The Wassaic Project's Annual Summer Festival Celebrates Art, Film, Music and Dance in Tandem with the Local Community

Press Release                                                                                                                              July  2015

  

 On the weekend of July 31 to August 2, the serene hamlet of Wassaic 

will explode with fantastic music, dance, film, art and food.


 
Wassaic, located in Dutchess County in upstate New York, is a tranquil hamlet. After stepping off the train at the last stop on the Metro-North Harlem line, one is immediately immersed in the verdant forested hills, and will soon make out the metal walls of the Maxon Mills, the home of the Wassaic Project and the tallest building in the area. Soon, this picturesque community will go through its annual transformation into a town-wide annual Summer Festival of art, music, dance and film, on July 31 to August 2.
 

Each year, the Summer Festival provides attendees the opportunity to escape the confines of traditional cultural spaces and focus their attention on site-specific installations. Visitors are encouraged to engage with the art, artists, local residents, and other New Yorkers who have come to exchange ideas and learn. This year's Festival features the Wassaic Project's eighth annual Summer Exhibition, Deep End,  and will bring together works by over 65 artists (a majority of whom have participated in Wassaic residency programs), feature live music by more than 15 bands, dance performances, short and feature film screenings, and much more. Participants are encouraged to come for the day or stay the weekend. Programming is cutting-edge yet family friendly.
 

This year's performance lineup continues to be filled with vanguard artists and emerging talents alike, and will present a captivating and memorable show through the duration of the festival. Some of the highlights for this year's festival and the full list of performers can be found below. In addition to these talented guest performers, the Wassaic Project's own eight annual Summer Exhibition, Deep End, will also be open to the public at the Maxon Mills building.
 
 

The event continues to grow every year and has become a great source of pride for the local community, and provides cultural capital in an underserved area. Above all else, Wassaic is a thriving and inclusive community and to further enhance the experience of the festival and minimize commuting time, the Wassaic Project offers a camping site to stay at for the entire festival for a fee (50% off when registering in advance online) and also has a list of local B&Bs to choose from.
 

Lights will illuminate the night sky, music will reverberate and echo across the rolling hills, and stellar performances and art exhibits will catch the eyes of the thousands of expected attendees. The ambiance of a lively summer escapade will permeate the air. Please come join us for this wonderful weekend of festivities.    
 
 

You can find more information about the performers and logistics here at wassaicproject.org/festival or contact:
 

Victoria Larson

Principal, VKLarsonCommunications

[email protected]

917-678-7689


FILM

The festival's film program has centered on emerging talent and filmmakers and continues in that vein this year. Marielle Heller will be kicking off the festival with a screening of her Sundance hit THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL and joining our audience for a skype Q&A afterwards. Trey Adam Shultz's SXSW-winning feature debut KRISHA will screen courtesy of A24. Sam Cullman will be in attendance to discuss his critically acclaimed documentary, ART AND CRAFT, and filmmakers David Felix Sutcliffe and Christopher St. John will discuss their controversial, boundary-pushing documentary (T)ERROR.


 

Full List of Directors & Producers:

Ben Aston, Michael Lukk Litwak, Yulya Aronova, Lily Baldwin, Ivan Barge, Bernardo Britto, Trey Edward Shults, Sam Cullman, Jennifer Grausman, Marielle Heller, Lyric R. Cabral, David Felix Sutcliffe, Christopher St. John

 

MUSIC

Rubblebucket will be performing on Friday, and Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt and Prince Rama on Saturday.
 
 

Full List of Bands:

Rubblebucket, Prince Rama, Legs, Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt, Ava Luna, MAKU Soundsystem, Kaila & The Kid / Kid Lucky, People's Champs, Mail The Horse, Theo Kandel, Paris Monster, Listening Center, Shivering Timbers, Stone Cold Fox, Phooey, Thomas Wesley Stern and Friends, Otto's Gammelen, Bryce Hackford, Tim Love Lee, Deep Trouble NYC DJs

 

DANCE

Earl Mosley's Institute of Arts and Stefanie Batten Bland will be performing on Friday.
 
 

Full List of Dance Directors & Choreographers:

Earl Mosley's Institute of the Arts, Stefanie Batten Bland, Cameron McKinney, Heidi Bartlett & Esther Baker-Tarpaga, Heidi Boisvert & DOUBLE VISION, Malcolm Low, niv acosta, Poorna Swami

 

Performing Artists:

Alex Tsocanos, Amanda Thackray


 


Click here to register for the Wassaic Project Summer Festival now!

 

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