Public Art Behind Glass

Tanya Kukucka’s “ceramic babies” in the window of Fire Lotus MERYL CATES Windows on Main Street, a project that places art instillations in storefronts along Beacon’s Main Street, has been a staple of the city’s art scene for six years, and if you walk too fast you might miss it entirely. This is not a negative; in fact, it’s the highlight of the whole project—the triumph of subtlety. Walk right past, or pause and admire.

Twenty-four local artists created paintings, sculptures, multi-media displays, and instillations of various mediums for this year’s mile-long exhibition, on display since August 14. Windows on Main Street will host their closing celebration Saturday September 11 and release the first-ever book, featuring a foreword and brief-history by co-founders of Windows on Main Street Christopher Albert and Karlos Carcamo. The book also contains stunning photographs of each of the storefronts with statements from the artists.

Artist Kristie Phillipson’s Coffee House Characters at the Bank Sqaure Coffee House MERYL CATES While artwork in shop windows is certainly not an idea pioneered in Beacon (Carcamo himself noted Jamaica Flux, a large-scale exhibition in Queens, and even more locally, The Brewster Project and The Peekskill Project), it has been a well-received event in Beacon, complimenting the city’s thriving art community.

Along Beacon’s Main Street, antique shops, tea rooms, and wine bars are amongst the shop’s that participated in the project, but even less expected are businesses like Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union and Antalek and Moore Insurance Agency, who also opened their windows to the site-specific instillations.

Each artist considered the store’s services and function in their creative process. This is unmistakably evident in some works, and less in others (the latter yielding the more piercing effect).

Dan Wolf’s photography instillation distorted a series of facebook profile photos to create eerie reflections in a watery blue. Located at ZuZu’s Leaf and Bean, the communicative atmosphere of the coffee house was a fitting atmosphere for the project — social network meets social network.

Commenting on contemporary consumerism, (at the Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union) utilizes the popular Silly Bandz bracelets, a craze among schoolaged and not-so-school-aged kids, to create a visually exciting image. She layers the electric colored braclets on top of each other with an almost graffitti-like effect. Here, Church is as playful with the structure and organization of her work, as the Bandz themselves. And like many of the instillations, there’s no in-your-face demand, just an understated pleasure.

The year’s event was organized by curators Melissa Tatge and Katy Peace. For a complete list of participating artists, and a map to guide you down the Main Street exhibitionvisit beaconwindows.blogspot.com.

The closing reception and book signing will be held Sat. Sept. 11 from 4-6pm at ZuZu’s Coffee house, 453 Main St. Beacon.