Visual Arts and Handcrafted Products

Made in America : Tech Valley Center of Gravity Provides Makers a Space to Learn and Grow

November 16, 2022 By Corey Aldrich

Having done several projects with COG over the years it was an exciting surprise to see the amazing new offerings that the facility developed since the pandemic. In a recent tour after a long hiatus, I was literally blown away by the level of professional equipment, variety of applications and the on-sight expertise available in what is surely the regions premier community Makerspace. To get a better handle on it all, I spoke with Dan Falkenstrom – Operations Director at Tech Valley Center of Gravity.

**Dan Falkenstrom** – *Operations Director* at **Tech Valley Center of Gravity** | Photo: Provided

Please state your name, title, and background. What do you do at COG on a daily basis?

Dan Falkenstrom, Operations Director. After graduating RPI with a dual degree in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, I spent time as a manufacturing engineer at Pratt & Whitney, Knolls Atomic Power Lab, and GE. I joined the COG as a member to make motorcycle parts, began serving as the volunteer treasurer, and have been an employee since 2018. In my current role I oversee our day-to-day operations, perform training, and maintain equipment. But most importantly, I help makers and startups overcome hurdles by connecting them with other creators and resources.

Tech Valley Center of Gravity – Downtown Troy, NY | Photo: **Corey Aldrich**

What makes COG different from other ‘coworking’ spaces in the region?

The main difference is that we are so much more! While we do have a traditional coworking area, which is predominantly visible through our street-level windows, I hesitate to consider ourselves a typical ‘coworking’ space. Makerspaces are more of a workshop environment – it’s perfectly acceptable (and encouraged) to start drilling, hammering, or soldering. Our aim is to support individuals, startups, and established businesses by providing low-cost access to fabrication equipment, workshop space, education, and a network of passionate creators.

The organizational structure of makerspaces is also very different from coworking spaces. As a non-profit organization, we have a strong focus on accessibility and community. In addition, our members have voting rights and help steer the direction of the organization. We are supported by a great group of sponsors, which allows us to keep membership and all of our resources financially accessible.

**Sharpening Class** at **Tech Valley Center of Gravity** | Photo: Provided

Can you tell us a bit about the types of facilities that you have available for use?

Within our 15,000 square feet, we have Maker Zones dedicated to 3D printing, children’s STEAM activities, laser cutting, electronics, fiber & glass arts, woodworking, welding, and machining. All told, we have over $200,000 of equipment available for members to use. Our kitchen, meeting room, and classroom/event space are also available to rent.

**John** and **Sean** working in the Woodshop at the **Tech Valley Center of Gravity** | photo: Provided

Who is COG best suited for? Can you tell us a bit about the people and projects happening there?

In our experience, at some level, everyone’s a maker. Our membership spans artists to engineers, students to retirees, and hobbyists to entrepreneurs. Over the past year I’ve seen our members make everything from prom dresses, cutting boards, bio-leather prototypes, physics experiment components, custom watches, welded steel sculptures, and more.

As a state-certified Incubator, we’re especially equipped to help hardware startup companies developing physical products through our Manufacturing Incubator program. In line with that, we’ve placed an emphasis on making digital fabrication equipment accessible. It’s really exciting to see so many small businesses get their start here.

Sewing Area at the **Tech Valley Center of Gravity** | Photo: Provided

Talk a little about the value of a STEAM over STEM based approach.

It’s a more holistic approach that acknowledges how interwoven these disciplines really are. All STEM fields are intrinsically creative disciplines. Beyond the ability to design products that look good and are enjoyable to use, problem solving requires out-of-the-box thinking. Take, for example, the scene from the movie “Apollo 13,” where engineers had to design a way to connect air filters using only what the astronauts had on board – “We have to make this, fit into the hole for this, using nothing but that.” Exercising both halves of the brain improves the ability to look at materials in new ways, to consider alternate processes, and to develop novel solutions to seemingly impossible constraints.

**Kyle Moise** makes and sells custom leather watch straps at the **Tech Valley Center of Gravity**
Photo: Provided

What are your goals for 2023? Anything your especially excited about?

2023 will be our 10 year anniversary, which is extra exciting because it puts us in the company of the few makerspaces that have reached the decade mark. As we continue to grow, we’ve been fortunate enough to secure additional funding to our Community Access Fund, which will allow us to expand our financial aid programs, such as our Pay-What-You-Can program and field trip assistance for Title 1 schools. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and follow our socials to learn more! Now that we’ve added a Community Developer to our team, you’ll be seeing much more activity about what we’ve got going on. Our main goal is to eliminate the phrase “I had no idea all of this was here!” from the reactions of our first-time visitors.

*Inventor* **Nancy Tedeschi** speaks at an event for entrepreneurs at the **Tech Valley Center of Gravity**
Photo: Provided

WEB: tvcog.net

Street Art / Graffiti as Gravity : Part III of III | Art and Community – From Local to Global

November 14, 2022 By Taliesin Thomas

In this 3-part series on the dynamic qualities of murals, street art, and graffiti—as both symbols of cultural consciousness and cultural commodities in their own right—we highlight these genres as viable assets within the regional and global creative economies of today. In the FIRST SEGMENT, the author shares a townie perspective on the arts scene as a citizen of Troy, NY. In the SECOND SEGMENT, we consider the financial side of art initiatives and opportunities around the Capital Region. In this third and final segment, the author discusses the connectivity between the local and the global with respect to artistic expression and community.

*Left to Right*: **Andy Warhol** Inspired Street Art in Troy, NY
Street Mural by Artist **Lady Aiko** in Vienna, Austria
Photos: **Taliesin Thomas**

How does art connect the local with the global? It does so through a consistent re-definition and re-contextualization of material realities and diverse conceptual, social, and philosophical frameworks. I think most of us can agree that art serves as a fantastical creative vehicle for illuminating both the personal and the political, the pressing issues of our time, and the urgency of the universal human condition—we turn to art to experience her charms as the “saving sorceress” that she is (as suggested by Nietzsche). Our increasingly interconnected society embraces manifold forms of artistic expression both real and imagined, and among the greatest pleasures of contemporary cultural life is encountering the multiplicity of art in every corner of the world. In this regard, the scope of artistic agency on the global scale points back to the local level, where artists engage with community as their place of being and belonging.

A View of the **Capital Walls** Murals in Albany, NY | Photo: **Taliesin Thomas**

Over the last several months I have been exploring distinct dimensions of the art scene in the Capital Region. This series for ACE! has been an opportunity to share my firsthand insights. In the first installment, I praised Troy as a locality with a lively arts culture, including strong examples of public murals, street art, and renegade graffiti. One can also see this in the neighboring areas of Albany, Glens Falls, and the wider Hudson Valley region. In that segment I considered these acts of artistic expression as a kind of gravity within society, where art demonstrates its value as a manner of cultural consciousness and a mode of civic engagement. Local arts organizations play an invaluable role by promoting the arts and artists as vital aspects of a rich community life. Encountering colorful forms of public art around Troy and in nearby towns, we can appreciate these artistic expressions as welcomed declarations of creative presence within society. Artists enliven community space while contributing their positive visionary energy to public places.

Artist **Jeff Wigman** Participates in a Street Art Event in Troy, NY
Photo: **Taliesin Thomas**

In the second segment of this series, I interfaced with several esteemed arts professionals in our area to understand aspects of New York State’s support for economic development vis-à-vis the arts sector, including increased public arts projects and collaborations between businesses and artists; community revitalization initiatives and efforts to develop existing infrastructures for the arts; and expansion of local arts programming and opportunities for artists. All of those conversations yielded a similar theme: support for the arts in our area is growing on all fronts!

In this final write-up, I suggest the conversation comes full circle with respect to the impact of local arts activities and modes of creative engagement within an international context. In my experience, the global is the local (and vice-versa). Here in the Capital Region, arts initiatives are, in fact, defining what the macro art-world looks like on the micro level. Regional arts organizations, arts professionals, and local artists have a singular opportunity and responsibility to promote the arts in our area, thus enriching the cultural atmosphere in New York State and beyond.

**Taliesin** in Front of a **Keith Haring** Mural in Melbourne, Australia
Photo: **Rosie DiTaranto**

Found Street Art in **Prospect Park**, Troy, NY | Photo: **Taliesin Thomas**

In our beloved Troy, the local indeed connects with the global in unexpectedly enchanting ways. Recently I came upon graffiti on a defunct building in Prospect Park that references the art of American artist Keith Haring (1958 – 1990), whose signature imagery and bold graphic style continues to influence a generation worldwide. An outspoken AIDS activist and beloved figure of downtown 80s culture in New York City, Haring is one of the most celebrated artists in the history of global contemporary art. I was truly moved to see Haring’s iconography represented in our neighborhood, a reminder that the sprawling global art world comes down to just that: an artist makes his or her own creative mark in their place and time. And in late September I was totally blown-away by a pop-up event on 2^nd Street that entirely referenced the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960 – 1988). This impressive exhibition presented a range of Basquiat inspired works by local artists and was an outrageously wonderful homage to one of most admired artists of all time. Basquiat and Haring are enduring cultural heroes, revered far and wide and still defining our global cultural zeitgeist in so many extraordinary ways. Nevertheless, our local hub offers numerous opportunities for community members to engage with art on every level. In that regard, distinct arts opportunities and connections among artists here in the Capital District promotes a sense of unity while placing us within a thriving arts culture that is global in scope. Thus, the magic and inspiration of the dynamic art-world at large is born right here in our lovely local digs.

Installation View of the “Jean-Michel Basquiat: *King Pleasure*” Exhibition in New York City
Photo: **Taliesin Thomas**

Artist **Rae Frasier** at a **Basquiat** Inspired Pop-Up Event in Troy, NY | Photo: **Taliesin Thomas**

Found Mural in Montreal, Canada | Photo: **Taliesin Thomas**

Found Mural on 2nd Street in Troy, NY | Photo: **Ali Herrmann**

**Taliesin** in front of **Capital Walls** Artist **Nick Walker**’s “**Love Goes On**” in Albany, NY
Photo: **Taliesin Thomas**

Taliesin Thomas, Ph.D. is an artist-philosopher, writer, lecturer, and collector based in Troy, NY. Since 2007, she is the founding director of AW Asia, NY and the collection manager of Art Issue Editions, NY—two private art collections that are the foundation for collaborations and projects with artists and museums worldwide. Thomas has lectured and published widely on contemporary art. She is the director of the Artist Training Initiative and a critic for the Critical Forum program at the Arts Center for the Capital Region, NY and she is a faculty member at School of Visual Arts, NY. Thomas studied studio art, aesthetics, theory, and philosophy at Bennington College, Columbia University, and The Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts.

5 Questions with Community Arts Leader Louise Kerr

October 12, 2022 By Corey Aldrich

*Louise Kerr : Executive Director at Saratoga Arts | Photo: Provided*

1) Please state your name, what organization you represent and your role in that organization.

My name is Louise Kerr and I am currently the Executive Director at Saratoga Arts in Saratoga Springs, NY.

2) What is the organization’s core mission and who are you primarily serving in the execution of that mission?

Saratoga Arts’ mission is to enrich the region by cultivating a vibrant arts community and by ensuring that the arts are accessible to all.

We serve the capital region and beyond both at 320 Broadway with our 14,000 square foot facility that houses gallery and exhibition spaces, a 110-seat black box theater, painting, drawing, weaving, printmaking studios, and now a music/studio rehearsal voice lab, all geared towards community access and use, collaborations through our many partner organizations like the libraries, visitor center, train stations and more for artists to show and sell their work. We hosted two ‘Art in The Park‘ events this year seeing well over 8,000 visitors and have rolling pop-up markets and events throughout the year. We have educational kids camps that run each quarter with our summer season being the longest at 10 months for kids and teens aged 5 to 18. Each quarter we offer teen and adult classes in life drawing, painting, improv, workshops in printing, weaving, jewelry making, and more – basically if a teaching artist can think it up we can help facilitate a place for them to make that class or workshop come to life.

We are also responsible as the regrant organization for NYSCA for Saratoga, Fulton, and Montgomery counties, to distribute direct grant funding support to individual artists, and community and city organizations. We help fund many annual projects like art and book festivals, musical and theatrical performances, spoken/written word projects, and art exhibitions, just to name a few! In 2022 we dispersed $149,000 in grants and to date, we have given more than $1.3 million dollars directly into the community. Our cycle for 2023 just opened so if you live in any of those three counties, please visit our website and let us help fund your artistic project.

*Saratoga Arts Programming and Opportunities*

3) You mentioned to me about annual themes that are being developed as a structure for arts organizations in Saratoga to collaborate on, can you tell me more about that and what the focus for 2023 will be? Why do you feel this approach is important?

I became the ED in August of 2020 and long before I arrived there were collaborations within the arts and culture organizations. The pandemic just expedited the need for everyone to work together and since then I would say those ties grew stronger and more rapidly.

It just naturally evolved as geographically Saratoga Arts is a central, easily accessible community hub that has sat on the corner of congress park for 25 years. All of our relationships with grantee organizations along with the larger institutions like SPAC, The Tang, Yaddo, Caffe Lena and so many more, have continued to flourish and work together.

Beekman Street Arts District continues to grow and our arts and culture opening weekend “All Together Now” in June was a resounding success. Especially with the additional support and collaboration of the Mayor and city, the Chamber of Commerce, Discover Saratoga, and the Downtown Business Association, all of the many world-class cultural events that happen throughout Saratoga Springs are finally beginning to be noticed and 2023 is shaping up nicely with collaborative themes of ‘The Earth, people and place, migration and change‘… like I said in the beginning, this strong network already existed but I was just lucky in my timing of arriving when I did and being immediately embraced and accepted as everyone worked together to overcome the pandemic. I think that being part of something like Saratoga Arts that not only is a resource for the community but also a creative connector in a chain of organizations all pulling in the same direction, is vital for the richness of where you call home and key in the expansion and success of the arts especially.

*Main Gallery | Mia Westerlund Roosen | Photo: Provided*

4) What does a typical day look like for you?

The art center is currently a work in progress and in a time of exponential growth. I am usually doing 15 things at once and going 100 mph… emails and text messages start dinging around 7 am. On any given day at SA there can be 200+ visitors coming through, artists of all ages making all kinds of creative work, lots of rambunctious 3-5-year-olds running around the gallery and in the park, a set being built in the theater, actors rehearsing, someone learning to playing a piano, some sort of cleaning and organizing happening by amazing volunteers, meetings in person with board members, contractors, partner organizations, supporting members and donors, zooms with government agencies, budgets, grant deadlines, running across town to attend an event, and never ending planning and paperwork. Then there is making time for my small but mighty staff, who also are wearing many hats and all working on multiple projects to keep us moving ever forwards. It’s usually 7 or 8 pm by the time I force myself to stop working.

5) I believe you have some exciting news about new facility-related upgrades that you and your team are working on, can you share a bit about what those will be and the timeline?

The crazy hours and frenzied work schedules are in large part due to the fact the art center is going through a complete transformation. It was a little bit tired and worn from so many years of use and not enough consistent maintenance or repairs when I arrived so we have partnered with the city to do extensive renovations and updates over the next three years. The city will focus on mainly structural and exterior renovations like gutters, drainage, roofing, HVAC upgrades and such and we have pledged to raise $700,000 to help update everything internally to reinvent the galleries and makers’ spaces, install new modern equipment and make this building multi-purpose and bursting with creativity 24-7. To date, we have already invested almost $200,000 into the building and with the support of key donations and sponsors, a new extended long-term lease and city partnership, 2023/24 is looking very exciting.

In the immediate near future we are focused on the completion of a few things including an environmentally safe printmaking studio and a rehearsal/music and voice lab. These are already beginning to be used while we expand equipment and build-outs, thanks in part to generous donations of presses and a rehearsal grant from NYSCA allowing us to extend over 1000 hours of studio time for free through December 2022. These spaces will be community accessible as well as places to teach, learn and do specialty workshops.

Also slated for completion by the end of 2022 is re-establishing Film and screenings on a regular basis in our theater thanks to a generous donation of equipment from the now-dissolved film forum. This is very exciting and much requested by our community not just because it opens the doors for so many collaborations with new partnerships, creative programming with filmmakers, small documentaries and other screenings, animation creation, immersive film/performances, and more, but is something that lends itself well to a community center like ours. It offers an intimate and connected regular community meeting place, not intimidating or generic like a big movie theater space, somewhere to nurture constructive dialog and debate, rooted and filled with creative and interesting work from all genres, accessibility for entry level students at the beginning of a careers through to seasoned professionals. I really am looking forward to seeing more people discovering the versatility of what they can do at our facility, and hopefully, be inspired to participate and create!

WEB: www.saratoga-arts.org
IG | FB: @saratogaarts

This article is presented through a content collaboration with ACE and CapNY.

Visit CapNY on Instagram at @gocapny.

Opalka Gallery Pop Up Beer Garden and Neighborhood Block Party

September 13, 2022 By Corey Aldrich

Join us for the opening event of our 4th Annual 2022 Pop Up! Beer Garden and Neighborhood Block Party series at the Opalka Gallery in Albany, NY.

This series opener will feature the main reception for the 2022 SCREENPRINT BIENNIAL featuring a curator talk with Nathan Meltz & Josh MacPhee’s GRAPHIC LIBERATION installation. On the hops and barley front we welcome back our good friends at Druthers Brewing and series newbies Shmaltz Brewing.

For those who are hungry, we arguably have the best line-up to date with Meadowlark, La Capital Tacos and desserts by O’Malley’s Oven. The live stage will welcome back series favorites the Graham Tichy Trio and series newcomer Caity Gallagher.

All this and lawn games and great conversation. Bring the family and enjoy what is sure to be an amazing evening.

This is an ACE! (Upstate Alliance for the Creative Economy) sponsored event and FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

SERIES CENTER : HISPANIC HERITAGE EVENT

There will be two more dates in the overall beer garden series on each of the following Fridays. The second event in the series will be a HISPANIC HERITAGE month celebration that will be on Friday the 23rd.

Back by popular demand, the second event of our 2022 Pop Up! Beer Garden and Neighborhood Block Party series will be a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

The 2022 SCREENPRINT BIENNIAL & Josh MacPhee’s GRAPHIC LIBERATION will be on display in the gallery for review. Pop Up Brew vendors include the dynamic duo of Rare Form Brewing and Nine Pin Ciders.

Come hungry as we will have both Grammy’s Tamales, Oaxaquena Triqui and Mayan themed drinks and chocolate by Primo Botanica.

Finally, get you dancing shoes on for a return of DJ RVMBA and Joe Barna’s Latin Ensemble featuring Stacy Dillard.

All this and lawn games and great conversation. Bring the family and enjoy what is sure to be an amazing evening. Event is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

SERIES CLOSING EVENT : A TROY NIGHT OUT

Series Closing Event | Troy Night Out at Sage Park

Our series closing event will be tied in solidarity for the first time ever to the Russell Sage College’s Troy Campus on Troy Night Out. And what a night it is! The ‘unofficial‘ event will be part of the city wide kick-off of the first year of Baccanalia, a SXSW style, distributed music festival.

Beer for the evening will be provided by Frog Alley and Fort Orange Brewing.

On the food front we will be featuring gourmet mac and cheese with the Mac Factor food truck and ice cream with Emac and Bolio’s.

Enchanted City Steampunk festival performers Frenchy and the Punk are back in town with an opening set by Jules Olson.

More to be announced…

All this and lawn games and great conversation. Bring the family and enjoy what is sure to be an amazing evening. Event is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

A FREE shuttle will be available from Albany to Troy and back for the duration of the event that will leave from the OPALKA GALLERY parking lot at 140 News Scotland Avenue and return to it after the event.

Shuttle times to be announced.

A Day ‘AroundAlbany’

September 13, 2022 By Jonah Michel

Albany is the capital of New York State, and contrary to popular belief – it does NOT suck! Whether or not you’ve explored this city, you gotta keep reading on as I give you exactly what you need to know to have a solid day bopping around town. My hope is to give everyone the opportunity to experience the city and decide for yourself…whether or not it sucks.

PARKING

Parking can be a problem no matter what city you’re in, so to make this the most enjoyable trip possible, you should park along the Albany Riverfront at the Corning Preserve (plus it’s FREE!) and walk the newly opened Skyway towards downtown and Clinton Square. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes – you’ll be doing plenty of walking today.

Capital Walls Tour | Photo: Jonah Michel

DOWNTOWN

Stacks on Broadway is open 7am – 3pm every day of the week, so drop by for a coffee and enjoy the big bright windows that flood the space with natural light. While you’re waiting for your order be sure to grab a map of the Capital Walls Murals – this will come in handy later. You can grab a croissant or bagel from Stacks too, but it is also worth the walk around the block to Coulson’s News & Deli – they’ve been slinging Sammy’s for over 100 years.

Now that you’re full and fueled, you can scope out about a dozen Capital Wall’s downtown public art installations and murals curated by Tony Iadicicco of Albany Albany Center Gallery on your way up State Streets towards the NYS Capitol Building. Consider dropping over to the new Williams Street Pedestrian Walkway which reactivated a neglected alleyway that is sandwiched between two parking garages next to the MVP Arena. It’s a little out of the way, but it features a bright and colorful mural with ample seating – pro tip: walk to the top of the adjacent parking garage for a brilliant view of both the Walkway and Downtown Albany.

Williams Street Pedestrian Walkway | Photo: Jonah Michel

You can book a tour of the Capitol Building HERE – they even do tours during spooky season so be sure to bring a change of pants – kidding!! The tour is a quick 90 minutes, leaving plenty of time to flow through the Plaza Concourse where you can check out a vast corridor filled with a mid century art collection curated by Governor Nelson Rockefeller – love him or hate him, he did have excellent taste in modern art.

A View from the Corning Tower Observation Deck | Photo: iloveny.com

BIG VIEWS

The Corning Tower Observation Deck is accessible directly through the concourse – but make sure you have quarters on you for the binoculars at the top that give you views as south as the Catskills! Also accessible from the concourse is the New York State Museum which is open Tuesday through Sunday 9:30am – 5:00pm for you to explore some of New York State’s most significant natural and cultural diversity, both past and present. Admission to the museum is free, so spend as much or as little time browsing as you wish. You can pop up to the Plaza after – and if it’s Wednesday they have Farmers Market and food trucks for you to enjoy.

Farmers Market at the Plaza | Photo: Jonah Michel

LARK STREET

From there, head up Madison Ave towards Lark Street for some lunch and maybe a little shopping, too. Lark Street is its own little village and is considered the heart of the city by many featuring brilliant 19th and 20th century architecture, vibrant nightlife, and a wide variety of good eats. Grab a souvenir from Lark Street Mercantile or Elissa Halloran Designs, new shoes from Season’s Skateshop. On the food front I would recommend Rain Modern Chinese, Soho Pizza, or my personal favorite, Herbie’s Burgers. Grab a drink from the newly reopened Lark Tavern, Savoy Taproom, LoFi, OH Bar, Susie’s, or my all-time favorite Dive Bar: Palais Royale (Best enjoyed 12am and beyond). There are also a couple of great venues to grab a show in the neighborhood – Lark Hall and the Fuze Box – make sure to check out their websites for the schedule.

WASHINGTON PARK

Now that you got a little retail therapy out of your system, it’s time to take a stroll through the park. But not just any park – Washington Park. Inspired by 19th century architect Frederick Law Omstead who designed New York’s Central Park, Washington Park was named one of the nation’s 100 most important parks by the American Association of Architects. The park features 80 acres of greenspace with monuments, gardens, a pond, a skatepark, basketball and tennis courts, an outdoor concert venue, a dog park, and playgrounds scattered throughout.

By now, you’re probably wiped – and you earned it! You can snag a CDPHP Cycle so you can just cruise back down to the riverfront and call it a day.

Although we’ve only scratched the surface, if you follow these suggestions you will certainly leave Albany with a better understanding and appreciation for one of the oldest cities in New York State. A day like this may leave you wanting more, so I might just have to pop back on here and map out your next trip to Albany. We can dig deeper, trust me. Although many call it ‘Smallbany’ I can assure you there is still so much more to discover.

Jonah Michel can be found creatively connecting in the City of Albany. Additionally, he focuses on ‘stuff worth talking about’ around the Capital Region and beyond as a core member and producer for the media outlet Two Buttons Deep.

IG: @aroundalbany | @twobuttonsdeep