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North Canaan mill rate drops

NORTH CANAAN — The annual town meeting May 30 passed both municipal and education spending plans unanimously.

Overall, the budget is down compared to last year. North Canaan’s spending totals in 2024-25 are set at $13,344,971.70, a reduction of $51,150.13 (-0.38%).

The mill rate was set at 24.75, down 0.75 (-2.94%) from last year.

North Canaan Elementary School saw an increase due to hiring a new teacher. NCES showed a bottom line of $4,536,112.70 for next year, an increase of $110,075.87 (2.49%) over 2023-24.

North Canaan’s Region One assessment is down compared to last year. The 2024-25 total is $5,565,923, down $136,960 (-2.4%).

The selectmen’s spending proposal showed a total of $3,242,936, a reduction of $24,166 (-0.67%).

Riley Klein

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The art of getting into art school

The art of getting into art school

Hudson Valley Regional Portfolio Day returns to Poughkeepsie.

Provided

For a young artist considering college, the question isn’t simply whether the work is good enough. It’s which work to show, which school might be the right fit and even whether a creative life can lead to a sustainable career.

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A colorful life together at Atelier Valla

A colorful life together at Atelier Valla

Textile designer Justine Valla sits in her father’s chair, which she painted, alongside her husband, illustrator and muralist Victor Valla, in their Atelier Valla studio.

L. Tomaino
I lost the ability to paint after the accident. I struggled to paint again.
— Justine Valla

Husband and wife Victor and Justine Valla share a lavender and pink studio, Atelier Valla, across the driveway from their pink house, nestled into a hillside in Salisbury. The colors, said Justine, “were inspired by Monet’s house at Giverny.”

Creating art has been a lifelong pursuit for both.

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David Ruchman’s “Acquired Taste”

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Filmmaker David Ruchman

Bleacher and Everard Photography

In a region known for its vibrant but geographically scattered arts community, discovering something new can require a little effort. The same might be said for finding a new place for an extraordinary meal. While the Northwest Corner, Berkshires and Hudson Valley have no shortage of creative talent, opportunities to experience it — whether on a stage, in a gallery or on a plate — aren’t always just around the corner.

In David Ruchman’s short film “Acquired Taste,” that challenge becomes the premise for an unlikely friendship between Nick, an aspiring young food critic living in an area with limited dining options, and a gruff New York City master chef.

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Follow the Clay Way for ceramic delights

Follow the Clay Way for ceramic delights

Jane Herold’s beautifully simple dinnerware.

Provided

As the leaves across Litchfield and Dutchess counties rush to make it to the ground, your last chance to peep autumn is fast approaching. On Oct.17 and 18, the 10th annual Clay Way offers peepers a route to follow lined with unique art that rivals the area’s natural beauty.

The two-day event is a ceramics-focused open studio tour through northwestern Connecticut, with a few studios peppered in just over the border in Dutchess County. Featuring nine open studios and 25 participating artists, the tour promises a wide variety of work, from decorative objects to grand vessels and a whole world in between.

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A new home for the unexpected at Kent Fine Art

A new home for the unexpected at Kent Fine Art

CAMERON (1922-1995) is on view at Kent Fine Art in Pine Plains through Nov. 14.

Provided

Where can one find the work of an artist associated with occult rituals, surrealist visions and the underground California art scene? In a beautifully renovated former carriage house in Pine Plains, of course.

Unexpected discoveries are, after all, part of what Doug Walla has spent his career making possible. The longtime New York City art dealer and founder of Kent Fine Art, has brought the work of Marjorie Cameron Parsons Kimmel, known simply as Cameron, to his new gallery space. The exhibition, on view through Nov. 14, introduces visitors to an artist whose life and work moved between mysticism, poetry, film and the avant-garde.

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A new home for Stateline Auctions

A new home for Stateline Auctions
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If you’ve driven through North Canaan in the last month, you may have noticed that the big storefront windows at the intersection of Main and Railroad Streets, usually packed with antiques and art, are empty. Stateline Auctions has moved.

Stateline was started by Tommy Matteo and Bruce Kolbacher in 2011. Matteo had already been in the auction world for 15 years and had worked with Kalbacher, an antiques store owner, before they set up shop in North Canaan.

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