Artist Turns Empty Storefront Into Art

An empty Peekskill storefront at 106 N. Division Street is getting an artistic makeover for a young local artists’ opening this Friday, April 6. And it is not your average art opening.

The show, titled CB Gallery Proejcts: Reception 1, will feature the work of four local artists and be accompanied by an acoustic performance by local indie rock band There will also be a keg of The Eastern Standard IPA and a photo booth setup where guests can have their photo taken by professional photographers for free.

The curator, 25-year-old Caitlyn Barrick of CB Gallery Projects, describes the show as “an adventure into independent curating and collaborative art.”

“I know there is a lot of art in Peekskill, but not a lot of young art, I feel like. And there is not a lot of collaborating going on with young artists,” Barrick said.

Reception 1 features photography, painting and installation art from Barrick and from local artists John Agne, of Peekskill; Robert Pizzolato, of Yorktown; and Brandon Cruz, a Cortlandt Manor native who now lives in Astoria. Barrick and PIzzolato are building an istallation out of old cameras and there will be a wall of hanging Polaroids. Barrick's prints are made from negatives and feature her hometown of Ringoes, N.J.

The show is curated to provide a “tactical, analog, and interactive experience” to visitors, Barrick said. “It is hard to put it into words.”

Barrick is a fine art photographer from rural New Jersey who moved to Peekskill about one year ago after finishing school at SUNY Purchase and living with her grandparents in Ossining for a while. She currently lives in Peekskill with her friend and This Old Ghost flutist Karri Diomede. You may recognize the two from The Peekskill Brewery, where they both work as waitresses.

Barrick holds a Bachelors in Fine Art photography from SUNY Purchase School of Art and Design and has shown in galleries in the past. But this is her first time marketing, curating, hanging, cleaning, painting, booking, getting a liquor permit, and managing all the other details of art opening on her own. Agne, who has more years of experience, has shared his knowledge and been a help to her.

The opportunity to use the empty storefront came when Barrick told her landlord, Diana Blancato, about her upcoming show in May, to be held at Wilfredo Morel's around the corner.

“She said if you ever want to use the empty space (on N. Division) to let her know,” Barrick said, and the idea took off from there.

The photographer’s inspiration for Reception 1 came from her friends who live in Brooklyn and rent out the empty basement of an apartment building for underground punk rock shows. 

Barrick hopes to continue her openings every couple of months and already has Biancato’s blessing to do so. The art may make the space, which has been vacant for years, more attractive to potential renters, Barrick pointed out.

All proceeds will go directly to the artists. Barrick is not taking any commission of any work sold.

“I feel that would go against the whole idea,” she said of collaborative art show. All but John Agne’s work will be for sale.

The opening is on Friday, April 6 from 6 to 10 p.m. at 106 N. Division Street, Peekskill. You must be 21 or over to attend as beer will be sold there. There will be light snacks as well.

Caitlyn’s solo show “anyone lived in a pretty how town” will be presented by the H Art Gallery and Steel Imaginations on May 18th, 2012, and will be included in Peekskill’s Open Studio in June.

To read more about the project visit www.facebook.com/cbgalleryprojects.