This week my column is all about art. Well, music and art. The music is all in my head, but the art is real… maybe a little too real at times. Hang on, I know what you’re thinking.

“Didn’t I just write about art last week? And music playing in my head?” I asked the dog who, as usual, was only interested in the bone she was gnawing on. “Yes, yes, I did,” I answered for her, in order to save us both some time.

A few of you might know that my background is in musical theatre, although I’ve branched out considerably over the last three decades. So for me, music and art are forever intertwined, and while I wrote about art last week, it was my inability to paint that was the focus, and today, it’s all about how truly talented real artists in these parts are.

Take Thomas Bosket for instance. His credentials (Parsons New School for Design) and those of Ann-Marie Sidtis (Minneapolis College of Art and Design), are impressive. Both were in residence in Callicoon, NY last week at ENGN—that old shack on Lower Main, that I think delivered coal from the silo above to those collecting it down below in days of yore. Not sure what “yore” means, but I’ll look it up and get back to you.  

Bosket and Sidtis were hosting a pop-up art show as part of their partnership with SALT—Sullivan Agencies Leading Together—which I knew even less about than art. So I stopped by to check it out, while the music of Stephen Sondheim played on in my head.

Bit by bit, putting it together

Piece by piece, only way to make a work of art

Every moment makes a contribution

Every little detail plays a part

Having just a vision’s no solution

Everything depends on execution

Putting it together

That’s what counts!

“We’re responsible for erasing youth substance abuse in the county, so this is a pro-social activity,” said Thomas Bosket, standing with SALT …

“ENGN (pronounced engine) is a creative civic center,” Bosket informed me when asked. “Civic, as opposed to commercial,” he was quick to point out. “So we decided to present a show before Valentine’s Day and express some love.

“On a more formal level,” he continued, “we’re responsible for erasing youth substance abuse in the county, so this is a pro-social activity.”

“Pro-social,” Ann-Marie interjected, “is the opposite of staying home and doing drugs, which is antisocial.”

“Thomas and I both work for SALT under the Drug Free Communities grant and happily, we are both artists,” she said, “which is how the show came about. We enjoy working with and meeting new people in the community while supporting fellow artists.”

I admired everyone’s work and dedication to the cause, so I snapped a few pics of the cool people and pieces on display at ENGN before taking my leave, remembering that there was more to see at the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance (DVAA) in Narrowsburg, NY.

Slipping a Sondheim CD into the car’s old-timey player, I hummed along to the song “Putting it Together,” from “Sunday in the Park with George.”

Ounce by ounce, putting it together

Small amounts, adding up to make a work of art

First of all you need a good foundation

Otherwise it’s risky from the start

One of Robyn Almquist's paintings hanging at the DVAA is a thought-provoking series featuring her daughter, nine-year-old Amelia.

Robyn Almquist’s exhibit, titled “The Space between You and Me,” is a perfect example (IMHO) of Sondheim’s artistic vision.

“Despite emerging technologies, creative thinking, and countless studies,” the artist statement informed me, “we continue to be plagued by global warming, environmental destruction, gun violence and the ever-increasing wealth gap.  

“In making this body of work over the last three years,” Robyn’s statement continued, “I want to offer an opportunity for dialogue—between those who value love and community and those who admire power and greed.”

I asked gal-pal Val Mansi to stand with Robin Almquist's painting titled "Livingroom"—exhibited at the DVAA in Narrowsburg—in order to convey a …

More Sondheim.

Takes a lot of earnest conversation

But without the proper preparation

Having just a vision’s no solution

Everything depends on execution

The art of making art, is putting it together

“Disturbing, thought-provoking and beautiful” were words I jotted down after perusing the large-scale pieces, including a triptych featuring Almquist’s daughter, nine-year-old Amelia. Many of the paintings are set against a gorgeous backdrop which, upon closer inspection, is of equally arresting images that captivate, engage and inspire the very conversation that Almquist (and Sondheim) hope to spark.

In the Loft Gallery upstairs, Allison Maletz’s exhibit “Abundance” exemplified her skill as a professor of drawing at Marymount Manhattan College.

“This series of watercolor paintings,” her bio stated, “serve to celebrate our community in Sullivan County. The thriving wild ecosystem is always in motion. A plethora of flora and fauna and this exhibit represents many of them, some of which are pure evil, like the spotted lantern fly and the Japanese beetle, neither of which are native, but live amongst us nonetheless.”

“We don’t always get to choose our neighbors,” Maletz told me during the opening reception. “We try our best to adapt to them. We label species as invasive and non-native, but isn’t that what we are to them?” Wow, man. What would Stephen Sondheim say?

Art isn’t easy

Every minor detail

Is a major decision

Have to keep things in scale

Have to hold to your vision

One thing is clear: These artists all have one thing in common—a social conscience. Something I could probably use a little more of, instead of singing show tunes to my dog.

Both Maletz and Almquist have upcoming Artist Talks scheduled at the DVAA. Go to www.delawarevalleyartsalliance.org for more info. To learn more about SALT, visit www.saltcares.com.

According to the fine folks at Amazon (dot com), “The musical theatre of Stephen Sondheim probes deeply into the most disturbing issues of contemporary life. By challenging his audience with intricate music, biting wit, and profound themes, he flouts the traditional wisdom of the musical theatre.” In other words: Art isn’t easy.

Fun Fact: “Sunday in the Park with George” is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It was inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat’s painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.”