A Fun, Engaging, Magical Exhibit

Summer may have unofficially ended with Labor Day weekend, but you still have time to explore the Wassaic Project’s summer exhibition, “Vagabond Time Killers,” before it closes on Sept. 24.

This fascinating collection of works was curated by Wassaic Project co-directors Jeff Barnett-Winsby, Eve Biddle and Bowie Zunino. The inspiration for the exhibition came from a black-and-white photo Barnett-Winsby found online that features a group of young people with the words “Vagabond Time Killers, 1901, Wassaic, NY,” written on the back.

“This image shows a distinctively different time in this community, yet there is something vaguely familiar,” the trio explains in a block of text on a white wall as you enter the exhibit. “Very little is known about this collection of individuals, and why this image was taken, but there is a palpable level of creativity, irreverence, and excitement captured in the group. It should not come as a surprise that we relate to this odd group of strangers photographed in our community almost 120 years ago!”

The exhibit features the works of 53 artists, and many of them have participated in the Wassaic Project’s artists-in-residence program. All seven stories of Maxon Mills — a former grain elevator — are filled with unique pieces that will spark your imagination. If Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory was an art museum, it would certainly capture the magic of “Vagabond Time Killers.”

The walls of Maxon Mills’ entrance are loaded with all sorts of paintings and images. Make sure to look at Jessye McDowell’s digital prints of 3D-modeled images. Colorful flowers and shells pop against a black background, yet there’s something different about them — it’s an image of an impossible moment.

“My hope is that these images give both pleasure and unease,” McDowell states in an interview on the wall. “The images are slippery because they reference familiar forms but don’t function in quite the same way as paintings made by putting hand to canvas.”

Farther into the first floor, where the structure begins to showcase the old wood of the grain elevator, is Shannon Finnegan’s Anti-Stairs Club Lounge. 

“For visitors who can’t go upstairs, this piece will help mitigate a practical problem about the inaccessibility of Maxon Mills: Those who cannot or choose not to go upstairs sometimes have to wait on the ground floor while their friends or family tour the upstairs,” Finnegan states. “I want to make their experience of the exhibition richer and more fun, adding to their stay on the ground floor. My intent is that the experience also operates on a metaphorical level saying to those visitors, ‘You are welcome and valued here.’”

The rest of Maxon Mills is overflowing with installations and artwork of all shapes and sizes. Eleanor Sabin’s “Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire” is an interesting neon fire placed in the center of one of the rooms. Jen Hitchings’ “Golden Hours,” oil and acrylic on canvas, was painted in Wassaic. It shows rolling hills, trees, a truck and barn in muted greens and browns, giving off a supernatural vibe.

Videos are utilized in multiple parts of the exhibit. Looped clips by Jesse Walton and Carrick Bell play in a small theater, sending eerie music throughout the mill.

There are some truly massive works in the show. In fact, Tatiana Arocha’s “Impending Beauty” takes up the entire sixth floor. She has created an ornate black-and-white-and-gold tea room — complete with chairs, a couch and a table — and each surface features images of rainforests. 

Even the staircases are packed with art. Theresa Bloise’s glowing “Boulder” piece towers over the viewer in one section, while colorful wallpaper by Madeleine Cutrona fills another section.

The top floor is simply wonderful. Elias Hansen has placed lenses that allow you to look out over Wassaic in a distorted view to bring your own perspective to the hamlet.

 I have only mentioned a fraction of the works on display in Maxon Mills. The pieces are so unique — and displayed in such a fun way — that you are sure to find something that will make you smile. 

The Wassaic Project’s “Vagabond Time Killers” runs through Sept. 24. The gallery is open Friday from 3 to 7 p.m., Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. For details, go to www.wassaicproject.org.