New Cultural Complex for Beacon, N.Y - Artworld - Brief Article

Located about 60 miles north of New York City in the Hudson River Valley, the sleepy little town of Beacon, N.Y., may soon be a thriving art center. In 2000, the Dia Art Foundation announced that it would open a new museum there in a renovated factory to house its rarely seen permanent collection. That project is already well under way and is scheduled for completion in spring 2003. But Dia won't be the only art game in town.

In April, real-estate developer and art patron William S. Ehrlich announced phase one of the Beacon Cultural Project (BCP). The massive, multimillion-dollar undertaking is somewhat reminiscent of MASSMoCA in North Adams, Mass., though on a much larger scale. Entirely funded by Ehrlich, it is an innovative collaboration involving nonprofit, for-profit and governmental organizations, and coincides with the town's revitalization plans for its Main Street. Plans call for the eventual development of industrial, residential and retail facilities throughout the town.

David A. Ross, former director of the Whitney Museum and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, has been named executive director of the project, which he hopes will become an extension of the New York art world. According to Ehrlich, Ross "has the opportunity to do something really creative, to engage with collectors, artists and the public in a completely new way."

The BCP will consist of the Beacon Art Society (BAS), Beacon Performing Arts and the Project Space. The BAS will be housed in a 150,000-square-foot complex of six buildings--from an 1814 waterwheel-powered mill to modern International Style structures--being renovated by Gluckman Mayner Architects. The BAS will be dedicated to the care and management of private collections, such as that of Ileana Sonnabend, whose collection will occupy 12,000 square feet of space. State-of-the-art storage facilities, on-site art handlers, conservators and curatorial consulting services will be available for collectors. Each storage area will also have a private exhibition/study space.

Ehrlich expects to attract 20 to 25 collections, selected through a screening process. The BAS complex will contain a 20,000-square-foot exhibition space for the display of shows organized by Ross or guest curators as well as traveling shows from other venues. Though the BAS has no plans to build a collection of its own, on-site collectors willing to lend works to BAS-curated shows could provide a rich resource from which to draw.

Located in a storefront on Main Street, the Project Space, a gallery for contemporary art projects, is set to open this July with a show of commissioned photographic works depicting Beacon. At press time, Carrie Mae Weems and Richard Misrach had committed to the project. The 2,000-square-foot space, designed by architect Aryeh Siegel, will also contain the offices of the BCP.

Beacon Performing Arts will be located primarily in the former Dibble Opera House on Main Street, but will also partner with other organizations in the region. Additional performances will also be held in a 1,000-seat theater in the town's new $32-million high school, outfitted with cutting-edge technology.

Beacon mayor Clara Lou Gould said that a new bus service is being added from the train station, about one mite away, directly to Main Street to accommodate weekend crowds. The area is already a weekend attraction because of the large number of antique shops, particularly in nearby Cold Spring. It may soon be a destination for the contemporary art world as well.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Brant Publications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group