The Woodstock Arts Colony forges a new frontier with a pair of exhibition openings along Route 28 in Kingston on Saturday, January 26. Both feature well-known Woodstock area artists. One doubles as a de facto opening party for a Woodstock business’ new home.
“We absolutely love the new space!” said Sneha Kapadia of her Woodstock Framing Gallery’s move in recent months from a long-time home on Mill Hill Road to the mini “Design Towers” plaza across from Hickory BBQ at 747 State Route 28. “It’s got high ceilings and tons of light and an open floor plan that feels much more immersive and communal. Also, we were able to set it up exactly how we wanted in a way that is much more efficient for custom framing as that is my main focus now. Business has been consistently busy since we reopened with longtime clients who are amazing and waited patiently for us, as well as new clients who have discovered us because of our convenient new location as well as through the other businesses here.”
Kapadia, a former prosecutor with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office in New York City, bought Woodstock Framing Gallery from Alice Hoffman in 2011. She closed out WFG’s previous home just before Memorial Day last year, telling Woodstock Times that she was looking for a space more conducive to the framing business she wanted to focus more on.
Instead of using the older WFG Gallery moniker, the new exhibition schedule Kapadia begins this weekend will be called Art at the Framing Gallery. The first show, Nocturnal/Diurnal — curated by framer Anne Crowley and co-Woodstock School of Art board president Nancy Campbell and featuring paintings by Elin Menzies, Jon Campbell, and both curators — opens Saturday, January 26 with a reception from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
“The new gallery space is beautiful with natural light, high ceilings and plenty of wall space to show artwork,” added Crowley, who shares WFG’s framing work with Kapadia. “Our plan is to continue with small shows and do larger group shows in the summertime and holidays. We just got started and are excited to be working with many of the artists in our community. The Hudson Valley has such a rich artistic heritage; we want to tap into that resource and of course encourage art lovers to buy some locally-made art.”
Both women spoke about how their new commutes are the same length if not shorter than they had been when the framing gallery was in the center of town. So is there anything they miss about their former home?
“What I miss about Woodstock was being able to dash to the other shops when we needed something or having friends just stop by to say hello, although we’ve still got quite a few people doing that now,” Kapadia said. “We didn’t know that Lockwood was having an exhibition but it turned out pretty great that the openings are at the same time!
Great synergy here and even more of a reason for people to come!”
Lockwood Architecture’s gallery, which is also in the same plaza at 747 State Route 28, along with Cabinet Designers, Solargeneration, Pella Windows, and Dynamism Builders, will be opening its first exhibition, featuring new paintings by noted Woodstock artist Pat Horner, at the same time, 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, January 26.
Horner — who has worked in various genres, served on various local arts boards, and exhibited in a wide variety of galleries and museum spaces on a local and national basis, will be featuring new abstract paintings.
For more information on Lockwood Architecture, call 532-4936 or see lockwoodarchitecture.com.
For more on Woodstock Framing Gallery and its new gallery, call 514-2181 or see wfggallery.com.
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