Two Generations of LaLimas Span the Old and the New

April 12th, 2011

LaLima’s Barber Shop, founded by Joseph LaLima in 1968, has been located at 680 Broadway since 1974, across from the Sunoco station. The $9 hair cuts and $8 shaves—a microwave oven has been reconfigured as a “UV towel warmer”—glass case stocked with boxes of hair gel, and two barber chairs reside in a narrow, linoleum-floored space resplendent with personal mementoes: framed Marine Corps. certificates, antique barber paraphernalia, a Harley Davidson sign, a postcard of Kingston’s old post office, and several paintings by Joseph’s son, Joseph Jr., including a large, black-and-white portrait of  local boxer Billy Costello, gloves at the ready. One has entered not just a store, but a psychic space, redolent of old Kingston. It’s hardly a surprise to discover that the mustached customer who is having his neck powdered is a county legislator, his presence confirming LaLima’s assertion that it is his steady clientele, loyal over four decades, that have kept him in business all these years.

As someone who’s been located on Broadway for a very long time, LaLima, who owns his building and rents out an apartment upstairs, has a valuable perspective. He said the city’s first priority should be attracting businesses, to fill the vacant storefronts. He also had some good news: the building next door has been bought and the empty ground floor is about to reopen as an art studio.

LaLima said that despite the out-of-control school taxes, rising Central Hudson bills and costs of opening a business, Kingston is still relatively affordable. Having traveled across country on his Harley—a framed picture on the wall shows him riding his bike in the wide-open spaces out West, his hair blowing in the wind—LaLima said he’s always glad to come to back to his home town. He was born in Kingston, raised in a house on Greenkill Avenue, and attended St. Joseph’s; his father, who was born in Italy, arrived in Kingston as a baby and worked on the railroad.

LaLima had an uncle who was a barber and decided to one become himself. He enjoys being his own boss, and no matter how bad the economy gets, people always need a haircut. His prescription for improving the city? A Giulani-style clean up of Midtown. Midtown, he said, “is forgotten…it’s on the back burner.”

Meanwhile, Joseph Jr. and his girlfriend, Liz Baker, are opening a combination art gallery-café-clothing boutique in the expansive, handsome corner storefront at 63 Broadway next month. After graduating from Pratt Institute in 1995, Joseph returned to Kingston and did a variety of jobs, including creating special effects for the World Wrestling Federation, which required him to travel. The store will be called Aesthetics, and it will sell vintage and new clothing, jewelry (including hand-crafted pieces by Joseph’s friend Nicole Pagano), and baked goods provided by the family (specifically, Joseph’s mother, who is a partner) and local eateries.

Paintings by Michael Hart

The May show will feature paintings by Joseph and Mike Hart. Joseph said he plans to  show overlooked local artists and hopes to eventually offer classes for kids, as well as sponsor mural projects in Midtown.

It’ll be a real family business, involving the couple’s children, nieces and nephews, as well as Joseph’s mother Susan. “We’ll have lots of help,” said Liz. They plan to be open by the first Saturday in May, so that they can participate in the city’s weekly gallery walk.  –Lynn Woods

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ASK’s Mission: Arts for Everyone

February 28th, 2011

The Arts Society of Kingston started as an organization representing visual artists, but in recent years, following its acquisition and renovation of the handsome, former Jewish community center building on Lower Broadway, it’s greatly expanded its reach. In any given month, ASK is hosting readings of new plays in development, showing films, and offering improv and youth acting classes, poetry jams, and concerts.   At these events and especially, during the First Saturday gallery opening,  ASK brings hundreds of people to the Rondout, filling local restaurants and bars. (It’s a symbiotic relationship: Ship to Shore often donates the food for the opening.)

The group’s activities aren’t limited to the building. It shows large reproductions of a few member artists’ watercolors in the Hudson Valley Mall and hosts the Kingston Sculpture Biennial (this year, it will be curated by Robert Johnson, a graphic designer who teachers at SUNY-Ulster; the sculptures will be placed on the median of lower Broadway and along the Rondout waterfront). The organization serves not just the city but the entire region, drawing in artists from as far away as Newburgh and Red Hook.

Board President, Lewis Gardiner

President of the board Lewis Gardner, who resides in Woodstock, said his initial attraction to the organization was its accessibility. “There’s no automatic nay-saying. Anyone with a good proposal can get an open hearing.” Gardner added the limited amount of space—consisting of two galleries, one quite large—is the main barrier to doing more.

There is room to expand, with a large, open space on the second floor. Gardner noted that the raw space should be available on a limited basis this summer, given that the funds have been raised to replace the not-to-code fire escape with an external staircase. Eventually, ASK hopes to renovate the former social hall, transforming the small stage into a sound and light booth and erecting terraced platforms for audience seating, which would face a designated performance area on the floor, Gardner said.

Once the building can offer this bona fide professional performance space, the sky’s the limit in terms of programming. In the meantime, ASK offers an impressive cultural menu, particularly in the drama department. The Playwrights Lab that Gardner started at SUNY-Ulster moved to ASK three years ago, providing playwrights, actors and directors with a workshop in which they can assess and get feedback on new work. “It’s a chance for a writer to hear his work,” Gardner said, noting that both experienced playwrights and novices can participate. “ASK serves the entire community of artists, both skilled professionals and people just starting out.”

Yet it also strives to offer quality art to the public. For that reason, in the summer months the staged readings are of selected work by more seasoned playwrights. The performing arts committee also can host a production, as is the case with With or Without, a play by an Emmy-nominated playwright that’s currently being presented. “This is a writer who wanted to become part of the Hudson Valley community,” Gardner said, noting the contact was made through the suggestion of a local actor.

Gardner said ASK also has partnered with other organizations to better serve the community. For example, in April it’ll be showing works by 20 or so artists at the Hudson Valley Mall, each of whom will have a table. The mall already displays and sells banners based on watercolors by local artists. ASK planned to have the artists set up in the corridor where the banners are displayed, but “the owners said why don’t we use the whole mall,” so the tables will be located throughout the facility. ASK will also be hosting a history day on April 9, with presentations, music and children’s activities.

Of course, ASK continues its commitment to the visual arts, with 24 exhibits on the roster each year. Currently there’s also life-drawing sessions, a class on the Sedona method, which is a way of fostering creativity, and Photoshop classes.

Executive director Vindora Wixom noted that yet another appeal of ASK is its health insurance program, which is open to freelancers. Wixom added that the ASK monthly gallery openings are always a big smash. Last month’s opening—featuring a show of Chronogram covers and a member’s exhibition linked to Valentine’s Day—attracted 600 people, despite a snowstorm. ASK has approximately 450 members. The annual membership is $60 for individuals and $100 for couples. —Lynn Woods

Posted in Arts, Corridor, Museums | 1 Comment »

Let’s Dance!

February 14th, 2011

From their J & B Dance Center, at 734 Broadway, Jean and Bill Keehan have been teaching amateur as well as professional dancers the nuances of the foxtrot, waltz, cha-cha, tango, rumba, quick step, salsa, samba, West Coast swing and hustle for the past 25 years. They are a direct link to a grand tradition: Bill started ballroom dancing when he was 19 and taught at the Arthur Murray School in Manhattan under Arthur Murray himself, as well as appeared on the school’s famous TV show in the 1950s. Eventually he moved upstate and purchased Roger’s Dance Studio, renaming it after hooking up with his wife, Jean. Jean started dancing at age 17 and taught ballroom dancing in the city while commuting back to her home in central New York to attend business school—training that’s come in handy all these years of owning a business. 

With so many years under their belt, the couple have been through several cycles of lagging and reviving interest, with interest right now on a definite upswing; many students are in their 20s and 30s, as well as 40s, 50s and 60s. The couple teach two classes a week, from 8 to 9 on Tuesday and Friday nights, and charge only $10 a person. Only couples qualify, and each class covers one of five dances. Once a month, the center hosts a studio party, which includes a workshop on a type of dance not covered in the classes (last Sunday, it was Western swing).

Jean and Bill Keehan

 “People who come to us like variety,” said Jean, noting that students have included dance team members from nearby colleges. She herself enjoys them all: “Each dance has its own personality. The foxtrot is nice and easy going. The waltz has hills and valleys, with a rise and fall, elegance and grace.” The merengue and cha-cha are fun and for parties, while the rumba “is a more romantic, sensual dance. With the Argentine tango, you want to fill the music inside of you. It’s very strong and passionate.”

Linda and Chester

If you want to swing to Benny Goodman or Duke Ellington the way everybody used to, check out the Lindy Hop classes taught by Linda and Chester Freeman Monday nights at the Arts Society of Kingston. The classes are scheduled from 6 to 9 pm, with the first hour devoted to a basic lesson for beginners, the second hour for intermediate-level students, and the last hour for advanced dancers.

Coming into vogue right after Lindbergh’s landmark flight across the Atlantic, for which it was named, the Lindy Hop refers to original swing dance from the 1930s and 1940s. Chester described it as a magpie art form, with borrowings from a variety of styles, which is why it’s so fun.  (He noted that West Coast swing is a variant that evolved out of  Hollywood and Texas swing music.) The classes cost $65 and are taught in four-week-long series. You don’t need to have a partner—partners rotate in each class—and a lot of the emphasis is on learning how to lead and follow; that aspect of dancing with a partner is what those of us who grew up wriggling solo to rock or soul music never learned.

Chester said he and Linda got interested after they were married and didn’t want to plunk themselves down in front of the TV every night. They ended up taking swing-dance lessons at a music school right around the corner after the teacher, who hadn’t had any students for a while, told them he’d hold a class if they could get a group together (it ended up consisting of another adult and a dozen and a half girl scouts).

That was 11 years ago. The couple started teaching dance in the mid-Hudson Valley in 2004, concentrating on  “every style of dance we could find, from Argentine and American tango to zydeco to West Coast swing.”

He’s competed in some dance contests and taken home prizes, so you will be learning from a couple of pros. For more information about the other dance classes they teach in the area, visit www.got2lindy.com.

 Maybe rather than looking back, you’d rather keep up with the innovative dance forms of our times. Zumba, of course, is the new craze, and is offered at area fitness centers and the YMCA of Ulster County as well as at Cornell Street Studios (on Wednesday nights) and the Center for Creative Education (CCE). But if you’d like to really hook into youth culture and learn those seemingly impossible hip-hop moves you see performed by kids in the New York City subway, CCE has an adult hip-hop class that promises to unlock the mystery—and really get you into shape.

Drew teaching break dancing for boys at CCE

Located at 20 Thomas Street, CCE is known for its youth performance ensembles. The Energy Dance Company is not just locally renowned for its fast-paced hip-hop, reggae and Latin moves, but has also performed out of state, including the International Youth Music Festival in Germany last summer. The Percussion Orchestra of Kingston, or POOK, has since its founding 12 years ago involved over 100 young drummers.

Besides its music classes, CCE has an extensive program of dance programs. For adults, besides the aforementioned Zumba and hip hop, it offers beginner salsa and meringue on Monday nights and a West Coast swing dance workshop on Thursdays at 7 pm. For kids, it teaches break dancing for boys, break dancing and hip-hop for boys and girls, hip-hop for older kids (age 11 and up), and a dance class for tots and children up to age 5. The cost is $10 per class, or $50 a month, which includes all classes.

 With so many dance classes to choose from, there’s no excuse not to get out and start getting with the rhythm!    —Lynn Woods

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New Kingston Media Factory

January 11th, 2011

Mean Girls-January 9th performance

On Sunday night, the normally deserted corner of Greenkill Avenue and Sterling Street was the site of a major parking jam. The 75-car lot adjoining the factory building at 5 Sterling Street was full, and cars jostled for position on Sterling. The event was Castaway Players’ performance of Mean Girls, Sean Matthew Whiteford’s workshop production of a musical about the new girl at school. Inside, on a stage at one end of a large loft space furnished with 130 chairs, dozens of talented performers, including Whiteford as an over-the-top gay student, belted out songs with such zest they seemed destined for Broadway (the one in Manhattan, that is). It was produced by Stella May Productions, a new company founded by Lou Spina (former tenant at the Seven21 Media Center) and Stephen Tenner. The two men recently transformed the first-floor loft into their two-stage performance space (one a smaller venue envisioned as a café-style space).

The show was an upbeat introduction to one of the latest redevelopment efforts in Kingston, the remaking of a former brush factory into the Kingston Media Factory. The 48,000-square-foot structure, one of a triad of industrial buildings owned by Mike Piazza—the others are the Shirt Factory and a former pajama factory, located a block away on Greenkill—currently has 12 tenants: besides Stella May, which also occupies an office on the third floor, they include Hutchings Photography, which produces children’s books and photographic illustrations for textbooks; Angel Textiles, a textile design broker; Duet Woodworking; Blackcreek Mercantile and Trading, a company that makes wood-turned bowls; Medrex, a record storage facility; Kaas Poort, a Dutch musician, who lives with his wife on Fair Street; a sculptor; a Chronogram employee; and an insurance-related management company.

Several of these companies, including Hutchings Photography and Angel Textiles, moved to Kingston from metropolitan New York within recent months. Though the neighborhood is still a bit rough—located across from the railroad tracks, 5 Sterling Street is rich with the poetic evocations of the industrial past–the building has fabulous proportions and space. The top floor is lined with skylights and has a unique mezzanine, which Piazza has divided into seven units. Another attractive feature is the community vibe within the building. It has a synergistic aspect. For example, Jacob Hutchings, son of Amy and Richard, who own Hutchings Photography, does the head shots for Stella May Productions, charging half of what he’d charge in the city.

While Piazza gets a lot of calls from the city, word of mouth accounts for most of his new tenants. He’s currently in discussions with a sound business for the Media Factory as well as an art supply retailer for the Shirt Factory (which is currently 75 percent occupied). He said he works closely with his tenants in order to come up with a plan that will help them flourish. “With start-up companies and entrepreneurs, you need to develop a relationship,” he said.

Amy Hutchings said she and her husband and son moved their business to the Media Factory from New Rochelle, where they’ve maintained a studio for 25 years, a month ago. They live in Rhinebeck and moved upstate because they wanted to be closer to home. The Hutchings’ photographs were featured in Spina’s Art on the Line show last fall.

“Kingston seems like a great opportunity for us,” she said, noting that the company has  already begun using local school children as models for a high school physics text book being shot for McGraw-Hill. (In New Rochelle, the company photographed approximately 5,000 kids, who were paid a modest fee.) “This is much more affordable for our clients who aren’t commercial,” she said. “Our rent is less, and the resources are so exciting. Mike is a real visionary and a real supporter of the arts.”

Hutchings said she’s been inspired by her new environs to work on a proposal for books on a beekeeper and a dairy farm. She’s also close by her other two sons, whose company, BCDF Pictures, is based in Kerhonkson.  (A recent project was the film Art of Love, which was written by one son; the other wrote the music.)

Will Smith at the Stella May Theatre

Meanwhile, Spina, who moved in three months ago, has been working hard on fixing up the performance space. On the roster for January 21 is the Will Smith Trio, the first of what Spina hopes are many jazz gigs. On January 22 Stella May Productions will be coproducing Knockout, a play about how boxing manager Cus D’Amata fought the mob by Tenner, who is a Catskill-based playwright. Later in the year Stella May Productions will host the Phoenicia Festival of the Voice, bringing opera to Kingston. Spina is committed to keeping ticket prices affordable (Mean Girls was $15 in advance, $20 at the door).

From his third-floor office, Spina also runs Second Chance 4 Me, which produces videos, commercials, and films and operates a media lab with classes on digital art and other computer technologies as well as a job development center.

 “People are moving here from all over the country,” Piazza said. “They look at the logistics and the expense, the distances between Manhattan and Albany, the quality of life, the affordability and accessibility…Kingston will come into its own.  In the next three years people will look back and say, ‘I always knew this would happen.’”

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UPAC: The Show Goes on in Midtown

November 30th, 2010

Since it re-opened four years ago under Bardavon ownership, after a $2 million investment, the Ulster Performing Arts Center has been injecting new life into Midtown. Its sold-out performances are bringing thousands of people to Kingston, boosting the local economy and introducing folks who otherwise would never have visited to the city’s charms. UPAC is proof that a well-run operation with excellent programming can thrive in the city—even in a struggling neighborhood.

Four years ago, the Poughkeepsie-based Bardavon took over the Ulster Performing Arts Center, transforming the dying vintage theater into a vibrant performing venue for top acts. UPAC has been a big success, its shows bringing thousands of people into Midtown, who patronize the city’s restaurants and gas stations. Each year just gets better and better, according to Chris Silva, who as executive director for the Bardavon also oversees UPAC. “Last year was an extraordinarily strong year. It generally takes three years to turn a business around, and I feel we have done that.”

At the same time, Silva said for the first time this past fall, there was a slight falloff in ticket sales, which he attributes to the lousy economy. “People are being more careful,” he said. Despite the general downward trend, some acts still sell out, regardless of ticket prices. Jeff Beck, Steve Winwood, and Jackson Brown, for example, each sold out in a few days, despite ticket prices of $75 or more. “The higher priced tickets are often the first to go,” Silva said. And because UPAC has 600 more seats than the Bardavon—total capacity is 1,500 seats–“it’s the one place we can make money. UPAC has given us the ability to book huge names, which would be too expensive for the Bardavon.”

Silva said that the upcoming acts of Cyndi Lauper, Loretta Lynn, Ron White, and Garrison Keillor are all selling strongly—though the shows are still months away. UPAC has also presented such stellar names in the classical music world as Itzhak Pearlman and Yo-Yo Ma; he expects Ma to return in 2012. UPAC also features performances by the Hudson Valley Philharmonic (which the Bardavon also owns), and it does extensive children’s programming, which brings dozens of school groups from the surrounding area to Kingston.

Three years ago, after obtaining grant money from Assemblyman Kevin Cahill that funded a new projector and updating of its screen and sound system, UPAC began showing movies. Silva said the accounting firm of Kevin and Brian Ginty sponsor the films, and the Daily Freeman provides free advertising. The movie showings are starting to attract more people. People who arrive in a costume themed to the film get in free. “We had 40 zombies when we showed Night of the Living Dead,” Silva said. “It was a blast.” Commenting on the admission policy, Silva noted that “we like to see a little effort, although we’re pretty liberal.” One zombie who simply had an ax wedged in his head got in free. Coming up this month is Princess Bride, with pirates and princesses getting in free.

UPAC has also been showing live broadcasts of Metropolitan Opera productions (of the Bardavon’s 12 Met broadcasts this year, five were at UPAC.) The showings have been a big success. Tickets are a fraction of the cost of an orchestra-seat opera ticket–$23 to $16; the lower prices are for seniors and kids 16 and under. Silva said the broadcasts enable people to experience a top production at close range, plus go backstage with the singers between acts.

New this spring will be a program for seniors, Crazy about Patsy, presented in April, featuring a talented and witty impersonator of Patsy Kline (the show sold out last year at the Bardavon). Silva said UPAC will probably follow up with another senior-targeted show in the fall.

One challenge is the theater’s creaky ac and heating systems, which date from the 1920s. Because of the risk of an in-show breakdown—it’s happened a couple of times in four years—UPAC is closed during the hottest months of July and August. Repairing the broken-down system is expensive, with each fix costing approximately $21,000. Silva said he’s resigned to coping with the old system for now, since it would cost approximately $3 million to replace the aging infrastructure—an investment that would enable the theater to be open year round. However, Silva said the money simply isn’t available right now.

Silva said many local businesses support UPAC, including most of the financial institutions; Stewart’s and the Klock Foundation, which is based in Albany, have also donated generously. However, the lack of large, well-endowed foundations on this side of the river perhaps explains why the Bardavon got a new ac/heating systems, at a cost of $1 million, and UPAC hasn’t. The Dyson Foundation is the one of the few “that cross the river. We never could have taken over UPAC without its support.”

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Kingston Businesses Turn On to Art

November 2nd, 2010

The Art Uptown

The Kingston office of Coldwell Banker Village Green, located at 268 Fair Street, not only shows art, it also participates in the First Saturday gallery walk. The business is a member of the Arts Society of Kingston, and owner Joan Lonergan, who also shows art at Coldwell Banker Village Green’s Woodstock, New Paltz and Windham offices, even hands out an award each year to each location’s volunteer curator (who is agent Sara Gorman in Kingston).

Art in Coldwell Banker Village GreenTurns out Lonergan’s commitment to art is no afterthought: she earned a B.F.A. in pottery and painting, later attended the School of Visual Arts, in New York City, and worked as a graphic designer before starting her real estate business in 1990. Shortly after opening her first location, which was in Woodstock, Lonergan started showing local artists as a community service. Lonergan said the Kingston gallery-cum-office “is a venue that’s always open,” with passers by welcome to come in and take a look. The business does set criteria on the art it shows, excluding works that contain nudity, heavy religious symbolism, and morbid or depressing imagery. Artists also have to meet a certain standard of professionalism, with their work attractively framed.

Art in Coldwell Banker Village GreenThe business doesn’t take a commission; all that’s required of artists is that they spackle over any holes left in the wall. Currently the Kingston realty office is showing the colorful figurative paintings of Laura Shelley. Lonergan said she’s often bought a painting from the exhibitions, including an oil by local fauve painter Todd Samara. She also participates herself on occasion: currently, Lonergan’s photos from a recent trip to Japan are on display at the Woodstock office.

“I love the idea of having the walls continually change, so you don’t get bored,” said Lonergan. “When people come to the opening, it’s like inviting them into your living room. Anyone is welcome to come in and look at the pictures.” An added benefit is that a walk-in just might be a future customer; it never hurts to let people know you are there.  Showing art is “good for everybody”—the artists, community, employees, and business owner, Lonergan concluded.

Up the street and around the corner from Coldwell Banker Village Green, on North Front Street, Half Moon Books has also served as a gallery venue in Uptown, participating in the First Saturday gallery openings. Last month, the shop showed the representational works of Sasha Finlay, a combination of fantasies and landscapes; this month it will show paintings by David Hecht.

Art on the WallA few doors away, Oderkirk has been showing art in his vacant storefront for several months. Architect Brad Will, who owns the Wall Street building where Hudson Coffee Traders cafe is located and has been displaying art in his Art on the Wall gallery space–the rotunda area in the back that serves as the café seating area–for years, is organizing the displays, drawing from the inventory he and his mother, a resident of Kingston and retired art teacher, have accumulated. Oderkirk said the art displays in the storefront are changed regularly, to keep things fresh.

Art at Win Morrison

Win Morrison Realty, at 54 John Street, also shows art, generally displaying a different artist each month. Agent Frey Johnson curates the shows, and the business doesn’t take a commission. “It brings people in and establishes a friendly relationship with the community,” noted owner Win Morrison. “I’ll do whatever I can to bring culture to Kingston.” Currently on display are paintings of nudes by Nicholas Marsicano, who died in 1991; the well-regarded painter was educated at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Barnes Foundation and traveled in Europe and North Africa in the 1930s. He taught at Cooper Union, Yale University, and a host of other top art schools before retiring in 1990.

Downtown Also into Art

The brick walls at Dolce café, at 27 Broadway, are hung with the paintings of resident Todd Samara, including some large, monumental works that stunningly translate the familiar Rondout urbanscape into a poetic realm of orange skies, blue nights and gabled buildings infused with mystery. Samara is surely our resident poet, and his works are eagerly sought after by many in the community. Up the block, the At Home Antiques at 81 Broadway Antique Store and Gallery is expanding into a small artist collective giving spaces to artists to show their work. For the month of November Sadee Brathwaite will be showing her there.

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Push for 323 Wall Street Highlights Performing Arts

September 28th, 2010

Backstage Productions, the performance space at 323 Wall Street whose events have been a highlight of Uptown nightlife for the past decade, has taken on new energy. Owner Teri Rossin, who purchased the 1872 building, which houses a former theater, more than a decade ago, has strived to establish a thriving performing arts center in the space, and her inviting of Sevan Melikyan last month to manage BSP’s production company, 323 Wall Street, is a huge step in that direction.

“My initial goal is to keep this building open for all kinds of use,” said Melikyan, who has put up a comprehensive website of all upcoming events and related initiatives, www.323wallstreet.com. An Armenian who was born in Turkey, Melikyan was a theatre rep in Manhattan before becoming marketing director for the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition series in Fort Worth, prior to moving to the mid Hudson Valley with his wife and son. As a musician himself—he plays piano and drums—Melikyan is sensitive to the needs and requirements of performers, and he is active on numerous fronts promoting the space’s multiple facilities:

  • The New York-certified sound stage (meaning a production utilizing the space would receive a 30 percent rebate from the state), which he hopes to rent out to film and TV productions companies comprising the region’s fledgling film industry;
  • The second-floor dance studio. Classes for both kids and adults, held six days a week, recently started up in the space, led by dancer/choreographer Erin Parsch;
  • The 25,000-square-foot theater with its original 19th-century proscenium.  Melikyan said he’s talking to promoters to get live pop and touring acts into the space. Two advantages are its proximity to the Thruway and the lower rental rates, compared to venues in Albany or New York. “I’m contacting people who specialize in these tours and see if their acts could stop by here on a week day.”  The space is also suitable for benefits and larger private events. The Woodstock Film Festival is having its Maverick Award in there this Saturday.
  • The front-room bar and performing space, a perfect venue for private events, corporate events such as mixers and upcoming Holidays parties, open mics (one is scheduled this Thursday, at 8 pm), live music by small bands, and events sponsored by various community groups. Bands performing as part of the O+ Festival on Oct. 9 and 10 will play here, followed by a jazz concert on Oct. 19 and a Halloween bash on Oct. 30.

Melikyan said he hopes to book theater companies and events for children in the space, as well as host art exhibitions. He would also like to present concerts of classical music and has put the word out that he’s looking to obtain a baby grand piano, which would make this possible. If you know of one—or are interested in making a donation–please contact him.

“The potential to bring in hundreds of people is great,” he said. “I feel a tremendous responsibility in succeeding in this neighborhood.”  Clearly, Uptown has the facilities, talent, and ideas needed to thrive.

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Art on the Line at Seven21

September 21st, 2010

October is shaping up to be Kingston’s special month of the arts. In addition to the O+ Positive Festival on Oct. 8-10, which will feature concerts by great, noteworthy bands and the Arts Society of Kingston’s Open Studio Tours on October 2nd, Second Chance 4 Me is hosting a festival of the arts on Oct. 1-3, Art on the Line, at the Seven21 Media Center.

With its warren of small, tech-oriented businesses, the Seven21 Media Center, owned and operated by the Ellenbogen family, has brought a breath of life to upper Broadway. It’s also become a rich center for the visual arts, thanks to the efforts of tenant Lou Spina. Spina operates several businesses from a 2,000-square-foot loft space on the second floor, among them Second Chance 4 Me, an innovative employment incubator, and an art gallery, which each month showcases the works of dozens of artists on the walls of the loft, hall and adjoining galleries.

Now Spina is building on that success with an arts extravaganza entitled Art on the Line, which he describes as “a fantasia of art, music and food.” Held at his Seven21 loft, the festival is part of his plan to attract more culture and economic development to Kingston. “What we’re doing is presenting painters, sculptors, photographers, dancers, singers, musicians, and chefs–artists in every conceivable medium–under one roof,” Spina said. “We’re making it possible for the public to interact and to enjoy these artists in an intimate setting that also serves as the jumping off point for a large-scale vision to showcase arts in our region and boost our economy.” Spina is soliciting sponsors, so if you’re a local business and want to get involved, give him a call at 331-7599.

Beginning in the afternoon on Friday, Oct. 1, more than 500 works of art will be displayed on clothes lines strung throughout the space. The event kicks off that evening with a cooking demonstration by Noah Sheetz, the executive chef for the Governor’s Mansion, followed by performances by singer Lex Grey (accompanied by guitarist Vic Mix), singer-songwriter Roseann Sureda, and bassist and Grammy-winning producer Malcolm Cecil and his band. The festival continues on Saturday evening with “Italy on the Hudson,” featuring an opera performance by Phoenicia’s Festival of the Voice singers, a dance by Linda Diamond and her NYC troupe, an exhibit of Alex Kveton’s sculptures, and delicious food catered by Savona’s Trattoria. On Sunday, a jazz brunch will be served from 1 to 2 pm, with food catered by several Kingston restaurants, followed by music by Stephen Johnson, the Will Smith Trio, and Veronica Nunn. The premises will be open to the general public in the afternoon of each day. For more information, check out www.artontheline.info or call 331-7955.

Spina, a former phys ed teacher at Kingston High School, has had a second career developing jobs for troubled kids and special needs individuals. Second Chance 4 Me seeks to locate jobs for the employment-challenged as well as provide them, through the auspices of Spina’s other ventures. These include The Media Lab, which does video production and has offered Mac and other computer classes, and Our Neighborhood, which aims to help Midtown businesses promote themselves through video productions posted on line. Second Chance 4 Me will play a role in Art on the Line, with staff taping the Friday night cooking demonstrations in conjunction with Green Peas TV, a traveling regional cooking show.

Art on the Line is one of several arts-related events hosted by Spina. Earlier this year, he presented an independent film festival, and coming up, on October 20, he is holding a performing arts forum on applying for grants. Such a diversity of events contribute to making Kingston a thriving arts center.

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New Gallery Opens on Abeel Street

June 1st, 2010

One Mile Gallery, located at 475 Abeel Street, near the railroad trestle, is opening this Saturday with a show by wood turner Josh Vogel. The gallery is the latest entrée to Kingston’s happening art scene. It’s located on the first floor of a charming brick building that was originally purchased a year ago as the weekend house for Janet Hicks, an artists’ agent, and her boyfriend, Eddie Mullins, both of Brooklyn. The couple and their Kingston house were profiled last summer in The New York Times.

Hicks, who holds a master’s degree in art history and previously lived in Oregon, said the gallery was a natural outgrowth of the couple’s interest in the arts.  They plan to show both local and New York City-based artists. Vogel, a resident of Highland, makes drawings and physically imposing sculptures whose sensuousness is heightened by their “woodsy aroma,” according to Hicks. The August show will feature acrylic oceanscapes, followed by an exhibit featuring “the world’s most successful canine artist, Tillamook Cheddar,” which opens Labor Day weekend.  “The dog does amazing work,” said Hicks. “Her process for creating the art is really a treat to watch.”

The gallery is open weekends, 12 to 7 p.m., and by appointment. Hicks said the parking lot across the street at Ulster Marina will accommodate any overflow of cars. She added that she plans to stage events in conjunction with First Saturdays and beyond. “We will be having an event with Tuthilltown Spirits at the gallery in July, and we are hoping to get a vehicle of some kind into the Artists’ Soapbox Derby in August,” she said. “Our dog artist has some ideas up her sleeve for the Labor Day opening that will be really fun.”

Hicks said the couple is spending more time in Kingston than they originally planned. “We fell in love with the city more than we ever thought we would,” she said. “We get a great feeling of being outdoors on the creek. It’s a country feeling yet, has all the conveniences of living in a town. And there’s a tremendous art and cultural scene close by, in the outlying towns.”

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Kingston’s Art and Photo Supply Stores, From Soup to Nuts

March 1st, 2010

Catskill Art & Office Supply, located at 328 Wall Street, has been an anchor of the Uptown shopping district for 24 years and currently has eight employees. “We offer quality products and services at a good price,” said manager Nick Peluso. (Owner Paul Solis-Cohen also operates two stores in Woodstock and Poughkeepsie.)You can easily spend an hour browsing the fine art and graphic art materials, canvas (raw and pre-stretched, in a variety of sizes), gift cards, boxed notes, personal stationery, calendars, instructional art books, and studio furniture (including drawing tables, lamps, and easels). Framer Ginny Ballard, a 16-year veteran of the store, has won a following for her custom framing. There’s also a custom printing division, which includes banners, business cards and laminating, according to Peluso.

 Even compared with the chain office supply stores, “our prices are pretty reasonable,” said Peluso. Xeroxes are 10 cents for a single copy, four cents for 100 copies. “We’re competitive in all those areas. Our copy paper is cheaper and our inkjet cartridges are in some cases $1 more and $1 less” that those sold in the big box stores. Catskill Art also runs frequent specials, with a sale on canvas the next couple of weeks. In addition, it offers a 20 percent discount to art students and professional artists. You can get an additional 10 percent off if you sign up for the custom rewards program ($10 coupon with every $100 purchased).    

 What’s the advantage of shopping at Catskill Art over buying on-line? “Experiencing the product firsthand and being able to ask someone for advice,” according to Peluso. Open Monday through Friday from 9-5:30 and Saturday from 9-5.

 Artcraft Camera & Digital, located at 300 Plaza Road, in Kingston Plaza, has been in the same family since 1972, when it was purchased by owner Todd Fitzgerald’s father. It now has a sister store in Poughkeepsie, with a total of 18 employees. The store sells four lines of cameras, both digital and film, along with darkroom supplies and accessories including flashes, filters and bags. The store’s custom framing division does laminating as well as large-format printing (digital and other) and DVD and CD duplication services (it can also transfer 8 mm film to DVDs). Fitzgerald said Artcraft also has a custom framing division, which is presided over by Elaine Bragg, who has 26 years of experience. 

Todd Fitzgerald

 Fitzgerald said the store does a brisk trade in scanning slides, negatives, and photos digitally, with some people bringing in shoeboxes full of photos that are “scanned in a clip.” Artcraft also has an archiving service to organize all those photos. One growing line of business is creating a DVD, collage, special photo book or 23 x 54 framed image for “Celebration of Life” services when a person dies. The store also can produce registration books, with the photos positioned on the left hand side and a place for signatures on the right.

 Perhaps the fastest growing segment of the business is gifting, in which personal photos are transferred onto mugs, puzzles, T-shirts, and blankets. Most of the photo gifts cost under $40, with a mug starting at $8. Fitzgerald said the store will soon be expanding into printing on dozens of types of textiles, ranging from shower curtains to scarves, as well as glasswork, aluminum and tin. “You won’t buy art at Target, but have your history and family tree printed on the shower curtain, your linens, a pillow,” said Fitzgerald, noting that the store will also print personal photos on a stretched canvas. “Photo décor is where it’s going.”

Fitzgerald said one advantage of shopping at Artcraft is the employee’s expertise.  “You may find cheap cameras at Target, but you won’t find the service.” Plus, no one’s trying to rush customers who come in with a box of photos commemorating a loved one. “When you walk in here, you can sit in one of our chairs for two hours,” said Fitzgerald. “We have compassion for your memories. It’s not just about your photos.” Open Monday-Friday from 9 to 6, Saturday from 10 to 5, and Sunday from 11 to 4.

 R&F Handmade Paints, located at 84 Ten Broeck Avenue, is the industry leader for encaustics, the wax-based paints that were used by the Egyptians thousands of years ago and which founder Richard Frumess helped popularize as a viable medium for contemporary artists. Located in Kingston since the mid 1990s, the business also manufactures oil sticks, and—perhaps not widely known–has a store on the premises that sells a full line of materials for painters, including brushes, Williamsburg oil paint (which is manufactured in upstate New York), canvas, and palettes, in addition to its paints and oil sticks.  

R & F Handmade Paints

R&F also sells artists’ supplies on-line, but the prices in the store are 15 percent less, said director of operations Darin Sein. It sells items in bulk: while linseed oil, for example, is sold in expensive pints at most art supply stores, R&F sells it by the gallon. The store also carries a high-grade, sweet-smelling turpentine (“we spent a long time researching this to find it,” according to Sein). Of course, it also sells a full line of equipment for encaustic painters, including hand-assembled heated palettes and heat guns, torches and electrically heated tools.

The store features holiday and back-to-school sales, said Sein. Besides its three- and five-day workshops, it also offers one-day workshops that are popular with residents, including an encaustic class from noon to four every third Saturday (cost is $40). R&F also runs a gallery, which shows works by distinguished artists in both encaustic and oil. The store is open Monday through Friday from 9-5 and Saturday from 10-5.

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