Woodstock Weavers’ Guild hosts exhibit reception
A reception highlighting the Woodstock Weavers’ Guild’s exhibit of handwoven pieces produced by Guild members will be held on Friday, September 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Ulster County Historical Society’s Bevier House, located at 2682 State Route 209 in Kingston. The exhibit is open through late October 2021.
Weavings on display throughout the museum include wall hangings, table pieces, clothing, blankets and other pieces, all woven by hand using wool, linen, silk, Tencel and cotton. Members will be available to explain the techniques and materials used, and light refreshments will be available.
The Woodstock Weavers’ Guild was established in 1972 to foster interest in hand-weaving and textile arts. Membership information is available at the museum or at https://woodstockweavers.org. For more information, contact woodstockweavershudsonvalley@gmail.com.
Appraisers’ Roadshow returns to Woodstock September 11
Former Sotheby’s associate Robert Meringolo and the Appraisers’ Roadshow team of nationally and internationally recognized experts are returning to appraise your treasures on September 11 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the veranda of the Woodstock Playhouse. Meringolo and his team of experts will appraise (and purchase, if desired) items including jewelry, coins, Tiffany, antiques, art, antiques and collectibles.
The appraisal fee is $7 per item for the first five items, additional items free (no limit), to benefit the Woodstock Playhouse. No appointment is necessary. The Playhouse is located at 103 Mill Hill Road at Playhouse Lane in Woodstock.
Luthiers’ Showcase presents String Sampler Concert
The Woodstock Invitational Luthiers’ Showcase presents its annual String Sampler Concert, featuring Bill Frisell and Tony Scherr plus special guests Hubby Jenkins and Mary Flower, on Saturday, October 23 at 8 p.m. at the Woodstock Playhouse, located at 103 Mill Hill Road in Woodstock. Ticket prices are $65 front row, $50 gold section, $40 blue and green sections. Tickets are available through the Woodstock Playhouse box office at www.woodstockplayhouse.org/wilsstringsamplerconcert.
The String Sampler Concert Series, promoting musical diversity and stringed-instrumental artistry, is presented by the Woodstock Invitational Luthiers’ Showcase, an international acoustic guitar and stringed-instrument makers’ festival. This event is open to the fully vaccinated only; photo ID and certificate of completed vaccination will be required, with no exceptions. Masks are required (at this time, TBD), with no exceptions.
Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild annual event Saturday, September 11
With a new focus on an old vision, the Board, staff and volunteers of the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild will hold a daylong celebration on Saturday, September 11. Enjoy walking tours of the historic Byrdcliffe Arts Colony, a cocktail reception, silent auction of unique Byrdcliffe items and activities and live music in the newly rehabilitated Byrdcliffe Theater.
“It’s been two years since our last event, and we are so proud to be able to showcase our rehabilitation efforts during 2020 and 2021 with a daylong celebration,” said Catherine McNeal, Board president. “We are excited for our members, neighbors and guests from all over to be able to see how the Byrdcliffe Arts Colony will be taken into the future. This is also a great opportunity to introduce the Arts Colony to a new audience.”
The afternoon will provide walking tours of what the organization has accomplished at the Byrdcliffe Arts Colony since 2020. In addition to self-guided tours, with docents available to share historic information, Henry T. Ford, director emeritus and Byrdcliffe historian, will offer two guided tours at 1:30 and 3 p.m.; registration is required.
After the tours, the Byrdcliffe Theater will host its first event since the full rehabilitation. The Celebrate Byrdcliffe! cocktail reception begins at 4:30 p.m. Catch up with old friends while enjoying outdoor cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, live music and silent auction viewing. Musical performances will be by Paul Hamaty, Robin the Hammer, the Bergkamp Brothers Band, Robert Burke Warren and Blueberry featuring Lee Falco on drums, Kenny Siegal on bass, Jay Collins on sax and Sam Kulik on trombone, with special guests John Ashton of the Psychedelic Furs and Sara Lee of the B-52s and Gang of Four.
If you cannot attend a tour or the cocktail reception, you can still enjoy a piece of Byrdcliffe through the fully virtual silent auction. The auction allows everyone to explore Byrdcliffe items from the comfort of your own electronic device by going to www.woodstockguild.org.
Bidding is open and has begun. Silent auction items include paintings and prints from local area artists affiliated with the Byrdcliffe Arts Colony; exclusive one-of-a-kind pieces of art; a customized studio tour with a local area artist affiliated with the Byrdcliffe Arts Colony; personalized instruction at Byrdcliffe with master instructors; making memories at Byrdcliffe by staying at a historic cottage or building on the arts colony; or inspiring an artist by funding a fellowship for the Artist-in-Residence Program.
Pre-purchased tickets, which start at $100, are available for purchase. To purchase tickets, sign up for the guide tours, view the silent auction and all other information on Celebrate Byrdcliffe! and the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild, visit www.woodstockguild.org.
Vaccination and ID are required to attend this event. Masks and social distancing are required inside any building. Ticketholders who cannot provide proof of vaccination and ID will not be admitted.
HSW hosts women’s suffrage centennial exhibit
The exhibit “Standing on Their Shoulders: Passing the Women’s Rights Torch to the Present Day” opens on Sunday, September 19 with a presentation by women’s rights activist Marguerite Culp Kearns from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Eames House Museum at the Historical Society of Woodstock (HSW), located at 20 Comeau Drive in Woodstock. The display of early-20th-century photographs and artifacts based on the lives of social justice campaigners Edna Kearns (1882-1934) and Elisabeth Freeman (1876-1942), with interactive videos and music, will run until October 24 on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
The exhibit is the culmination of the Historical Society’s yearlong women’s rights centennial series, a project made possible by a grant from Humanities New York with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The presentation by Culp Kearns (suffrage descendant, journalist and editor of the Woodstock Times newspaper during the 1970s and 1980s) will highlight how activism in one branch of her family influenced four generations. Kearns has spent a lifetime researching and writing her book from SUNY Press, An Unfinished Revolution: Edna Buckman Kearns and the Struggle for Women’s Rights (2021). The memoir begins when she was ten years old asking grandfather Wilmer about the suffrage campaigns of his past. She describes her years at the Woodstock Times and ends with her carrying a banner in a 2019 women’s rights parade.
An online presentation by Kearns is scheduled for Thursday, October 14 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. The event includes the premiere showing of Passing the Torch, a short video that Kearns produced with videographer Barton Friedman, which will be posted later on the HSW’s YouTube channel.
To register for this event, contact HSW at historicalsocietyofwoodstockny@gmail.com and write “activism” in the subject line. You will receive a Zoom link by e-mail prior to the event.
Family Gala postponed
After reviewing the current surge in Coronavirus cases and the increasing number of requirements that people wear masks indoors, Family of Woodstock has decided to postpone its 50th Anniversary Gala from November 4 to May 5 of 2022.
“We are terribly disappointed, and were really looking forward to being together with our old and new friends and celebrating what has been a remarkable 50 years of accomplishment,” said Michael Berg, executive director of Family of Woodstock, Inc. “However, the image of people trying to have a great time, eat and dance while masked and worrying about whether they will be infected does not present a joyous picture.”
Refunds are available if you have already purchased tickets, or you can reserve a space for the Gala on May 5 or make a contribution to the agency. Send requests to mberg@fowinc.org.
Submissions sought for Olive Free Library’s “Small is Beautiful” show
The Olive Free Library Association will be presenting its fourth annual Small Works Show, this year titled “Small is Beautiful,” in time for the 2021 holiday season. All Hudson Valley artists are invited to show their small works in the Olive Free Library Community Gallery. All genres of art are considered, but work must be wall-hung. The exhibition will open on Saturday, November 20 and will run through January 8, curated by Kathy Yacoe.
Submission guidelines are as follows:
1. Up to three pieces of original artwork will be considered for inclusion in the show (no reproductions).
2. All artwork should be no more than 12 inches by 12 inches in size, including frame. All works must be wall-hung. Small shelves (to be provided by the artist) for sculptures are acceptable.
3. The Library takes a 30 percent commission on all sales (the artist will receive the remaining 70 percent of the sale). All artwork must be for sale.
4. Send three to five jpg or png files of your work to oflartsubmissions@gmail.com.
5. Image files should each be named with the artwork’s title only. In the body of the e-mail, provide details for each of the works including medium and size (height x width): e.g., Untitled1: oil, 5” x 7”, Untitled2: pastel, 8” x 10”, Untitled3: pen & ink, 12” x 12”.
6. All artwork must be properly wired, ready for hanging. Any work not properly wired will be rejected.
7. Please submit your image files by Friday, October 15.
8. Send your submission to oflartsubmissions@gmail.com
9. If accepted, you will be contacted directly by e-mail with all necessary forms for you to fill in and submit with your artwork during intake. Intake day is Monday, November 15.
10. If you want to be added to the Olive Free Library’s e-mail list and find out about its events and other exhibition opportunities, please send an e-mail to director@olivefreelibrary.org.
The Olive Free Library Association is located at 4033 Route 28A in West Shokan. For additional information, call (845) 657-2482 or visit www.olivefreelibrary.org.
Colony moves shows outdoors
Amid the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant, a popular music venue has moved all its indoor events outdoors through September.
“With an abundance of caution, and with the safety of our staff, attendees and artists at the top of our priorities, we have decided to move our September indoor/ticketed events to our outdoor Beer Garden stage,” Colony Woodstock said in a post on its website and social media.
Music in the beer garden is normally free of charge, while indoor events are ticketed. Anything originally scheduled to be indoors that was moved outdoors will have a charge. Tickets purchased prior to the move will be honored.
Due to a 10 p.m. curfew on outdoor amplified music, some shows have earlier start times.
In case of inclement weather, ticketed shows will be moved back indoors and proof of vaccination will be required. Refunds will be issued to those who either cannot provide proof of vaccination or would prefer not to be indoors.
Go to colonywoodstock.com or call (845) 679-7625 for more information.
— Nick Henderson
Join the family! 
