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| Brewster was formed in 1849, named after land owner Walter Brewster. |
As we parked on Main Street, Brewster somehow felt like a whole different place yesterday. Was it a new appreciation for the architecture of the local churches, stretching into the blue sky, sunlight dancing on stained glass? Was it the wind whipping through the town, tossing my dress around as my husband I walked down the concrete? Was it slipping down the sidewalk to the back of brick buildings to find a hidden gem of art and culture, The Studio Around The Corner?
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| The Studio is located at the back entrance of 67 Main Street, Suite 101. |
The building used to be Town Hall but is now home to The
Town of Southeast Cultural Arts Coalition, a non-profit organization
with a focus on cultural events like art shows, dance, theatre and
music. The front door definitely has a "this used to be a court house!" type of feel, and the small doorway betrays the surprisingly large and beautiful gallery that lies beyond its threshold.
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| The Court House feel is present, with a small yet heavy door and a sign in area when you walk in. |
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The Coalition has been able to transform the court house into a clean and modern looking art space. New wooden floors, one tasteful rug and simple brown chairs decorate the gallery without overpowering the art on the walls. Their hanging method includes a small buffer space between the grey part of the wall and the ceiling with hooks every few inches, making it easy for paintings of different sizes and dimensions to be hung. The painted brick and exposed ceiling made us feel as if we had just stumbled into an underground studio in NYC.
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| Great space, tons of adequate lighting! |
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| Simple and comfortable. |
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Saturday was the opening for artist
Karen Jacobs, a color pencil artist who's work was occasionally abstract, always intricate and crafted in color patterns that keep the eye busy. These are the type of works that you could look at for a long time,come back later and still find something new. Faces and eyes peer out of swirled lines and patchwork color shapes. Karen is able to work across an entire page in splashes and assortments of geometric concepts in some pieces, like Exploratory Visions, or contain the colors into a more controlled look, like Harmony, one of my favorite pieces that was displayed.
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| Exploratory Visions |
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| Harmony |
As any good opening should have, this one came complete with a spread of fruits, cheeses and wines, knowledgeable and friendly studio staff and the satisfying sound of an electric guitar in the background. The music of the evening was provided by Jason Lisko, a great musician who lends his talent to a number of bands that play both locally and in New York City. The Studio frequently looks for "low key" music to support their openings and has an in house keyboard available.
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| Cheese is always welcome at any event I attend. |
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| The Studio has a nice area to accommodate one or two musicians. |
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| Jason switches from guitar to the house keyboard. |
I'm really glad to see the Cultural Arts Coalition is fulfilling their mission of bringing interesting and creative events to Southeast Brewster. The Studio Around The Corner said they were booked nearly through the year, so we can look forward to many more openings like Saturday's coming up soon! If you are coming to the
ARTBEAT Street Fairs, it's the perfect opportunity to stop by and say Hello!
