Beacon gallery schedules seven solos

LotusWorks, an arts and community center that opened in Beacon two years ago, has launched a weekend Local Artists Series that will continue into February.

The solo exhibitions will spotlight emerging artists working in a range of disciplines, including digital media and installation art, along with painting and photography.

“We selected seven artists — three are from Beacon, while the others are from New Paltz, Poughkeepsie, Newburgh and Marlboro,” says Aaron Loray Sanders, who co-owns the gallery with his wife, Skyla Schreter. In addition to the featured artists, the couple chose works by eight others from the Hudson Valley for two group shows in February.

“We were just so impressed with the abundant talent, and our goal is to be able to uplift and support our creative community as much as we can,” Sanders said.

Since it opened in October 2020, the LotusWorks space has also served as a production studio which offers live performance and production and digital media services under the banner of LW Productions. It addition, it is home to LW at Home, an interior design firm.

Along with the gallery, there is space for artists to work, and for classes.

Since establishing themselves in Beacon, Sanders and Schreter have collaborated with other arts groups. Most recently, they performed an improvisatory “First Date Conversation” as part of the Beacon Bonfire festival, tied to an exhibit then on view in the gallery called Love is an Action. For the performance, Schreter danced in front of a large canvas on which Sanders painted.

LotusWorks came out of a lunch break in Beacon during a Hudson Valley road trip. The couple spotted a “For Rent” sign and peered inside. Within a few weeks, they had signed a lease and Sanders began renovations.

Their Local Artist Series opened last weekend with a video portal by a Beacon artist who uses the moniker Rooster. This weekend, from today (Dec. 16) through Sunday, the painting and digital art of Alex Marsh will be on view. A reception is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Marsh, 23, who lives in New Paltz, works in oil paint, collage and “unconventional elements,” focusing on his experiences being disabled and transgender. His solo show, according to the gallery, will include “work that looks at the intersection between the utility of assigned-female-at-birth persons versus their autonomy.” The artist said he hopes to “address the uncomfortable conversation surrounding gender identity and how it relates to fertility or lack thereof.”

After the holiday break, the series will continue on the first weekend in January with paintings and digital art from Gigi Grace, a curator and artist based in Beacon who works at Fridman Gallery. Her work uses themes such as folklore and absurdity and involves, LotusWorks says, “overgrowth, nature, vibrancy and melancholy based on romanticism and surrealism.” The reception on Jan. 6 will include an ambient dance party.

The program continues each weekend through Feb. 5 with Tina Bernstein (mixed media), Kimberly Devaney (photography), Vernon Byron (digital media) and Javon Turner (painting), followed by the weekend group shows that open Feb. 17 and Feb. 24.

LotusWorks is located at 261 Main St. Its hours this weekend (Dec. 16 to 18) are 4 to 8 p.m. today, 2 to 8 p.m. on Saturday and 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For specifics, visit lotusworksgallery.com or call 845-583-0400.

Behind The Story

Type: News

News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Rooney has been writing for The Current since its founding in 2010. A playwright, she has lived in Cold Spring since 1999. She is a graduate of Binghamton University, where she majored in history. Location: Cold Spring. Languages: English. Area of Expertise: Arts