Local art gallery spotlights Hudson Valley works

Anita Varma Contributing Editor

Couched between Marco’s Pizza and Sushi Village on Raymond Avenue is a little-known treat: the Arlington Art Gallery.

Since its grand opening in January 2007, the Arlington Art Gallery has featured several Hudson Valley artists such as Seth Nadel, Ruth Wetzel and Keith Gunderson. An airy space with ample room for receptions and art openings, the gallery boasts a wide variety of paintings of the Hudson Valley and Hudson River.

The gallery is the only one of its kind in the immediate area. “There never was [an art gallery] in Poughkeepsie or Dutchess, but there have always been local artists painting the Hudson Valley,” said gallery co-owner and director John Frazee.

Frazee, who owns and runs the gallery with his wife Kristin, was raised in the Poughkeepsie area and returned after working in advertising, marketing and art education in New York City and elsewhere. The duo did extensive renovations of the gallery space, and they intend to continue improving the interior by adding walls in order to display more art.

“Our vision was a rustic, beautiful type of town feel that’s going on on Raymond Avenue,” said Frazee. “We wanted to open a gallery that would appreciate the natural beauty of Hudson Valley.”

While the gallery will showcase a variety of artistic styles and subjects, Frazee noted that “all galleries need something you lock onto,” so the gallery will emphasize local artists and the Hudson Valley.

From Oct. 19-20, the gallery featured an exhibit of works by Nadel, which was an encore of the Plein Air Extraordinaire exhibit at the gallery. Nadel, a popular Hudson Valley artist, paints both landscapes and cityscapes of the Hudson Valley and Catskill region and is currently an instructor at the local Barrett Art Center.

In November, Nadel’s students from the Barrett Art Center will curate a show called Emerging Landscapes by Emerging Artists at the Arlington Art Gallery.

Consistent with the gallery’s emphasis on the New School of the Hudson River painters, other artists whose work has recently been displayed at the local art space include Sandra Rubel, Ellen Perantoni, Roger Kastel, Michael McCarthy and Larry Paganelli.

With a number of shows under the gallery’s belt, Frazee is preparing for an important local milestone: the 400th anniversary of explorer Henry Hudson’s voyage through the Hudson River in 2009. To commemorate the occasion, the gallery will feature several local artists’ “special paintings” throughout 2009, according to Frazee.

Frazee is also interested in pursuing a structured collaboration with Vassar. While the gallery has not yet spoken with the Palmer Gallery or the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center (FLLAC), the Hudson River School Trilogy, which is currently on exhibit at the FLLAC, mirrors paintings at the Arlington Art Gallery. “Three elementary schools went to Vassar to see the originals by Hudson River School masters, and then they came here to see the new artists of the Hudson Valley,” said Frazee.

After spending 20 years away from Poughkeepsie, Frazee reflected on how the town has since changed. “The area is broadening culturally and growing positively…a lot of local folks are rediscovering landscapes,” he said. “There really isn’t any other place that’s as beautiful 12 months of year.”