The Cornwall Art Collective is just over a year old and has a new chairperson at the helm. Rebecca Kashinski was nominated for the position, in September, and she graciously accepted the title formerly held by Jay LeRoy, founder of the Collective.
“I think this is a really great idea Jay came up with,” Kashinski said. “I really wanted to see it move forward. It was unfortunate he had to step back from it, but I was definitely willing to take up the reins and try to see where we can go from here.”
Kashinski, a member of the Arts Collective since it started, went to school in Pennsylvania where she became certified in fine art and concentrated in photography. Nine years ago she moved to Cornwall and has lived here ever since. For several years she worked for the Cornwall Public Library while continuing to take photographs on the side. A few years ago she decided to become more involved with photography. She’s a member of the Orange County Arts Council and her work has appeared in a number of shows.
“I really like that you can take this moment, whatever that moment is, and just freeze it in time forever,” Kashinski said of photography. “There’s not ever going to be a moment like that again. You can try to repeat the scene, but somehow it will be different from one shot to the next. I like the idea of preserving history, preserving art, preserving life.”
Over the last year, the Cornwall Arts Collective has doubled its number of members. Kashinski said 20 members is a good base comprising a variety of different artists such as painters, photographers, visual artists, performing artists, and crafters. Members don’t necessarily have to be artists either; they can just be art supporters.
The Collective had been meeting once a month on Thursdays, but the group is trying to nail down a specific date each month to meet. Meetings typically entail the discussion of individual projects, exhibit opportunities, as well as what the group can do moving forward. The members are currently organizing an art show at 2 Alices for January.
Kashinski said she’d like to see the Collective partner with the Greater Cornwall Chamber of Commerce to bring more art events to Cornwall. She suggested organizing an art walk in the spring or summer and having artists match up with local business owners to have their work put on display.
If all the cards fell into place, Kashinski said, “It would be great if the collective had a space in town to hold exhibits and demonstrations, workshops, lectures, open mic nights, and music nights.”
The Cornwall Arts Collective is currently seeking new members to sign up for next year. A yearly membership fee helps publicize future shows, create buttons with the Collective’s logo, and other incidentals. To register, visit cornwallartscollective.org.
