Northern Dutchess Art Studio Views tour visits 30 artists’ studios in Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Staatsburg, Hyde Park & Tivoli this weekend
There’s nothing like a studio tour to heighten one’s appreciation of contemporary art and the effort and concentration that it takes to make it. Once you’ve experienced the physical context in which an artist works, every future piece that you see will seem like a window back into that little vortex of creative ferment. Tours of artists’ studios have become quite the rage in the Hudson Valley in recent years – a fixture of summertime cultural tourism for many communities.
As the season winds to a close, the towns of Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Staatsburg, Hyde Park and Tivoli will showcase 30 of their artists-in-residence this weekend with the fifth annual iteration of Northern Dutchess Art Studio Views. Spearheaded by the artists themselves, this free, self-guided tour is designed to promote the artwork and talents of local artists in the northern Dutchess County area. Participants for 2012 include Elizabeth O’Neill Avis, Bela Bibliowicz, Randy Bloom, Melissa Braggins, Ted Braggins, Richard Chianella, Doris Cultraro, Rosemary Fox, Tarryl Gabel, Maureen Gates, Carl Grieco, Marilyn Grieco, Betsy Jacaruso, Pat Jones, Kraig Kallmeyer, Vera Kaplan, John Lavin, Joan Blazis Levitt, Christine Livesey, Judy Malstrom, Ann Moring, Tatiana Rhinevault, Jeff Romano, Elizabeth St. Leger, Pierce Smith, Jim Stevenson, Bianca Terranova, Lucas Terranova, Dean Vallas and Todd Young.
From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, September 1 and 2, these artists will open their studios to the public, share their creative environments and help visitors understand the inspiration that drives their passion. Most of the art created in these studios finds its way to local and regional gallery exhibitions throughout the year, but this behind-the-scenes tour provides a unique opportunity to be on the inside track and purchase works of art directly from the artist. Many of the studios are handicapped-accessible, while others may be seen by special arrangement; please check with the individual artist in advance if you have mobility issues.
As an additional fun element to this year, each artist was given a beautifully handcrafted nine-inch wooden box. These boxes will be decorated and artistically enhanced in fanciful ways to celebrate the annual studio tour. “The Boxes” will be displayed in village storefronts in Red Hook, Rhinebeck and Hyde Park during the month of August as a silent-auction fundraiser. Funds raised from “The Boxes” auction will be donated to the Arts Program of the Pediatric Oncology Unit at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie. You can preview “The Boxes” at https://benefitevents.com/auctions/artstudioviews.
The following northern Dutchess County businesses will serve as 2012 Art Studio Views headquarters, where you can pick up the tour brochure: Red Hook Community Arts Network, located at 7516 North Broadway in Red Hook, https://redhookcan.com; Albert Shahinian Fine Arts, located at 22 East Market St, third floor, in Rhinebeck, (845) 876-7578; and Surviving Sisters Boutique, located at 4412 Albany Post Road in Hyde Park, (845) 229-0425. You can also download a full-color brochure with the tour map and thumbnail samples of each participant’s artwork at https://artsnortherndutchess.org/asv/asv2012.pdf. Happy exploring!
Visit the studios of 30 artists in Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Staatsburg, Hyde Park and Tivoli from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday, September 1 and 2 through the fifth annual Northern Dutchess Art Studio Views tour. Map brochures for the self-guided tour are available at Red Hook CAN, Albert Shahinian Fine Arts in Rhinebeck and Surviving Sisters Boutique in Hyde Park, or can be downloaded at https://artsnortherndutchess.org/asv/asv2012.pdf.
Join the family! 
