In the Dutchess County Spotlight

The Wassaic Project Summer Festival is a free, annual, multi-disciplinary celebration of art, music, dance, and community featuring more than 100 artists, 25 bands, film screenings, dance performances, and much more! Housed in the unique buildings and property of the Wassaic Project, the festival escapes the white walls of traditional art spaces and focuses on site-sensitive installations and performances.

The festival creates a weekend-long opportunity for artists and performers of all mediums to come together, exchange ideas, learn new things, and engage in a thriving community.

Participants are encouraged to come for the day or stay the weekend, camping onsite. The beautiful hamlet of Wassaic is easily accessible from New York City and just a short walk from the Wassaic Metro-North train station www.mta.info See www.wassaicproject.org for details about live music, overnight stays, and transportation. Celebrate FIVE years of the Wassaic Project Summer Festival!

Artists whose work is on display include:

Man Bartlett, born in 1981 is a multidisciplinary artist who lives and works in Brooklyn. His practice includes online performance, drawing, and collage.  Bartlett's work has been featured in ARTnews, C Magazine (#class), LA Weekly, Art in America online, Art Fag City, Hyperallergic, Huffington Post Arts, The L Magazine, ARTINFO, The Daily News, and The Stranger, as well as many others.

Guy Ben-Ari, born in 1984 in Tel-Aviv, Israel lives and works in New York City. Recently, he received his MFA from Columbia University's School of the Arts. Ben-Ari received his BFA with honors from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem where he received the Loren and Mitchell Persser Award for Excellence in Painting.  Ben-Ari's work has been recently shown in New York City at Thierry Goldberg Projects gallery, 6-8 Months Project Space, the Neiman Gallery and the Fisher Landau Center For Art. Ben-Ari has participated in many group shows in Israel and Europe, most recently at Barbur Gallery, Minshar Gallery and Dollinger Gallery.

Maximilian Bode was born and raised in New York City. He attended Pratt Institue and graduated with a BA in communication design.  Even before graduating, his work was being published in the New Yorker, the New York Times, and a slew of other publications. Out of school he supported himself as a freelance artist; his clients include NASA, Columbia Pictures, MTV, Toyota, Nickelodeon, Vibe Magazine, High Times Magazine, the Financial Times, Paste Magazine, St. Martins Press, Fischer Verlag Press, and many more.

Jelia Gueramian graduated with a BFA from Otis Parsons School of Design in 1991. After graduating, she worked in art departments and costume design. Later she moved into making custom props, focusing on plush sculptures, puppets and fantastical costumes. In 2011, Jeila refocused on her fine art with a six-month residency at The Wassaic Project, culminating in a large-scale installation. In 2012, she had her first solo exhibition at Allegra LaViola Gallery in New York City. Jeila currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

And many others, so make sure you stop by the festival, which runs from Friday, August 3rd to Sunday, the 5th and is sure to be a lot of fun.

Make sure you'll be on hand to experience 25 live bands, incredible dance and music programming, film screenings, and the Summer Exhibition showcasing 100 artists.  All for FREE!

Bands include CHROME CANYON and THE SUZAN style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%'>. Artists include 50 of the Artists in Residence from 2011 and 2012!. Schedule your train trip and reserve your camp site now. Email hello@wassaicproject.org or call (347)815-0783.

The Maxon Mills is at 37 Furnace Bank Road, Wassaic, and the Luther Barn is at 15 Furnace Bank Road, Wassaic, NY 12592.