Window on Main St:Beacon

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:



'Windows on Main Street'
August 13th - Sept 4th, 2005
Beacon, New York

*Opens to the public on (Second Saturday Beacon) August 13th, 12 - 9pm.

On August 13th the city of Beacon will host over 25 contemporary artists who have been invited to create site-specific works of art as a means to engage the community, residences, and businesses through a month long exhibition displayed in store windows located along Main Street. Over 25 local businesses will be participating in this unique event allowing the use of their windows for the display of art.

This collaborative and multidisciplinary project is intended to stimulate interaction between artists, residents, and commercial vendors to explore how art can provide cultural and social understanding, be a catalyst for economic improvement in communities, and strengthen the relationship between residents and artists.

Artwork produced will bring attention to the historical specificity and uniqueness of Beacon's community, and will take into consideration the site and or history of each business in the creation of the work. The project is a way for residents and businesses along Main Street to celebrate, the past and future arts and culture of Beacon. Using art as a way of attracting visitors to local businesses, creating a venue for artists to showcase their work and to build awareness of Beacon's growing cultural and economic community.

Opening reception
An opening reception for the event will take place on Saturday August 13th from 9pm - 12am at Spire Studios, located at 45 Beekman Street. For further information please contact Todd Spire at 845-231-3275 or check out www.nynarts.com

Event Information
Maps and information can be picked up at Hudson Beach Glass, RiverWinds Gallery, World's Ends Books, and The Framery, located at either end of Main Street.
Inquires concerning "Windows on Main Street" please contact project managers Karlos Carcamo at 347-531-6111 odessythree@aol.com or Christopher Albert at info@maykr.com or visit www.maykr.com for more info.
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Windows on Main Street is realized with the generous help and support of the Beacon Arts Community Association, BACA, dedicated to promoting the city of Beacon as a center for the arts - www.beaconarts.org, Spire Studios, and BeaconStruction, Inc.

Directions
By Train: Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line to Poughkeepsie, Beacon Stop. Visit www.mta.org or call 212.532.4900 or 800.metro.info.

By Car from NYC: Take upper level of George Washington Bridge to Palisades Parkway North to end. At rotary take 6 East/202 across Bear Mountain Bridge. 1st left onto Route 9D North 16.5 miles to Beacon, At the fourth traffic light in Beacon (just past Beacon, City Hall), turn right onto Main Street.

By Car from points South and West: Take 1-87 North to Exit 17, I-84. Follow local signs, to I-84 east, across the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge. 1st, exit, turn left onto Route 9D South. Turn left at the third traffic light onto Main Street.

By Car from points East: Take I-84 West to Exit 11, Route 9D. Turn left onto Route 9D South. At the third traffic light after bridge turn left onto Main Street.

"All events are free and open to the Public"

"mapquest" opening on 6.9.05 at para/site

The use of maps and mapping has been a rich resource for many artists throughout the course of art history. It has been used in a variety of ways and taken many forms. "MapQuest" highlights three Contemporary artists using maps and the strategies found in mapping, to explore complex issues dealing with identity, place, and the passage of time.

Susan Magnus (Beacon, NY) has a MFA, from Mills College, Oakland, CA and a BFA, from Parsons School of Design & New School University, New York, NY. Her work has been exhibited throughout the country including the Berkeley Art Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College and the Rena Bransten Gallery in San Francisco, CA. Her pieces can be found in many private and public collections including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Microsoft Corporation and the Oakland Museum of California.


Juana Valdez (New York, NY) has exhibited her work nationally and internationally in New York, Amsterdam, Germany, Australia, Belgium, France and Poland. Awards include residencies at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, PS 1 Center for Contemporary Art, Lower Eastside Printshop, the Pollack-Krasner Foundation grant, and the Cuban Artists Fund Grant. She has an MFA from The School of Visual Arts, and a BFA from Parsons School of Design, New York, NY. In the fall she will be participating in a residency at the Center for Book Arts in New York City.


Robert Walden (New York, NY) has a BFA from the Atlanta College of Art, Atlanta, GA and studied History, Art & Music Performance at the University of Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS. Awards include the Pollack-Krasner Foundation Grant, Emerge 2002, Emerging Artists Program, Aljira - A Center for Contemporary Art, Newark, NJ. He has exhibited work extensively in Atlanta, Philadelphia, and New York.

"MapQuest" will be on view at ParaSite located inside The Iron Fish Trading Company, 167 Main Street, Beacon, NY, from July 9th - July 31st, 2005. For more information please contact gallery director Karlos Carcamo at (347) 531-6111. Gallery Hours: Thursday - Sunday, 12:00 to 6:00pm.