"Altered Spirits” - Mid Autumn Festival thru Day of the dead Celebration

Lower Hudson Valley Artists Confront Liminal Space
A celebration of life, death, and transformation. Altar Installation, Day of
the Dead Photography, sculptured gut, found object, assemblage and ceramics.
Selected works by Jennie Chien (Curator), John Badik, Marlene Krumm-Sanders,
Pat Hickman, Ned Harris, Patrice Gallwey-Grant & Daniel Mack.

Opening Reception: Sunday, September 19th, 2010 from 2-5PM.
Closing Celebration: Sunday, November 7th, 2010 from 2-5pm, a festive event.

Ongoing: A Communal Altar will be built during the event with offerings from
the public. The altar installation will be overseen by artist Marlene
Krumm-Sanders. Acceptable offerings are not limited to candles, drawings,
poems, notes or photographs, the Gallery encourages, locally foraged,
driftwood and deadfall pieces for the altars. Appropriate offerings will be
burned in the wood stove at the closing.

More event info: http://www.altaredspirit.com, http:theoutside.in

Set at the time of year when the membrane between the living and the dead is
considered to be the most permeable. After Harvest, toward the threshold into
winter, it is customary for many cultures around the world to gather and mark
this time with ceremony in honor of mortality, celebrating and feasting to
both life and to death. At this time we recall our dead, recognizing loss and
memory in the cyle of life. In grief and laughter, we burn offerings at
altars to symbolize transformation. We pray before these altars, calling to
our loved ones, our memories and our loss. We invite them to come back, to be
with us, to sit, to light a candle and share, once again, the simple
pleasures of life…
The OUTSIDE IN sets this exhibit at the end of Harvest, just between the
Autumn Equinox and our transition into winter. Our days grow short, our
nights extend and the temperatures will shift toward cool. The Mid-Autumn or
Moon Festival is occurring across the globe in China and in Vietnam,
TheChuseok has recently ended in Korea. It is autumn, a time symbolically
associated with mortality and melancholy by Canadian Literary critic and
linguist Northrop Frye. The end of yet another year is upon us, the skeleton
is at the table.
The skeleton motif is a common guest to primitive Festival of the Dead
celebrations that are held in cultures throughout the world. Typically, this
festival begins after the harvest, somewhere in August, September, October,
or November, lasting for around three days. In Mexico, it is called the Day
of the Dead or “Dia de los Muertos”. This festive celebration is for the
gathering of family and friends to pray and remember loved ones who have
died. The Day of the Dead celebration occurs on the 1st and 2nd of November,
in conjunction with the Catholic holy days, All Saints’ Day and All
Souls’ Day.By syncretically blending and fusing into regional beliefs, pre
religious Day of the Dead Festivals survive today in contemporary and
innovative forms. The holiday’s origin has been traced to ancientAztec
observances.

About The OUTSIDE IN Gallery:

The OUTSIDE IN is an ARTefact gallery. The gallery offers a diverse
collection of fine art, furniture, pottery and found objects. Hudson Valley
Artists & Artisans are well represented, particularly those from the lower
valley region. The OUTSIDE IN is nestled along
the Sparkill Creek in Piermont, NY in a tranquil and serene setting. It is a
unique space for special events, workshops and meetings. The OUTSIDE IN
Piermont is located at the south western edge of Rockland County, near the
New Jersey border at Bergen County, minutes north of NYC and across the
George Washington Bridge up into the lower Hudson River Valley.

General Information:
The OUTSIDE IN
249 Ferdon Ave., Piermont, NY 10968.
845 398 0706
http://www.theoutsideinpiermont.com

Hours:
Thurs. thru Sun. 11am-6pm, and by appointment.