Art Show: Bedford to Make a Contemporary Splash

BEDFORD, N.Y. Art Show: Bedford is getting ready for some changes this year, in its 39th year.

Starting on Friday evening for the preview party and lasting through the exhibition and sale weekend days, the show will have a decidedly different look, says co-chair Laura Blau of the art show for the Women of St. Matthews.

The feel will be more contemporary, says Blau, who has been a co-chair with Laurie Sturz for the past four years. The leaders are hoping these changes will broaden the appeal of the show and draw a slightly different audience.

“A lot of us who have supported the show, and bought lots of art in the past, our walls are kind of full,” Blau said. “We’re really looking for that younger, or more contemporary fans to say, ‘Aha, this is really nice!’ When you change things up, the hope is that you attract the same people, and more.”

The show is being curated by Leslie Henshaw and Susan Grissom, Gallery Director of the Lionheart Gallery in Pound Ridge, and will be in support of more than a dozen local charities. Each artist, who primarily hail from Westchester and Fairfield Counties, will give up 30% of their money made from sales of their work to the Women of St. Matthews, the organization behind the event. Despite other activities sponsored by the group, Sturz makes note that this one is the big ticket.

“The art show is really the only fundraiser we have at church that our outreach commission receives money from the annual budget from church,” she said. “So this is our moneymaker for the Women or St. Matthews.”

Blau expressed pride at local involvement in the past and expects that local level of involvment to continue. “Everyone understands we’re doing this for community outreach. This is the face of St. Matthews in the community, and that’s what we really want people to know,” Blau said. “It’s all for outreach.”

The festivities begin on Friday with the preview party from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.,  where champagne and hors d’oeuvres will be served. On Saturday in Fellowship Hall, there will be a family fun activity from noon to 2:00 PM titled “It Takes a Village,” which will feature creating miniature clay houses for a village. The exhibition and sales times throughout the weekend are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday.

 

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