Local Spotlight: June 2009 Archives

Washington County, New York is home to a rich, vibrant artist community. Farmhouses, barns and old factories have been converted into studios where artists paint, sculpt, weave and create works of art that are exhibited throughout the U.S. as well as internationally.
 
On July 18-19, 2009, many of these professional artists will once again open their doors for the juried biennial Open Studios of Washington County. The 2009 Open Studios tour is funded in part by the Washington County Tourism Association and offers participants a glimpse into the creative lifestyle afforded those in Washington County plus the unique opportunity to purchase great art and fine craft directly from these studios.

A selection of participating artists includes: Joan Duff-Bohrer, Jeri MacDonald, Ed Hepp, Serena Kovalosky, Adriano Manocchia, Will Moses, Hannie Varosy, Virginia McNeice, Anastasia Lee Nute, Leslie Parke, Leslie Anne Peck and Gyula Varosy. For more details and a map of the participating local art studios, visit www.openstudioswashingtoncounty.org.

Located on Route 4, in the historic Village of Fort Edward, the Anvil Inn Restaurant now caters to people interested in an outstanding meal whether they arrive by boat, car, train or on foot. The Anvil Restaurant was originally constructed as a Blacksmith Shop in the early 1840's by Alexander Burke. Even today, you can see the remnances of this bygone era in this restored building which became a restaurant in 1975.

The Anvil Inn is owned and operated by the Orsini Family now and offers private dining, banquets and private parties. An extensive lunch and dinner menu is available along with a wide variety of wines and beers. A number of specialty desserts area also local favorites and include a Cranberry and a Bread Pudding that are out of this world good.

For details or to make a reservation, please visit www.anvilinn.com.

The Hyde Collection presents "Degas & Music," an exclusive, first-time exhibition of the music-related works of French Impressionist Edgar Degas, with several performances in Washington County. Collaborating with Hubbard Hall, in Cambridge, the Season of Degas includes a series of musical performances, exhibitions, workshops, lectures and family events.

The first "Season of Degas" performance at Hubbard Hall will take place on Friday, July 17th, at 7:00 p.m. This panel discussion is entitled Hearing is Seeing: Synethesia and the Arts. This event is free and open to the public. The second program includes a concert at Hubbard Hall on Sunday, at 3:00 p.m., entiteld French Feminine. Several more performances are planned in August as well. For more details, visit www.hydecollection.org or www.hubbardhall.org.