Over the course of one week in late July, the historic river city of Beacon in New York’s Hudson Valley will transform into a Mecca of Urban Art when local gallery Open Space unveils the new ELECTRIC WINDOWS 2010.
In a one-day live art and music event, 28 of some of the country’s most prolific street artists will converge on Main Street to create original, large-scale works that will be permanently installed on the exteriors of vacant 19th-century buildings. The public installation and launch of the exhibition will be held on Saturday, July 31, at 510 Main Street, beginning at 12pm. ELECTRIC WINDOWS will then be a permanent public art destination, to remain on view year-round.
Artists participating in this year’s event include: Ron English (Beacon, NY), Logan Hicks (Brooklyn, NY), Big Foot (San Francisco, CA), Chris Stain (Brooklyn, NY), Gaia (Baltimore, MD), Chor Boogie (San Francisco, CA), Michael De Feo (Mamaroneck, NY), Skewville (Brooklyn, NY), BoogieRez (Poughkeepsie, NY), Buxtonia (Burlingon, VT), Chris Yormick (Brooklyn, NY), Depoe (New York, NY), Elbow Toe (Brooklyn, NY), Elia Gurna and Cern (Beacon, NY), Ellis G (Brooklyn, NY), Erik Otto (San Francisco, CA), Eugene Good (Milwaukee, WI), Faust (Brooklyn, NY), Joe Iuarato (Brooklyn, NY), Mr. Kiji (New York, NY), Paper Monster (Belleville, NJ), Peat Wollenger (St. Louis, MO), Rick Price (Beacon, NY), Ryan Bubnis (San Francisco, CA), Ryan Williams (Brooklyn, NY), and “Electric Youth” Aviv and Lotem Tchernichovski (local Beacon high school students).
ELECTRIC WINDOWS, which launched in 2008 with its first installation, draws its name from the former electric blanket factory located on the east end of downtown Beacon that will serve as the backdrop for the event. ELECTRIC WINDOWS subverts the traditional idea of a gallery by utilizing the large industrial windows on these buildings as “frames” for the artists’ work—each of which will measure approximately 8 x 12 feet. Although street art is not typically or easily contained within a rectangle, ELECTRIC WINDOWS ingeniously bridges the gap between indoor (gallery) and outdoor (public) exhibition. New this year, Beacon’s architectural phenomenon, the Roundhouse, and a second unused storefront across Main Street – adjacent to Beacon’s historic dummy traffic light – will also be upcycled into large-scale “canvases”.
This year’s event, which includes two days of preparation by the artists, a one-day exhibition and street fair, music and dancing by M*POWER ELITE TEAM, live screen printing by Buxtonia, and an Open Space after-party, is expected to draw approximately 5,000 people to Beacon’s Main Street corridor.
The line-up of live music at ELECTRIC WINDOWS includes: Ben Neill, Aabaraki, Hart Costa, DJ Birds in the Building, DJ Bobby Collins, DJ Krisis, Dr. Ambassador, Gold Monkey, and Scambler Seequill.
A new exhibition at Open Space, ELECTRIC WALLS, opening Saturday, July 24, will feature the works of ELECTRIC WINDOWS artists.
Producing partners of ELECTRIC WINDOWS are: Daniel Weise and Kalene Rivers of Open Space and thundercut; Nicole Romano Ashey of Burlock; and Jeff Ashey.
“We are amazed by the continuous enthusiasm and support Electric Windows generates,” said Daniel Weise and Kalene Rivers. “Since the first ELECTRIC WINDOWS installation two years ago, people from every part of Beacon’s diverse community still tell us how much they love the building and how it brightens their day each and every time they see it. “Longtime residents with ancestors who worked at the factory have told us how much they appreciate it being brought back to life through this project.””
ELECTRIC WINDOWS received a 2010 grant from the Dutchess County Arts Council (DCAC) for the exhibition. The Beacon Arts Community Association (BACA) serves as its non-profit fiscal agent. Since the beginning of the year, Open Space has been hosting “Next Step” fundraising events to help produce the exhibition. These monthly dance parties held in downtown Beacon have attracted art and music lovers from the Hudson Valley and beyond for a night of live art and DJ performances. Sponsors of ELECTRIC WINDOWS include Piggy Bank restaurant, Montana Colors USA, MMT, Suko Thai, The Beacon Bagel, Intrinsic Audio Visual, and Local 845.
“Electric Windows is great for Beacon, bringing of-the-moment street art to the Hudson Valley. The mix of artists is smart, including local luminaries and up-and-coming artists from other cities,” said Steven Evans, Managing Director of Dia:Beacon and former Dutchess County Arts Council Board Member. Benjamin Krevolin, President of the Dutchess County Arts Council, added: “Electric Windows is a wonderful example of how a new generation of creative folks can move into a place and transform it. This project builds on the previous successes of Beacon’s arts community and pushes it to a new level.”
About the Producers:
OPEN SPACE is a gallery and event space founded by Kalene Rivers and Daniel Weise in 2007 as a destination for the artists’ shared passion for art, culture and design. The gallery is also home to thundercut, an art and design studio, and SHERBERT Magazine, an independently published art and literature magazine.
With a wide array of both new and vintage goods, Burlock Home provides a unique online shopping experience. The catalog includes a careful selection of innovative artwork, handcrafted goods, one-of-a-kind antiques, and sometimes food – mostly found locally from within the Hudson Valley.
About Beacon, New York:
Incorporated in 1742, the city of Beacon is located on the eastern shore of the Hudson River in Dutchess County in the Mid-Hudson Region of New York State. There are several historic and cultural sights in Beacon: the contemporary art destination, Dia: Beacon; The Beacon Institute of Rivers and Estuaries; Mount Beacon and Hudson Highlands State Park; the Howland Cultural Center; the Beacon Sloop Club and the Sloop Woody Guthrie; the Great Hudson River Revival’s Sloop Clearwater; plus several fine art galleries and independently-owned shops and cafés. Beacon’s picturesque waterfront is directly adjacent to the city’s train station on Metro-North Railroad’s Hudson line.
Listings:
ELECTRIC WINDOWS 2010
Public Art Event and Outdoor Exhibition
Saturday, July 31, at 12:00 pm
510 Main Street, Beacon, New York 12508
(845) 765 -0731
ELECTRIC WALLS
Gallery Exhibition
Opening Reception on Saturday, July 24, at 6:00 pm
Open Space Gallery
510 Main Street, Beacon, New York 12508
(845) 765 -0731
I personally couldn't fathom the idea of tossing my camera in the air and allowing a timer to take shot as the camera ascends or descends. However I must be in the minority since there are many camera tossers out there. There are flickr groups and those who use their shots commercially. They think nothing of tossing their cameras, letting them flow through the air in the clickstream and know that they will catch it, unharmed and loaded with airy shots. I cannot be so sure....
If you have nerves of steel and a good catcher's mitt, read on --
With the spread of its popularity around the Internet, the technique has quickly gained acceptance and legitimacy, with subsequent articles, gallery showings, and image licensing from companies such as Adobe, who used camera tossing images for some of its past Acrobat packaging.
This article will give you information on how to start, show you examples, and point you to places where you can learn even more.
Banksy is arguably one of the most mysterious and yet well known street artists. His work from the early days of illegal street graffiti to now, permitted street murals has one one side captured the imagination of the public and also created a bit of controversy. Here is a site that has many of Banksy's best work. Enjoy!
Here is a Banksy, I believe, that was in Williamsburg Brooklyn a couple of years ago.
What do you get when you combine an abandoned swimming pool, a street artist and skateboarders? You get a great art piece / skateboard skate pool. D*Face, a famous street artist was asked to graf an abandoned pool for use by skateboarders and the result, by all accounts, is amazing. Here is the full account.