Rensselaerville Historical Society hosting two art gatherings in July

— from Ella Prince
"McCulloch Cross," by Rensselaerville artist Ella Prince, is a pastel drawing on brown craft paper, and will be on display at the Rensselaerville Historical Society Art show later in July. 

RENSSELAERVILLE — The Rensselaerville Historical Society is gearing up for a month filled with art from local creators.

The society is putting on two different shows — a film and video night at Conkling Hall on July 7, and its annual local artist showcase at the Grist Mill over the final two weekends in July. 

The film and video night will present works by filmmaker Otto Ohle, of Catskill, whose videos “aim towards grasping his own real-time curiosity and wonder for the world, a feeling or thought captured in a frame to be translated visually and metaphysically to the viewer,” according to an event flier. 

Historical society board member and artist Ella Prince said the society will be showing Ohle’s documentaries “The Llama Man” and “New York State of Mermaids,” along with other experimental shorts. 

Tickets for this event, starting at 7 p.m., will be $10, with proceeds going to the historical society. 

The annual showcase will kick off on Friday, July 21, with a free reception that goes from 5  until 8 p.m., with live music by String Simplicity. The exhibit will also be open to the public the next two Saturdays and Sundays.

Prince, who is an artist herself, said that works of all varieties will be included, creating a “fun melting pot. You get anything from sculptures to quilts to paintings to photographs.”

Often, she said of past shows, the artists’ submitted works “seem to be in conversation with the landscape and Rensselaerville itself.”

It’s also a chance to foster conversation among the artists themselves, and among community members, she said.

“As the years roll by, you kind of expect the same artists to participate, and it’s always fun when a new artist submits and the conversation is changed or becomes different,” Prince said. 

Some of the works will be up for sale, and 10 percent of proceeds will go to the historical society, she said. 

There will also be a suggested donation in lieu of a formal admission, to help the society raise money to repaint the back side of the Grist Mill. 

“It’s to preserve the mill from rotting, having that repainted,” Prince explained. “In the past, we’ve raised money to do one side at a time, and this is our last side.”

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The Rensselaerville Historical Society’s “Night of Film and Video by Otto Ohle” will be held at Conkling Hall, at 8 Methodist Hill Road, on July 7 at 7 p.m., and admission will be $10, which will go to the historical society. 

A reception for the historical society’s annual art show will be held at the Grist Mill, at 5052 Delaware Turnpike, on Friday, July 21, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. There is no admission fee. 

The exhibit will also be open to the public on Saturday, July 22, and Sunday, July 23, from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.; on Wednesday, July 26, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.; and Saturday July 29, and Sunday, July 30, from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.

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