeps ~36
Stonycreekfarmstead.com/home/stay
Camping need not be uncomfortable—Stony Creek Farmstead provides fully furnished platform tents that feel rustic yet cozy. A dip in the springfed pond or a stroll through the gardens or paddocks offers a relaxing afternoon. Tents come with blankets, towels, and coffee makers. The farmstead serves wood-fired pizza on Saturday nights, drawing in a local crowd. Campers can hang with the farm animals, explore the storefronts on Walton’s quaint Main Street, or sip a cider at Awestruck Mill.
Succurro
1496 County Road 12, East Meredith Sleeps ~14
Succurro.co/stay
This retired dairy farm boasts creative stays, accommodating both indoor and outdoor preferences. The storybooklike property is home to goats, chickens, pigs, bees, and dogs, and a variety of homegrown veggies. From laidback to luxe offerings, settle into a raised-platform tent, a studio, or a one-bedroom
apartment attached to a house. For the four platform tents, there’s a fully equipped outdoor kitchen, outdoor showers, and a sink. While staying in this hamlet, visit the Hanford Mills Museum or wander the serene woods, and fields surrounding the farm.
Bellfire
1477 Lower Meeker Hollow Road, Roxbury
Sleeps 10
Bellfirefarm.com
Part maple forest and part wildflower meadow, this property spans 10 acres. Bellfire is off-grid, with abundant unplugging opportunities to forest bathe and relax on the yoga deck or in the cedar sauna. Artsy accommodations with color and character include the Cosmic Nomad cabin, which is a repurposed Victorian wagon, or the Birdhouse, modeled after a real birdhouse with walls of windows for stargazing. There’s also a tipi and a yurt. Each dwelling is a one-of-a-kind creation. The nearby hamlet of Roxbury offers art galleries, restaurants, and antique shops for day-tripping out of the woods.
Camp Singers is the brainchild of the owners of Singers, a queer bar in BedStuy. Eighty-eight acres of pastures and mossy woods welcome seasonal visitors for stays filled with nostalgic camp activities. A range of offerings includes hiking, archery, star-gazing, swimming in the ponds or creek, birding, survival skills classes, communal campfires, or guided expeditions. There’s also a cedar hot tub, sauna tent, wood shop, and a family of donkeys that roam the property. The 1870s renovated farmhouse has six private guest rooms, each full of antiques sourced from across the Catskills. For anyone who didn’t get a proper summer camp experience as a child, Camp Singers fits the bill.
Courtesy of Stony Creek Farmstead
Ozempic Beyond the Scale
How personalized peptide therapies can support long-term health
By Maggie Baribault
In recent years, GLP-1 agonist peptides like Ozempic and Wegovy have surged into the spotlight, largely driven by their widespread media coverage and adoption by celebrities. By now, almost everyone has seen a tawdry headline about “Ozempic face” or read rumors claiming the weight all comes back once people stop the medication. Others share horror stories of severe digestive distress that forces them to quit the treatment altogether. These tales paint a complicated picture as GLP-1 medications continue to gain popularity.
Initially approved for diabetes management, these medications have become darlings of the weight-loss industry, offering users the promise of shedding pounds with relative ease. As interest in GLP-1 therapy grows, it raises questions: What role do these treatments play in our health? And can they be used in a more thoughtful, sustainable way?
While mainstream American medicine often takes a one-size-fits-all approach to GLP-1 therapy, a growing movement within functional medicine advocates for a more individualized,
holistic treatment. Instead of focusing solely on weight loss, functional medicine practitioners view peptide therapy as one part of a broader health and wellness strategy—one that emphasizes the optimization of overall health.
A Personalized Approach
At the core of functional medicine is the belief that a person’s health is shaped by a combination of factors, including their medical history, lifestyle, and personal goals. Rather than applying a standard treatment, functional medicine aims to identify and address the root causes of health issues through personalized care. This approach considers the whole person, rather than just alleviating symptoms, and strives to create a treatment plan tailored to an individual’s specific needs.
This personalized approach can be especially beneficial when it comes to peptide therapy. “A functional medicine doctor can adjust peptide treatments based on a person’s health profile,” says Olivia Niedbala of Pike Acupuncture & Wellness in Milford, Pennsylvania. Niedbala, who has worked with numerous clients using
GLP-1 and other peptide therapies, emphasizes the importance of customizing treatment plans. This involves adjusting the dosage, incorporating lifestyle modifications, and using complementary therapies, such as deep breathing, nasal humming, massage, yoga, and mild cold exposure, to ensure the patient’s body responds optimally.
Niedbala highlights acupuncture as one potential complementary therapy, helping to manage side effects like nausea, vomiting, and gastrointestinal discomfort. One key function of GLP-1 therapy is to delay gastric emptying, which can create a feeling of fullness and reduce cravings. However, this physiological change can also trigger unwanted symptoms. By targeting specific acupuncture points, practitioners can stimulate the body’s natural digestive processes, helping to alleviate these effects. “With the help of acupuncture, many have been able to stay on game-changing medications and improve their quality of life,” Niedbala says.
Acupuncture may also have a synergistic effect when combined with GLP-1 therapy, by influencing the hunger hormone ghrelin and the
satiety hormone leptin, thus supporting weight loss. It can also enhance overall well-being by reducing pain, boosting energy, and promoting activity, essential for maintaining muscle mass and a balanced lifestyle during treatment. “We’re helping people achieve metabolic wellness, improve insulin sensitivity, and reduce chronic inflammation,” says Niedbala. “Peptide therapy can be a vital tool in a broader health plan that helps people feel more energetic, less stressed, and more balanced in their bodies.”
A Whole Body Approach
To achieve lasting wellness, peptide therapy must be part of a broader health strategy. Functional medicine doctors often recommend integrating peptide therapy with other lifestyle practices such as meal planning for a high-protein diet, daily water consumption, quality sleep, weightresistance training, stress management, and mental health support.
Marc Wendell, a Larchmont resident who’s a product manager for Amazon, lost 40 pounds in nine months using Ozempic. “While Ozempic is part of long-term behavior changes, it gives you the relief you need to focus on your health without obsessing over food all the time,” he says. Initially introduced to Ozempic through his wife, who has seen significant success with the medication, Wendell decided to try it himself. The results were transformative—not just for his weight, but for his overall health.
Wendell views Ozempic as a key part of a larger strategy, which includes intermittent fasting, a low-carb diet, and mindful eating. Beyond medication, dietary adjustments can play a crucial role in enhancing the effectiveness of peptide therapies. Certain foods—like whole grains, eggs, avocados, and nuts—naturally stimulate GLP-1 production, supporting appetite regulation and metabolic health. While these dietary changes alone cannot replicate the impact of GLP-1 medications, they can provide a more balanced and sustainable approach when used alongside peptide therapy. Over time, this holistic approach may even reduce reliance on medication.
“Ozempic was the cornerstone of my program, but it wasn’t the only piece. The medication gave me the mental clarity to make more sustainable lifestyle changes,” Wendell says. “Mindset is key, and this is Ozempic’s biggest benefit: It takes the lust for food out of the equation so you can focus on health. It’s injectable motivation. It’s liberating.”
This reflects a critical insight: Peptide therapies are most effective when used as tools to support long-term health goals, not as quick fixes for weight loss. “Ozempic gave me the freedom to focus on making long-term changes that will improve my metabolic health for the future, not just the present,” Wendell says.
Microdosing for Better Results
One emerging strategy within functional medicine for optimizing peptide therapy is microdosing—administering lower-than-usual doses to minimize side effects while providing therapeutic benefits. Although the FDA has not officially approved microdosing, some holistic practitioners are exploring this as a way to fine-tune treatments for individual needs. A functional medicine doctor can prescribe these smaller doses using a compounding pharmacy, which allows for more precise adjustments than relying on preloaded pens with fixed dosages.
Microdosing is especially appealing to people who are sensitive to the gastrointestinal side effects of GLP-1 medications. “Microdosing allows the body to adapt to the medication gradually, which can help reduce gastrointestinal symptoms,” Niedbala says. Beginning with smaller doses allows patients to gradually adjust to the medication, making it easier to reap its benefits without experiencing overwhelming side effects.
Niedbala emphasizes that individualized care is key. “This is not a one-size-fits-all approach,” she says. “The more we can fine-tune the dosage and pair it with other holistic treatments, the better the outcomes will be. It’s about finding the right balance for each individual.”
Health Beyond Weight Loss
While GLP-1 therapies have gained attention for their role in weight loss, their broader benefits are often overlooked. It’s important to remember these medications were originally FDA-approved for managing diabetes, and this foundational purpose underpins their ability to support a range of metabolic and health improvements. One of the most exciting areas of research is the use of these medications to manage inflammation. Emerging studies suggest GLP-1s play a role in modulating neurodegenerative inflammation, as seen in conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, IBS, and other inflammatory diseases.
“GLP-1 medications have pleiotropic benefits, including weight loss, cardiovascular protection, neuroprotection, and anti-inflammatory effects,” says Jeannie Ocasio-Hampton, nurse practitioner and owner of Hampton Health Wellness Aesthetics in Hopewell Junction. (Pleiotropy is a genetic phenomenon where a single gene influences multiple traits that may seem unrelated.) “Emerging research highlights potential to address cardiac function, reduce liver fat, improve brain function, improve PCOS, help addiction impulses, benefit autoimmune and chronic inflammation conditions, lower the risk of certain cancers, and improve mental health.”
Laura Kandel, cofounder of Hudson Valley streaming platform Hudsy, who has struggled with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and its impact on her metabolism, found significant relief when
BENEFITS OF PEPTIDE THERAPY
INSULIN REGULATION
BLOOD SUGAR CONTROL
APPETITE SUPPRESSION
WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH
Cannabis Guide & Map
This brand-new section will celebrate the cannabis community across the Hudson Valley, Catskills, and Berkshires. Featuring a beautifully designed cannabis locator map, it will include curated cannabis content, and profiles of dispensaries, hemp farms, and canna-adjacent businesses that are shaping this ever-evolving industry. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this exciting initiative.
she began using Wegovy. “Before Wegovy, when I breathed around food, I would gain weight—no matter how much I dieted, exercised, or restricted,” she says.
For Kandel, Wegovy became a tool that helped her regain control over her health, allowing her to move beyond restrictive diets and cravings. Kandell eventually decided to work with a dietitian to address deeper issues around food behavior. “Taking the stress out of that part of my life allowed me to focus my mental energies elsewhere, which has helped to support my goal of bettering myself physically and mentally.”
The combination of medication and support from a dietitian has enabled Kandel to lose nearly 70 pounds in just over two years, with gradual progress that feels sustainable. “What’s important for me is that this is not a quick fix,” she says. “I’m not interested in short-term weight loss. I want something that works for the long term.”
As the use of GLP-1 therapies grows, it’s crucial to recognize they are tools, not magic bullets.
Safety and Ethical Considerations
While GLP-1 therapies have shown promise for weight loss and metabolic health, long-term safety profiles are still being researched and remain a critical consideration. “When starting patients on GLP-1 therapies, it’s essential to evaluate risks like gastrointestinal side effects, hypoglycemia, thyroid history, kidney function, cardiovascular history, and drug interactions,” Ocasio-Hampton says. “A thorough physical and bloodwork ensure we have an adequate assessment of their overall health and can decide whether these medications are appropriate for that individual.”
Moreover, as these treatments gain popularity, ethical questions arise about accessibility, fairness, and oversight. While some argue that peptides offer a powerful tool for managing health, there are also concerns about the potential for misuse, overuse, or setting unrealistic expectations.
Moving Forward with Wellness
As the use of GLP-1 therapies grows, it’s crucial to recognize they are tools, not magic bullets. While these medications offer powerful benefits for managing blood sugar, improving metabolic health, and supporting weight loss, their full potential is realized when paired with a holistic approach to wellness. This means looking beyond the scale and considering all aspects of health and well-being.
“Wellness is about creating balance in your life—not just fitting into a particular mold,” Kandel says. “These treatments should be part of a bigger picture, one that emphasizes mental, physical, and emotional health.”
This perspective ensures peptide therapy goes beyond addressing isolated symptoms to supporting lasting improvements in both body and mind.
“When we treat the body as a whole, we’re more likely to see lasting improvements,” Niedbala says. “The medication helps with managing blood sugar and reducing cravings, but it’s the lifestyle changes you make around it that ensure the results are sustainable.”
Take Back Your Health with Acupuncture, Detox, Nutrition, Herbal Medicine, & Biofeedback/ Neurofeedback Frequency Healing
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New Paltz 169 Main St.
Main Street Momentum POUGHKEEPSIE
By Anne Pyburn Craig
Photos by David McIntyre
When New York State partnered with Poughkeepsie to build the city’s arterial system in the mid-20th century, people daring to question the wisdom of urban renewal were practically run out of town for treason. The north/ south arterial amputated the city’s waterfront, the east/west highways sliced off the neighborhoods on each side of its core, and about 400 families were displaced. Nearly a mile of Main Street was closed and designated a pedestrian mall in 1973, and businesses vanished. The historic and predominantly AfricanAmerican Northside languished.
But with strong core institutions in arts, education, health, history, and human services, Poughkeepsie was bound to make a comeback. And what looked, late last century, like a desperate struggle has become a vast, interwoven ecosystem of good works in progress and passionate partnerships. The arterials, though,
will remain as they are until the state Department of Transportation sees fit to consider changes.
Mayor Yvonne Flowers has visited Gainesville, Florida, which had its own arterial issues, and is in ongoing communication with them about design possibilities and the fine art of finessing state traffic bureaucracies. “If we changed the arterial [from three] to two lanes each way, we could reduce the danger for students who have to walk to school and add safe parking for residents who live alongside it,” she says. “The county has done some studies on that. It’s a matter of working with the state DOT and it’s something I may not be able to get done even in two terms, but it could be something that we get put in place for others to build on.”
Since Flowers was sworn in as the city’s first African American mayor a year ago, the city has hired a police chief and city administrator, passed comprehensive
Opposite, top: The Poughkeepsie Post Office has five large murals on the walls depicting local scenes from the 17th to 20th centuries, completed in 1943. The murals on the second floor are by Gerald Foster.
Opposite bottom: Jeffrey E. Capers in Vintage Fixie Bicycle Shop on Main Street. His bicycle repair shop is open by appointment.
Above: GiGi Fairchild in Anna et Pierre, the cafe she opened with her husband Dade Fairchild on the city's waterfront last fall.
zoning reform, gotten funding for lead service line replacement and redevelopment along Fall Kill Creek, has been chosen as a “Pro-Housing Community” by the state and received a $500,000 planning grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to lay the groundwork for Northside revitalization.
“We have 30 months to work on that, after which we submit the implementation plan that could bring us almost $50 million from HUD to get the work done,” Flowers says. “We’re one of 13 municipalities in the country to get this grant. We’re working with the colleges, and we’ll be working with the hospitals around employment opportunities. I lived at MLK when I was younger, and even though Marist was right down the street, we never thought it might be an opportunity for us. That needs to change forever.”
A new Downtown Business Improvement District brings together stakeholders to rejuvenate Main Street, which was reopened to vehicular traffic at the turn of the century. Last June, Flowers called a meeting at “the Cut,” a notorious vacant lot at 472 Main that had been generating an outsize share of 911 calls, and vowed to get services to the people camping and loitering there. A housing outreach center now neighbors the Cut, offering easy access to assistance for those in need.
Building Community
“We’ve got 15 to 20 people who refuse help,” says Christa Hines, president and CEO of Hudson River Housing, a nonprofit working to house residents of Dutchess County since 1982. “They’re struggling and just not ready, and people see that and wonder why we don’t do more. But a lot of other people are getting services. The mayor’s been a huge partner. We’ve opened an emergency warming shelter in Poughkeepsie that serves 30. The city funded a Housing Resource Center on Main Street, and we’ve had a few people come in that way.”
Hudson River Housing outreach teams are on the street every week, providing referrals, resources, support, and access to a system of emergency shelters; from there, the goal is to get people into transitional housing and ultimately to an affordable and permanent home. Specialized supports are offered for veterans, youth, and people living with mental health or substance challenges; the program also builds and refurbishes housing to meet community needs, creating at least 40 new units a year, and offers job training and business incubators. “Our Underwear Factory [a mixed-use building housing commercial spaces, artists' studios, and apartments] is thriving—we’ve graduated 18 new businesses through the incubator, and there’s a waiting list to come in there,” says Hines. “Across the street from the Trolley Barn, we’re
Ian Burns and Laura Bell are owners of Curio Cabinet of the Hudson Valley, a recently opened oddities shop on Main Street that sells antiques, taxidermy, crystals, bugs, bones, books, fashion, vinyl, jewelry, and home decor.
Opposite: On November 20 of last year, a historical marker was unveiled at 35 Delano Street, the childhood home of filmmaker Ed Wood, director of cult classics like Plan 9 from Outer Space and Glen or Glenda?
Above:
Gabriella Vega-Matthews, founder and CEO of Casa Communitaria de Recursos, outside her office at the Glebe House. CCR works with local Hispanic and immigrant communities to help them navigate life in the Hudson Valley.
Denise Donofrio, coowner of Central Bark, a doggy day care center on Burnett Boulevard.
looking to do a project we’re calling Windows on Main. It’s still in concept, but it could add 75 units of mixed-income and workforce housing.”
The Gallery at the Trolley Barn, which thrived for four-plus years as an outpost of The Art Effect, is now on the market, after money could not be found to match the grants that would have transformed the gallery into a full-time home for its art education programs. Programs for ages four to 24 are arranged as “overlapping branches” progressing from Explore through Experience to Excel to a serious shot at a career in the arts with a professional portfolio and educational guidance. Executive Director Nicole Fenichel-Hewitt says her organization will simply reset its housing search. “We’ve been running strong youth programming in Poughkeepsie for 40 years. We have multiple spaces in use that are full of kids every day. We still want to make one big, vibrant arts hub and get it all under one roof, but while we look for that, expect us all over town—parks, partner sites, libraries, local galleries. This is an opportunity to build new partnerships and see ourselves in a lot of varied spaces before we develop our own. And we’ve got summer camps running in New Paltz and Wappingers this year.”
People intrigued by the performing arts, meanwhile, are invited to hone their stagecraft and technology skills as the Empire Training Center for the Arts kicks off its first student cohort this spring in the epic ambiance of The Chance Theater. “Anybody over 18 with a high school diploma or a GED who’d like a new life, come check us out—we’ll train you to be a stagehand or an audio or video tech,” says cofounder Trish Santini. “There are a lot of opportunities out there. We’ll get you ready for them and help you find them.”
A few blocks away at Canvas + Clothier, owners Jillian Kaufman Grano and MaryVaughn Williams have been selling quality clothes and home goods made in the US since 2021. When they found that their downtown location’s parking lot drew loitering and drug use, they decided to fill the space with a farmers’ market and haven’t had a problem since. “Beyond retail, we’re really focused on creating community, being a hub for the transformation that’s happening downtown,” says Grano. “So we have the market and the coffee shop and our handwork studio classes, and this just feels like the perfect place to be doing all of it.”
Runners gathered for the Howl at the Moon fun run on January 13 outside Fleet Feet Poughkeepsie at the Shoppes at South Hills.
MASS Appeal
Opposite, top: Fashion designer Elle Amani, taught as a child by her seamstress grandmother Elle, is launching her own fashion brand Azaadi. She's pictured in her home studio in the MacDonnell Heights neighborhood.
Opposite, bottom: Upholsterer Lauren Volper in her studio, Hudson Valley Upholstery, on North Hamilton Street.
MASS Design Group, an international nonprofit, developed its theory and process building a hospital in Rwanda and located its Hudson Valley Design Lab in Poughkeepsie in 2017 to see what an embedded architectural design firm could do for a small city hamstrung by urban renewal. “We started as a little think tank on Academy Street, up over an old Caribbean restaurant that we repainted and turned into a gallery space,” says Chris Kroner, MASS principal and a cofounder of the lab. “We started sweeping and painting outdoors and everyone wanted to know what we were up to. We said we wanted people to feel welcomed. We were nervous about tagging and vandalism, but the neighbors told us that the taggers would go somewhere without as many people watching. So it was an interesting relationship from the start.”
Major projects in various phases of development include the completed Family Partnership Center, 40 units of workforce housing on Maple Street, the Youth Opportunity Union planned for the onetime YMCA site, and the restoration of the long-neglected Fall Kill Creek Corridor with Scenic Hudson’s Northside Collaborative Project. “We’re between the grass roots and the grass tops here,” says Kroner. “These are conversations people have been having for a long time, seemingly intractable situations that are coming to fruition with fundraising,
collective thinking, and community action.”
One project that’s still in the predevelopment phase: the Poughkeepsie Cistern at College Hill Park, a 97-acre greenspace that once housed a private school. Underneath, a decommissioned 36,500 square foot cistern hosted five concerts last year; being underground and not designed for humans, only 30 guests could come each time, but minds were blown by the reverberation. The MASS folks hope that community excitement can build and create the second-ever cistern venue in North America.
Above ground, College Hill is the largest open space and highest spot in the city of Poughkeepsie; back in 1892, some wanted to develop the place, but the community resisted. Presidents had visited, Frederick Douglass gave a speech there on Emancipation Day in 1858, and instead of selling it off, the city prettied it up with some help from Downing Vaux, son of the creator of Newburgh’s Downing Park, Calvert Vaux. “It’s one mile from the end of the Walkway and a block from the rail trail, and you have Scenic Hudson’s headquarters and public yards in between,” says MASS architect Heather McArthur. “There’s a sort of temple building at the top, where you have a 360 degree view—you can see the Berkshires, Taconics, and Catskills at the same time. It’s complex, but not impossible, to make the Cistern into a venue with a world-wide draw. Meanwhile, we want to make sure it belongs to the community. First and foremost, it’s theirs.”
Above: Members of MASS Design with city officials in the empty cistern in College Hill Park: Leechen Zhu, Justin Brown, Antonieta Bocxe, Richard Distel planner for the City of Poughkeepsie, Heather McArthur, Mayor Yvonne Flowers, Christopher Kroner, Sarina Teuschler, and Erin Huang.
Poughkeepsie Pop-Up
Portraits by David McIntyre
Top row: Elinor Levy, Hand in Glove Studio; Felipe Santos, radio host and community organizer; Jeff Aman, artist.
Bottom row: Jordan Koschei, founder ConnectHV; Jorge Ramirez, studio photographer at SociaLight Studio and Couture Modeling; Larissa Pitcher Alvarado, Poughkeepsie Farm Project/artist.
We took over the storied confines of The Chance Theater on January 11 for our Poughkeepsie portrait shoot. Thanks to Frank Butler and the Empire Training Center for the Arts—current tenants of The Chance—for hosting us. And much gratitude to the residents of the Queen City who showed up to represent Poughkeepsie.
Bottom row: Onaje Benjamin, Ujamaa Studios, photography and picture framing; Ondie James, 5th Ward Councilwoman and CEO of Majesty 6:33 Productions; Rose Freeman, travel agent, Dreamcatcher Travel.
Top row: Christopher Havens, client coordinator and Amanda Panzer, printer at Prime Print Shop; Bernard “Butch” Panzer, retired New York State Regional EMS Director and Angela Panzer, retired teen librarian; Angelo Alvarado, aviation mechanic/RedTail Flight Academy; Carrie Decker, nonprofit, founder; Christopher Kroner, Hudson Valley Design Lab, MASS Design Group; Daniel Atonna, political coordinator at For the Many.
Middle row: Danny Boyer and Alanna Sarti, owners of Little Sister Wine Shop; David Giannascoli, PhD, retired school psychologist and Barbara Best, retired business owner; David Wojciechowski, James Wojciechowski, and Ena Wojciechowski, artists; Filomena Fanelli, CEO and founder Impact PR & Communications; Franc Palaia, artist, muralist, and musician.
Bottom row: Rudy Williams, journalist; Samuel Nobondo, student and Art Effect camp counselor with Luis Nobondo, grant compliance manager at Hudson River Housing; Mara Sloan, designer; Harvey Flad, geographer and author with Mary Flad, textile artist and author; Melanie Lemieux, owner of The Governess and ESS Hospitality.
Top row: Garfield Salmon, chef at UpStream Cafe; Gina McCann, community manager, Mike McCann, scientist with Loch McCann; Grace Lin, artist; Bardavon Marketing team members Jadin Manipole and Katie Gudzik; Nedra Patterson Thompson, 7th Ward Councilmember and majority leader; Sean Hemmerle, artist and Julia Whitney Barnes, artist, with Magnolia Hemmerle-Barnes and August Hemmerle-Barnes.
Middle row: Mike Sleap, parent and Kate Grantz, Poughkeepsie Day School, Board of Trustees member and parent with Greta Grantz-Sleap, 4th Grader and Margo Grantz-Sleap, 1st Grader, Poughkeepsie Day School; Lynn and Lou Varuzzo, Daffodils Gift Shoppe; Lori Rolison, The Traveler’s Book Club; Lauren Volper, Hudson Valley Upholstery; Leechen Zhu, architectural designer with MASS Design and Xuemei Shen, software engineer with New York State Courts; Kayla Lawlor, goldsmith/Memoria Teneo Jewelry Studio.
Bottom row: Michelle Gee, manager of Canvas + Clothier; Jamie Bishop, brewmaster and partner at Mill House Hospitality with Daniel Crocco, executive chef and partner at Mill House Hospitality; Monica Church, artist; Mary Ann Glass and Paola Bari, Gallery 40; Jeffrey E. Capers, owner of Vintage Fixie Bicycle Shop.
Join us for the February issue launch party on Wednesday, February 5, from 5:30-7:30pm at 1915 Wine Cellar at 40 Cannon Street in Poughkeepsie.
Top row: Trevor Redl, Town of Poughkeepsie legislative aide with, Taryn Redl, SUNY New Paltz student; Tina McKenna, storyteller/editor/actor with Noble Shropshire Actor and Petey McKenna, cutest dog in the world; June Jacobs, director of E-commerce and Victoria Maynard, CFO; Barbara and Thomas Best.
Middle row: Shannon Butler, historian at the Poughkeepsie Public Library; Satara Brown, founder Rebuilding Our Children and Community Inc.; Abve Higgs, artist.
Bottom row: Xuewu Zheng, artist; Spiro Gouras, head of school, Poughkeepsie Day School with Filo.
Marion Salonspa in Salt Point recently commemorated its 25th anniversary in a familiar setting—among hair dryers and styling products, but with generous charcuterie and champagne.
“I remember starting out with just one employee and a dream to serve the Hudson Valley,” says Marion Morris, salon owner and master stylist.
The salon now has a staff of 30 and expanded offerings to include massage, nail services, facials and skin treatments, bridal prep, and red light therapy.
Getting a business off the ground is often not without its challenges. The celebration was a testament to Morris’s dedication, craft, and the loyalty of her clientele.
Hair salons are important neighborhood cornerstones. Morris recognized each face who
filled the salon on its anniversary. One guest was a young mother who first brought her toddler in for a trim, now a teenager who had her hair styled for prom at the salon. An elderly gentleman joined the celebration, whose weekly visits became a cherished social outing. One client in the crowd regularly sees Morris to stay sharp and confident on work days with heavy meetings. Getting a haircut often means more than a new look.
“You’ve not only given us fabulous hair but a place to connect, laugh, and feel good about ourselves,” says Monique Diano, a long-time client.
Opening Marion Salonspa has enabled Morris to give back to her community by donating to music, arts, and sports programs, and local charities. She hopes to continue cutting hair and contributing to the community for many years.
Marion Salonspa Celebrates 25 Years
rural intelligence
A New Look
Frederic Church Center for Art and Landscape
By Jamie Larson
Frederic Church was a 19th century master of landscape painting. At Olana, his home on a bluff outside Hudson, Church achieved something arguably more profound—transforming the landscape itself into a living work of art. To help draw attention to the entire property, not just the eye-catching main house, the Olana Partnership and New York State Parks recently cut the ribbon on the Frederic Church Center for Art and Landscape, an $18 million, environmentally advanced visitors’ center built to support art programming, education, and events. It’s an attractive structure that you can’t see from anywhere on the property unless you’re standing right next to it.
“It’s a milestone,” reflects Mark Prezorski, senior vice president and landscape curator for the Olana Partnership, who has helped lead the decade-long process of bringing the center to life. “We’ve worked on this for years, and seeing it come together is incredibly rewarding.”
The project was made possible through a combination of public and private funding. Significant contributions included a $1.4 million Empire State Development Market New York Regional Tourism Grant and a $1.8 million Carbon Neutral Economic Development Grant from NYSERDA. On October 25, Governor Kathy Hochul officiated the ribbon-cutting ceremony, marking the opening of the center.
Intentional Design, Quiet Integration
The Frederic Church Center was designed with an ethos of intentional invisibility. “You do not see this building from anywhere in the historic landscape,” Prezorski says, proudly. Nestled discreetly into the hillside, the structure respects Olana’s sweeping views and iconic vistas, with a low-slung form and a color palette toned to the estate’s original farm buildings, while interior elements reference Church’s painting studio, blending modern and historic ideas.
This attention to detail highlights Olana’s vibe without outright imitating Church’s signature aesthetic. “Our job was to be a little bit picky,” Prezorski says, “because the details really matter for Olana—and Olana deserves that level of care.” Whether it’s the exact hue of a wall or the strategic placement of windows to frame specific views, every choice was made to reflect Church’s approach.
More than an aesthetic achievement, the Church Center is also designed to be a model in sustainability, built using cross-laminated timber and powered entirely by solar. Features such as bird-friendly glass and bioswales for water management integrate the structure into the surrounding landscape.
Prezorski praised the collaborative efforts of the center’s designers and planners. Architecture Research Office (ARO), a New York City-based firm, led the process which earned ARO the 2020 AIA Architecture Firm Award.
Complementing ARO’s architectural vision, Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects developed the Strategic Landscape Design Plan for Olana. According to Prezorski the firm’s research-based, collaborative process aims to restore and enhance Frederic Church’s originally designed landscape.
The center is also practical, serving as a welcome center and gateway for visitors as they ascend the in-road. It houses a spacious lobby for ticketing and orientation, gender-neutral restrooms, a multipurpose room for community events, and, soon, a café. The outdoor seating area also doubles as an amphitheater. “This entire place of 250 acres is the work of art,”
Prezorski says. “The center encourages people to explore the whole site, not just the main house.”
For Prezorski, the new center is a fulfillment of Church’s vision. “Details, details, details,” he repeats. “They all add up, and there was a lot of thought put into this space.”
Photo by Peter Aaron / OTTO
Just above the hidden center on a rise shaded by trees, one of Church’s favorite curated views unfolds. A still pond in the foreground gives way to a steeply rising meadow. At the top of the little mountain, a grove of trees perfectly frames the iconic main house. While the new center at Olana behind you is handsome, the access to this one view of the property alone makes all the partnership’s effort and investment feel worth it.
A Closer Look
Olana is hosting a full slate of activities this winter, including the special exhibition “A Closer Look.” This program invites visitors to slow down and experience Church’s art up close. Over four months, a rotating series of themed artwork installations will guide participants to explore select pieces from the Olana collection through observation, conversation, and personal reflection.
As part of this initiative, 45-minute guided dialogues provide a chance to learn more about two or three featured works. Through visual analysis and historical context, visitors are encouraged to use their powers of observation to connect with Church’s art on a deeper level.
Olana also offers a variety of programs to enhance daily tours and hikes. The Third Thursday/Tercer Jueves series, a free community day held on the third Thursday of each month, features bilingual (English and Spanish) programs designed to engage new audiences. Activities include the Morning Mindfulness in the Gallery session, encouraging participants to start their day with mindful observation of artwork.
For families, the “A Closer Look” Family Tour Series offers dedicated Saturday sessions on February 22 and March 22, providing an interactive experience tailored to younger audiences. These programs, along with others such as Drop-In Drawing with Pastels, where visitors can create their own artworks inspired by Olana’s landscape are part of Olana’s initiative to attract visitors year-round.
sat apr 5 at 8pm
sat mar 22 at 8pm Great Barrington, MA • 413-528-0100 • mahaiwe.org
Tapas & Pizza Award Winning Wine List
Tapas & Pizza Award Winning Wine List
65 Church Street Lenox, MA 01240
413-637-9171
65 Church Street Lenox, MA 01240 413-637-9171
www.bravalenox.com
www.bravalenox.com
O M B R A
27 Housatonic St. Lenox, MA
Open 5pm to 1 am
Kitchen Till Midnight Closed Sundays
The Olana Partnership and New York State Parks recently opened the Frederic Church Center for Art and Landscape, an $18 million, environmentally advanced visitors’ center built to support art programming, education, and events. Photo by Nick Hubbard
paquito d'rivera quintet
Amy Rigby Hang in There with Me
(Tapete Records)
“I don’t think I knew when we started recording back in 2021 that we’d be leaving, although we had started spending part of our time in England,” says Amy Rigby about the making of her 11th album. She and her husband and sometime musical duo partner, Wreckless Eric, taped the 11-song set in the living-room studio of the Catskill house they’d called home from 2011 until last summer, when they packed up and relocated to Eric’s homeland. Written by Rigby during a time that was tumultuous not only on a grand scale (Covid, the 2016-2020 administration) but also individually (the passing of her father, the near-death of her spouse), Hang in There with Me is a timeand-place-specific collection of tunes that betrays the ragged optimism of its title.
Amid chiming electric and knotty acoustic guitars, crisp drums, and occasional fuzzy synths, the songsmith’s sweet-honey voice weaves words that read like cool ’n’ clever diary entries. In “Bangs,” she pines for a hip haircut (“Don’t call it fringe / That’s way too tasteful / I want to channel Marianne Faithfull”), while “Hell-Oh Sixty” marks the milestone of another decade’s dawn and “Dylan in Dubuque” was inspired by a disorderly concert by the titular icon. “Writing songs and working in the studio is a small way to make order out of the chaos,” says Rigby, who’ll return to play the Spotty Dog in Hudson on April 12. “It keeps on giving me hope.” And as a parting gift of hope to the Hudson Valley, one couldn’t ask for a more redemptive release than Hang in There with Me
—Peter Aaron
John Esposito and A Book of Five Rings Vulcan (Sunjump
Records)
Free jazz drummers have this method of homing in on a beat like a kid with a magnifying glass stalking a bee. It’s trepidatious, but focused; wary, yet relentless. Peter O’Brien does just so from the start of John Esposito and A Book of Five Rings’s miraculous new two-disc set disc, Vulcan, which joins composer Esposito with top talents like trumpeter Greg Glassman, flautist Mitch Kessler, reed master Stacy Dillard, and violinist/ vocalist Rosi Hertlein for a relentlessly adventuresome decade-old set of never less-than-intriguing music. There is no critical bravura in calling this collection an instant classic. It just is—a gift fallen from the stars. Take it and run with it. Could you compare Vulcan—inspired by Miyamoto Musashi and featuring, in live performance, video by Laura Steele—with Bennie Maupin’s similarly untethered 1974 wonder The Jewel in The Lotus? You could. But why bother? Magnificent, entirely on its own terms.
—Michael Eck
Stephen Clair Transmissions (Rock City Records)
Beacon-based pop rocker Stephen Clair is impatient and ready to party on “Waiting Around,” which urgently opens Transmissions. Drummer Aaron Latos lays down a tight beat on “Vegas Sunrise,” which also features strong synth by producer Will Bryant. Clair reveals his influences by referencing Lou Reed’s “Coney Island Baby” on “Blue and Red Lines.” Piano meanders dreamily on “It’s So Strange” until the beat picks back up again. Daria Grace’s Pixies-esque bass drives “Naomi’s Phone is Dead,” which warns of missing your train stop due to dead batteries after going out in the city. Love overcomes bad teeth and self-imposed maladies on “Take This Walk with Me.” While Clair’s deadpan delivery largely recalls Reed’s, his sense of melody and humor is more Costello-meets-Kinks. The band plays extremely well together throughout Transmissions’s nine tracks and establishes a solid base for Clair’s humorous and heartfelt songwriting.
—Mike Cobb
SOUND CHECK | Damon Banks
Each month we ask a member of the community to tell us what music they’ve been digging.
Professionally, there’s listening that involves developing new music or prepping for a band repertoire that you’re already immersed in. I love “cleansing my palette” by going back to old favorites or checking out brand new stuff. Lately, I’ve found myself returning to my Jamaican roots and playing lots of Dennis Brown, Burning Spear, and Black Uhuru. Just random tracks across their careers. Bonobo is by far one of the most well-rounded, highly innovative artists I’ve ever heard in my entire life. I’m a huge fan. He completely transcends the term “electronic music” and has evolved way past his earlier, sample-based dance and ambient-oriented work. The LP Fragments is a couple of years old now, but when I play it I have to start listening to all of
his other stuff all over again! He’s simply a portal of magic to me. Very unique artist.
After the passing of Quincy Jones, I started listening to 1981’s The Dude again consistently. It’s a very emotional experience. The record was released early in my life, and it triggers memories about my desire to be a professional musician, and how we should all aspire to do work on this level. The record features some of the greatest songwriters and musicians of all time, such as Stevie Wonder, Rod Temperton, Patti Austin, James Ingram, Herbie Hancock, Louis Johnson, J.R Robinson, Ernie Watts, and the rest of the amazing cast.
Born and raised in the Bronx, Damon Banks is a Beacon-based bassist, composer, producer, and educator. He is currently touring with Carnatic jazz violinist Arun Ramamurthy. Damonbanks.net
First Love: Guiding Teens through Relationships and Heartbreak
Lisa A. Phillips
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD, 2025, $26.95
Coming of age, navigating the budding desire for intimacy, has never been simple. Today’s young, though they may have more information, have whole new sources of anxiety—social media, post-pandemic struggles—and whole new conversations going on about consent, gender fluidity and how to adult in a world gone rather mad. SUNY New Paltz professor and awardwinning journalist Phillips, author of Unrequited: Women and Romantic Obsession combines deep reflection with rigorous reporting to craft an honest, empathetic handbook for parents who want to balance safety with respect for the journey.
Performance
Anxiety
Jonathan Lerner RESOURCE PUBLICATIONS, 2024, $16
In 1964, the US was trembling on the brink of upheaval, and Hudson-based author and budding radical Lerner was trembling on the brink of adulthood—16 years old, about to face his mother’s death, decades away from fully reckoning with his queer identity. His memoir poignantly reconstructs the yearnings of early adolescence and the simmering of the early civil rights movement, employing hindsight like a jeweler’s loupe in considering the facets and intersections that shaped him. The reader may find him hard on himself, but is very unlikely to find him dull.
How the Web Won: The Inside Story of How a Motley Crew of Outsiders Hijacked the Information Superhighway and Struck a Blow for Human Freedom
Ken McCarthy SYSTEM PRESS, 2024, $19.95
In the early 1990s, Tivoli resident Ken McCarthy was part of a small group that drove the internet’s transformation into its current, advertising-funded free-for-all, winning out against the forces who’d have preferred it to stay niche and nonprofit and others who wanted to monopolize it as their private profitable niche, and he makes a strong case for why that outcome—no matter how annoying those pop-ups may get—was the best-case scenario. How it all went down is an epic tale, well and conversationally told, offering deep-but-accessible insight into the evolution of our information superhighway.
What Is Your BS? Exploring Belief Systems Through Hypnosis and NLP
Peter Blum
ENTRANCEWAYS, 2024, $21.95
It’s a core truth: Wherever you go, there you are, complete with the beliefs that frame your experiences in helpful or unhelpful ways. Woodstock-based hypnotherapist Blum uses an extensive toolkit that he has been refining and using for decades to help people get themselves unstuck, whether the goal is to break a simple bad habit, achieve a better golf swing, or free themselves from existential dread. Packed with anecdotes from his clinical work that illustrate technique, this is a book that demystifies the process of change for seekers and helpers alike.
The True Story of Murder Cafe: How One Family’s Plunge into Mystery Dinner Theater Made the World a Better Place
Frank Marquette
TROY BOOK MAKERS, 2024, $20
Marquette was already a middle-aged dad, living in New Mexico, when he decided to obey his strong urge to dabble in theater. That initial dabbling led him to murder mystery dinner theater and the creation of Murder Cafe, which had 11 good years in Vegas before he and wife Kristen brought the show home to his native Hudson Valley and built his current troupe. In 26 years, they’ve amazed and delighted around 100,000 people; the story of how it all went down is delightful in its own right.
—Anne Pyburn Craig
Ordinary Devotion
Kristen Holt-Browning MONKFISH BOOK PUBLISHING COMPANY, 2024, $24.99
In this time of instant gratification, it’s nearly impossible to grasp the concept of an anchoress. During the Middle Ages, an anchoress (a female anchorite) would be confined in a cell adjacent to an abbey; the cell’s entry would often be bricked over. A small window (squint) allowed her to communicate with outsiders; slots provided food and chamber pot access. Upon entry into the cell, last rites would be given to the woman, signaling that she was essentially dead to the world. She would pray, read, and listen to visitor’s prayers and pleas.
In her debut novel Ordinary Devotion, Beacon-based Kristen Holt-Browning brings to ascetic life the anchoress Lady Adela, who emerges as only the third main character. Elinor, a 12-year-old, is consigned to serve as Adela’s child handmaiden, joining her in the tiny, dank cell. Elinor is from an ordinary family whose mother tragically (but not uncommonly) died in childbirth; the baby also died. Elinor’s sisters remain in the outside world to play and go to school, while her overwhelmed father promised her to the abbey in return for room and board, essentially, and the promise of a devout life.
Studying these characters is Liz Pace, an adjunct professor of medieval studies at the fictional University of Northern New York, near Albany. Liz’s area of expertise, purgatory, has fallen out of favor in the field of medieval studies. Her husband, Nick, is a professor of art history at UNNY. Despite this idyllic-sounding arrangement, Liz aspires to snag a tenure-track position, which would mean a pay raise, job stability, and her own health insurance. (As is often a sad truism of modern life, insurance is paramount; her pregnancy ends in a miscarriage.) Liz gets good news—her paper is accepted for presentation at a conference in England. There, she networks, and gains interest in anchoresses and their maidens, eventually working toward a book positing that anchoresses were the physical embodiment of purgatory—a third space, neither heavenly nor earthly.
Holt-Browning alternates between the ancient Adela/Elinor and the modern Liz. It is Elinor’s internal thoughts and actions that reveal the human aspect of religious asceticism, her swings between wanting to support Adela as best she can, and anger at her father for committing her and depriving her of her normal life. In the progression of Liz’s chapters, we follow her transformation from underappreciated adjunct professor and grief-filled would-be parent to an inspired—and inspiring—scholar making a breakthrough discovery. Elinor and Liz’s paths mirror one another at times, each undergoing suffering over which they have little control. In the end, they surmount obstacles and accomplish feats incomprehensible in their darkest moments.
The format set up by Holt-Browning—short chapters flipping between past and present—make Elinor’s austere story palatable. The descriptions of her torturous physical surroundings and her deprivation are chilling, even if she is lauded as devout and in service to a higher cause. Liz’s concern over modern daily survival yanks us back to the present time which, while stressful and wildly unpredictable, will most likely not demand the huge sacrifices of an anchoress or her helpmate.
Holt-Browning is novelist, poet, and editor, and these skills are evident in the clean, active prose and ability to propel the novel at a steady pace. Liz often questions the value of her work; she counsels a student that pursuing medieval studies is a sketchy career path, even imagining that they might one day compete for resources. She dismisses purgatory as fiction while dedicating her adult life to its scrutiny. By the book’s end, life changes for both Liz and Elinor offer hope for their previously dark paths, and hope for those who sympathize with them.
—Susan Yung
Dried Grape
Rough, Dry, and soft
An essence of its former shape
The Ridges casting shadows on the valleys
The Texture contrasting the sweet flavor Resembles a small planet
An atmosphere of scent
—Ryan Helm (15 years)
PS: I Left You
a handful of jewel— led yellow rice in a corner inside the refrigerator
I had tossed the sun in spoonfuls adding pomegranate seeds the bowl shivers in the chill, its eggshell thin china will hold this little light for you behind the closed door
when you look back and I am gone
—Saima Afreen
Time’s Fool
“How does Time work,” I ask my students, “In the sonnets?”
A terrible question
Literally, of course: Time culls, erases, reaps, razes, destroys
Terrors all
But also just bad the kind that makes them check the clocks on their phones
As they should
Better to ask why
Her eyes are his eyes
My hair her hair
Across decades
Or later in the car
when we sing Van Morrison
How blanket dark New York is Iowa, 1996 Ireland, 1966
It is not work
—Cyrus Mulready
Dream Speak
Reasonably, I used to believe that I was a limited being of needs, which would not be met unless I could get to a flag hoisted sky high over my head, which I shivered to reach, higher than the noon son overshading everyone; so I shaved my artsy pounds and became a knowledge hound, like Tommy Ed, or Albert Ein, I promised to ever find new things to sate my curiosities about the trees and the girls and all the mountain hoods endlessly casting shadows of mystery, outlining valleys vast, pounding the mountain pass, molded from hands of clay, counting on every day to cast a picture frame, bathing the world in flame with bitter attitude, considering the tune of all the pinecones
8/12
The coffin is lifted out of the hearse by the pallbearers, and as it is carried up the steps of the church, Randy gently puts his left hand on Anthony’s left hip, as they carry the wooden box containing Anthony’s mother into the church for her funeral.
After communion, the priest cleans up while an auburn-haired mezzo soprano sings something.
Something that sounds just like the other things she’s just sung. Everybody’s on a schedule.
Anthony’s eulogy paints a vivid and sometimes hilarious picture of the woman who raised him, a woman whose loss he will continue to suffer for many days to come. Randy holds his hand. Holds him up.
When the coffin is lowered into the ground, the finality of interment is lost on none of us.
I feel as though my heart is being squeezed by a strong and meaty hand. The earth Anthony’s mother is gently placed into has been cleanly carved to accommodate her.
Piles of clouds, like mounds of whipped cream, pass overhead, then part as if to make way for Irene, who I picture smiling at us and wondering Why all the fuss?
—Lori White
Gripped by here and now, forever escaping, yet everlasting still.
—J. J. Holden
Nightingale
The nightingale is the national bird of Ukraine. My heart aches.
—J. R. Solonche
crooning and spooning and spinning and spitting and dancing and lifting and flying and sighing and dreaming and whining and waking and taking and walking and talking and making and staking and milking and stalking and sticking and lacking and laking and stacking and stopping and dropping and rolling and lolling and laughing and lauding and flipping and scolding and screaming and crying and panting and lying and parting and dying and sniffling and snaffling and absolutely baffling and peopling and puzzling and grizzling and guzzling and fizzling and fastening and slithering and slathering and blithering and babbling and scribbling and scrabbling and dribbling and dabbling and troubling and doubling and tripling and sapling and stippling and dappling and crippling and crappling and accidentally appling and fetching and wretching and fletching and stretching and pitching and clutching and stripping and strapping and stitching and stuffing and ripping and wrapping and rimming and rapping and clipping and crapping and chipping and clapping and happening and sharpening and darkening and Shenandoahing and Shawangunkening.
—John Ackerman
the little sundrops clinging to a pine needle practice resistance
—Jennifer Howse
Green Light Red Light
New Life. Such joy. Rest right. Share news.
Stay fit. Buy crib. Read books. Check-up.
Search names. Choose one. Pure love. It grows.
Learn sex. A boy. Have sex. Enjoy.
Make list. Get gifts. Prep room. New sheets.
Paint walls. Hang frames. Strong kick. Huge sigh.
Feel tight. Not right. Too soon. Keep calm.
Feet up. Head back. Doctor, hand in.
Cervix. Too thin. Butt shot. Grow lungs.
All night. Awake. Pulse check. Crown down.
White room. Three days Chest hot. Feet cold.
Back home. No work. In bed. All day.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Mouth dry. Mind gone.
Six months. Time now. Spread legs. Let’s go.
Son born. Three pounds. Can’t breathe. Can’t suck.
Thin skin. Blue lips. Damp hair. Can’t hold.
Stick feet. Run lines. Lights blink. Fear builds.
Nurse says, know this. Sign this. Dread this.
—Jeanne-Marie Fleming
Sonnet on Growing Old
The hollow sphere that rests upon his neck, that should be filled with images of joy, now whistles as the winds pick up, and flecks of dust emerge that dance, that mock the boy whose memories crave only hope and love, who wants for nothing more than drink to slake
a summer’s thirst, and shade from sun above, and friends to share the myriad dreams he makes. But he is not a fledgling child; those days are buried deep within his past. Full grown, he stumbles, feels the heavens start to sway, and falls, the earth less kindly than he’d known, when there was more to life ahead than years behind, and time had yet to commerce tears.
—William J. Joel
Side Effects of Surviving Breast Cancer
Cancer was a skirmish not a battle, left me radiated, scarred, still vibrating with life.
I emerged with both breasts, and no chemo.
Now colors are more brilliant, birdsong sweeter.
Side effects of surviving: It was a holy passage. On the other side, I know the scalpel removed malignant fears along with the lump. Six weeks of radiation burnt up malicious cells, incinerated all tolerance for bullshit.
I am grateful for these side effects. Seven years out, I am alive and whole, spirit honed by knife and fire.
—Judith Prest
Picket Fences
My sister said she hates my town, says it’s a nightmare, an idyll turned upside down.
A police chief stands with a frown. There is no part left in him to care. My sister said she hates my town.
The dirt is piled on the casket like a crown covering the embarrassment there. An idyll turned upside down.
This shit ain’t new in my hometown. We have plenty of addicts to spare. My sister said she hates my town.
From the baptismal to the wedding gown, we live blissfully unaware of our idyll turned upside down.
Then it comes home and now we drown. It is all too much to bear.
My sister said she hates my town, An idyll turned upside down.
—Stephanie Gleeson
Hiccups in Aramaic
We bellyache vaguely of the holiday blues. I’ll lay mine out for you:
There was a brief time in my life when I was almost the hero. Estranged parents a wayward replacement and my brother they didn’t make met under the same roof to sit at a long table with name cards placed strategically snowmen and elves drawn on company time.
Twice a year this healing was held after decades of separation brought together by what we all thought would last.
We were wrong but we have those memories, silent and loud like gunshots unaware of whether to be grateful or lost in the wake of what almost was.
I would have worn a better shirt had I known.
—Mike Vahsen
Desert Winds— The Lizard finds comfort Under a Rock.
—Mayueroa
After the Holidays
O touch the little bongo, Sniff the spreading DillyDally. Taste and see the fullness of The days-old creamy nog. Hear the bells on balls on Yuletide trees and tchotchkes. Wring in the wrinkles of yet Another crooked year.
Imagine all the gifted ping pongs that Might love you like a winter boot afire. Sense dry skin exploding if and when You ever stop counting flakes.
—Patrick Hammer, Jr.
Pencil Pusher
The concept of visual communication is essentially as old as humanity itself. The evidence extends far back into prehistoric times, with the primitive drawings, notched bones, marked stones, and representational paintings that would eventually be discovered in archeological digs and on cave walls not only predating all forms of written language, but also forming the basis for them. Millenia later, only the implements have changed, as kids make crude crayon or marker pictures well before they learn how to write letters and words. The therapeutic connection between perception, process, and twodimensional manifestation is the basis for artist and educator Andrea Kantrowitz’s book Drawing Thought: How Drawing Helps Us Observe, Discover, and Invent (MIT Press, 2022).
“I was drawing before I could walk,” says the author, who grew up in the Boston suburbs and currently serves as the director of SUNY New Paltz’s Art Education program. “My older sister also drew, so she encouraged me to draw as well.” Kantrowitz’s parents nurtured her creativity as well: Her mother, a librarian, sparked her love of books, while her father, an inventor and literal rocket scientist who developed the ceramic coating that helps spacecraft withstand reentry and worked in medical innovation, further ignited her intellectual and creative aspirations. “Ideas just came to him,” she
Andrea Kantrowitz’s Drawing Thought and the Lines of Perception
By Peter Aaron
recalls. “He really made me understand how human beings are capable of almost anything when they use their imaginations.” It’s this precept, and how drawing can help exponentially to unlock it, that informs the 200page Drawing Thought, whose points and exercises are beautifully illustrated with Kantrowitz’s own work. “At its root, drawing is play,” she explains. “But it’s also a way to figure things out, to imagine what is possible.”
Cognition Connection
“In fifth grade, I devoured every single ‘How to Draw’ book in our school library,” Kantrowitz writes. “Then, at about 16, I discovered life drawing and I was hooked. It wasn’t easy to draw live models but I found I could get better by studying other people’s drawings.” When she was 17 she studied with influential Art Students League of New York artistic anatomy instructor Robert Beverly Hale, who had a profound effect on the honing of her technique. “He taught me to look for the ‘bony landmarks’ in the live models and drawings by the old masters,” she says. Another revelatory encounter was the discovery of the 17th-century Chinese instructional book Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden, a timeless text with beautiful illustrations that covers nature and landscape drawing as well as figure drawing. “Skilled drawers often learn ‘how to see,’” she notes in Drawing Thought, “because they have learned what to look for.”
When she attended Harvard, it was this connection between perception and artistic execution that became the foundation for her creation of the curriculum that earned her a BA in a bespoke program she called Arts and Cognition. “I had a friend who was a musician, and he majored in Music and Philosophy, so that sort of gave me the idea to put two things together: cognitive psychology and art,” Kantrowitz says. “My dad always told me to ‘think big,’ so that was part of it, too.” An MFA in Painting at Yale followed, and by the late 1980s she was in San Francisco, where she began to think even bigger, taking part in community organizing efforts and looking for ways to make her art background meaningful on a wider scale. “I had been in an ivory tower for the last few years before that,” she says. “And I decided that I didn’t want to just be someone who designed pretty wallpaper for rich people.”
Striking Presence
One of the major events that took place during her time in the Bay Area was the Watsonville Cannery strike. From September 1985 to March 1987, workers at the frozen food processing facility, many of them Mexican immigrants and all of them union members, went on strike when the plant’s parent company, Watsonville Canning, moved to reduce their wages and benefits. Kantrowitz was compelled to get involved, making murals and posters to bring attention to the strike and spending
Photo by Mike Fallon
weeks with workers on the picket line and at the union hall to chronicle their plight through interviews and drawings (much of her art from the Watsonville strike is now archived in public and private collections). “I would talk to the people while I was drawing them and let them tell their stories,” she says. “But mostly I would just sit quietly, looking and listening while I drew. It was a powerful experience.”
Her first teaching job was as foundations coordinator at the University of Wisconsin in Oshkosh; a position at the College of New Rochelle would come later. But, as it has for so many in the arts, the road led back east to New York, where she enrolled in the doctoral program at Columbia University Teachers College. At Columbia she befriended Nick Soumanis, a cartoonist and fellow doctoral student and future teacher who would rework his dissertation on using comics as a teaching tool into the award-winning 2015 graphic novel Unflattening “Besides just being a great pure artist, Andrea is really good at the art of looking—of doing giant closeups of really small things and showing how they work,” says Soumanis, who has collaborated with Kantrowitz and others on performances that combine drawing and comics with live dance. “She knows how to connect science with art and thinking. Drawing has become culturally undervalued, especially now, with AI. Drawing is actually a really important mode of thinking, one that you’ve got to use, whether you’re an artist or even a non-artist. And Andrea’s book and her teaching shows how you can do that.”
Drawn to Teaching
As a teaching artist in the New York City public school systems for several years, Kantrowitz worked on local and national art-education research projects. From 2005 to 2014 she worked with the Studio in a School organization, where she codeveloped and implemented a curriculum that integrated art, math, and literacy as part of a federally funded Arts in Education Model Development and
In 2022, SUNY New Paltz professor Andrea Kantrowitz published Drawing Thought, which contains art exercises designed to unlock creativity.
“At its root, drawing is play,” Kantrowitz says. “But it’s also a way to figure things out, to imagine what is possible.” The image below is a spread from the book. The author is pictured left.
Dissemination project. A key component of the project was a randomized control trial demonstrating the impact of an integrated art curriculum for underprivileged students. “I did my fellowship in East Harlem, and the program there was really successful in getting kids to want to explore [academically] on their own and to use their imaginations at a higher level,” says the instructor. “The afterschool comics group was really popular, because so many of the kids loved anime. We took a field trip to Japan Society Museum to see an anime exhibit and the kids knew more about what was on view than the guides at the museum did.”
Kantrowitz taught at Pratt Institute and the Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University before starting at SUNY New Paltz in 2016 and has been vital in shaping the school’s art curriculum since her arrival. In many ways, Drawing Thought is the realization of her long, ongoing, and highly impactful career in arts education and, pun intended, the perfect illustration of her practice as both an artist and a teacher that skillfully combines her beautiful hand-drawn images with insightful, autobiographical text discussing the discipline and its related aspects of neuroscience and cognitive psychology. “Drawing lets us dive below the surface of our conscious thoughts,” writes Kantrowitz, “to observe and record sensations, perceptions, and ideas that might otherwise slip by unnoticed.” Since its publication, the tome has elicited wide praise in the academic sphere and has been added as a boilerplate textbook at numerous educational institutions.
“What made me want to do this book was, basically, thinking about why art is valuable to society,” says Kantrowitz, a mother of two who curates exhibitions and continues to display her art publicly; a recent showing was at SUNY New Paltz’s Dorsky Museum. “Drawing talks back to us. It gives us a feeling of aliveness and beauty, of keeping open the possibilities and being awake and in the moment, despite whatever shit is happening in the world. I still draw every day. I’ve never stopped.”
Hudson Valley Free Day
All Hudson Valley residents receive free admission to Dia Beacon on the last Sunday of each month. Beacon and Newburgh residents always receive free admission.
Dia Beacon
Riggio Galleries 3 Beekman Street Beacon, New York
diaart.org
February 8 – April 6, 2025
38 artists from
Howland Public Library Beacon, NY
February 14 | 7:30 PM
Old Main Hall New Paltz, NY
February 15 | 2:00 PM
Eisenhower Hall West Point, NY
February 16 | 2:00 PM
Nicholas Music Center New Brunswick, NJ
March 1 | 7:00 PM
Scranton Cultural Center Scranton, PA
March 8 | 2:00 PM
Eisenhower Hall West Point, NY
March 11 | 7:00 PM EMPAC Troy, NY
and open to all
WINTER CONCERT SERIES
Bound to the Mountain, Woven to the Soul
“MARIA LAI: A JOURNEY TO AMERICA” AT MAGGAZINO ITALIAN ART IN COLD SPRING
Through July 28 Magazzino.art
When I was in my early 20s, my older brother had a girlfriend from Sardinia. She was an actress living in New York, a captivating character and a robust dose of gorgeous Italian-ness, someone I would never forget. Such was the feeling in my heart when I visited “Maria Lai: A Journey to America” at Maggazino Italian Art in Cold Spring. Coming upon this show was like seeing a lady I already loved, an outrageous woman from Sardinia, this time Maria Lai.
To experience Lai’s six-decade career as an artist is to be utterly swept away by her, and the various thematic sections of this show are expertly curated by Paola Mura, artistic director at Magazzino. Featuring nearly 100 artworks (many on view and in the US for the first time), this retrospective offers a time-machine experience of Lai’s life and her diverse creative practice. During a lively follow-up call with Mura (who is based in Sardinia and has organized exhibitions of Lai’s work in Italy), she described Lai as a “true artist” and a passionate person. “ Art is a mystery, it does not respond to logic,” she said as we chatted about Lai’s choice to forgo marriage and children and remain independent in her lifetime.
I had the pleasure of taking the journey into Lai’s
universe with Adam Sheffer, director at Maggazino, who spoke devotedly about the artist and the sense of being able to feel her hand in the work. Sheffer commented on the importance of Lai’s time in North America (she visited Manhattan and Montreal in the spring of 1968) and the resulting shift in her artistic sensibilities. Where earlier, earth-toned paintings such as Ovile (1959) and Composizione Polimaterica (1964) reflect an experimental engagement with abstraction, by the time we reach Lai’s mixed media works Autunno (1968) and Notturno N.2 (1968) the mood is decidedly abstract and the somber color relationships and faux-photographic appearance reveal Lai’s interest in the tonal intricacies of photography.
Lai’s sculptural assemblage paintings are a delight, and Senza titolo (Telaio) (1972) is a brave example of her alignment with Arte Povera and her playful use of materials (this layered piece includes wooden popsicle sticks), while the chunky collage-ness of Telaio (1972) suggests that the work of contemporaneous artists such as Louise Nevelson and Robert Rauschenberg may have influenced her artistic choices. Still other artworks in this show embody the significance of her Italian roots and her affinity for weaving looms as a cultural and artistic symbol. Thread and stitched canvases such as Li trammi (2006) contain traditional Sardinian fabrics and Telaio in sole e mare (1971) with its crisscrossing of twine and white wood invokes a calm boat adrift on the Mediterranean Sea (one can almost feel the windy breeze come off this piece).
Downstairs, the exhibition takes an enchanting turn with two sections of work that demonstrate the integrity and sensitivity of Lai’s artistic spirit. The first of these
is a series of black-and-white photographs and a video that document her relational art project Legarsi alla montagna (Tying Oneself to the Mountain) from 1981. Asked to create a memorial for citizens of Ulassai fallen in war, Lai instead chose to create “something for the living” and organized a performative experience for this modest Sardinian town by uniting the community and the surrounding environs. Using 16 miles of blue denim ribbon, neighbors worked together to weave the cloth into their dwellings and up into the rural areas nearby. The photos capture precious moments of utter joy as children and adults alike engage in the excited activity, among the most poignant of these visions is an elderly woman who appears to be in transcendent bliss as she pulls the fabric high above her head.
The second of these special sections, “Holding the Shadow by the Hand” is a room showcasing cloth artworks by Lai’s self-styled alter-ego, Maria Pietra. Here we encounter a children’s fairytale made entirely of fabrics and unfurling across three encased rows, each implied chapter of the story its own pure world within a world. The delicate style of the sweet creatures and thinly threaded animals that appear in this visual narrative partake in a childlike exploration of death, allowing us to feel kinship with these charitable characters.
If you have not visited Magazzino Italian Art—a stunning architectural gem of a museum tucked into the handsome woods of Cold Spring—now is the moment. This is the kind of comprehensive exhibition that should be a page in the encyclopedic tome of the greatest artists to have ever lived, among them Maria Lai, who boldly asserted: “I wasn’t born in Sardinia, I am Sardinia.” —Taliesin Thomas
Telaio in sole e mare, Maria Lai, nails, wood, twine, tempera, 1971.
Photo by Marco Anelli
featuring photography by Rick Silva, Richard Mosse, Christina Fernandez, and Dawoud Bey, opens at the Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz on February 8.
Above: Untitled Farmworker, Christina Fernandez, archival digital pigment print on stretched vinyl
Opposite: Slaughterhouse, Rondonia, Richard Mosse, archival pigment print, 2021
Digging for Cole
“LANDMINES” AT THE SAMUEL DORSKY MUSEUM OF ART AT SUNY NEW PALTZ
February 8-July 13. Newpaltz.edu/dorskymuseum
Nowadays most of us depict a landscape by turning our cell phones sideways and snapping a photo. To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Hudson River School of art, the Dorsky Museum has assembled works by four contemporary photographers, in a show titled “Landmines,” which opens February 8.
But these photographers are doing a lot more than wielding cell phones. In fact, they deploy some of the newest innovations in art photography. Irish artist Richard Mosse uses multispectral satellite imagery to show the environmental devastation in and around the Amazon Basin. It’s like seeing through a machine’s eyes, though the pastel colors are surprisingly gentle. Slaughterhouse, Rondonia (2021) recalls the abstract canvases of Richard Diebenkorn. Burnt Eucalyptus Plantation, Rondonia (2020) looks like a worn piece of Victorian embroidery.
The art most closely linked to the show’s title is Rick Silva’s. “Landmines” is, in part, a pun referencing mines extracting subterranean minerals. In his video
Western Fronts (2018), Silva presents drone footage of four remote areas that lost their status as National Monuments under the first Trump administration, superimposing images of minerals lying beneath the soil. Elections have consequences, even for the innocent Earth.
The most topical work in the show is by Los Angeles photographer Christina Fernandez, who has spent years documenting migrant farmworkers in California. As we wait to see how many millions of immigrants will be deported by our new president, it’s sobering to view Untitled Farmworker (1989/2022), a solemn memorial to laborers who died from pesticide poisoning or were injured while working. Index cards bearing their names are embedded in soil, in neat rows, like artichokes or cabbages.
In 1825 the English artist Thomas Cole, fleeing the industrial desolation of Northeast England, sailed up the Hudson until he reached Catskill Landing. His paintings celebrating the majesty of his new home gave birth to the Hudson River School of art. If one could draw a picture of Manifest Destiny, it would look like a Hudson River School painting: a lush American landscape, bathed in the light of God. The Dorsky is a teaching museum as well as a community gallery, so numerous theoretical and historical issues are raised here. This exhibition could be subtitled “Manifest Destiny and Its Discontents.”
To begin with, the virgin land Cole depicted was a
myth. Millions of people already successfully dwelt on this continent, in large and small tribal groups. In 1818, for example, the Stockbridge-Munsee Indians of Oneida, New York, were forcibly removed to Wisconsin.
And the continent the Europeans conquered was not equally shared. Some rode westward in triumph; others trudged in chains. In 2019, MacArthur fellow Dawoud Bey photographed abandoned Louisiana plantations. “The history of trauma, of slavery, haunts them,” remarks Sophie Landres, curator and exhibitions manager at the museum, who curated the show. Architecture tells the bitter story: wooden shacks for the slaves, a genteel white mansion for the owners. Cabin and Spanish Moss is dominated by a venerable (oak?) tree bristling with moss resembling barbed wire, behind which a windowless cabin crouches. Black-and-white film— the only photographic medium available in the 19th century—gives the work a historical veneer. Also, black and white are the colors that defined American slavery.
“Landmines” begins with one of Thomas Cole’s sketchbooks from 1828, accompanied by a video showing its contents page by page. The show ends with Provenance (2023), an installation by Erin Lee Antolak of the Oneida Nation. A single moccasin rests on a pile of soil; nearby is a story, on paper, of Antolak losing a moccasin her mother made for her when she was a child—a loss symbolizing an entire lost culture.
—Sparrow
"Landmines,"
Mind the Gap: Attention in Crisis
CHRIS HAYES AT UPAC IN KINGSTON
February 15 at 7pm Bardavon.org
Hey, over here! Yes, you! Listen up. MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes has a new book out, The Sirens’ Call: How Attention Became the World’s Most Endangered Resource, which is very much worth your time and— well, your attention. The book examines how the fracking of our minds and the commodification of attention has led to widespread distraction and alienation, undermined our mental health, discombobulated our souls, and shredded the fabric of society. Every page of the book has some insight, anecdote, disclosure, or thought experiment that provokes reflection about how we got to this point and how we can start to reverse track. Hayes will speak about The Sirens’ Call at the Ulster Performing Arts Center in Kingston on February 15 at 8pm.
—Richard Kreitner
Richard Kreitner: This topic is something of a departure from your previous books, Twilight of the Elites and A Colony in a Nation, both of which were more overtly political. This one seems a bit more steeped in philosophy, which you studied as an undergraduate.
Chris Hayes: You’re right that this is a more philosophical book than a political one, and writing it in that framework was a great joy. It’s such a different approach compared to the day-to-day churn of the news cycle. I really enjoyed all the reading I did for the book, going back to thinkers like Kierkegaard, Pascal, and Sartre—writers I hadn’t read in forever. That exploration was one of the joys of writing the book.
While it started as a book about attention, it ended up being about what it means to be human under certain conditions of modernity. What’s interesting to me is how it captures things that are specific to this age while also touching on aspects of the human condition that are timeless.
How has your own experience hosting a TV show for over a decade shaped how you think about the problem of attention in the modern age? I compare it to the dual mandate that the Federal Reserve has: They need to keep inflation low and unemployment low, yet these goals are often in tension with each other. For me, navigating this dual mandate is about balancing the need to keep the audience’s attention with pursuing stories that I believe are essential for democratic citizens to know about. The fact that these two imperatives often conflict has been the defining dilemma and professional struggle of my life. In some ways, that’s the part of the book that feels closest to the bone.
Has it gone the other way as well—has working on the book, thinking and writing about attention, shaped your approach to your job as a TV host?
We’re in a kind of “caterpillar in the chrysalis” phase right now. I’m definitely asking myself a lot of questions about what this next chapter looks like for the show. I don’t have the answers yet, but the combination of now covering Trump for the second time, but in what feels like a very different context, and writing the book, has me wishing I had more settled answers. I’m trying to work through how it’s going to be different.
One thing I think we have to maintain—which was a real challenge the first time around—is modulation. You can’t turn the volume up to 10 and leave it there, because it eventually just sounds like 5. You have to be able to distinguish between a story that’s corrupt but maybe humorously so, a story that’s truly messed up, and one that’s extremely, extremely messed up and dangerous. We did a decent job the first time around, where we left room on the volume dial, and that’s something to carry through.
How does thinking about attention as the defining resource of our time help explain the rise of Donald Trump?
Trump has, for deeply personal reasons, a genuine sense of brokenness in him. And his formation in the New York tabloid world gives him a visceral sense that attention is the most important thing in the world. It’s not necessarily born of analysis but instinct—he has a sort of feral genius for it.
I think his big innovation is that, in a world where attention is more important than ever and competition is fiercer than ever, getting attention by any means necessary is incredibly valuable. That was his breakthrough. Politicians before him didn’t want negative attention; they courted positive attention and avoided actions that would generate negative press. They did so because they believed that people needed to like them in order to vote for them. Trump’s insight was that, because attention is so important and so fiercely fought over, it’s actually extremely useful to grab people’s attention— even if it’s negative.
We’re now seeing the 2.0 version of him in Elon Musk, who has a similar psychological void and a similar set of insights to Trump’s.
It seems like your experiences as a parent— observations of both yourself and your kids—also played a significant role in shaping this book. Parenting is hugely about attention. All of a sudden there is this gravitational pull to your attention. Parenting is such a rich, sometimes exhausting experience, particularly with very new children—the age where they’re walking but not yet safe and you just have to be locked in on them all the time. Watching how kids react
to you, the attention they put on you, how distracted or focused you are on them as that relationship evolves. There are all kinds of interesting disequilibriums that can arise in a household, especially between siblings, between parents and children.
That’s what’s fascinating and potent about this topic, particularly as it relates to social attention—how we pay attention to others and they pay attention to us. That reciprocity of attention, or lack thereof, between two parties, is a big area of conflict and contestation in relationships.
So much of this finds its focal point in the phone—how parents relate to their phones, how kids relate to their phones. It’s something that every parent experiences. The phone is just a concentrating mechanism that makes manifest these preexisting aspects of attention in relationships. It introduces the kind of industrial-scale machinations of attention capitalism into the household.
How does what the former US Surgeon General has called an “epidemic of loneliness” set us up as perfect cogs in the attention machine?
The lonelier we are, or the more time we spend alone, the more we are looking for two things: one, a place to put our minds, to escape the unsettled self that is in some sense the human condition under modernity, something people have written about for centuries; and two, the lonelier people are, the more they seek attention or social relations through virtual experiences.
Those two factors also contribute to each other. The more people are doing that virtually, the less they are cultivating relationships with people they’re physically present with.
It’s not always a conflict. For me, I have a set of good friends I group-text with all day. I love being in touch that way. When we get together, I already know what’s going on in their lives, so we’re not doing up-to-the-minute long catchups. But I think as a somewhat reductive maxim we can say that the more time people are spending alone, the more susceptible they are to the extractive force of the attention economy.
One form of managing attention is a withdrawal from the sphere of politics overall, as a sort of protest. But of course that makes one feel guilty, trained as we are to believe that paying close attention to politics is a vital part of exercising citizenship. Do you see this as a dilemma? How should we balance the desire to reclaim our attention with the obligation to stay informed as citizens?
I don’t think dropping out of politics is a good solution because you can just do all the same stuff, just not about politics. Huge portions of what is grabbing people for the attention economy have nothing to do with politics or news.
For the news junkie, there is something to think about regarding how much news you have to consume. Obviously, that’s an admission against interest—I would like people to watch my television show—but I don’t necessarily think it’s healthy to consume news content all day long. There’s some sort of equilibrium that people should find. I do think that the newspaper, or even a nightly show like mine, where people have some habits and rituals around a set period of time—a designated time where you are consuming the news—actually does make some sense. That’s something I like about people who are nightly viewers of my show; they’re specifically focused on the news at that moment as opposed to this ambient, constant relationship to it.
The fact is, there are two things going on with news junkies: You’re informing yourself about the world, but it’s also a habit, a form of entertainment, like my relationship to the NBA. If people cut down on that, I don’t think there’s a lot of room for guilt there, honestly.
Maybe a little more time for reading Kierkegaard. Exactly. It’s not the worst thing.
Out of Bounds
MARC RIBOT QUARTET AT HUDSON HALL IN HUDSON February 22 Hudsonhall.org
While there are plenty of guitarists in the world, none of them sound quite like Marc Ribot. Since his early’80s ascent on the New York scene, the idiosyncratic instrumentalist’s bent, spiky, questing style has been a beacon shining over a flat landscape of tired, sixstring cliches—no wonder Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Robert Plant and Allison Krauss, John Zorn, and other artists have enlisted him when they’ve wanted to bring something different to their music. And then there’s Ribot’s own music, which explores everything from free jazz to rock, avant noise, and ethnic folk-roots styles. His explorations will be in full effect on February 22, when the Marc Ribot Quartet holds forth at Hudson Hall. Perhaps surprisingly, the influential guitarist began his musical career on a different instrument. “I started playing trumpet when I was really young,” says the New Jersey-born musician via phone. “I had an Italian American [music] teacher who taught me ‘Carnival
of Venice’ and all of these other traditional repertoire tunes. But then I discovered Keith Richards. And Hendrix, of course.” While playing in rock bands as a teenager, Ribot, who is left-handed but adapted to play right-handed, took guitar lessons from an early mentor, Haitian classical guitarist, composer, and Harry Belafonte sideman Frantz Casseus (he’d later record several of Casseus’s compositions). In 1978 he moved to New York, where the post-punk no wave movement was in full flight, and began making his name in the experimental scene, first with the Realtones (who went on to back soul legend Solomon Burke) and next with downtown “fake jazz” institutions the Lounge Lizards, who he joined in the mid-1980s.
Ribot’s worldwide map placement came in 1985, when Waits tapped him as a session player. He would be Waits's musical foil on that year’s Rain Dogs, a transitional album during the development of the gravelvoiced iconoclast’s trademark dark, experimental junkyard sound. He also appears on Waits’s Franks Wild Years (1987), Big Time (1988), Mule Variations (1999), Real Gone (2004), Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards (2006), and Bad as Me (2011) and on Costello’s Spike (1989), Mighty Like a Rose (1991), and Kojak Variety (1995). Work with artists ranging from Wilson Pickett to Alan Ginsberg and the Black Keys would follow.
So would the amazing work of his own projects, such as the Rootless Cosmopolitans, Los Cubanos Postizos, Shrek, the Young Philadelphians, the Albert Ayler repertoire band Spiritual Unity, the jazz/punk unit Ceramic Dog, and an eponymously named trio with Ayler bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Chad Taylor. A recent highlight of Ribot’s discography is 2018’s Songs of Resistance 1942-2018, a timely (and now timely again) set of vintage and original political resistance songs with Waits, Meshell Ndegeocello, Steve Earle, Tift Merritt, and other guest singers. The incarnation of the Marc Ribot Quartet slated for the Hudson show features Taylor, bassist Sebastian Steinberg (Soul Coughing), and guitarist Ava Mendoza (Violent Femmes, tUnE-yArDs).
“[The quartet] started out as jazz project, but the music goes wherever it wants to go—we’re not able to stay within genre boundaries,” Ribot explains. “When we toured last summer, I thought we sounded like a cross between Mingus, the Lounge Lizards, Anthony Braxton, Xenakis, and late-period Shrek. But whatever we do, we want it to kick ass.”
The Marc Ribot Quartet will perform at Hudson Hall in Hudson on February 22 at 7pm. Hurry Red Telephone will open. Tickets are $19-$60.
—Peter Aaron
The Marc Ribot Quartet plays Hudson Hall February 22.
Photo by Ebru Yildiz
Martin Sexton
February 7 at the Colony in Woodstock
With the name of his current tour, soulful singersongwriter Martin Sexton is right up front about things. “The Martin Sexton Abbey Road Show” sees the Syracuse-born tunesmith bringing his jazz-inflected voice and amplified acoustic guitar to his reinterpretations of the Beatles’ 11th studio album for the first set; the second set will center on Sexton’s original songs with some surprise covers sprinkled in. (Ras T. Ashebar Posse pays tribute to Bob Marley February 8; Hayley Jane hits February 21.) 7pm. $40-$60.
Amanda Palmer
February 8 at Tarrytown Music Hall in Tarrytown
“As long as I can, I want to make songs that make sense and mean something to anyone who hears them,” Amanda Palmer explained to your arts editor in the April 2023 issue of Chronogram Here the singer, songwriter, playwright, pianist, author, director, blogger, erstwhile Hudson Valley resident, Dresden Dolls chanteuse, and overarching artistic force of nature returns to the region for one of her rare and always-anticipated solo performances. (The Westchester Symphonic Winds blow in February 9; the Cowboy Junkies ride on February 14.) 8pm. $44-$64.
Rayland Baxter
February 13 at Assembly in Kingston
After a soft-but-grand sold-out opening and a handful of other events last month, Ulster County’s newest mid-sized performance venue has begun rolling out its upcoming dates. First up for February is this solo show by Nashville-born alt-country artist Rayland Baxter, who turned to music full time after a knee injury dashed his dreams of an athletic career. Then again, maybe his life as a full-time musician was predestined: Rayland, who is based in Colorado these days, is the son of guitarist Bucky Baxter, who plays with Steve Earle and the Dukes. 8pm. $30-$48.
Real
Estate
February 15 at the Bearsville Theater in Bearsville
Led by local Martin Courtney, New Jersey-bred indie pop band Real Estate recently released Daniel, their sixth album and first full-length studio effort to feature longtime member and former Frankie and His Fingers drummer Sammi Niss (Courtney released a solo set, Magic Sign, in 2022, the same year the band unveiled Half a Human, an EP of outtakes from 2020’s Main Thing). The more straightforward Daniel marks a shift away from the jammy direction the band had pursued on their last few albums. Grumpy opens. (Sharon Van Etten emotes February 3; Elvis Costello and Steve Nieve pump it up March 4-5.) 7pm. $43.65-$69.15.
Club D’Elf with Reeves Gabrels and Matt Maneri
February 21 at the Falcon in Marlboro
Moroccan psychedelic/experimental jazz project Club
D’Elf is one of the most popular draws on their hometown Boston scene. Leader, bassist, and sintir player Mike Rivard and his ever-changing collective are always good for a transcendental experience by a cast of exemplary instrumentalists. For this unmissable engagement, the lineup stars David Bowie/Cure guitarist Reeves Gabrels and Cecil Taylor/William Parker violinist Matt Maneri. (The Ed Palermo Big Band does two shows February 22; Scary Burton jams February 28.) 7pm. Donation requested.
Rebecca Martin
February 28 at the Local in Saugerties
This evening with vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist Rebecca Martin is a record-release show for SHE, her first full-length project of original songs since 2013’s Twain Martin made her start as one half of 1990s New York jazztinged folk duo Once Blue, which toured with the likes of Squeeze and Emmylou Harris, and she’s worked with jazz greats like drummer Paul Motion and her husband, bassist Larry Grenadier. SHE has her paired once again with Argentinian keyboardist Guillermo Klein, with whom she recorded 2017’s The Upstate Project. (The Rachel Z Trio plays February 14; Korean jazz/folk group Sangjaru swings February 23.) 8pm. $31.93.
—Peter Aaron
Rayland Baxter plays Assembly in Kingston February 13.
Photo by @shervinfoto
MODFest
Through February 9 at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie MODfest 2025 celebrates the intersection of art and science with the theme “Discovering Uncertainty.”
The festival begins with a lecture on quantum physics and its influence on creativity and continues with performances like Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Stimmung, a groundbreaking choral piece. Highlights include a livescored screening of Fritz Lang’s silent classic Metropolis, featuring a new soundtrack by the Iceberg Composers Collective, and a performance of Terry Riley’s minimalist opus In C. Free and open to the public, MODfest invites participants to embrace the beauty of the unknown.
“The Search for Power”
February 1-23 at the Hessel Museum of Art at Bard College
“The Search for Power” is an interactive performance and installation by Tania El Khoury and Ziad Abu-Rish explores the history of electricity outages in Lebanon. The work, on view at the Hessel Museum of Art from February 1-23, traces the evolution of power cuts from their origins in the 1950s to their role in shaping Lebanon’s political and social landscape. Drawing on archival research from Lebanon and colonial powers, El Khoury and Abu-Rish highlight the intersection of infrastructure, state power, and grassroots resistance. Live performances on February 1-3 and 7-9 invite audiences to engage in this transnational narrative.
John Fugelsang
February 8 at Philipstown Depot Theater in Cold Spring Comedian, actor, and political commentator John Fugelsang brings his cutting wit and irreverent perspective to the Philipstown Depot Theater on February 8. Known for his blend of humor, insight, and social commentary, Fugelsang tackles everything from politics to pop culture with biting satire and a knack for making even the most serious issues feel refreshingly funny. His quick-fire delivery and clever punchlines keep audiences on their toes, ensuring a night of laughter and thought-provoking humor. Whether offering his take on current events or sharing personal anecdotes, Fugelsang’s performance is a polished blend of intellect and irreverence.
Gabe Mollica: “Horse Lawyer”
February 10 at Howland Cultural Center in Beacon Comedian Gabe Mollica brings his mix of sharp humor
and storytelling to the Howland Cultural Center for his one-man show “Horse Lawyer.” Known for his relatable yet unpredictable comedy, Mollica’s act combines personal anecdotes with astute observations about life’s absurdities. His laidback style and quick wit keep audiences laughing while prompting them to reflect on the lighter side of life’s challenges. With a knack for finding humor in the everyday, Mollica’s performance promises an evening of laughs, spontaneity, and a bit of vulnerability.
Todd Barry
February 22 at Assembly in Kingston
A veteran of the comedy world, Barry has spent decades refining his understated wit, delivering observations on everyday absurdities with precision and finesse. Known for his dry delivery and legendary crowd work, Barry transforms mundane interactions into comedic gold. His performances are a masterclass in subtlety, with punchlines that linger long after the show ends. For fans of comedy that doesn’t shout but whispers its brilliance, Barry’s set promises an evening of understated hilarity.
Brian Holtzman and Aaron Berg
February 22 at Laugh It Up in Poughkeepsie
Prepare for an unfiltered night of comedy when Brian Holtzman and Aaron Berg hit the stage. Known for their fearless humor and boundary-pushing jokes, Holtzman and Berg leave no topic untouched. Expect a raucous evening of edgy stand-up, quick-witted improvisation, and a dose of dark humor that may make even the most seasoned comedy fan squirm. Their brutally honest takes on life, culture, and everything in between promise a night that is as hilariously shocking as it is unforgettable. This is comedy for those who can take a joke—no matter how far it goes.
Sangjaru
February 23 at The Local in Saugerties
Korean fusion band Sangjaru makes a rare Hudson Valley appearance at The Local in Saugerties on February 23. Melding traditional Korean swing with modern funk, jazz, and rock, this dynamic trio pushes the boundaries of genre and geography. Expect janggu drums, guitar riffs, and grooves that effortlessly blend centuries-old rhythms with contemporary sensibilities. Sangjaru’s performances are as much cultural exploration as they are an invitation to dance, offering a
fresh perspective on global music fusion. With a sound that’s equal parts soulful and electrifying, their set promises a night of vibrant, borderless creativity.
Cirque Zuma Zuma
February 24 at Paramount Hudson Valley in Peekskill
Step right up for Cirque Zuma Zuma, bringing highflying thrills and jaw-dropping feats to the Paramount Hudson Valley on February 24. This action-packed show combines the excitement of traditional circus with African culture, featuring acrobats, contortionists, jugglers, and dancers. With breathtaking displays of strength and agility, Cirque Zuma Zuma is not your average circus—it’s a celebration of African artistry, with colorful costumes, live drumming, and gravity-defying stunts. The performers’ energy is infectious, creating a spectacle that’s both exhilarating and inspiring. It’s a night of circus magic that will leave audiences of all ages wide-eyed and amazed.
Lydia Lunch
February 25 at Avalon Lounge in Catskill
Punk icon Lydia Lunch brings her raw, fearless energy to the Avalon Lounge in Catskill on February 25. Known for her boundary-pushing performances and fearless lyrics, Lunch has spent decades challenging norms and redefining what it means to be a rebel in music. This intimate show promises a powerful mix of her past and present work, with contributions from a rotating cast of musical collaborators. Expect a night of no-holds-barred rock and spoken word, where no topic is off-limits and no sound too abrasive. For those seeking the edge of art and sound, this is the one.
Marilyn Maye
February 26 at Hudson Hall in Hudson
Legendary cabaret singer Marilyn Maye (she’s 96!) brings her unparalleled vocal power to Hudson for an unforgettable evening of jazz and Broadway standards. With a career spanning over six decades, Maye has dazzled audiences from Carnegie Hall to the White House, and her performance is a masterclass in storytelling through song. Her ability to navigate intricate melodies with ease and infuse each note with deep emotion has earned her a devoted following. Expect a night of classic tunes, rich vocals, and an electrifying stage presence that proves Maye’s place as one of the greats of American music.
Sangjaru plays The Local in Saugerties February 23.
Photo by Seokhyun Jang
THE A MANO GALLERY
17 WATER STREET, TORRINGTON, CT
“In Dialogue: The Figure in Painting, Drawing and Sculpture.” Work by Karen Bonanno. February 28-March 28.
ALBERT WISNER PUBLIC LIBRARY
1 MCFARLAND AVE, WARWICK
“Ping Xu Moroney.” Paintings by the Greenwood Lake-based artist. Through February 28.
THE ALDRICH CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM
258 MAIN STREET, RIDGEFIELD, CT
“A Garden of Promise and Dissent. Work by Terry Adkins, Kelly Akashi, Teresa Baker, Alina Bliumis, Carolina Caycedo, Carl Cheng, Rachelle Dang, Anders Hamilton, Maren Hassinger, Hugh Hayden, Max Hooper Schneider, Athena LaTocha, Gracelee Lawrence, Cathy Lu, Jill Magid, Suchitra Mattai, Mary Mattingly, Brandon Ndife, Meg Webster, Faith Wilding, and Rachel Youn. Through March 16.
ARTLIFE717 GALLERY
717 COLUMBIA STREET, HUDSON
“Self-Love Affirmations.” Group show focused on mental health. Through March 1.
BAU GALLERY
506 MAIN STREET, BEACON
“Stuff and Nonsense.” Work by Briana Babani. “Elemental Terrain.” Work by Choro Leslie Meyers and Irja Boden.
“Reframing Memory.” Work by Pamela Vlahakis and Sile Marrinan. All shows February 8-March 2.
BCMT CO. / ART & FURNITURE
GALLERY
79 HURLEY AVENUE, KINGSTON
“Nurturing the Spirit.” Work by 9-15 year-old artists. Through February 22, 2025.
BERNAY FINE ART
296 MAIN STREET, GREAT BARRINGTON, MA
“Wild Wonders: An Artistic Safari.” Work by Stephanie Anderson, Alyssa Fanning, Phil Knoll, and Zohar Lazar. Through March 2.
BILL ARNING EXHIBITIONS
HUDSON VALLEY
17 BROAD STREET, KINDERHOOK.
“Darkness.” Work by Daniella Dooling, Steven Evans, John Franklin, Franco Andres, Kevin Tobin, and Brian Wood. Through February 8.
BUSTER LEVI GALLERY
121 MAIN STREET, COLD SPRING
“Black & White.” Work by John Allen, Rick Brazill, Ada Pilar Cruz, Jenne Currie, Tim D’Acquisto, Lisa Diebboll, Pat Hickman, Gretchen Kane, Grace Kennedy, Bill Kooistra, Martee Levi, Maria Pia Marrella, Lucille Tortora, Judith Wilde, and Grey Zeien. February 1-23.
CATSKILL ART SPACE
48 MAIN STREET, LIVINGSTON MANOR
“Rand Hardy, Lisa Hoke, and Buzz Spector.”
Sculptural works and reliefs. Through March 1.
CLARK ART INSTITUTE
225 SOUTH STREET, WILLIAMSTOWN, MA
“Abelardo Morell: In the Company of Monet and Constable.” Paintings. Through February 17.
“Wall Power!” Modern French tapestry from the Mobilier National Museum in Paris. Through March 9.
CONVEY/ER/OR
299 MAIN STREET, POUGHKEEPSIE
“Dark Was the Night.” Work by James Ransome. Through March 30.
CPW (CENTER FOR PHOTOGRAPHY AT WOODSTOCK)
25 DEDERICK STREET, KINGSTON
“Free, for All.” Community photo exhibit. Through February 16.
“My Sister My Self.” Photographs by Colleen Kenyon and Kathleen Kenyon. Through March 31.
“Recess.” Photographs by Keisha Scarville. Through May 4.
“Ward 81.” Photographs of an Oregon psychiatric ward in 1976 by Mary Ellen Mark. Through May 4.
Lazy River,Linda Griggs, oil and selective varnish on canvas, 2023. Linda Grigg's paintings are on display this month at Hudson's Front Room Gallery in the solo show "Comfort and Loss."
CREATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS
398 MAIN STREET, CATSKILL
“What We Hold: Stories + Objects.” Work by 70 artists in honor of Women’s History Month, Through March 9.
DAVID M. HUNT LIBRARY
63 MAIN STREET, FALLS VILLAGE, CONNECTICUT
“Read Between the Lines.” Drawing by Jon Kopita. February 14-March 21.
DIA BEACON
3 BEEKMAN STREET, BEACON
“Mary Heilman: Starry Night.” Long-term view. “Andy Warhol: Shadows.” An installation that surrounds the viewer with a series of canvases presented edge-to-edge around the perimeter of the room.
DISTORTION SOCIETY
155 MAIN STREET, BEACON
“The Evolution of Mark Making.” Work by Kipton Hinsdale. February 8-April 8.
Gift of Margaret Carney and Bill Walker. Skoglund's work is featured as part of “The Intersection Between Dining and Photography” at the International Museum of Dinnerware Design in Kingston through February 8.
FORELAND
111 WATER STREET, CATSKILL.
“Anne Schaefer.” Installation. Through February 16.
FRONT ROOM GALLERY
205 WARREN STREET, HUDSON
“Comfort and Loss.” Oil paintings by Linda Griggs. February 8-March 2.
GALLERY 40
40 CANNON STREET, POUGHKEEPSIE
“Fusing Forms: Contemporary Women
Reimagining Encaustics.” Work by Joan Ffolliott, Andrea Carracedo, Terri Yacovelli, Michele Randall, Christina Brady, Alaina Enslen, Sally Hoot, Tracey Casagrande Clancy, Bonny Leibowitz, and Lorraine Glessner. February 1-March 2.
GALLERY 495
495 MAIN STREET, CATSKILL
“Please Touch.” Sculpture by Brett Miller. Through February 28.
GARNER ARTS CENTER
55 WEST RAILROAD AVENUE, GARNERVILLE.
“Paper.” Work by Sharon Falk, Anna Fine Foer, James McElhinney. Through 23.
“Chaos/Light.” Ceramics, installation, sculpture, and drawing by Joan Harmon. Through February 23.
GRIT WORKS | GRIT GALLERY
115 BROADWAY, NEWBURGH
“Newburgh Now: A Group Exhibition on Our City of Creatives.” Work by Elizabeth Arnold, Erika Norton-Urie, Imar Lawson, James S. Turner, Keara Neilsen, Michael Roopchandsingh, Naomi Berkery, Nikki Salvestrini, Randy Calderone, Sael Valera, and The Collektiv. February 1-March 23.
HOLOCENTER
518 BROADWAY, KINGSTON
“New York Holographuic Artists.” Holographic artwork by Doris Vila, Fred Unterseher, Dan Schweitzer, Hart Perry, Ana Maria Nicholson,
Ikuo Nakamura, Am Moree, Peter Miller, Aaron Kurzon, Suw Cowls Dimitru, Becky Deem, Rudie Berkhout, and Jake Adams. Through May 4.
HUDSON HALL
327 WARREN STREET, HUDSON
“Michel Goldberg.” Monotypes, drawings, mixed media/collages, and sculpture. February 1-March 23.
HUDSON RIVER MUSEUM
511 WARBURTON AVENUE, YONKERS
“Smoke in Our Hair: Native Memory and Unsettled Time.” Twenty-seven works highlighting some of the most influential Native artists working over the last 60 years. February 14-August 31.
HUDSON VALLEY LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY CENTER
300 WALL STREET, KINGSTON
“Living in Color.” Work by Gerardo Castro, PlamSun, Leroy Manrique, and Sabrina Kee. Through March 29.
HUDSON VALLEY MOCA
1701 MAIN STREET, PEEKSKILL
“Psychological Portraiture.” Group photography show. Through June 30.
“So You Think I’m Too Old To...” National juried exhibition of work by artists 62 and older. February 1-May 3.
LABSPACE
2642 NY ROUTE 23, HILLSDALE
“Holiday.” Group show. Through February 23.
LIMNER GALLERY
123 WARREN STREET, HUDSON
“Slowinski Paintings.” Paintings by Tim Slowinski. Through February 22.
LOCKWOOD GALLERY
747 ROUTE 28, WEST HURLEY
“The Shape of His Color.” Recent paintings by Joseph Stabilito. Through February 16.
MAD ROSE GALLERY
5916 NORTH ELM AVENUE, MILLERTON
“Assembled.” Work by Karen Dolmanisth, Michael Lavin Flower, Emily Rutgers Fuller, Arthur Hillman, Bruce Panock, and Kim Saul. Through March 2.
MAGAZZINO ITALIAN ART
2700 ROUTE 9, COLD SPRING
“Maria Lai. A Journey to America.”
Comprehensive overview of Maria Lai’s (1919–2013) work. Through July 28.
MARK GRUBER GALLERY
13 NEW PALTZ PLAZA, NEW PALTZ “Winter Salon Show.” Group show. February 8-March 22.
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 use healing earth, witches’ brooms, AI, divination, and more to imagine care-full and joy-full futures into being despite the peril promised by the past and present. Through August 31.
OLANA STATE HISTORIC SITE
5720 STATE ROUTE 9G, HUDSON
“A Closer Look.” Select artworks from the Olana collection of Frederick Church's art. Through March 30.
OLIVE FREE LIBRARY
4033 ROUTE 28A, WEST SHOKAN
“Multiplicity: Together and Apart.” Group show curated by Jan Sosnowitz. Through March 1.
PALMER GALLERY
VASSAR COLLEGE, 124 RAYMOND AVENUE, POUGHKEEPSIE.
“The Work of Michael Kelly Williams.” Sculptures, works on paper, and prints. Through February 16.
PAMELA SALISBURY GALLERY
362 1/2 WARREN STREET, HUDSON
Joseph Yoakum: Works on Paper.”
February 1-March 2.
“Reliquary.” Work by Jennifer Coates. February 1-March 2.
“Stand in My Danger.” Installation by Z Behl. February 1-March 30.
PAWLING FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY
5 BROAD STREET, PAWLING
“Nature, Our Nature.” Work by Shelby Morgner Johnson. February 7-28.
Particle Horizon by Charlotte Beckett is part of "Winter Garden," the inaugural exhibition at Ruthann gallery in Catskill.
ROOST STUDIO AND ART GALLERY
122 MAIN STREET, NEW PALTZ
“Art as a Love Language.” Group show. February 14-March 2.
RUTHANN
453 MAIN STREET, CATSKILL
“Winter Garden.” Work by Charlotte Beckett, Lisa Corinne Davis, Kerry Downey, Ellen Letcher, Kathryn Lynch, Caitlin MacBride, Keisha Prioleau-Martin, Courtney Puckett, Dana Sherwood, Elisa Soliven, Filiz Soyak, Amy Talluto, Julie Torres, Scott Vander Veen, Andy Van Dinh, Alona Weiss, and Seldon Yuan. Through April 20.
SAMUEL DORSKY MUSEUM OF ART
1 HAWK DRIVE, SUNY NEW PALTZ
“Landmines.” Work by Dawoud Bey, Christina Fernandez, Richard Mosse, and Rick Silva. February 8-July 13.
“Movement.” Thirty-eight artists from the region explore migration, immigration, political displacement, social change, and physical motion. February 8-April 6.
SUPER SECRET PROJECTS
484 MAIN STREET, BEACON
“Currents of Love.” Invitational group show. February 8-March 1.
THE INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM OF DINNERWARE DESIGN
524 BROADWAY, KINGSTON
“The Intersection Between Dining and Photography.” Group show exploring photography as it relates to dinnerware and dining. Through February 9.
THE WASSAIC PROJECT
37 FURNACE BANK ROAD, WASSAIC
“A Space Between Worlds.” Group show. Through March 15.
TIME AND SPACE LIMITED
434 COLUMBIA STREET, HUDSON
“New Work by Linda Mussmann.” New work by the codirector of Time and Space Limited. Through February 23.
TIVOLI ARTISTS GALLERY
60 BROADWAY, TIVOLI
“Selected Members Work.” Group show. Through February 2.
UNTOUCHABLE BAR
40 LIBERTY STREET, NEWBURGH
“The New Bohemia Now.” Group show curated by Anna West. February 7-15.
TREMAINE ART GALLERY AT THE HOTCHKISS SCHOOL
11 INTERLAKEN ROAD, LAKEVILLE, CT
“The Art of Joy Brown.” Sculpture, drawings, and paintings. February 15-April 5.
TURLEY GALLERY
98 GREEN STREET, SUITE 2, HUDSON
“Material Girls.” Work by Gracelee Lawrence and Ruby Palmer. February 8-March 23.
FRANCES LEHMAN LOEB ART CENTER
124 RAYMOND AVENUE, POUGHKEEPSIE.
“Great Green Hope for the Urban Blues.” Artists reinterpret and reinstall the Loeb’s collection of Hudson River School art. Through August 10.
WOMENSWORK.ART
12 VASSAR STREET, POUGHKEEPSIE
“Perfectly Imperfect: The Flawed Beauty of the Human Form.” Group show. February 7-23.
WOODSTOCK ARTISTS ASSOCIATION AND MUSEUM
28 TINKER STREET, WOODSTOCK
“Lasting Impressions.” Thirty-one photographs from the museum’s permanent collection. Through May 4.
“Pat Hough: Inscapes.” Collage-based works. Through March 9.
“Photographic Currents.” Group show. Through March 9.
“Silhouette.” Artists from the Mental Health Association of Kingston. Through March 9.
WOODSTOCK BYRDCLIFFE GUILD
36 TINKER STREET, WOODSTOCK
“My Sister, My Self.” Photographs by Colleen Kenyon and Kathleen Kenyon in conjunction with the Center for Photography at Woodstock. Through February 23.
Horoscopes
By Cory Nakasue
Nothing More Than Feelings
Emotions are on the menu: served hot, soupy, schmaltzy, and extra-large. We’re thinking and acting from the heart this month, which doesn’t necessarily equate to a stream of loving sentiments. Pent up passion, rage, and fear are just as likely to rear their hydra-like heads. February kicks off with a whopping quadruple conjunction in Pisces on the first of the month that might have us singing “That’s Amore” from the tops of our lungs. The Moon, Venus, and Neptune huddle around the Moon’s north node to create an environment thick with romance. Enjoy it for the few days that it’s active, because on the 4th, Venus enters Aries, where her appetites become much more incendiary. Jupiter also stations direct in Gemini on this day, which fans the flames of desire, leaving you wanting everything all at once.
Our best chance at mental clarity might be the days surrounding the full Moon in Leo on the 12th. It opposes the Sun and Mercury in ice-cold Aquarius, fresh off of their conjunction the previous day. When the Sun and Mercury conjoin, we become privy to suppressed information, and, in an intellectually inclined sign like Aquarius, we could get a much-needed dose of objectivity. Two days later, however, Mercury slides into Pisces and we’re back to the blurring of information between the head and heart, followed by the Sun’s entrance into Pisces on the 18th, giving us the ability to tolerate or even luxuriate in the fuzziness of it all.
On February 23, Mars stations direct in Cancer, amping up our desire to take action in our quest for closeness, safety, and belonging. The 27th brings us a new Moon in Pisces that aligns with magnifying Jupiter. Our feelings, or, more importantly, our interpretation of our feelings could lead us in foolish and/or inspired directions.
(March 20–April 19)
A League of Their Own, Tom Hanks’s character famously declares, “There’s no crying in baseball!” This may be your mantra for the month as you relish your competitive spirit coming to the fore. The only problem is there’s a good chance you’ll get blindsided by your own vulnerabilities and uncharacteristic melancholy. There’s much discussion around the topic of repressed anger (which isn’t a problem for you), but we rarely discuss things like repressed receptivity and sensitivity. Go ahead and cry, even as you come out swingin’. Sing Duran Duran’s “Come Undone” into your hairbrush while moving emotions through
(April 19–May 20)
Are you supported by an ocean of love or just overwhelmed? When emotions for, or from, others come rolling in like a series of giant waves, it is hard to trust, much less define them. A secret part of you may start unnecessary fights with others just so you can have a breather. This month, it’s important to alternate between getting sopping wet with sentiment, and drying off by yourself. Schedule time for any kind of private creative pursuit or indulgence. Your feelings are mixing too easily with others, and it’s important that you set aside time for fully feeling yourself.
GEMINI (May 20–June 21)
It might seem reckless to make big life decisions based on intuition alone, but at the moment, your sixth sense knows best. If you’re looking to make advancements at work or infiltrate a broader social realm, the barriers to entry are much looser. It’s as if the guards at the gate have fallen asleep, and you can sneak past rules and other boundaries undetected. The only things that will be highly visible during this time are the things you conjure. What are the avatars, masks, and personas you wish to project? Choose wisely, because people will believe the spells you weave.
CANCER (June 21–July 22)
Nothing on Earth seems to satisfy you right now. You are most energized and fulfilled by what transcends. Whether that’s poetry, spiritual pursuits, or ontological quests, you get filled up by going further and merging your mind with all that is unfamiliar and unknowable. When I say “unknowable,” I’m speaking about the concrete answers in life. We can “know” things by the sensations in our bodies and whispers of intuition. This month, you’ll expand your definition of what it means to “know” something. You’ll also reassess how important it is to have definitive proof of anything. This will teach you about faith.
LEO (July 22–August 23)
If you haven’t been taking your dreams and other intuitive nudges seriously, your demons are going to get very loud. Your tendency to overthink and take the logical approach is not going to fly this month. All of that rationalization is a way of protecting yourself from the disappointment and rejection you so deeply dread. What’s actually required of you right now is to commune with your fondest fantasies and your darkest nightmares. Make peace with your unconscious, emotional bugaboos so that you can discern fear from imagination from your true heart’s desire. Real satisfaction seldom makes sense.
VIRGO (August 23–September 23)
Allow yourself to be mystified by others. The people in our lives are meant to do more than just support our ideas about who we are. They do not exist to prop up our egos and help us feel secure at all times. There’s nothing wrong with losing ourselves to the influence of relationships once in a while. People are supposed to open us up, and possibly unravel time-honored stories that are too rigid or even false. We are supposed to change each other. Make sure you choose people who are going to treat your vulnerabilities with care.
LIBRA (September 23–October 23)
Instead of working harder, let things work themselves out. Instead of trying to be more efficient, let some loose strings braid themselves into a new configuration. Trust that there are people and processes that are already set in motion that will come to your aid. It might sound like magical thinking, or shirking responsibility, but trying to fix everything by yourself sounds equally mystical. The same goes for your self-care practices. Get more benefit by doing less. Instead of a to-do list, write yourself a toundo list. Delight in letting things slide. What can you take off your plate?
THIRD EYE ASSOCIATES
PARTY
SCORPIO (October 23–November 22)
There’s no need for words when you have access to vibrant images, mellifluous sounds, and healing hands. You also have a direct line to the muse, but even she won’t be speaking to you in a literal sense. Open up all of your senses to receive inspiration and guidance from places you don’t usually acknowledge. Life can feel magical again if you trust the unseen. Keep a pen and paper or voice recorder by your bedside. Your dream life is about to get psychedelic and prophetic. Your love life morphs into a cinematic, technicolor landscape of emotion...if you let it.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22–December 22)
Typically, you’re excited about moving forward and rushing to meet your fate. What seems to be pulling you toward the past? Melancholy is a sweet, if strange, look for you. It might have you perusing old photos, reading cherished text messages, or daydreaming about those you miss. Keep in mind that memory is a creative function that exists in the present. It’s not purely a recall function. It’s more like a blend of what we can remember colored by how we feel in the moment. What can nostalgia teach you about what you need right now?
CAPRICORN (December 22–January 20)
Old partnership issues are coming up for review. Emotional safety is high on the list of topics that need to be dissected. How easy is it for you to tell if you’re feeling emotional discomfort, or, if you are in danger? Do you feel entitled to a certain amount of emotional comfort? Who’s responsible for that? If we stay in our comfort zones for too long we stop growing, and we cease to feel alive. We could even become combative against others if we see them as a threat to our equilibrium. In successful relationships, bouts of emotional discomfort come with the territory.
AQUARIUS
(January 20–February 19)
There’s nothing wrong with spending large amounts of money, time, or effort on something you truly value. In fact, you might have to spend a lot more than you originally bargained for. It’s admirable to accept that sacrifice is a necessary part of life that keeps the circulation of energy going. The mistake this month would be to believe that you’re owed a free ride, or that you need to skimp or cut corners on a project. Your heartstrings are pulling on your purse strings. When it comes to questions of worth, consult your feelings. Skip the cost/benefit analysis.
PISCES (February 20–March 19)
It’s your season! The cosmos is speaking your sweet and mysterious language. Life is providing much hydration and fluidity for you to move through and bathe in. However, your heart has moved on to more concrete and self-centered issues. You may feel like emerging from the pool of ambiguity for a moment to step back and observe the things you’re enmeshed with. How does your solid form interact with other solid forms? What does it feel like to differentiate yourself from your environment? You’re learning to detect the subtle difference between being entwined and being supported, complemented, and resourced.
Curious Jane Camp ................................34
Cutting Edge Design / Nick Brown Wood Working ....................................30
Daffodils Gift Shoppe .............................45
Deja Vu Floral Design .............................16
Glenn’s Wood Sheds 30
Guido’s Fresh Marketplace 22
Herrington’s
Holistic Natural Medicine: Integrative
Hudson River Maritime Museum 32 Hudson Valley Airporter 16
Hudson Valley Symphony Orchestra 46
Hudson Valley Trailworks 30
Hudson Valley Writing Project 33 Hummingbird Jewelers 15
J&G Law, LLP 77
Kildonan’s Camp Dunnabeck 33
Westchester Road Trip
Signed, Sealed, Delivered
The Art of Ray Johnson
Ray Johnson (1927-1995) was an artist, a provocateur, and quite possibly a human riddle in a turtleneck. Known as the “father of mail art,” Johnson turned the postal system into his gallery, sending out an endless stream of collages, doodles, and cryptic notes that were as much about sparking connection as they were about art itself. If Andy Warhol was the flashy king of Pop Art, Johnson was its shadowy trickster, shunning the limelight in favor of cultivating a vast, weird, and wonderfully personal network of correspondents. His work was playful, ironic, and self-referential—the kind of art that winks at you while simultaneously sticking out its tongue.
Beneath his whimsical exterior lay a complex figure whose work explored themes of identity, celebrity, and the ephemeral nature of human connection. His suicide in 1995— an enigmatic performance in itself—only deepened his myth, leaving behind questions that may never be fully answered.
Enter How to Draw a Bunny (2002), the cult-favorite documentary that’s part art-history primer, part whodunit, and part existential meditation on the meaning of art and life.
Directed by John Walter and Andrew Moore, the film dives headfirst into Johnson’s world, weaving together interviews, archival footage, and a visual style that’s as kaleidoscopic as Johnson’s own work. A parade of eccentric characters— artists, critics, and friends—offer their own take on what made Johnson tick. Was he a genius? A madman? Both?
“Ray Johnson’s art seems full of coded messages and clues marking a pathway which intersects with the lives of the major American artists of the 20th century, a path which, when followed along its winding and surprising way, seems to trace the outlines of portrait of Johnson himself,” says Moore, a Kingston-based photographer.
How to Draw a Bunny will be shown at Time and Space Limited in Hudson February 7-10 and 14-16 at 7pm. The screening on February 8 will be followed by a discussion with Andrew Moore and Ellen Levy, author of A Book About Ray (Penguin Random House, 2024).
—Brian K. Mahoney
Top: A cartoon rabbit was the artistic signature of artist and provocateur Ray Johnson, the subject of the film How to Draw a Bunny, which screens this month at Time and Space Limited in Hudson.
Bottom: Johnson in lower Manhattan in the late `50s.
