Art Omi Upstate Benefit Honors Two Special Artists

How fitting that Art Omi held its Upstate Benefit at The Caboose in Hudson, which is itself an artistic adaptive re-use project-turned-event-space. On Saturday, September 21, more than 200 Art Omi supporters wended their way through The Caboose’s “secret garden” while enjoying cocktails, bites of fried quail and the music offerings of the Fay Victor Trio. The event’s honorees were Elena Mosley, founder and executive director of Operation Unite NY, and artist Tschabalala Self. Following the honoree presentation, guests entered the main hall set with long tables for a family-style feast from Kitty's and The Caboose's Executive Chef Nicole LoBue. A live auction (which raised over $80,000), dessert and dancing made for a fine finish to the evening.

Art Omi is an arts center in Ghent, New York, with a 120-acre sculpture and architecture park, gallery, residency programs for international artists, and a thriving art education program. Proceeds from the benefit’s auction will help Art Omi reach its goal of $25,000 to ensure its arts education programming is accessible for all by funding scholarships and supplies that reach over 3,000 children and youth in Columbia and Berkshire Counties. As Ruth Adams, Art Omi co-executive director put it so succinctly: “Art builds and enriches community and makes our lives better.”