Going Places on a Gallon
We started this series to demonstrate that you don’t have to travel far to find things to do. Until last week, all of our visits had one thing in common. They were made during the day.
We broke that tradition on Friday, March 1 when we went to the annual Members Exhibit of the Orange County Arts Council. The show was held at the Carriage House at Thornwillow — a spacious building from a different era in downtown Newburgh.
The trip was easy. We headed north on River Road and then turned west on South William Street. We appeared to be in a business district that was either forgotten or was active during the day and deserted at night. No one was on the sidewalk and there were only a few cars parked along the street.
That changed abruptly as we turned onto South Lander and approached the Carriage House. There were cars parked everywhere, a visual assurance that we had found the right place.
We parked around the corner and walked quickly to a door with a sign on it. In the dark, we could barely see the word “entrance.” Was this the door to the show? We hesitated for a moment and then went inside. It was like landing in Oz. The blackness of the night was replaced by a bright gallery with clusters of people surrounded by art and talking with great animation.
Admission was free, although the wine bar was strategically placed near the door. You could pay for a glass of wine or help yourself to the hors d’oeuvres that were available without charge. If you wanted a souvenir, you could purchase a T-shirt.
There was live music in the center of the room, and a lot of people who were anxious to chat or introduce themselves. And we weren’t the only ones planning to write about our experience. We saw students from SUNY Orange interviewing some of the contributors. One of the students was questioning Carley Nielsen from Cornwall, who was smiling and holding a bouquet of flowers. We never found out where she got them.
The exhibit (which included painting, drawing and sculpture) kicked off a month full of Art Council events. The council is hosting a March 8 concert at 6:30 p.m. at the Carriage House and a March 22 materials exchange at 6 p.m. at the same location. On March 9, there’s a storytelling event at Grit Works (115 Broadway in Newburgh). It starts at 7 p.m. And guests can participate. But their stories can’t be a second longer than five minutes. It might be interesting to see what happens if someone exceeds the limit.
And for those who missed the March 1 art show (or want to see it again), the Carriage House will be open from noon to 5 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays through March 23.
