Artist with ‘passionate commitment’ at Hunt Library

FALLS VILLAGE — John Hodgson’s new art show opened at the David M. Hunt Library on Saturday, Jan. 16, with nine new paintings.

Hodgson, of Falls Village and New York City, is autistic. He participates in a program for young adults who are developmentally challenged, to varying degrees.

The Connections art class in New York is sponsored by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. A group of six students came to Falls Village in the summer of 2015 to show their work, Hodgson among them.

At the July 2015 show, Barry Gordon, a professor of neurology and cognitive science at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., said the idea was to expand the art program so that the participants (and their families) could experience more social interaction. (The people in the program often have difficulty expressing themselves.) 

The program also includes a cooking class, which requires considerable cooperation.

Boris Gokturk is the Connections art teacher and has been working with Hodgson for several years.

He said Hodgson “works a lot with layers” of painting and collage.

Sometimes the two decide a piece is finished “when the surface is loaded with information or material.”

“John is serious about the group,” Gokturk said. 

And he is the senior artist in the group, both in terms of number of pieces and overall experience.

The current show’s works are thick with paint and collage elements, much more so than those in the 2015 group show.

That is because the group works in a classroom, with limited access to “splashy” materials.

Hodgson, however, also works with Gokturk in a studio, where he can use bigger canvases and a wider range of materials.

Olivia Pullara, the director of the program in New York, said there are about 10 students in the program, not all involved with the art class.

She said the art students exhibit “passionate commitment,” often working on their pieces between other classes.

Latest News

Wake Robin public hearing closes

Aradev LLC’s plans to redevelop Wake Robin Inn include four 2,000-square-foot cabins, an event space, a sit-down restaurant and fast-casual counter, a spa, library, lounge, gym and seasonal pool. If approved, guest room numbers would increase from 38 to 57.

Provided

LAKEVILLE — The public hearing for the redevelopment of Wake Robin Inn is over. Salisbury Planning and Zoning Commission now has two months to make a decision.

The hearing closed on Tuesday, Sept. 9, after its seventh session.

Keep ReadingShow less
Judith Marie Drury

COPAKE — Judith Marie “Judy” Drury, 76, a four-year resident of Copake, New York, formerly of Millerton, New York, died peacefully on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, at Vassar Bros. Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, New York, surrounded by her loving family and her Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Judy worked as a therapy aide for Taconic DDSO in Wassaic, New York, prior to her retirement on Feb. 1, 2004. She then went on to work in the Housekeeping Department at Vassar Bros. Medical Center for several years.

Born Jan. 2, 1949, in Richford, Vermont, she was the daughter of the late Leo J. and Marie A. (Bean) Martel. She attended Roeliff Jansen Central School in Columbia County, New York, in her early years. Judy was an avid sports fan and she was particularly fond of the New England Patriots football team and the New York Rangers hockey team. She enjoyed spending time with her family and traveling to Florida, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania for many years. She was a longtime parishioner of Faith Bible Chapel of Shekomeko on Silver Mountain in Millerton as well.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jeremy Dakin

AMESVILLE — Jeremy Dakin, 78, passed away Aug. 31, 2025, at Vassar Brothers Medical Center after a long battle with COPD and other ailments.

Jeremy was a dear friend to many, and a fixture of the Amesville community. There will be a service in his memory at Trinity Lime Rock Episcopal Church on Sept. 27 at 11 a.m.

Keep ReadingShow less