+ September 2024
Brick Alley Block Party was held Saturday, September 14th. Guests enjoyed DJ Sets by DJ Jraco & DJ Wickid, lawn games, an art exhibition, an Interactive Workshop Presented by Ecstatic Dance Nyack, Moon Ma Medicinals Elixir Bar and Motion, an interactive sound installation By Katarina Hoeger.
+ July 2024
On Saturday, July 20, GARNER Arts Center held an outdoor screening of classic silent comedy shorts by Buster Keaton and Edwin S. Porter, and more; with original scores performed live by Hervé & Skyler Alexandre.
+ November 2023
Friday, November 3rd
GARNER Arts Center Fundraiser: A Celebration of Arts & Education
Honoring: North Rockland Central School District Superintendent, Kris Felicello
Elliott Forrest, Director of ArtsRock
+ September 2023
Brick Alley Block Party was back on Saturday, September 23rd. Guests took in DJ sets by Morgana and DJ Wawa, immersive art installations by B.A. Miale and an exhibition curated by Brett DePalma, while dancing with robots in nineteenth century industrial spaces set in New York’s landmark Garner Historic District.
+ July 2023
On Saturday, July 22nd, an evening of classic silent comedy shorts by Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton, and Steamboat Willie (the first appearance of Mickey Mouse), was held featuring all new scores performed live by Hervé and Skyler Alexandre.
Film Program:
Never Weaken, 1921 - Starring: Harrold Lloyd
One Week, 1920 - Starring: Buster Keaton
Steamboat Willie, 1928 - The 1st appearance of Mickey Mouse
+ September 2022
Longtime late-night favorite, BRICK ALLEY BLOCK PARTY was back for the first time since 2019! Guests took in starlit DJ sets, immersive art installations, and pop-up performances in nineteenth century industrial spaces while sampling local food and craft beverages to fuel the evening set in New York’s landmark Garner Historic District.
Performers & Artists Included:
ELISE DJ Coolee
Immersive Dye Works video installation by Matthew Schlanger
Unconventional Dance by BK duo, Nattie + Hollis
Nighttime Gallery Hours for Home Body exhibition in Building 35
Site-specific tape installation by Philippe Halaburda
Live Drawing and Music by Pablo Galesi
The Wishing Booth (pop-up installation) by Samtubia & Sagoma
SPONSORS: Brick Alley Block Party is supported by Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc., Rockland County Tourism and the New York State Council on the Arts. Special thanks to the Garner Historic District.
+ August 2022
"Summer of Soul" Film Screening
August 6, 2022
Oscar-winning documentary by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson about the legendary 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival which celebrated African-American music and culture and promoted Black pride and unity.
+ July 2022
Film Under the Stars: A Fundraiser Honoring Filmmaker, Frank Vitale
On Friday, July 15th, GARNER Arts Center held a fundraiser to support the completion of its new gallery - Building 35. The evening consisted of an al fresco light supper, drinks & silent auction and music with screening of award-winning, internationally recognized films by Frank Vitale.
Film Program: Shorts - Moon Nymph (2020) & The Fabricator (2022) Feature - Erotic Fire of the Unattainable (2019)
FRANK VITALE - BIO: Director and producer of over 150 films and documentaries and honored with 75 awards, Frank has also taught at the NY School of Visual Arts for the last 40 years. His latest feature film "Erotic Fire of the Unattainable" was officially selected for both the Brooklyn and Sarasota film festivals, and his feature film "Montreal Main" played in major festivals such as Locarno, London, Mannheim, Edinburgh, AFI, MoMA and the Whitney.
+ May 2022
We are proud to announce the return of GARNER Arts Festival in 2022!
For the first time since 2018, GARNER Arts Festival, the Mid-Hudson region’s premier immersive art festival with an annual draw of over 3,000 visitors returned to the historic hamlet of Garnerville, NY – just 35 miles northwest of New York City. Now in its 16th year, with support from ReStart the Arts, a regrant program of ArtsWestchester with support from the Office of the Governor, the New York State Legislature and the New York State Council on the Arts and local support from Rockland County, the Village of West Haverstraw and the Town of Haverstraw, this weekend-long event offered world-class art exhibitions, large-scale installations, open studios, artisan demonstrations, live music, crafts, performances, craft beverages, food and more!
Visitors of all ages were invited to explore the GARNER Historic District, a reclaimed 14 acre, 19th century textile mill complex that has been transformed into one of the most compelling contemporary art venues and small business incubators outside of New York City. Guests visited 40 open artist studios, meet painters, sculptors, illustrators, woodworkers, photographers, graphic designers, textile artists and more, made art in a variety of creative workshops for kids and adults, browsed an eclectic craft show and engaged with art installations and interactive performances set in historic brick alleys, cavernous former factory spaces, and along the meandering Minisceongo creek. The Festival also included live music, local food vendors, craft beverages and an artisanal coffee bar.
Featured Art and Performances: Big Risks: Creative Discoveries large-scale “tree sculpture” exhibition by Peter Strasser; You Are Here (aka The Maze!) interactive installation by Brooklyn-based and internationally recognized duo TROUBLE; How's That Going to Work?, a groundbreaking electro-acoustic composition by experimental composer John Morton with performances by Klang Quartet; Cover Lover Remix, an exhibition of reimagined album art and vinyl-centric activations curated by Brooklyn-based Dick Burroughs; a selection of decorated mannequins from the Art Reborn: 100 Mannequins Exhibition; #iamCOLOR large-scale tapestry installation by award-winning Rockland-based artist Kris Campbell; Queen Mother of Progress photography exhibition by globe-travelling photographer and photo-journalist Collette Fournier; interactive performances by Rockland-based contemporary drum and dance ensemble Chiku Awali; The Wishing Booth, a surreal creative visualization by filmmakers Samtubia + Samgoma; solo exhibition by painter and GARNER artist Tiffany Freeman in the Industrial Arts Brewing Co. taproom; music & interactive live art curated by performer & director Kate Valentine and more!
Check out our Digital Event Guide! CLICK HERE
+ March 2022
On Saturday, March 26th, the J.Pavone String Ensemble performed in the Dye Works event space. The performance was enhanced with projections by John Gasper.
As an instrumentalist and a composer, Jessica Pavone’s creative practice encompasses and moves beyond developing a personalized voice on my instrument. Since 2012, she has established an individual body of material for solo viola, concentrating on the tactile elements of performance. These structured yet indeterminate pieces stem from intensive long tone practice and an interest in repetition, song form, and sympathetic vibration, resulting in four studio albums.
+ October 2021
The "Jonathan Demme: Collecting with Abandon Exclusive Exhibition Preview" was held October 1, 2021 in Building 35.
This fundraiser was a preview of over 100 works from Jonathan Demme's extraordinary collection of Haitian, Island and Outsider art.
The exhibition benefitted GARNER Arts Center, Haverstraw African American Connection — The Experience & L'Centre D'Arte: Port Au Prince, Haiti
+ December 2020
GARNER Art Center’s LET THERE BE LIGHT! was a drive-through art and light show. This COVID-safe, family-friendly, holiday season-themed attraction was exactly what we needed. Visitors were safely guided through the unique GARNER complex along a bright, inspiring and elegantly decorated art path, including illuminated window art, video projection mapping, music, sight specific installations, immersive light displays and more!
December 12th through 20th, 2020
Artist line-up: Lighting Design by Kate McGee
Video Projection Team: Shura McComb, Farkas Fulop, James Barnes, Daniel Morneau
Eco-Art Sculptures by Daniel Lanzilotta
Featured Artworks by Eric David Laxman, Rodger Stevens, Cassie Hyde Strasser, Don Nace, Kris Campbell, Golden Boy, Ursula Schneider, Beverly Miller, Suzanna Frosch, MaryLou Impellizeri, Lynn Stein, Joanne Howard, Polly King, John Rosis, Johanna Goodman
+ September 2020
Meow Wolf: Origin StoryOutdoor Film Screening: Dye Works SquareSaturday, September 26 at 7PM
“Thrilling…It certainly conveys the wild abandon of youthful creativityexploding across every available surface.“-No Proscenium
When a group of young DIY artists in Santa Fe can’t find a door into the art world, they blow open an entirely new portal with their grit, passion, and tenacity. Within just a few short years – and with a little help from George R.R. Martin – this group called Meow Wolf ultimately hits a cultural nerve and garners massive, unexpected success with their exhibit, House of Eternal Return.
Meow Wolf: Origin StoryOutdoor Film Screening: Dye Works SquareSaturday, September 26 at 7PM
“Thrilling…It certainly conveys the wild abandon of youthful creativityexploding across every available surface.“-No Proscenium
When a group of young DIY artists in Santa Fe can’t find a door into the art world, they blow open an entirely new portal with their grit, passion, and tenacity. Within just a few short years – and with a little help from George R.R. Martin – this group called Meow Wolf ultimately hits a cultural nerve and garners massive, unexpected success with their exhibit, House of Eternal Return.
+ August 2020
Outdoor Shorts 2020: This Is Now Friday, August 14th & Saturday, August 15th
Now having completed its 4th season, Outdoor Shorts is an unforgettable event in one of the Hudson Valley’s most unique historic sites, the GARNER Historic District. A series of curated independent short films were presented in a unique outdoor location on two evenings over a single weekend, along with live music by Adam Falcon.
+ March 2020
4th Annual Members’ Exhibition: Opening Reception: Saturday, March 7th
Nearly 100 GARNER Artists in multiple disciplines joined us for a lively exhibition and refreshments in the Dye Works event space.
+ February 2020
An Evening with Christopher Tignor: Saturday, February 1st
Christopher Tignor is a composer, violinist, lecturer, and software engineer. His emotionally charged scores and unique focus on live, performance-based electroacoustic practice has won acclaim within both the classical and experimental communities across 9 LPs on the Western Vinyl and New Albion record labels. He creates the live performance software he uses, shared freely. As a composer he has written and recorded work for ensembles including The Knights, A Far Cry string orchestra, and Brooklyn Rider string quartet, performing alongside them at premiere venues including Carnegie's Zankel Hall. As a string arranger he has worked with Helios, Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, John Congleton, This Will Destroy You, Meshell Ndegeocello, and several other artists at the boundaries of popular music.
+ December 2019
DIY Holiday Gift-Making Workshop: Thursday, December 12th
GARNER's art workshop faculty lead FREE demonstrations on how to make your own holiday gifts in the Ned Harris Education Studio, Building #24G 2nd floor.
Activities included felt applique, lapel pin making, hand lettered cards, portraiture, bag making, marker tracing and more!
+ September 2019
**Brick Alley Block Party:**Saturday, September 21st Brick Alley Block Party kicked off our 2018 - 2019 season. This year, visitors enjoyed burlesque straight from Coney Island, emceed by the legendary Miss Astrid and danced to DJ Fresh Prince of Darkness.
+ August 2019
Pitch Thursdays As a sideman Adam Falcon has worked and shared the stage with some of the brightest names in music. These artist include Roberta Flack, Sophie B. Hawkins, Whitney Houston, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Jim Lauderdale, Robert Palmer, Peter Gabriel, and Nona Hendryx.
Stepping out on his own, he's opened for James Cotton Blues Band, Matt “Guitar” Murphy, The Wailers, Ruthie Foster, Jim Lauderdale and Tower of Power.
Writing songs for George Benson and having songs on national television got Falcon noticed by The Song Writers Hall of Fame, which honored him with the Abe Olman Scholarship Award for Songwriting.
For his composition, Woke Up Cryin', Falcon became an International Songwriters Competition, semi-finalist and also landed him a nomination for an Independent Music Award.
+ July 2019
Pitch Thursdays Lauren West, of the band American Pinup, performed as part of the "Pitch Thursdays" series; an art & music series curated by the GARNER Arts Center for the Industrial Arts Brewing Company Tasting Room.
Westchester Magazine describes Lauren West as the "powerhouse frontwoman" of the Yonkers-based indie-punk outfit American Pinup, but her solo efforts reveal the softer side of this dynamic singer-songwriter. Performing a combination of stripped-down American Pinup favorites and original songs not found in her band's discography, West winds down from anthemic powerpop to heartfelt indie folk. The intimate tone of these acoustic performances spotlights her lyrics about love, struggle, fear, and hope, evoking "the personal is political" maxim, and a voice that is at once urgent and gentle, sultry and soaring.
Outdoor Shorts - Short Film Festival, July 26th & 27th A perfect Summer night experience! Visitors enjoyed a series of curated short films by New York filmmakers on two evenings over a single weekend. The films were projected on screens and unique surfaces at three different locations throughout the historic mill complex. We provided the chairs and live music will guided the audience together as a group between screening locations.
+ June 2019
Guitar, drum duo Personal Melon performed as part of the "Pitch Thursdays" series; an art & music series curated by the GARNER Arts Center for the Industrial Arts Brewing Company Tasting Room.
Personal Melon is the instrumental mathrock duo of Dr. Ryan Bland and Maxwell Nunes. With influences ranging from heavy rock and jazz to bossa nova, Personal Melon is proud to release their debut album ‘Best Friends’.
Check them out here.
+ May 2019
On Saturday and Sunday, May 18-18,Industrial Arts Brewing & GARNER Arts Center Presented L.A.B. (Live. Art. Beer.) Fest A weekend of collaborative art making & beer brewing on 14 acres of historic grounds. The Festival featured 40 breweries, performance troupes, aerialists and installations.
For more information, visit: www.labfestny.com
+ March 2019
Yonkers-based saxaphonist Matt Garrison and the ColorScapers performed as a part of the “Pitch Thursdays Series”; an art & music series curated by the GARNER Arts Center for the Industrial Arts Brewing Company Tasting Room.
+ January 2019
Friday, January 11th - Art in the 21st Century screening of JOHANNESBURG a short documentary from the inspirational series created by Art 21 and toast in the New Year with our vibrant community of resident artists.
"This episode of Art in the 21st Century tells the story of four artists from a diversity of ethnic backgrounds, identities & generations working across photography, painting, sculpture, & performance. Collectively, they empower marginalized communities, reexamine history, and pursue their visions"
On January 26, 2019, vocalist Eva Salina and accordion player Peter Stan performed in Dye Works.
EVA SALINA & PETER STAN are a small and mighty duo of accordion & voice, traveling through Vintage Pop sounds of Balkan Roma communities.
Together, they present soulful, expressive and intimate performances full to the brim with stories, history, insight, humor, melancholy and friendship. Amplifying voices of past generations of Romani women musicians while evolving living traditions, Eva & Peter employ tenderness, grace, and passion to keep Balkan Romani (gypsy) music vital and relevant for a new generation. For a sample of what’s in store, click here.
At GARNER Arts, this intimacy, passion and tenderness was accompanied by a tea service, site-specific projections and a market of traditional textiles, jewelries and accessories, all curated in collaboration with Eva.
+ December 2018
Pitch Thursdays Thursday, December 13th - Collective Brass joined us once again - this time for a lively holiday performance as part of GARNER's Pitch Thursdays series.
Collective Brass is a high energy chamber group that performed a broad range of exciting and virtuosic music. Members of the ensemble have trained at schools such as the Juilliard School and Yale School of Music. All hold positions in major performing groups in New York. In addition to performing traditional and contemporary brass chamber music, Collective Brass continues to create original arrangements and editions of early music for the ensemble.
+ November 2018
Pitch Thursdays Thursday, November 29th Nev Cadesca performed as part of GARNER's Pitch Thursdays series. Nev, a singer from West Haverstaw, loves to sing more then anything and will let his voice tell you his passion is real .
Check out Nev’s Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z60V9MAP2Ow
+ October 2018
Autumn Electronix II On Saturday, October 20th ANNIHILVS POWER ELECTRONIX proudly joined forces with the Garner Arts Center for the GARNER ARTS AUTUMN ELECTRONIX FESTIVAL II. Back for a second year, the Autumn Elextronix Festival was a specially-curated selection of seven live acts representing many varied facets of electronic music. Annihilvs is an independent underground record label founded by Rockland County native Lee M. Bartow in the Summer of 1997. Specializing in a broad spectrum of obscure forms of music, the label has since expanded to include several artists from around the globe. A great many live events in New York, and beyond, have been organized under the label's aegis, featuring acts reflecting many facets of the international underground music community. In August 2017, the label celebrated its twentieth anniversary.
New this year audiences were able to browse a record fair stocked by Cloister Recordings, Opposite Records and Redscroll Records. {decompress} DJS, Floor_Funktion and Pope Joan II, provide interludes between performances and Area & Perimeter (Kevin D. Reilly Jr.) provides sound installations. Combined with these live performances, we also presented WORLDS WITHIN SHADOWS, an exhibition of visual art curated by Nyack-based photographer, performance artist, and videographer Gretchen Heinel.
LINEUP (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER) HOUSE RED KIDAUDRA LVMMVX RECTRIX SNOWBEASTS THE HOLY CIRCLE TIMEGHOST
Pitch Thursdays Thursday, October 4th Robert Hill & Joanne Lediger performed as part of GARNER's Pitch Thursdays series. Robert Hill, originally from North Little Rock, Arkansas, was inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame in 2014. An award-winning artist, not only for his slide guitar work, but also for his songwriting, winning in numerous songwriting competitions including Billboard, Unisong, and the ISC. Firmly rooted in the Blues, Hill also branches out into Americana, Roots and what has been described as "Psychedelta".
Hill’s stellar slide guitar work, coupled with one of the best vocalists you will hear anywhere, Joanne Lediger, (Reverend Jefferson, McMule, Stir Fried), make for a potent and entertaining duo.
Born and raised in Rockland County, Joanne’s musical influences cover a lot of ground, from rock to blues to bluegrass, to folk and Irish music. Her wide range of musical tastes has given her a tremendous scope of vocal expressions. Joanne has performed with Dr. John, Joe Cocker, Cornell Dupree, Jorma Kaukonen, recorded with Derek Trucks, among numerous others.
Hill has shared the stage with Chris Smither, Levon Helm, John McEuen,(Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), Kim Simmonds,(Savoy Brown), Rick Danko, Tony Trischka, Rory Block, Debbie Davies, and many others.
Hill’s songs have been used extensively in TV series and commercials, including HBO series - Dexter, Smirnoff Ice, Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, All My Children, Canadian reality show, Hell On Hooves, just to name a few. His latest release, “Slide on Rye” is a collection of original slide guitar instrumentals. https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/roberthill4
The new exhibition, Gravity's Wings, paintings by Sharon Falk opened.
In the series of paintings I use the images of birds in an exploration of a moment of time that encompasses the source of light as knowledge, art and the lightness of spirit. It is the gesture of wild things, boldly emerging from places of containment or darkness into an awareness of discovery. They exist in a delicate moment of balance in space, and I seek to portray this energy even in stillness. I am interested in moments of expanded time, a gesture that is fleeting but remains in memory as infinite in its completeness. Through the images of wild things, birds in flight, animals in motion, I attempt to get close to their natural state of freedom. They embody the power in each of us in our relation to earthbound struggles, along a path that is both arcane and familiar in a timeless way. In exploring the aura around all things, I am drawn to that light from an unknown source, and the desire to pay attention to the vanishing language written on the land and all nature.
- Sharon Falk
+ September 2018
**Brick Alley Block Party:**Saturday, September 22nd Brick Alley Block Party kicked off our 2018 - 2019 season. This year's event was a throwback to Avant-Garde-Arama. AVANT-GARDE-ARAMA brings the spirit of the legendary East Village performance art scene to GARNER Arts Center. Charles Dennis was a co-founder of Performance Space 122 (now Performance Space New York), one of this country's most active presenters of cutting-edge dance and performance. It was at PS 122 that Dennis co-created the Avant-Garde-Arama series in 1980.
+ August 2018
Pitch Thursdays: Thursday, August 30th Miguel Yannuzzi performed August 30th as part of GARNER's Pitch Thursdays series. Miguel began cutting his song writing chops at the infamous Anti-Folk Hootenany then still hosted by Latch at NYC Lower East Side club Side Walk Cafe. The next year he was a featured artist for an ASCAP singer/songwriter showcase. Then, joined by his brother David, he formed the band FMBlanket and they began playing NYC, Hudson Valley clubs, local arts festivals, and college radio shows. More recently, Miguel has been playing a retrospective solo set in clubs throughout the Hudson Valley of new and older original material peppered with influential covers that helped shape his songwriting.
Passage, Paintings by Jean Manning on view in the Industrial Arts Brewing Company tasting room.
Creekside Music Series: Thursday,August 2nd Ami Madeleine and Mounring Son performed. With mesmerizing vocals and versatile instrumental skills, Ami Madeleine reminds you what it’s like to feel something deeply. Whether it’s with a guitar, ukulele, or violin, whether the emotion is love or longing or heartbreak, Ami draws it out of you and makes you want to hug a friend or kiss a lover unabashedly.
Her music and lyrics are inspired by the natural landscape and reflect her vital link to the vital elements of earth, fire, air and water. If you’re not careful, you’ll leave her set in an introspective dreamlike state of ease. Ami currently resides in the town of Rosendale, NY and just released her fourth album “Uncut": a small collection of thumb piano tunes. "
Mourning Son’s music is an infusion of colors, dreams, seasons, and raw human experience. She released her first EP in January of 2018 titled, “Synesthesia”. Using real sounds of nature, colors and plant names for song titles, Mourning Son’s music is an atmospheric invitation to meditate on nature, both outer and inner.
+ July 2018
Pitch Thursdays, July 19th
Opening of Passage, Paintings by Jean Manning
Performance by Collective Brass - a high energy chamber group that performed a broad range of exciting and virtuosic music. Members of the ensemble have trained at schools such as the Juilliard School and Yale School of Music. All hold positions in major performing groups in New York. In addition to performing traditional and contemporary brass chamber music, Collective Brass continues to create original arrangements and editions of early music for the ensemble.
+ June 2018
Outdoor Shorts - Short Film Festival, June 22nd & 23rd A perfect Summer night experience! Visitors enjoyed a series of curated short films by New York filmmakers on two evenings over a single weekend. The films were projected on screens and unique surfaces at four outdoor locations throughout the historic mill complex. We provided the chairs and live music will guided the audience together as a group between screening locations. The evening concluded when the on-site craft brewery, Industrial Arts Brewing Company, let us in for dessert and the final screening.
Pitch Thursdays Thursday, June 7th Becky Kessler, singer, songwriter and guitarist for the band Violent Mae, moved to Connecticut from North Carolina to live and work on a friend’s organic farm. She won best singer songwriter in the first annual CT music awards and with multi instrumentalist/producer, Floyd Kellogg, has since received praise from Paste, Mother Jones, Kickstarter, and NPR. “Gifted with great range, Kessler’s voice is both smoky and tender, a silver tongue savoring every syllable that escapes the resistance of her pensive lips. And so the songs can be built around that and her distinctive guitar playing, in some kinship to how Buckley’s songs were just a full band’s extensions of him.” - Coke Machine Glow
Art on View: New Works, by Rodger Stevens and Jamie Kimak through June 4th in the Industrial Arts Brewing Company Tasting Room.**
+ April 2018
Pitch Thursdays Thursday, April 26th Jill Hartmann performed as a part of the “Pitch Thursdays Series”; an art & music series curated by the GARNER Arts Center for the Industrial Arts Brewing Company Tasting Room.
Art on View: New Works, by Rodger Stevens and Jamie Kimak through June 4th in the Industrial Arts Brewing Company Tasting Room.**
+ March 2018
FYRN - Bowed Guitar Ensemble was held Saturday, Mar 24 2018
FYRN is a bowed guitar ensemble that performs ambient compositions by ensemble leader Geoff Gersh. Using metal files to bow the guitars, the sounds produced are ghostly, yet beautiful, and create lush soundscapes that engulf the audience as the ensemble sets up in a large circle around the audience in unique spaces. This performance was held in the stunning 8,000 sq ft warehouse space, Dye Works, located within the GARNER Historic District. Audiences watched the piece come alive around them as Gersh conducts the piece from the center of the room, immersing audiences in the artists’ creative process.
Composer/guitarist Geoff Gersh explored the sonic boundaries of the electric guitar with and without the aid of electronic devices and found objects to produce sounds one would normally not associate with the guitar. Geoff composes for and performs to silent films with two groups he leads, Reel Orchestrette and Black Lodge, on a regular basis at the Nitehawk Cinema, Little Cinema and Film Noir Cinema in Brooklyn, NY. In November 2009, Gersh was awarded a Swing Space grant from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council in NYC for the presentation of his composition ‘Memory In Night’, for 6 electric guitars bowed with metal files, in an old bank vault 2 levels below Wall St. Also in 2009, he performed in Rhys Chatham’s “A Crimson Grail for 200 Electric Guitars” at Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park. Gersh has been playing the electric zither in the Off-Broadway show BLUE MAN GROUP since 1998 and subbed in the Broadway hit ROCK OF AGES from 2013-2015. He has received grants from the American Music Center, Meet the Composer, SOS from NYFA, was awarded a New York Dance & Performance Award (Bessie) in 2000 among others.
This Project was Supported, in part, by the Creative Connections Arts Fund at The Vermont Community Foundation and a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant.
www.geoffgersh.comwww.ambientfields.com
Pitch Thursdays Thursday, March 15th Nyack- based singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, band leader and recording artist Katie Elevitch - @95halfmain @katieelevitchmusic - performed as a part of the “Pitch Thursdays Series”; an art & music series curated by the GARNER Arts Center for the Industrial Arts Brewing Company Tasting Room.
Art on view: Darkness Breaks, the art of Diane Churchill through April 22nd.
+ February 2018
An Evening with Katayoun Goudarzi (Featuring Kevin Hayes and Sergio Krakowski) GARNER Arts Center proudly presented Iranian vocalist and acclaimed performer, Katayoun Goudarzi. Goudarzi is known for maximizing the musical qualities of classical Persian poetry using different styles of singing and recitation and will be joined for an evening length performance by renowned artists Kevin Hayes (piano) and Sergio Krakowski (Pandeiro “Brazilian Tambourine”). The artists performed in the brick lined Dye Works Space on February 24th, 2018 in the GARNER Historic District. The program featured the beauty of Goudarzi’s distinctive melodic style while showcasing contemporary expressions of the cultural traditions from her native Tehran. The primary art form of Iran has long been poetry and Goudarzi has been a serious student of this rich tradition over the past three decades. These years of study have resulted in an accurate style of recitation and musical interpretation that blends an emotive rendition of the poetry with meticulous attention to the linguistic and lyrical integrity of the piece. Goudarzi, of the Saffron Ensemble, has an extensive repertoire of successful which include: "Dawning" with The Grammy award nominee Shujaat Husain Khan, saxophonist and composer, Tim Ries [of the Rolling Stones], Jazz Pianist and composer, Kevin Hays, and Tabla artist Abhiman Kaushal and more. "Goudarzi is a perfectionist who pays meticulous attention to details. She's constantly experimenting in hopes of honoring the spirit and sense of the poetry she loves.” – Broadway World
Pianist Kevin Hays is internationally recognized as one of the premier jazz pianists of his generation. Many of his 15 recordings as leader have received critical acclaim from publications such as The New York Times, Downbeat Magazine and Jazz Times, as well as a “Coup de Coeur” from the Académie Charles Cros (France). A prolific sideman appearing on over 60 records, Kevin’s long list of notable musical associations include records with Chris Potter, Joshua Redman, Nicholas Payton, and Al Foster. The New Day Trio is Hays’ latest project with bassist Rob Jost (Bjork, Tony Scherr) and drummer Greg Joseph (Steve Kuhn, Art Garfunkel). Sergio Krakowski has dedicated his whole life to the Pandeiro, also known as the Brazilian Tambourine. In twenty years of career Krakowski has shared the stage with countless acclaimed artists and has been involved in many musical projects. Krakowski joined Edmar Castañeda’s World Music Ensemble, created a duo project with Cyro Baptista which played at the legendary experimental music headquarter, The Stone, and joined the Choro Aventuroso, Anat Cohen's Brazilian music band that performed in Jazz at Lincoln Center, the 54 Below, and the Umbria Winter Jazz Festival. Besides his musical career, Krakowski used his PhD in Computer Music to allow percussion instruments to create real time dialogues between percussionist and computer. This research turned into an electronic music project named “Talking Drums” that has been commissioned by the NY State Council of the Arts and presented in a myriad of stages such as The Guggenheim Museum of Bilbao, Drom - NYC, (Le) Poisson Rouge - NYC, Oi Futuro - Rio de Janeiro, and at the Museum of Moving Image - Queens - NYC, as part of the NY Electronic Art Festival 2015.
This project was made possible in part with funds from the Community Arts Grants program of ArtsWestchester and the Decentralization Program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
+ January 2018
Pitch Thursdays - January 25th Yonkers-based saxaphonist Matt Garrison and the ColorScapers performed as a part of the “Pitch Thursdays Series”; an art & music series curated by the GARNER Arts Center for the Industrial Arts Brewing Company Tasting Room.
Art on view – "Ruins" The art of Andre Junget and Dorothy Schmidt On View January 25 - March 8, 2018 in the Industrial Arts Brewing Company tasting room.
+ November 2017
From the Ground Up Gala November 4th, 2017 GARNER celebrated the new and exciting changes for GARNER Arts Center, a non-profit interdisciplinary arts center, and leading force behind the transformation of the 19th century former textile mill, the GARNER Historic District. The advancement of a thriving arts, business & cultural district is central to GARNER Arts Center's mission, a mission that will over time positively transform the local and regional communities. We celebrated our growth to date and raise support for the growth to come. In true GARNER Arts Center fashion, guests can expect an evening of artistic surprises. Get a special sneak peek of Building 35 during cocktail hour, enjoy site specific installations, immerse yourself in live arts experiences, local food, craft beverages, a silent auction, music, and after hours dj set round out this evening of art, sound and building upwards!
+ October 2017
AUTUMN ELECTRONIX FESTIVAL- October 21, 2017 ANNIHILVS POWER ELECTRONIX proudly joins forces with the Garner Arts Center for the GARNER ARTS AUTUMN ELECTRONIX FESTIVAL, a specially-curated selection of seven live acts representing many varied facets of electronic music. Annihilvs is an independent underground record label founded by Rockland County native Lee M. Bartow in the Summer of 1997. Specializing in a broad spectrum of obscure forms of music, the label has since expanded to include several artists from around the globe. A great many live events in New York, and beyond, have been organized under the label's aegis, featuring acts reflecting many facets of the international underground music community. In August 2017, the label celebrates its twentieth anniversary.
Featuring: VOID VISION - Analog Darkwave SNOWBEASTS - Cold Synthesis BASTET - Ambient Techno ARIADNE - Sacred Electronics COMPACTOR - Rhythm & Noise THE HOLY CIRCLE - Ethereal Pop _Floor_Funktion Pope Joan II Le Bourreau SPECIAL APPEARANCE: Sam Johnson - Ambient Guitar; Gretchen Heinel - Performance Artist
VISUAL ART Worlds Within Shadows, Curated by Gretchen Heinel, Featuring the work of; May Moore, Maidenfed, Enok Ripley, Josh Yelle, Gretchen Heinel, Crystal Lee Lucas, Rant, Eli Sleepless, Derek Rush, Numi Prasarn, Dorothy Schmidt, Mark Ash, Karly Perez, Jessee Egan
This program was sponsored, in part, by Rockland County Tourism and the Garnerville Arts & Industrial Center.
+ September 2017
Brick Alley Block Party- September 23rd Back for a third year, this party is quickly becoming one of the most talked about in Rockland County. Brick Alley Block Party celebrates the opening of GARNER’s 2017 – 2018 Season and the one-year anniversary of the on-site craft brewery, Industrial Arts Brewing Company. Brick Alley Block Party is an after-hours event filled with immersive art, food trucks, a milk and cookie cart & craft beverage bars in three connecting industrial spaces and culminating in a sundown dj set with MAX SPRAUER in a 19th century Brick Alleyway. This year boasts a lineup including a world premiere virtual reality performance, a funk steel drum band, painted women, silk installations, site specific dance, art exhibitions, light sculptures and more. At this year’s event, GARNER Arts Center welcomes the world premiere of Virtual Reality performance, Mechanica, an exploration of GARNER Arts Center as told through a Virtual World.
Mechanica is an evening-length work created in collaboration between visual artist Leo Castaneda and musician Molly Joyce. Featuring projections of Castaneda's virtual environments along with a live musical performance by Joyce on her vintage toy organ, the work will explore the deep yet perhaps ambiguous history and future of GARNER Arts Center that can leave much up to one's imagination. Mechanica address GARNER Arts Center’s history as a textile mill, reflected in Castaneda's virtual animations which fall between fashion and sculpture, questioning exactly what can be considered what and at what point do the facets of the textile mill become something to be preserved and relished rather than disregarded. Lasting around 30 minutes, the work will be performed throughout the evening in GARNER Arts Center’s stunning 8,000 sq ft Dye Works Warehouse space.
Confirmed artists included; Composer/Performer Molly Joyce and Virtual Artist Leo Castaneda, DJ Max Sprauer, The Chapman Brothers, Reid Stowe, Hudson Valley Ballet Company, Jamie Gaviola, Jamie Kimak, Adam Garey
This event was sponsored by; Rockland County Tourism, Industrial Arts Brewing Company, Garnerville Arts & Industrial Center, Rockland Music Center. Thank you to Arts Center/South Florida for the help in creating Mechanica.
Pitch Thursdays - September 7th Rockland Guitarist Eric DiVito performed as a part of the “Pitch Thursdays Series”; an art & music series curated by the GARNER Arts Center for the Industrial Arts Brewing Company Tasting Room. DiVito has been leading his own groups and performing as a sideman in the NYC area since 2003. He has performed at many of NYC's top Jazz clubs and venues including Smalls, The Iridium, The Kitano, The Garage, the 55 Bar, Swing 46, and many more as well as regional and international touring. Eric performs a mix of traditional, straight ahead and modern Jazz, often featuring his own original compositions. Eric has also performed and recorded with some of NYC's greatest Jazz musicians and has worked in orchestras and Jazz groups for Carnival Cruise lines and The Bateaux NY.
Art on view – September 7th – November 9th – Joe Fusaro: Joe Fusaro examines simple gestures in order to create surprising and simultaneously familiar images. This collection of work, inspired by his 2013 SoHo exhibition, “On Paper”, utilizes architectural elements and spaces to initiate smaller drawings, creating companion pieces for the large scale works.
+ August 2017
Samuel Johnson AT CREEKSIDE - Thursday, August 17th
A night of live music in our Creekside Sculpture Trail. Sam Johnson returns to this serene spot for a night of creekside guitar.
Check out Sam Johnson's Music: https://soundcloud.com/samuelgeorgejohnson/sets/demo-songs
+ July 2017
JILL HARTMANN AT CREEKSIDE - Thursday, July 27th
A night of live music in our Creekside Sculpture Trail. Jill Hartmannjoined us from Beacon for a mellow night of creekside guitar. Pack a picnic dinner and a blanket/chair and take a Thursday evening unwind!*
*Jill Hartmann was raised in Louisiana and the child of two musical families, Jill began singing at a very young age. Her first concrete passion aside from singing was poetry, writing volumes of verse starting from the time she was 8 years old which would inevitably aid in her songwriting in later years. Eventually she would attend Louisiana State University for poetry but along the way, her true love of music made its way back into her life. At the age of 20, Jill started teaching herself how to play the guitar, emulating such legendary folk finger-pickers as Joni Mitchell. The result is a unique and immediately identifiable style all her own.
check out Jill Harmann's music here: https://myspace.com/jillhartmann/music/songs
+ June 2017
OUTDOOR SHORTS - June 23 & 24
Audiences enjoyed a series of curated short films by New York filmmakers on two evenings over a single weekend. The films were projected on screens and unique surfaces at four outdoor locations throughout the historic mill complex. Audiences were greeted by live music, drinks, and an introduction from the Program’s Curator before the first screening. The evening concluded when the on-site craft brewery, Industrial Arts Brewing Company, let the audience in for a private after-hours screening and post-show discussion. The evening wa graciously curated by Joe Bilancio.
LINEUP: The Forger Directors: Samantha Stark and Alexandra Garcia
Joy Ride Director: Niav Conty
They Charge For The Sun Director: Terence Nance
Turnings Director: Robert Herzog
THE MILLNER Director: Meagan Cignoli
This program was made possible in part with funds from the Community Arts Grants Program of the Arts Council of Rockland and the decentralization program of the New York States Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. This evening was sponsored in part by; Rockland County Tourism, Industrial Arts Brewing Company, Rockland Music Center, and the Garnerville Arts & Industrial Center.
CURATOR'S TALK - June 10
Curator's Talk & Brick Alley Closing Reception Celebrating the Closing of A Dark Rock Surged Upon Faheem Haider, Curator
Saturday, June 10, 2017 - 3:00pm - 6:00pm
This program will begin in front of building 35, and then will continue on to tours of Building 19, 4w and 3b. Unfortunately due to damage caused by Hurricane Irene and the Historical Complex, building 35 is not ADA accessible (the other spaces are accessible however). Help us change this by supporting the Building 35 Campaign TODAY. The program will conclude with a closing reception in our Historic Brick Alley.
Haider discusses A Dark Rock Surged Upon, on view in various locations throughout the GARNER Historic District. A Dark Rock Surged Upon, as spectacle, and as an exhibition of works of art installed, projected, and performed throughout GARNER Art Center’s remarkable decommissioned factory spaces, offers no answers; they are responses to contexts that feel jarringly new, cleaved by difference and dissembling. Instead, the works manifest the duty to pose questions about the current moment pressed upon many by racialized and gendered discrimination, our environmental challenges, urban decay and rural devastation, the wholesale assault on political credence, weaponization of worship, and the colonization of speech and mind.
Featuring work by; Todd Martin, Zachary Skinner, Francois Deschamps, Sigrid Sarda, Anthony Tino, Hedieh Ahmadi, Tiffany Smith, Tlisza Jaurique, Marcus Zilliox, Peter Iannarelli, Ryan Roa, Matthew Frieburghaus, Laura Kauffman, Chris Victor, Stephen Derrickson, Derek Stroup, Molly Stinchfield, Steve Rossi, Sadee Brathwaite, Heather Renee Russ, Rena Leinberger More information on A Dark Rock Surged Upon can be found here.
+ April 2017
PATERSON - Apr 22
GARNER Arts Center celebrated & honored Jim Jarmusch's latest film, Paterson, partially shot in the GARNER Historic District. Audiences enjoyed this acclaimed independent film in the 19th century dyeing warehouse, Dye Works. In his film Paterson, Jim Jarmusch explores the intersection between Humanism and Urbanism via a protagonist that functions as scribe and resident poet for the city he embodies. Paterson, the man, is curator of the perpetual hum of the urban apparatus in which he's a cog. The film is an alluring portrayal of the illuminations of William Carlos Williams in his long-form poem "Paterson" published in 1946. At once, Paterson is a man, a poem, a city. This screening was followed by an open discussion guided by film professionals exploring the themes presented in the film and poem and leading an important discussion about how these are relevant to an emergent movement to redefine urban and post-industrial places and to further understand how place is connected to civilization. This event was generously sponsored by RBC Wealth Management,Rooftop Films, and Industrial Arts Brewing Company
+ March 2017
PITCH THURSDAYS - Feb. 16, Mar. 9, Mar. 23
A Winter art series curated for the Industrial Arts Brewing Company Tasting Room. $5 suggested donation at the door.
FEATURING:Shlomo Franklin, Dreamt,David Yannuzzi
Opening Feb. 16th - Other Places. Language has its own special nature, its own conventions and communal ideas. But if language doesn’t change, if it seeks refuge in those conventions and if the communal ideas reflect only the past, language dies. This exhibition includes 17 paintings, 2 photographs, and 4 mixed media drawings. Participating Artists: Brian Leo, Gillian Ha, Z. Zarenger, Amy Morse, Tim Feresten, Viking Etiquette. Curated by Jonathan Shorr, Sofia Barbaresco and Jeff O'Neil
(n) : the property of a sound and especially a musical tone that is determined by the frequency of the waves producing it (v) : to add yeast to wort. (v) : to throw usually with a particular objective or toward a particular point (n) : the distance between two corresponding points on adjacent screw threads or gear teeth.
+ November 2016
BORA YOON - November 19, 2016
This site-specific musical performance engaged audiences’ visual and audio senses. Yoon is a passionate interdisciplinary artist who conjures audiovisual sound-scapes using digital devices, voice and found objects and instruments from a variety of cultures and historical centuries to formulate an audiovisual storytelling through music, movement and sound. Her work has been described by the New York Times as “exquisite…attractive and deeply personal creations.”
Bora Yoon at GARNER Arts Center. Nov. 19, 2016. Video Credit: Frank Vitale. Projections: Daniel Liss. Percussion: Chris Eddleton
### **+ September 2016**BRICK ALLEY BLOCK PARTY - September 24th, 2016
GARNER Arts Center opened the 2016 – 2017 Season with an evening of art, music, food and drink under a starlit Fall sky. Audiences came together to enjoy the opening of the Fall Exhibition, Transposing Perception, on display in GARNER’s stunning 8,000 square foot Dye Works warehouse space before enjoying music (PHOTAY)in Brick Alley– a unique 19th century space. Other artists confirmed to exhibit or perform at Brick Alley Block Party include: Carlye Eckert (site-specific dance), Vanessa Reyes (street art), Matt & Mark Enger (screen printing), Sarah Divi (installation art), Ryan Roa (installation art). More artists will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
+ June 2016
ARTIST TALK: Nelson Diaz - June 9, 2016
Nelson Diaz, commented on his exhibition Recyling Time on June 11th at 3pm. Recycling Time was on view in GARNER Arts 8,000 square foot Dye Works space from May 21st, 2016 - June 10th, 2016. Diaz explains, “Science, math, religion and history are basically stories we tell ourselves about our experience in life and the phenomenon we call energy”. Diaz is a resident of New York City and the Hudson Valley where he works as an artist.
+ April 2016
The Metropolis Organism with Filmmaker Frank Vitale - April 2, 2016
Renowned filmmaker and Rockland County resident, Frank Vitale, lead audiences through a unique media experience exploring cities as living, breathing organisms. The Metropolis Organism is comprised of a series of short films from the YouTube Channel and eBook of the same name. GARNER presented the films interspersed with discussion led by the film’s award winning Director. The Metropolis Organism is an exciting and eye- opening evolutionary perspective which offers clarity in our brave new technological world.
+ March 2016
A NIGHT WITH COMIC BOOK LEGEND, DENNY O’NEIL - March 5th, 2016
SPONSORED BY DC ENTERTAINMENT
GARNER honored the career of esteemed comic book writer/editor and Rockland County resident, Denny O’Neil. Mr. O’Neil, known as the Dean of American Comics and the visionary behind Batman for more than 40 years, received GARNER’s first Lifetime Achievement Award, timed with the release of the new Batman v. Superman film (March 25th, 2016). In exploration of an extraordinary career, Mr. O’Neil participated in a conversation with Michael Uslan, the Originator of the Batman movie franchise. Mr. Uslan is also Executive Producer of: Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice; Batman; Batman Returns; Batman: Mask of the Phantasm; Batman Begins; The Dark Knight; and The Dark Knight Rises. The conversation was moderated by Paul Levitz, former President & Publisher, DC Comics. O’Neil has worked as an editor/writer for DC Comics and Marvel Comics and as a writer at Charlton Comics. He has written for: Batman, Superman, Green Arrow, The Shadow and many more. O’Neil has written several novels, articles, short stories, reviews and teleplays, including the novelizations of the films Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. O’Neil has been honored with the 2014 Hall of Fame Award at Comicon and the Dye Works space will be filled with posters, artwork and videos from O’Neil’s extensive career.
+ November 2015
ASHLEY BATHGATE Performance - November 13, 2015
Renowned cellist, Ashley Bathgate, visited Garnerville for one night only for an evening of art intersecting with technology. Visitors enjoyed light and sound installations throughout the evening, including projections by acclaimed animator, M. Henry Jones, during the performance. [Ashley] Bathgate has been described as an “eloquent new music interpreter” (New York Times) who combines “bittersweet lyricism along with ferocious chops” (New York Magazine). Her “impish ferocity”, “rich tone” and “imaginative phrasing” (New York Times) have made her one of the most sought after performers of her time. The desire to create a dynamic energy exchange with her audience and build upon the ensuing chemistry is a pillar of Bathgate’s philosophy as a performer. Her affinity to dynamism drives Bathgate to venture into previously uncharted areas of ground-breaking sounds and techniques, breaking the mold of a cello’s traditionally perceived voice. She is a member of the award winning, internationally acclaimed sextet, Bang on a Can All-Stars, as well as two chamber groups of which she is a founding member: TwoSense and Bonjour.
+ October 2015
BRICK ALLEY BLOCK PARTY - October 10, 2015
During this multi-media event, you will encounter unexpected artworks, films and daring inventions by the artist, scientist and inventor, M. Henry Jones. Sip on Lagunitas Beer & Awestruck Hard Cider or enjoy a glass of wine while savoring gourmet grilled cheese from Fat & Happy Grilled Cheese Emporium and artisanal ice cream from Penny Lick Ice Cream. Starting at 7:30, audiences came together under a clear Fall sky in Brick Alley to catch an intimate concert (MASEGO).